Abstract

According to studies conducted so far both in Europe and globally, the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) produced a significant negative impact on population mental health in the affected countries within just a few weeks. This paper is part of a larger research project conducted in Croatia titled Some aspects of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted on a sample of 1482 respondents with an average age of 33.3 years (SD = 12.2). The focus of this paper was the correlation between various aspects of the pandemic and risk vs. protective factors for population mental health. The Pandemic Aspects Questionnaire and Questionnaire of Sociodemographic Data were used as research instruments. The results showed that respondents significantly differed in their assessments of risk and severity and in how closely they followed the updates in the media, in their perceived fear of infection, and in health literacy levels with regard to general demographic variables (sex, marital status, number of children, number of household members), but also in their risk characteristics such as age, self-isolation measures, and chronic disease. The results and practical implications are discussed in detail.