Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic imposed a set of drastic worldwide changes to and restrictions on daily life. Despite predictions of the harmful impacts of the pandemic on mental health, empirical data are lacking. This study sought to examine the relationship between individuals' perceptions about COVID-19 and scores on mental health indexes.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 183 individuals answered self-report questionnaires. A new inventory based on the health belief model (HBM) developed in Portugal was explored with a factor analysis, which revealed two significant factors: COVID-19 anxiety and perceived severity of the disease.
Results: Results showed that anxiety about COVID-19 was positively correlated with psychological distress, somatization, and paranoid ideation and was negatively correlated with psychological well-being. COVID-19 anxiety mediated the relationship between symptomatology and mental health.
Conclusions: Perceptions about COVID-19 seem to play pivotal roles in mental health. These results may inform interventions focused on reducing psychological distress and symptomatology and on increasing psychological well-being.
Keywords: COVID-19 Inventory; Psychological Distress; Psychological Well-being; Symptoms.