Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among partners during COVID-19 lockdown

OBJECTIVE To investigate the psychological impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) quarantine measures on people who were experiencing conflict in their relationships with their co-habiting partners in Greece. METHOD A total of 2,998 participants completed four questionnaires: the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-8 items (PTSD-8). The quality of the bond between partners before and during the lockdown was assessed with two items exploring relationship quality. RESULTS A subsample of 145 respondents (4.8%) reported that the quality of their intimate relationship worsened during the lockdown. Roughly 5% of the subsample reported being in true danger, and 85% reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms, and 50% moderate to severe depressive symptoms, while 17.6% met the criteria for probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). CONCLUSIONS In addition to the psychological burden attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the related restriction measures, this study underscores the importance of investigating additional psychosocial factors affecting individuals, and couples, during lockdown.