Second wave of Covid 19 pandemic in Argentinian population: vaccination results in a decrease in depressive symptoms.

BENEDETTI P; BARBUZZA A; GOYENECHE C; MOSCATO F; REPPUCCI V; RAMIREZ BUTABAND D; KATCHE C; MEDINA JH; VIOLA H; BALLARINI F; MONCADA D

Congreso; SAN 2021 XXXVI Annual Meeting; 2021

Covid-19 is a disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. So far, up to May 2021 it has caused 4.42 million deaths on the planet and 110,000 originated in Argentina. In addition to the many physical illnesses directly associated with the Covid-19, it also causes psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. In this work, we studied the progression of the selfperceived levels of generalized anxiety disorders (GAD) and depression in two adults groups with 18-30 and 31-50 years old. Both of them were surveyed during the first (November 2020) and the second (May 2021) waves of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, Argentina. We used the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 tests to evaluate depression symptoms and GAD levels. We also asked about weekly physical activity and the vaccination status to analyze their impact as possible protective factors of the population?s mental health after such a prolonged period of pandemic. Our data show that in both age groups, GAD increased during the second wave, while depression decreased. These tendencies are valid for both men and women. We also found a positive correlation between generalized anxiety and depression in both waves. Vaccination showed no significant effect in GAD, but a decrease in depression levels for the 31-50 group. In concordance with our previous works, physical activity seems to act as a protective factor that mitigates GAD and depression levels.