Author(s)

Lucas Emmanuel Pedro de Paiva Teixeira^1*, Renato Leonardo de Freitas^2,3,4, Alberto Abad⁵, Juliana Almeida da Silva^2,6, Mayra Antonelli-Ponti⁷, Cláudia Helena Cerqueira Mármora⁸, Luis Antonio Monteiro Campos⁹, Scheila Paiva¹⁰, Sandra Bastos¹¹, José Aparecido Da Silva¹²

¹Institute of Motricity Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas (UNIFAL-MG), Alfenas, Brazil.
²Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
³Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Alfenas (UNIFAL), Alfenas, Brazil.
⁴Laboratory of Neurosciences of Pain & Emotions and Multi-User Centre of Neuroelectrophysiology, Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil..
⁵Psychology Graduate Program, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, Brazil.
⁷Laboratory of Studies and Research in Social Economy, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
⁸Department of the Old, Adult and Maternal-infant, School of Physical Therapy, Graduate Program in Psychology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, Brazil.
⁹Master’s Program in Psychology, Catholic University of Petrópolis, Petrópolis, Brazil. Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
¹⁰Psychology Graduate Program, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, Brazil..
¹¹Otorhinolaryngology Institute (ISBO), São Paulo, Brazil.
¹²Laboratory of Psychophysics, Perception, Psychometrics, and Pain, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.

Context and objectives :The unexpected pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) affected several activities and exposed workers, students and the large mass of unemployed people to an economic and psychological pressure that could lead to various problems, such as anxiety, fear, depression and insomnia, consequently causing impairment of quality of life. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the COVID-19 Peri-Traumatic Distress Index (CPDI) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) to measure peri-traumatic stress and fear, such as psychological reactions during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. An online spreadsheet was used as a data collection tool to send the questionnaire and scales to a sample of 1,844 participants. Data were analyzed in groups of health professionals, students and teachers, and an analysis was performed between unemployed and employed people in order to evaluate the impact of employment on the population’s mental health. Results: All groups presented from moderate to high CPDI and FCV-19S scores, and students and unemployed people had higher levels of stress and fear. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the Brazilian population, with students and the unemployed showing the highest rates of stress and fear.

Mental Health, Fear, Peri-Traumatic Stress, COVID-19, Student, Unemployed

Teixeira, L. , de Freitas, R. , Abad, A. , da Silva, J. , Antonelli-Ponti, M. , Mármora, C. , Campos, L. , Paiva, S. , Bastos, S. and Da Silva, J. (2021) Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Brazilian Population: Occupational Analysis. World Journal of Neuroscience, 11, 145-160. doi: 10.4236/wjns.2021.112013.