COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress as a Function of Age and Gender in a Spanish Sample

The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly altered the daily lives of the population with dramatic effects caused not only by the health risks of the coronavirus, but also by its psychological and social impact in large sectors of the worldwide population. The present study adapted the COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) to the Spanish population, and 1094 Spanish adults (mean age 52.55 years, 241 males) completed the Spanish version in a cross-sectional online survey. To analyze the factorial structure and reliability of the CPDI, we performed an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the Spanish sample. The effects of gender and age on the degree of distress were analyzed using the factorial scores of the CPDI as the dependent variables. Results showed that, after rotation, the first factor (Stress symptoms) accounted for 35% of the total variance and the second factor (COVID-19 information) for 15%. Around 25% (n = 279) of the participants experienced mild to moderate distress symptoms, 16% (n = 179) severe distress, and about 58% (n = 636) showed no distress symptoms. Women experienced more distress than men (p<0.01), and distress decreased with age (p<0.01). We conclude that the CPDI seems a promising screening tool for the rapid detection of potential peritraumatic stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.