Psychological distress during the coronavirus pandemic: A population-representative study

The COVID-19 pandemic is major stressor for the general population. Little is known on the sociodemographic predictors of psychological distress during this crisis. Using the CoRonavIruSHealth Impact Survey (CRISIS), psychological distress (PD) was analyzed in a population-representative cohort of 29,986 participants across Germany comparing June 2020 with three months before the pandemic. Responses of participants demonstrated an overall stark increase of PD. PD was independently predicted by young age, female gender/motherhood, higher education and residency in West-Germany with highest risk in the two largest cities of the country. Findings are discussed in the context of stress burden and stress resilience.