Life Alterations and Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Two-Time Comparison

Abstract

No other infectious disease that has had a long-lasting impact on humanity in recent times has caused as much hardship as the coronavirus disease, COVID-19. While several cross-sectional surveys have reported the effects of the pandemic on daily life, there have been very few longitudinal reports from Japan. Therefore, we conducted web-based questionnaire surveys 131 and 610 days after the first case of COVID-19 infection was reported in Japan. There were 244 and 220 participants in the first and second surveys, respectively. The percentage of participants who felt stressed increased from 76 to 97% from the first to the second survey, while the frequency of going out and playing sports/exercising did not change. Regarding the problems faced due to COVID-19, the number of people who mentioned the word “stress” increased significantly in the second survey. The changes in perceived stress under difficult circumstances over a period of time can aid prediction and support during the COVID-19 pandemic in the future.