Covid-19 in Brazil: stress as predictor of depression

Abstract

Studies about mental health have been demonstrating the increase of stress and depression of people around the world during the 2019-nCoV pandemic. In Brazil, even with these indicators, it is not clear how these psychological factors may be related. To fill this gap, we analyzed the stress and depression levels of Brazilians, and we established a predictive model among the constructs. Participants were 480 adults from different regions of Brazil, aged between 18 and 65 years, major female (77.3%). The levels of stress and depression in the sample were moderate. Also, the stress of COVID-19 showed as a good predictor of depression, so that the more people felt stressed in front of the subject greater was the probability of presenting depressive symptoms. Given this, we discuss the importance of maintaining the mental health of the population.