Changes in mental health during the COVID-19 crisis in Romania: A repeated cross-section study based on the measurement of subjective perceptions and experiences

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused dramatic changes in the daily lives of Romanians, affecting their mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has evolved at three significant peaks, which sequentially occurred on: April 29, 2020; September 18, 2020; and the third wave registered the highest severity on November 27, 2020. Little is known about the mental health changes during this phase of this pandemic. This study evaluated mental health levels in Romania at the end of the first wave of the pandemic and amidst the third and most severe wave. We administered a two-phase internet-based survey among 543 and 583 participants, respectively, recruited through snowball sampling at a 6-month interval. The IPAT Anxiety Scale measured anxiety, the Beck’s Depression Inventory measured depression, and the Dissociative Experiences Scale measured dissociation. We observed no statistically significant differences in the number of participants with clinically relevant scores at either time point. In the first survey, 23.8%, 19.2%, and 32.6% reported being clinically anxious, clinically depressed, and showed clinical dissociation, respectively. Binary logistic regressions indicated that age, education level, and previous traumatic events were significantly associated with clinical levels of anxiety and depression. Moreover, multiple linear regression analysis reported a collective significant effect of gender, age, psychological impact, traumatic events, and dissociation on predicting high levels of anxiety and depression. Romanian adults’ mental health status was affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it did not change 6 months after the first lockdown.