The study, entitled “Socio-economic and psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a Spanish representative population-based cohort”, led by Dr Pere Castellví, a lecturer and researcher for the Public Health Area in the Department of Medicine, received a grant from the Social Observatory of ‘la Caixa’ bank to analyse the socio-economic impact of the pandemic in Spain.

The main objective of the research is to assess whether there has been an increase in job insecurity, a greater recession, widespread anxiety, suicidal behaviour, and an increase in gender-based violence. “Resilient factors will also be evaluated in case of these psychological problems,” explains Castellví. 

An original adult representative Spanish sample was used to carry out the research and was evaluated for mental health a year ago in a study led by Dr Carlos García Forero, a researcher in the Department of Medicine. Thus, through reassessment, the real impact of the Covid-19 pandemic will be discovered at both a socio-economic and psychological level. “This study is innovative because the vast majority of research is carried out retrospectively and does not allow the impact to be evaluated before and after,” says Pere Castellví.