Introduction:

A few months have passed since the first case of COVID-19 disease in Portugal was confirmed. The rapid progression of this pandemic has led to several changes in the daily lives of the users of the Family Health Unit (FHU) Santiago de Leiria, probably with an impact on their mental health. The aim of our work is to determine the degrees of anxiety and depression of the users of the FHU Santiago de Leiria during a state of national emergency.

Study design:

Cross-sectional descriptive study, with an analytical component.

Population:

Users of the FHU Santiago de Leiria.

Methods:

The study was carried out through an online questionnaire consisting of a sociodemographic survey, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and a question related to social support, sent to 1,000 users of the family health unit on April 9, 2020, and valid for submission of responses until May 1, 2020.

Results:

Of the 285 individuals who participated, 47% had symptoms of anxiety and 32% depressive symptoms. Individuals of the feminine gender, who had concluded high school or college, presented higher levels of both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Individuals with lower levels of education, unemployed, and lay-off workers presented with a higher prevalence of anxiety. Among respondents, 89.1% reported having the necessary social support.

Conclusion:

Our work demonstrates a high prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression, with greater expression in females. From this premise, new strategies to improve the mental health of users should arise to prevent further damage caused by COVID-19.

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