{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T03:07:31Z","timestamp":1776740851324,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,16]],"date-time":"2021-02-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1613433600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["110_596697345"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["110_596697345"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The outbreak of COVID-19 might produce dramatic psychological effects on individuals\u2019 lives. In this study, we aimed to explore the elements that may reduce the negative effects on mental health of the quarantine period imposed by most governments during this worldwide crisis. We conducted an online survey to evaluate demographic, lifestyle and mental health variables in a sample of 1280 Portuguese individuals (79.8% females) with an average age of 37 years. We observed that factors related to living conditions, maintaining work either online or in the workplace, frequency of exercise and absence of previous psychological or physic disorders are protective features of psychological well-being (anxiety, depression, stress and obsessive-compulsive symptoms). Finally, the individuals previously receiving psychotherapeutic support exhibited better psychological indicators if they did not interrupt the process as a consequence of the outbreak. Our results indicate that the practice of physical exercise, reduced consumption of COVID-19 information and the implementation of remote mental healthcare measures might prevent larger impacts on mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18041910","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,16]],"date-time":"2021-02-16T22:13:38Z","timestamp":1613513618000},"page":"1910","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":64,"title":["Protective Elements of Mental Health Status during the COVID-19 Outbreak in the Portuguese Population"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2800-3903","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro","family":"Silva Moreira","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"},{"name":"ICVS\/3B\u2019s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga\/Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"},{"name":"Psychological Neuroscience Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3527-1623","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"S\u00f3nia","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"},{"name":"ICVS\/3B\u2019s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga\/Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Beatriz","family":"Couto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"},{"name":"ICVS\/3B\u2019s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga\/Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Mafalda","family":"Machado-Sousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"},{"name":"ICVS\/3B\u2019s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga\/Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Marcos","family":"Fern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"},{"name":"ICVS\/3B\u2019s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga\/Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0609-6766","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Catarina","family":"Raposo-Lima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"},{"name":"ICVS\/3B\u2019s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga\/Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Nuno","family":"Sousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"},{"name":"ICVS\/3B\u2019s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga\/Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1573-2445","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Pic\u00f3-P\u00e9rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"},{"name":"ICVS\/3B\u2019s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga\/Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3880-3258","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro","family":"Morgado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"},{"name":"ICVS\/3B\u2019s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057 Braga\/Guimar\u00e3es, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"547","DOI":"10.1016\/S2215-0366(20)30168-1","article-title":"Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for action for mental health science","volume":"7","author":"Holmes","year":"2020","journal-title":"Lancet Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"912","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(20)30460-8","article-title":"The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence","volume":"395","author":"Brooks","year":"2020","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"m313","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.m313","article-title":"The psychological effects of quarantining a 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