Covid-19: Estimating the burden of symptomatic disease in the community and the impact of public health measures on physical, mental, and social wellbeing

This study is part of the Health Research Board COVID-19 Pandemic Response (COV19 2020) research programme to undertake national research addressing the impacts of COVID-19. Specifically, this study examines the impact of public health measures on mental health and social wellbeing in the Irish population.

Four bespoke nationally representative telephone surveys of 20-minute length (1,000 respondents) were carried out, over a 2-3 week period in May 2020, July 2020, September 2020 and March 2021 using standard validated measures. Symptoms of depression and anxiety over the past 2 weeks was addressed using the 12-item Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety-Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS), social wellbeing was assessed via the 12-item Social Wellbeing Index and domestic violence assessed via the Women’s Abuse Screening Tool.

Project Aims

To assess mental health (measured through the self-report questionnaire Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale) of individuals in the general population in Ireland during different time periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To examine the levels of domestic violence (measured through Women’s Abuse Screening Tool) of individuals in the general population in Ireland during different time periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recent Publications

Covid-19 Estimating the burden of symptomatic disease in the community and the impact of public health measures on physical, mental and social wellbeing: a study protocol. Troya MI, Khashan A, Kearney P, Arensman E, Hoevel P, Buckley C, Fitzgerald M, Humphries R, Kiely E, Mulchrone K, Murphy M.HRB open research. 2020;3.