COVID-19 and Mental Health; 26 March to 7 April 2020, Slovenia

The aim of the study was to obtain the first psychological responses and observe mental status of Slovenes at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic during the first lockdown in Slovenia.<br><br>Specifically, we explored how people experience changes in daily life during an epidemic and how these are related to various aspects of mental health (e.g., experiencing anxiety, loneliness, worries, psychological well-being, potential positive changes in an individual’s life).<br><br>This is an online study, utilizing convenience sampling. The data were collected from 26 March to 7 April 2020. Altogether, 311 people participated in the study, including 259 women. The participants were aged from 19 to 77 years old (M = 33.79, SD = 11,69). Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. <br><br>The measures used in the study were admistred in Slovene language. They included:<br>- Demographic variables,<br>- Demographic variables related to work and COVID-19,<br>- Variables on SARS-Cov-2 infection,<br>- Anxiety as a state (STAI, six items; Marteau and Bekker, 1992),<br>- Anxiety as a trait (STAI, five items; Zsido, 2020),<br>- Psychological well-being (WHO-5; WHO, 1998),<br>- Loneliness (De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale; De Jong Gierveld and Van Tilburg 2006 and Three-Item Loneliness Scale; Hudges et al, 2004),<br>- Qualitative measures (biggest worries, psychological needs, positive changes),<br>- Variables on preventive activities.