Evolution of Spanish population well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the COSMO-Spain study
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic affected mental health worldwide. The COSMO-Spain study analyses risk perceptions, behaviours, knowledge and other pandemic related variables, such as well-being. This work aimed to assess the evolution of self-reported well-being in Spain from May 2021 to Septemb...
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025007893 |
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| author | Catarina Santos-Ribeiro Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez Alba Ayala María Romay-Barja María Falcón Maria João Forjaz |
| author_facet | Catarina Santos-Ribeiro Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez Alba Ayala María Romay-Barja María Falcón Maria João Forjaz |
| author_sort | Catarina Santos-Ribeiro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic affected mental health worldwide. The COSMO-Spain study analyses risk perceptions, behaviours, knowledge and other pandemic related variables, such as well-being. This work aimed to assess the evolution of self-reported well-being in Spain from May 2021 to September 2022 and its association with demographic and COVID-19 related factors. Methods: An online, nationwide cross-sectional panel survey was applied in seven rounds with 1000+ participants each, with a total sample of 7266 participants, representative of the Spanish adult general population. The main variable was well-being, measured with the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) total score, an index with a total score from 0 to 100 (0 = worst well-being, 100 = best well-being). Other variables included in the survey were: sociodemographic data, concern about COVID-19, feelings of depression and fear, COVID-19-related worries, risk perception, self-efficacy, preventive behaviours, pandemic fatigue, health literacy, information search behaviours, and trust in several institutions. A multiple linear regression was run to analyse the associated factors with the WHO-5 total score. Results: The WHO-5 total score showed a significant increase from rounds 6 (May–June 2021) to 8 (September–October 2021). Women (standardized b coefficient (b) = -0.10), youth or people with lower socioeconomic status (worsened financial situation (b = −0.10) or unemployed/furloughs (b = −0.04)) reported lower well-being levels, whereas having a university-level education showed the opposite (b = 0.11). Feeling less depressed was associated with higher well-being (b = 0.31). Conclusions: This study shows rising levels of well-being until a plateau was reached in October 2021. Vulnerable groups may be at higher risk of worsened mental health and should be addressed by policymakers. Further longitudinal studies should evaluate causality and evolution patterns of well-being throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-76e2d9315a1241e69aea0418b7d26397 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj-art-76e2d9315a1241e69aea0418b7d263972025-02-06T05:12:36ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402025-02-01113e42409Evolution of Spanish population well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the COSMO-Spain studyCatarina Santos-Ribeiro0Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez1Alba Ayala2María Romay-Barja3María Falcón4Maria João Forjaz5Preventive Medicine Department, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain; Escuela de Doctorado, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; Corresponding author. Preventive Medicine Department, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.National Epidemiology Centre, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, SpainNursing and Health Care Research Unit (Investén‐isciii), Carlos III Health Institute, Spain; Research Network on Chronicity, Primary Care, prevention and health Promotion (RICAPPS), Madrid, SpainNational Centre of Tropical Medicine, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, SpainLegal Medicine, Department of Sociosanitary Sciences, University of Murcia, Murcia, SpainNational Epidemiology Centre, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Research Network on Chronicity, Primary Care, prevention and health Promotion (RICAPPS), Madrid, SpainIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic affected mental health worldwide. The COSMO-Spain study analyses risk perceptions, behaviours, knowledge and other pandemic related variables, such as well-being. This work aimed to assess the evolution of self-reported well-being in Spain from May 2021 to September 2022 and its association with demographic and COVID-19 related factors. Methods: An online, nationwide cross-sectional panel survey was applied in seven rounds with 1000+ participants each, with a total sample of 7266 participants, representative of the Spanish adult general population. The main variable was well-being, measured with the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) total score, an index with a total score from 0 to 100 (0 = worst well-being, 100 = best well-being). Other variables included in the survey were: sociodemographic data, concern about COVID-19, feelings of depression and fear, COVID-19-related worries, risk perception, self-efficacy, preventive behaviours, pandemic fatigue, health literacy, information search behaviours, and trust in several institutions. A multiple linear regression was run to analyse the associated factors with the WHO-5 total score. Results: The WHO-5 total score showed a significant increase from rounds 6 (May–June 2021) to 8 (September–October 2021). Women (standardized b coefficient (b) = -0.10), youth or people with lower socioeconomic status (worsened financial situation (b = −0.10) or unemployed/furloughs (b = −0.04)) reported lower well-being levels, whereas having a university-level education showed the opposite (b = 0.11). Feeling less depressed was associated with higher well-being (b = 0.31). Conclusions: This study shows rising levels of well-being until a plateau was reached in October 2021. Vulnerable groups may be at higher risk of worsened mental health and should be addressed by policymakers. Further longitudinal studies should evaluate causality and evolution patterns of well-being throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025007893WHO-5Well-beingCOVID-19CoronavirusPandemic |
| spellingShingle | Catarina Santos-Ribeiro Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez Alba Ayala María Romay-Barja María Falcón Maria João Forjaz Evolution of Spanish population well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the COSMO-Spain study Heliyon WHO-5 Well-being COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic |
| title | Evolution of Spanish population well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the COSMO-Spain study |
| title_full | Evolution of Spanish population well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the COSMO-Spain study |
| title_fullStr | Evolution of Spanish population well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the COSMO-Spain study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evolution of Spanish population well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the COSMO-Spain study |
| title_short | Evolution of Spanish population well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the COSMO-Spain study |
| title_sort | evolution of spanish population well being during the covid 19 pandemic results from the cosmo spain study |
| topic | WHO-5 Well-being COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025007893 |
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