Psychosocial impact of COVID-19 restrictive measures Cape Verdean residents: A population-based cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31211/rpics.2025.11.2.318Keywords:
Cape Verde, COVID-19, Mental health, Restrictive measures, Psychosocial impactAbstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, has affected mental health and socioeconomic conditions worldwide, yet evidence from African island states such as Cape Verde remains limited. Aim: To characterize the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 and associated restrictive measures on the population residing in Cape Verde. Method: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 3,520 residents of Cape Verde aged ≥ 12 years. A structured questionnaire, adapted to the target population, assessed mental health and well-being, life changes, social support, access to health care and protective resources, and concerns regarding reopening and the future. Frequencies and weighted proportions were calculated for psychosocial indicators. Results: Approximately half of respondents reported being able to balance work and family life and to maintain daily routines; most reported having at least one trusted person, continuing to access public-sector health care, and having protective materials available. Only a minority indicated having easy access to psychological helplines, psychological care, or home-based health care. High levels of concern were observed regarding the sufficiency of measures, increased risk for vulnerable groups, income loss, and a potential severe economic crisis, alongside a positive evaluation of some alternative work arrangements) and substantial levels of optimism about the future. Conclusions: Residents of Cape Verde demonstrated the capacity to adapt to public health measures, although psychosocial vulnerability persists, particularly related to economic insecurity and the protection of vulnerable groups.
Downloads
References
Almeida, T. C., Silva, R. P., Fernandes, M. L., Ramos, S. C., Batista, J. V., Gomes, F. H., Sousa, L. M., Pereira, A. C., Martins, D. F., Costa, E. G., Nunes, J. R., Teixeira, P. M., Cardoso, H. S., Moreira, V. J., Oliveira, F. S., Lopes, C. M., Antunes, H. R., Sousa, M. F., Fernandes, A. L., & Silva, P. M. (2020). Saúde mental em tempos da pandemia da COVID‐19: Relatório final. Repositório Científico, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Portugal. https://bit.ly/3KrJDMR
Banco Mundial. (2022, junho 10). Relatório económico Cabo Verde, Abril 2022. Aspetos Gerais. World Bank. https://bit.ly/48qvMyy
Bish, A., Yardley, L., Nicoll, A., & Michie, S. (2011). Factors associated with uptake of vaccination against pandemic influenza: A systematic review. Vaccine, 29(38), 6472–6484. https://doi.org/bcd7pm
Blustein, D. L., Duffy, R., Ferreira, J. A., Cohen-Scali, V., Cinamon, R. G., & Allan, B. A. (2020). Unemployment in the time of COVID-19: A research agenda. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 119, Artigo 103436. https://doi.org/ggvzsz
Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist, 59(1), 20-28. https://doi.org/ccj565
Brocard, E., Pierre, A., Melihan-Cheinina, P., & Rusch, E. (2021). COVID-19's impact on home health services, caregivers and patients: Lessons from the French experience. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 8, Artigo 100197 https://doi.org/qgqx
Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., & Rubin, G. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912–920. https://doi.org/ggnth8
Budimir, S., Probst, T., & Pieh, C. (2021). Coping strategies and mental health during COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of Mental Health, 30(2), 156–163. https://doi.org/gh28xf
Burki, T. (2020). Global shortage of personal protective equipment. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 20(7), 785–786. https://doi.org/gg5q2j
Carvalho-Alves, M. de F., Mendonça, M. de L. L., Soares, J. de J. X., Leal, S., dos Santos, M., Rodrigues, J. M., & Lopes, E. D. (2020). Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in the resident Cape-Verdean population. SSRN Electronic Journal, 4(1). https://doi.org/qgqz
Carvalho, P. M., Moreira, M. M., de Oliveira, M. N. A., Landim, J. M. M., & Neto, M. L. R. (2020). The psychiatric impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Psychiatry Research, 286, Artigo 112902. https://doi.org/ggpxkf
Chen, S., & Bonanno, G. A. (2020). Psychological adjustment during the global outbreak of COVID-19: A resilience perspective. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S51–S54. https://doi.org/ffsh
Centers for Disease Control. (2020). Coping with stress. https://bit.ly/49JUz2P
Cohen, J., & van der Meulen Rodgers, Y. (2020). Contributing factors to personal protective equipment shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preventive Medicine, 141, Artigo 106263. https://doi.org/fmkk
Costa, M. F. (2020). Modelo de crença em saúde para determinantes de risco para contaminação por coronavírus. Revista de Saúde Pública, 54, Artigo 47. https://doi.org/ggxdtp
Daniati, N., Widjaja, G., Olalla Gracìa, M., Chaudhary, P., Nader Shalaby, M., Chupradit, S., & Fakri Mustafa, Y. (2021). The health belief model’s application in the development of health behaviors. Health Education and Health Promotion, 9(5), 521–527. https://bit.ly/488Dcrg
Ettman, C. K., Abdalla, S. M., Cohen, G. H., Sampson, L., Vivier, P. M., & Galea, S. (2020). Prevalence of depression symptoms in US adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Network Open, 3(9), Artigo e2019686. https://doi.org/fgvw
Ferrero Gomez, L. G., Mendes, C., Silva, J., Semedo, F., Barreto, J., Rodrigues, J. M., Barros, C., Fernandes, N., Araújo, I. I., Lima Mendonça, M. de L. (2021). Sero-epidemiological survey and profile of SARS-COV-2 infection in Cape Verde American Journal of Biomedical Science and Research, 13(1), 73–77. https://doi.org/qgq2
Frountzas, M., Nikolaou, C., Schizas, D., & Toutouzas, K. G. (2021). Personal protective equipment against COVID-19: Vital for surgeons, harmful for patients?. The American Journal of Surgery, 221(4), 772–774. https://doi.org/gmmftw
Gautam, M., Thakrar, A., Akinyemi, E., & Mahr, G. (2020). Current and future challenges in the delivery of mental healthcare during COVID-19. SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine, 2(7), 865–870. https://doi.org/gmcps3
Haliwa, I., Wilson, J., Lee, J., & Shook, N. J. (2021). Predictors of change in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Affective Disorders, 291, 331–337. https://doi.org/grzq2z
Hamouche, S. (2020). COVID-19 and employees’ mental health: Stressors, moderators and agenda for organizational actions. Emerald Open Research, 1(2). https://doi.org/ghfgm6
Han, Q., Zheng, B., Cristea, M., Agostini, M., Bélanger, J. J., Gützkow, B. & PsyCorona Collaboration. (2021). Trust in government regarding COVID-19 and its associations with preventive health behaviour and prosocial behaviour during the pandemic: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Psychological Medicine, 53(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/gk747m
Holmes, E. A., O’Connor, R. C., Perry, V. H., Tracey, I., Wessely, S., Arseneault, L., Ballard, C., Christensen, H., Cohen Silver, R., Everall, I., Ford, T., John, A., Kabir, T., King, K., Madan, I., Michie, S., Przybylski, A. K., Shafran, R., Sweeney, A., … Bullmore, E. (2020). Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for action for mental health science. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(6), 547–560. https://doi.org/ggszmj
Huang, Y., & Zhao, N. (2020). Generalized anxiety disorder, depressive symptoms and sleep quality during COVID-19 outbreak in China: A web-based cross-sectional survey. Psychiatry Research, 288, Artigo 112954. https://doi.org/gg262g
Instituto Nacional de Saúde Pública. (2021a). Medidas restritivas no combate da pandemia da COVID-19. https://covid19.cv/medidas/
Instituto Nacional de Saúde Pública. (2021b). Boletim epidemiológico semanal, n.º 20 (17–23 de maio de 2021). https://covid19.cv/boletim-semanal
International Labour Organization. (2020). ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work. Second edition. https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/coronavirus/impacts-and-responses/WCMS_740877/lang--en/index.htm
International Monetary Fund. (2020a). World economic outlook, April 2020: The great lockdown. IMF. https://bit.ly/4rvBojs
International Monetary Fund. (2020b). World economic outlook, October 2020: A long and difficult ascent. IMF. https://bit.ly/44Dn0fe
Kang, L., Ma, S., Hu, S., Chen, M., Yang, C., Yang, B. X., Wang, Y., Li, R., Yao, L., Bai, H., Cai, Z., Xiang, Y. B., Zhang, K., Wang, G., Ma, C., Liu, Z., Hu, S., & Zhang, W. (2020). The mental health of medical workers in Wuhan, China dealing with the 2019 novel coronavirus. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(3), Artigo e14. https://doi.org/ggpxrc
Knowles, K. A., & Olatunji, B. O. (2021). Anxiety and safety behavior usage during the COVID-19 pandemic: The prospective role of contamination fear. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 77, Artigo 102323. https://doi.org/ghjg7m
Kroneman, M., Wartena, A., & van der Velden, J. (2024). Personal protective equipment for healthcare workers during COVID-19: Developing and applying a questionnaire and assessing associations between infection rates and shortages across 19 countries. Health Policy, 146. https://doi.org/qgrb
Lima Mendonça, M. da L., & Gozzelino, R. (2023). Organização da resposta da COVID-19 em Cabo Verde – O papel do Instituto Nacional de Saúde Pública de Cabo Verde. Anais do Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, 22, 54-62. https://doi.org/qgq5
Magamela, M. R., Dzinamarira, T., & Hlongwa, M. (2021). COVID-19 consequences on mental health: An African perspective. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 27, Artigo 1611. https://doi.org/qgq6
Magnavita, N., Tripepi, G., & Chiorri, C. (2021). Telecommuting, off-time work, and intrusive leadership in workers’ well-being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7), Artigo 3330. https://doi.org/gt9g5q
Martin, C. A., Pan, D., Nazareth, J., Aujayeb, A., Bryant, L., Carr, S., Gray, L. J., Gregary, B., Gupta, A., Guyatt, A. L., Gopal, A., Hine, T., John, C., McManus, I. C., Melbourne, C., Nellums, L. B., Reza, R., Simpson, S., Tobin, M. D., Woolf, K., Zingwe, S., Khunti, K., Pareek, M., & UK-REACH Study Collaborative Group. (2022). Access to personal protective equipment in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom: Results from a nationwide cohort study (UK-REACH). BMC Health Services Research, 22, 867. https://doi.org/qgq7
Moreno, C., Wykes, T., Galderisi, S., Nordentoft, M., Crossley, N., Jones, N., Cannon, M., Correll, C. U., Byrne, L., Carr, S., Chen, E. Y. H., Gorwood, P., Johnson, S., Kaess, M., Krystal, J. H., Lee, J., León, C. A., Lewis, S. W., Maulik, P. K., & Arango, C. (2020). How mental health care should change as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(9), 813–824. https://doi.org/gg9272
Pakpour, A. H., & Griffiths, M. D. (2020). The fear of COVID-19 and its role in preventive behaviors. Journal of Concurrent Disorders, 2(1), 58–63. https://doi.org/gnrsgh
Pfefferbaum, B., & North, C. S. (2020). Mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic. The New England Journal of Medicine, 383(6), 510–512. https://doi.org/ggr28d
Pierce, M., Hope, H., Ford, T., Hatch, S., Hotopf, M., John, A., Kontopantelis, E., Webb, R., Wessely, S., McManus, S., & Abel, K. M. (2020). Mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal probability sample survey of the UK population. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(10), 883–892. https://doi.org/gg5ngp
Ramos, M. de F. S., Galhardo, A., Cunha, M., & Massano-Cardoso, I. (2021). Medo de contrair COVID-19: Estudo de validação da Fear of Contracting COVID-19 Scale em adolescentes portugueses. Revista Portuguesa de Investigação Comportamental e Social, 7(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/qgq8
Rosenstock, I. M. (1974). The health belief model and preventive health behavior. Health Education Monographs, 2(4), 354-386. https://doi.org/brmd
Rubin, G. J., & Wessely, S. (2020). The psychological effects of quarantining a city. BMJ, 368, Artigo m313. https://doi.org/ggpxb4
Shanka, M. S., & Menebo, M. M. (2022). When and how trust in government leads to compliance with COVID-19 precautionary measures. Journal of Business Research, 139, 1275–1283. https://doi.org/gnv72h
Siegrist, M., & Zingg, A. (2014). The role of public trust during pandemics: Implications for crisis communication. European Psychologist, 19(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/ghhdhn
Thornton, J. (2022). Covid-19: Trust in government and other people linked with lower infection rate and higher vaccination uptake. British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Edition), 376, Artigo o292. https://doi.org/gpb6rq
Torjesen, I. (2020). Covid-19: Mental health services must be boosted to deal with “tsunami” of cases after lockdown. BMJ, 369, Artigo m1994. https://doi.org/gh5c46
Tsamakis, K., Tsiptsios, D., Ouranidis, A., Mueller, C., Schizas, D., Terniotis, C., Triantafyllis, A., Vagdatli, E., Siafakas, N., Kararizou, E., Tsamakis, C., Patsouris, E., Rezaie, P., & Rizos, E. (2021). Covid-19 and its consequences on mental health. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 21(3), Artigo 244. https://doi.org/gkbj2j
United Nations. (2020). Policy Brief: COVID-19 and the Need for Action on Mental Health. https://bit.ly/44vnynq
Van der Weerd, W., Timmermans, D. R., Beaujean, D. J., Oudhoff, J., & van Steenbergen, J. E. (2011). Monitoring the level of government trust, risk perception and intention of the general public to adopt protective measures during the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in the Netherlands. BMC Public Health, 11, Artigo 575. https://doi.org/dr5xfp
Verdolini, N., Amoretti, S., Montejo, L., García-Rizo, C., Hogg, B., Mezquida, G., Rabelo-da-Ponte, F. D., Vallespir, C., Radua, J., Martinez-Aran, A., Pacchiarotti, I., Rosa, A. R., Bernardo, M., Vieta, E., Torrent, C., & Solé, B. (2021). Resilience and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Affective Disorders, 283, 156–164. https://doi.org/gjqw5s
Vindegaard, N., & Benros, M. E. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic and mental health consequences: Systematic review of the current evidence. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 89, 531–542. https://doi.org/ggzk5r
Wilson, J. M., Lee, J., Fitzgerald, H. N., Oosterhoff, B., Sevi, B., & Shook, N. J. (2020). Job insecurity and financial concern during the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with worse mental health. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62(9), 686–691. https://doi.org/gg42fx
World Health Organization. (2020). Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak. WHO. https://bit.ly/4rvDDDo
World Health Organization. (2021). Second round of the national pulse survey on continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic: January-March 2021. WHO. https://bit.ly/48mPYRF
World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic’s impact. WHO. https://bit.ly/3KrN2v7
World Bank. (2020). Global economic prospects, June 2020: The great lockdown. World Bank. https://doi.org/qgq9
Xiang, Y. T., Yang, Y., Li, W., Zhang, L., Zhang, Q., Cheung, T., & Ng, C. H. (2020). Timely mental health care for the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is urgently needed. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(3), 228–229. https://doi.org/ggpxwg
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Maria da Luz Lima Mendonça, Jaclin Freire, Janice de Jesus Soares , Ana Moniz , Odete Mota, Edith Pereira, Aristides da Luz , Maria de Fátima Carvalho-Alves, Edna Duarte Lopes
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The authors retain the copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License that allows the sharing of work and recognition of authorship and initial publication in this journal.
