COVID-19: the perfect vector for a mental health epidemic.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Hisham IN
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7308597 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
COVID-19: the perfect vector for a mental health epidemic.
Hisham Idura N IN Townsend Giles G Gillard Steve S Debnath Brishti B Sin Jacqueline J
BJPsych bulletin 20211201 6
In times of crisis, people have historically had to band together to overcome. What happens when they cannot? This article examines the reality of people forced to isolate from one another during one of the most turbulent events of their lives: the COVID-19 pandemic. Connecting the dots of topics including fear, social stigmas, global public response and previous disease outbreaks, this article discusses the negative mental health effects that individuals and communities will likely suffer as th ...[more]
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Project description:ObjectiveTo investigate mental health status and associated factors among caregivers of older adults during the COVID-19 epidemic in China.MethodsFrom March 1 to 31, 2020, 916 caregivers of older adults participated in an online cross-sectional survey on the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. The seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) was administered to measure anxiety symptoms, the two-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) was used to assess depressive symptoms, and a self-developed questionnaire was used to assess sleep quality and duration. Six questions about COVID-19-related experiences were used to assess community-level infection contact and the level of exposure to media information. The prevalence rates of anxiety, depression and sleep problems were computed. The Wald χ2 were applied to compare the differences between subgroups. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate factors associated with anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and multimorbidity.ResultsThe prevalence rates of anxiety, depression, and sleep problems were 46.8%, 29.8%, and 10.8%, respectively. Approximately 263 participants (28.7%) presented with two or more mental health problems. Being female (OR, 2.254; 95% CI, 1.510-3.363), having community-level COVID-19 contact (OR, 1.856; 95% CI, 1.189-2.898), and having a mental disorder (OR, 3.610; 95% CI, 1.644-7.930) were associated with increased risk of multimorbidity among caregivers. Caregivers who preferred positive information (OR, 0.652; 95% CI, 0.472-0.899) had reduced risk of multimorbidity.ConclusionAnxiety and depression were common among caregivers of older adults during the COVID-19 epidemic. Being female and having community-level COVID-19 contact were independent risk factors for experiencing multiple mental health problems. Preexisting mental disorders increased the risk of multimorbidity among caregivers, while enhanced access to positive media information decreased the risk of multimorbidity.
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Project description:ObjectiveWe explored whether medical health workers had more psychosocial problems than nonmedical health workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.MethodsAn online survey was run from February 19 to March 6, 2020; a total of 2,182 Chinese subjects participated. Mental health variables were assessed via the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Symptom Check List-revised (SCL-90-R), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), which included a 2-item anxiety scale and a 2-item depression scale (PHQ-2).ResultsCompared with nonmedical health workers (n = 1,255), medical health workers (n = 927) had a higher prevalence of insomnia (38.4 vs. 30.5%, p < 0.01), anxiety (13.0 vs. 8.5%, p < 0.01), depression (12.2 vs. 9.5%; p< 0.04), somatization (1.6 vs. 0.4%; p < 0.01), and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (5.3 vs. 2.2%; p < 0.01). They also had higher total scores of ISI, GAD-2, PHQ-2, and SCL-90-R obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p ? 0.01). Among medical health workers, having organic disease was an independent factor for insomnia, anxiety, depression, somatization, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.05 or 0.01). Living in rural areas, being female, and being at risk of contact with COVID-19 patients were the most common risk factors for insomnia, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and depression (p < 0.01 or 0.05). Among nonmedical health workers, having organic disease was a risk factor for insomnia, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.01 or 0.05).ConclusionsDuring the COVID-19 outbreak, medical health workers had psychosocial problems and risk factors for developing them. They were in need of attention and recovery programs.
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| S-EPMC7458048 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe importance of health literacy in dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic has been emphasized but scarcely addressed empirically. In this study, the association of health literacy with mental health, compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures and health prospects was assessed in a Belgian context.MethodsData were extracted from the third of a series of cross-sectional online COVID-related surveys (n = 32,794). Data collection took place for 1 week starting the 28th of May 2020. People residing in Belgium and aged 18 years or older could participate. Data were collected on sociodemographic background, health literacy, multimorbidity, mental health (depression, anxiety, sleeping disorder, vitality), knowledge about COVID-19, compliance with COVID-19 measures (hygiene, physical distance, covering mouth and nose on public transport and in places where physical distance cannot be respected), and health prospects (risk for health when returning to normal life and possibility of infection). Prevalence Ratio (PR) of poor mental health, non-compliance with the measures and health prospects in relation to health literacy were calculated using Poisson regressions.ResultsPeople showing sufficient health literacy were less likely to suffer from anxiety disorders (PR = 0.47, 95% CI = [0.42-0.53]), depression (PR = 0.46, 95% CI = [0.40-0.52]) and sleeping disorders (PR = 0.85, 95% CI = [0.82-0.87]), and more likely to have optimal vitality (PR = 2.41, 95% CI = [2.05-2.84]) than people with low health literacy. They were less at risk of not complying with the COVID-19 measures (PR between 0.60 and 0.83) except one (covering mouth and nose in places where physical distance cannot be respected). Finally, they were less likely to perceive returning to normal life as threatening (PR = 0.70, 95% CI = [0.65-0.77]) and to consider themselves at risk of an infection with COVID-19 (PR = 0.75, 95% CI = [0.67-0.84]). The associations remained significant after controlling for COVID-19 knowledge and multimorbidity.ConclusionsThese results suggest that health literacy is a crucial factor in managing the COVID-19 epidemic and offer a perspective for future studies that target health literacy in the context of virus outbreaks.
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Project description:AimThe objective of this study is to investigate the mental health status of nurses during the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia. Additionally, we aim to analyze the relationship between anxiety, depression, and burnout among nurses. The findings will provide a scientific basis for promoting the psychological health of nurses.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional study, nurses in Quanzhou in May 2020 completed a general information questionnaire, the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Data analysis was conducted using structural equation model.Results372 questionnaires were returned, with a response rate of 92.5%. The prevalence of anxiety and depression among the participants were 45.2 and 41.4%, respectively. The prevalence of severe burnout among nurses was found to be 7.3%. There was a correlation between nurses' anxiety, depression, and job burnout. The correlation coefficients between anxiety and job burnout, depression and job burnout, and anxiety and depression were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001). Depression plays a mediating role between anxiety and jod burnout (0.584/1.413, 41.3%).ConclusionThe COVID-19 epidemic has resulted in moderate to high levels of job burnout among nurses. In this context, depression has been found to play a mediating role in the relationship between anxiety and job burnout. It is imperative for hospital administrators to prioritize the mental health of nurses and the provide necessary support to ensure their well-being.
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Project description:BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a significant influence on public mental health. Current efforts focus on alleviating the impacts of the disease on public health and the economy, with the psychological effects due to COVID-19 relatively ignored. In this research, we are interested in exploring the quantitative characterization of the pandemic impact on public mental health by studying an online survey dataset of the United States.MethodsThe analyses are conducted based on a large scale of online mental health-related survey study in the United States, conducted over 12 consecutive weeks from April 23, 2020 to July 21, 2020. We are interested in examining the risk factors that have a significant impact on mental health as well as in their estimated effects over time. We employ the multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE) method to deal with missing values and take logistic regression with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) method to identify risk factors for mental health.ResultsOur analysis shows that risk predictors for an individual to experience mental health issues include the pandemic situation of the State where the individual resides, age, gender, race, marital status, health conditions, the number of household members, employment status, the level of confidence of the future food affordability, availability of health insurance, mortgage status, and the information of kids enrolling in school. The effects of most of the predictors seem to change over time though the degree varies for different risk factors. The effects of risk factors, such as States and gender show noticeable change over time, whereas the factor age exhibits seemingly unchanged effects over time.ConclusionsThe analysis results unveil evidence-based findings to identify the groups who are psychologically vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides helpful evidence for assisting healthcare providers and policymakers to take steps for mitigating the pandemic effects on public mental health, especially in boosting public health care, improving public confidence in future food conditions, and creating more job opportunities.Trial registrationThis article does not report the results of a health care intervention on human participants.
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Project description:BackgroundWe investigated the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on mental health of professionals working in the intensive care unit (ICU) according to the intensity of the epidemic in France.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey was conducted in 77 French hospitals from April 22 to May 13 2020. All ICU frontline healthcare workers were eligible. The primary endpoint was the mental health, assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Sources of stress during the crisis were assessed using the Perceived Stressors in Intensive Care Units (PS-ICU) scale. Epidemic intensity was defined as high or low for each region based on publicly available data from Santé Publique France. Effects were assessed using linear mixed models, moderation and mediation analyses.ResultsIn total, 2643 health professionals participated; 64.36% in high-intensity zones. Professionals in areas with greater epidemic intensity were at higher risk of mental health issues (p < 0.001), and higher levels of overall perceived stress (p < 0.001), compared to low-intensity zones. Factors associated with higher overall perceived stress were female sex (B = 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08-0.17), having a relative at risk of COVID-19 (B = 0.14; 95%-CI = 0.09-0.18) and working in high-intensity zones (B = 0.11; 95%-CI = 0.02-0.20). Perceived stress mediated the impact of the crisis context on mental health (B = 0.23, 95%-CI = 0.05, 0.41) and the impact of stress on mental health was moderated by positive thinking, b = - 0.32, 95% CI = - 0.54, - 0.11.ConclusionCOVID-19 negatively impacted the mental health of ICU professionals. Professionals working in zones where the epidemic was of high intensity were significantly more affected, with higher levels of perceived stress. This study is supported by a grant from the French Ministry of Health (PHRC-COVID 2020).
| S-EPMC8177250 | biostudies-literature