The purpose of the work is to assess the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced by the Vologda Oblast residents. The assessment is based on the results of a sociological survey conducted by the Vologda Research Center of RAS in February 2021. The scientific novelty of the work is in assessing the level of spread of psychoemotional disorders among the population, analyzing the psychological problems experienced during the pandemic, identifying groups at increased risk of their occurrence. The results are: almost half of the respondents have signs of some kind of disorder. The article notes the highest level of the spread of depression in 20 years of monitoring (38%). The level of anxiety also increased (32%). Two thirds of population faced psychological problems: they experienced fear of infection (45%), distress caused by strict restrictive measures (31%), suffered from loneliness (19%), monotony (20%) and boredom (14%). The stigmatization of covid-positive people and strict quarantine measures contributed to the fear of infection. 16% of respondents can be attributed to “COVID-dissidents”. Elderly women were the most sensitive to psychological problems, and elderly men were more likely to show symptoms of psychoemotional disorders. The older generation experienced separation from families and loneliness more painfully, was afraid of getting infected; its representatives more often complained about unavailability of psychological help. Young people had a harder time coping with boredom and monotony. Single people; widows, divorced, and single people; having one child, with incomplete secondary or higher education; disabled people; heads of commercial and state structures, employees and law enforcement officers, and unemployed were more vulnerable to negative psychological outcomes during the pandemic. The results of the study can be used in the development of measures to preserve mental health during the health crisis and future pandemics
Keywords
mental health, risk groups, depression, COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety, psychological state, psychological problems