The psychological impact of closures (and media terrorism) on Italians: alarming data
A few days ago a study by the Italy in Health Foundation was released relating not only to the socio-health impact but also to the behavioral-psychological impact that Covid has had on the lives of Italians. The data shown to us perfectly represent the gravity of the situation that we live, in silence, in Italy. What emerges is a high risk for the health of Italians, particularly harmful in the medium to long term, so we will know the full extent of the effects only in a few months.
Of the respondents, 70 percent spontaneously cut back on any outings with other people and 69.4 percent gave up going out or inviting other people into their homes. These are worrying figures, but they can still be explained by the closing period. 53.5 per cent of the population also went to public places, restaurants and shops, which have been partially opened, while 29.1 per cent of the population spontaneously gave up sports.
There are many behavioral changes that are described in the study: 49 percent of respondents feel much more nervousness and stress related to the pandemic, 28.8 percent say they have trouble sleeping or sleep less. Note that 16.5 percent say they have symptoms of depression.
The impact is therefore devastating, but the data relating to young people are of greater concern. We had said that signs or symptoms of depression were cited by 16.5 per cent of the population, but among the youngest it rises to 34.7 per cent, therefore more than double. There is also a marked difference in the number of people who experience psychological distress: 27.1 percent in the general population, while 40.2 percent among young people.
The study, which we recommend to read carefully, also deals with specific situations such as those of minors, while interviewing the parents: in summary, we have almost 60 percent of them who consider the psychological impact of the pandemic on their children to be significant; half of these believe that the impact is there, but it is not too significant, that is, it has no lasting consequences, while those who do not encounter problems are below the 10% threshold.
In short, the data on the whole are very alarming. Many psychologists try to shed light on the increase in cases of anxiety and fear that have arisen during the period of the lockdown . Cases that unfortunately will tend to increase and, as we have said, the repercussions of which we will observe in the medium to long term. The partial openings granted are a breath of fresh air, but certainly not a "normality", as the lifestyle prior to Covid is still far away. Just think of the curfew still foreseen from 10pm. With the arrival of summer it is hoped for a further relaxation of the restrictions, but it will be very difficult to cancel in a few months an omnipresent alarmist communication, the constant blaming of citizens, who unlike the positives and hospitalizations show no sign of decreasing.
The post The psychological impact of closures (and media terrorism) on Italians: alarming data appeared first on Atlantico Quotidiano .
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Atlantico Quotidiano at the URL http://www.atlanticoquotidiano.it/quotidiano/limpatto-psicologico-delle-chiusure-e-del-terrorismo-mediatico-sugli-italiani-dati-allarmanti/ on Fri, 07 May 2021 03:54:00 +0000.