Coronavirus (COVID-19): mental health tracker study - wave 1 report

Findings of wave 1 of the Scottish COVID-19 (SCOVID) Mental Health Tracker Study based on questionnaire data collected between 28 May and 21 June 2020 (a period which coincided with the Phase 1 easing of lockdown measures).


Foonotes

1. SEG measure categories AB-C1-C2-DE. Higher SEG (i.e., top-half): AB = Higher & intermediate managerial, administrative, professional occupations, C1 = Supervisory, clerical & junior managerial, administrative, professional occupations. Lower SEG (i.e., bottom-half): C2 = Skilled manual occupations, DE = Semi-skilled & unskilled manual occupations, unemployed and lowest grade occupations. (ONS, 2001).

2. Please note that of Respondents with a pre-existing health condition, 80.5 % reported Depression and 70.4% reported anxiety as existing prior to COVID-19.

3. The Health Survey for England was chosen as it offers the best comparability because it also uses the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, as opposed to the Long Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, which is more commonly used in other studies.

4. For further information on how Scotland transitioned out of lockdown see: https://www.gov.scot/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-scotlands-route-map/#phase1-routemapthroughandoutofthecrisis

5. The statistical tests used include t-tests and chi-square tests, with p-value equal to or smaller than 0.05 used as a cut-off for statistical significance.

6. Measured using the Patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) using a cut-off score ≥10 to indicate moderate to severe depression

7. Measured using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, using a cut-off score ≥10 to indicate moderate to severe anxiety

8. Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) © NHS Health Scotland, University of Warwick and University of Edinburgh, 2008, all rights reserved. As suggested by the scale authors, the scores underwent a Rasch transformation.

Contact

Email: Social_Research@gov.scot

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