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Who Is Suffering from the “Corona Blues”? An Analysis of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Depression and Its Implications for Health Policy

Author

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  • Sunhee Kim

    (Department of Local Government Administration, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung-si 25457, Korea)

  • Seoyong Kim

    (Department of Public Administration, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea)

Abstract

COVID-19 is tremendously affecting not only social structures but also people’s psychological states. In particular, COVID-19 is negatively affecting psychological health, in particular, the depression. When individuals are experiencing the depression, there is increase in the suicide rate and occurrence of serious social problems. This study therefore examines factors affecting depression by using hypothesis testing. Previous studies have limitations in that they focus only on demographic variables or other specific variables. In contrast, this study focuses on the influences of four non-pandemic and seven pandemic-related variables on people’s depression. We analyze data from a social survey (N = 1525) in Korea which adopted the stratified quota sampling method. Results show that, first, among the demographic variables, young people experience depression to a greater extent than older people do. Second, among the non-pandemic variables, individuals with more social support, good health, optimism, and self-efficacy exhibit lower levels of depression. Third, among the factors related to COVID-19, fear of infection, financial instability, personal lifestyle changes, and poor health status increase depression.

Suggested Citation

  • Sunhee Kim & Seoyong Kim, 2021. "Who Is Suffering from the “Corona Blues”? An Analysis of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Depression and Its Implications for Health Policy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-21, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:23:p:12273-:d:685544
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cuiyan Wang & Riyu Pan & Xiaoyang Wan & Yilin Tan & Linkang Xu & Cyrus S. Ho & Roger C. Ho, 2020. "Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-25, March.
    2. Yingfei Zhang & Zheng Feei Ma, 2020. "Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Quality of Life among Local Residents in Liaoning Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-12, March.
    3. Ioulia Solomou & Fofi Constantinidou, 2020. "Prevalence and Predictors of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Compliance with Precautionary Measures: Age and Sex Matter," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-19, July.
    4. Badr K. Aldhmadi & Rakesh Kumar & Ramaiah Itumalla & Bilesha Perera, 2021. "Depressive Symptomatology and Practice of Safety Measures among Undergraduate Students during COVID-19: Impact of Gender," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-9, May.
    5. Cristina Mazza & Eleonora Ricci & Silvia Biondi & Marco Colasanti & Stefano Ferracuti & Christian Napoli & Paolo Roma, 2020. "A Nationwide Survey of Psychological Distress among Italian People during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-14, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yoonjung Oh & Seoyong Kim & Sohee Kim, 2022. "Searching for New Human Behavior Model in Explaining Energy Transition: Exploring the Impact of Value and Perception Factors on Inconsistency of Attitude toward Policy Support and Intention to Pay for," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-26, September.

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