Anxiety, depressive symptoms, and distress over the course of the war in Ukraine in three federal states in Germany

Affiliation
Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Sciences, Medical Faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Massag, Janka;
Affiliation
Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Sciences, Medical Faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Diexer, Sophie;
Affiliation
Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Sciences, Medical Faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Klee, Bianca;
Affiliation
Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Sciences, Medical Faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Costa, Daniela;
Affiliation
Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Sciences, Medical Faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Gottschick, Cornelia;
Affiliation
Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Sciences, Medical Faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Broda, Anja;
Affiliation
Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Sciences, Medical Faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Purschke, Oliver;
GND
1085164233
Affiliation
Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University Jena ,Jena ,Germany
Opel, Nils;
Affiliation
Department of Internal Medicine IV, Oncology/Haematology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Binder, Mascha;
Affiliation
Department of Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Mid-German Heart Centre, University Hospital, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Sedding, Daniel;
Affiliation
Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Sciences, Medical Faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Frese, Thomas;
Affiliation
Department of Internal Medicine II, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Girndt, Matthias;
Affiliation
Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Hoell, Jessica;
Affiliation
Institute for Medical Sociology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Moor, Irene;
Affiliation
Department of Internal Medicine I, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Rosendahl, Jonas;
Affiliation
Julius-Bernstein-Institute of Physiology, Medical Faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Gekle, Michael;
Affiliation
Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics (IMEBI), Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Sciences, Medical Faculty of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ,Halle (Saale) ,Germany
Mikolajczyk, Rafael

Introduction The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting consequences are in the center of political discussions, media, and likely individual thinking of the population in Germany. Yet, the impact of this prolonged exposure on mental health is not known hitherto. Methods Using the population based cohort study DigiHero from three federal states (Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, and Bavaria), we assessed anxiety levels (GAD-7), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), and distress (modified PDI) in the first weeks of war and 6 months later. Results Of those 19,432, who responded in the first weeks of war, 13,934 (71.1%) responded also 6 months later. While anxiety and emotional distress decreased during the 6 months, their average scores were still elevated, and a substantial fraction of respondents displayed clinically relevant sequelae. Persons from low-income households were especially affected, specifically by fears related to the personal financial situation. Those who reacted with a particularly strong fear in the beginning of war were more likely to have persistent clinically relevant symptoms of depression and anxiety also 6 months later. Discussion The Russian invasion of Ukraine is accompanied by continuing impairment of mental health in the German population. Fears surrounding the personal financial situation are a strong determinant.

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License Holder: Copyright © 2023 Massag, Diexer, Klee, Costa, Gottschick, Broda, Purschke, Opel, Binder, Sedding, Frese, Girndt, Hoell, Moor, Rosendahl, Gekle and Mikolajczyk.

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