Psychological aspects of the pandemic and the challenges of an online emergency support project

Abstract

The emergence of international public health resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic generates many repercussions that provoke and amplify psychological suffering, increasing the demand for psychological attention. Given the developing situation, this research aimed to analyze the psychological aspects related to the pandemic through the demands met in the project “Emergency Psychological Support Online”, implemented by a federal university. This research was carried out with 230 users, whose data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Thematic Content Analysis. The results showed the sociodemographic profile of the users attended, showing aspects of the pre-existing psychosocial vulnerability to the pandemic, and are the main complaints/symptoms: (1) anxiety and stress, (2) emotional complaints, (3) problems associated with routine, and (4) economic impacts. The psychological attention offered in this scenario assumes an important role considering psychological demands, configuring a possible break with the limitations of access to clinical care during the pandemic.