O transtorno de ansiedade generalizada esteve associado a divisão desigual do trabalho doméstico durante a pandemia da COVID-19? Estudo transversal desenvolvido no extremo sul do Brasil

Abstract

Anxiety is the mental disorder that most affects women worldwide. Generalized Anxiety Disorder differs from non-pathological anxiety, and can be characterized by persistent, excessive, and long-lasting concerns that affect psychosocial functioning. The sanitary crisis caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic was associated with an increase of the prevalence of anxiety disorders, mainly among women. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of the symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder among women who had children in 2019 in the extreme south of Brazil, and the possible association between Generalized Anxiety Disorder and the division of housework during the pandemic. The proposed design was a cross-sectional analysis of quantitative approach using 2020 data from the follow-up of the Rio Grande municipality cohort study. The target population consisted of 1,040 women considered eligible, for living in the urban area and having registered the birth of a single fetus. Participants were contacted via phone or social networks and invited to answer an on-line survey through an electronic link. The second-wave survey was performed from July to December of 2020. REDCap® software was used to organize the spreadsheets and manage the database. The variables evaluated were anxiety, using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, and the division of housework, based on the “Gender Division of Labor” instrument. The following variables were also collected: age, skin color, schooling, monthly family income, and marital status. The results obtained from the analysis showed that the prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder from mild to severe was of 38.5%, being higher among women aged between 20 and 24 years-old (42.9%), with brown skin (43.5%), with 6 to 10 years of schooling (45.9%), in the second income quintile (43.8%), and those who lived without a partner (46.3%). Therefore, having a partner and belonging to the group with the higher income (5th quintile) are protective factors for anxiety. In view of the data found, it is necessary to rethink the way housework division is made and the promotion of female mental health.