The COVID-19 survey in May shows that the novel virus and its countermeasures have had an impact on the general and mental health of the population in Germany. There has been a significant increase in depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as stress.
What impact do infections with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the protective measures have on people in Germany? These questions are answered by a special survey of the German National Cohort (NAKO) among its approximately 205,000 participants. 159,562 individuals took part in the special survey during the lockdown in spring 2020. The 113,928 responses received in the first four weeks of May form the focus of an initial analysis of the data – published in the Deutsches Ärzteblatt.
Participants from 16 German study regions were asked whether they had undergone a COVID-19 test and which Covid-19 symptoms had occurred. In addition, their subjectively perceived state of health was determined. In particular, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and stress were surveyed in the same way as for the NAKO baseline examination.
By May 2020, 4.6 per cent of respondents had been tested for COVID-19, but only 344 (0.3 per cent) of these were coronavirus-positive. Depressive and anxiety symptoms increased among participants under the age of 60, especially among young women. The proportion of those with moderate to severe depressive symptoms suggesting clinical relevance rose from 6.4 to 8.8 per cent. Self-perceived stress increased in all age groups and both genders, especially in the 30 to 49 age group, but also among older people. “The results indicate that in spring, during the first wave of the pandemic and the countermeasures taken – such as social distancing, contact restrictions and business closures – the level of depressive symptoms, anxiety and stress symptoms in the population increased,” summarises Professor Dr Klaus Berger, spokesperson for the NAKO expert group “Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases” and Director of the Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Münster. But there is not only negative news to report from the time of the first wave. 32 per cent of the study participants rated their own health as better during the first lockdown compared to the initial survey around five years ago.
Professor Dr. Annette Peters, Chairwoman of NAKO e.V. and Director of the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Zentrum München, emphasises the particular importance of the study: ‘The German National Cohort (NAKO) is perfectly designed to investigate whether the changes in living and working conditions during the pandemic will not only have a short-term impact on health, but will also influence the development of common diseases in the long term.