Loneliness and its association with depressed mood, anxiety symptoms, and sleep problems in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Santini ZI
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7844146 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Loneliness and its association with depressed mood, anxiety symptoms, and sleep problems in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Santini Ziggi Ivan ZI Koyanagi Ai A
Acta neuropsychiatrica 20210111 3
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Project description:ObjectiveThere is considerable heterogeneity within populations regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. This study aimed at identifying latent groups of individuals within the older Austrian population that differ in their mental health trajectories across three phases of the pandemic.Study designData were gathered from a longitudinal survey study among a sample of older adults in Austria. The survey was carried out in May 2020 (N1 = 556), March 2021 (N2 = 462), and December 2021 (N3 = 370) via either computer-assisted web or telephone interviewing.MethodsLatent class growth analysis was conducted to explore different homogenous groups in terms of non-linear trajectories of loneliness, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms as well as potential correlates thereof.ResultsWe identified four latent classes. The vast majority of individuals belong to two classes that are either resilient (71%) or that have recovered relatively quickly from an initial COVID-19 shock (10.2%). Deterioration in mental health after the first phase of the pandemic (13.4%) or a generally high mental health burden (5.4%) characterizes the other two classes.ConclusionsAbout 19% of individuals showed increasing or elevated levels in loneliness, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms across the COVID-19 pandemic. The feeling of being socially supported and in control over one's own life emerged as potentially protective factors.
| S-EPMC9411147 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesFollowing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, adolescents have experienced decreased physical activity and a decline in mental health. This study analyzed the association between changes in depressed mood after the COVID-19 pandemic and physical activity among adolescents.MethodsThe analysis was based on the results of the 17th Youth Health Behavior Online Survey conducted in 2021, which included 54848 middle and high school students in South Korea. Information on physical activity included low-intensity physical activity lasting >60 min/day, high-intensity physical activity, and strength training exercises. A logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between physical activity and changes in depression after the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsAfter adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and previous depression, adolescents who performed strength training exercises more than once per week had a 0.95-fold lower risk (odds ratio [OR]=0.948, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.905-0.994, p= 0.027) of increasing depression after the COVID-19 pandemic, while the risk of decreasing depression increased by 1.22-fold (OR=1.215, 95% CI=1.131-1.305, p<0.001). The results were not significant for low-intensity physical activity for >60 min/day and high-intensity physical activity.ConclusionStrength-training exercises are significantly associated with the prevention of depression among adolescents following the COVID-19 pandemic.
| S-EPMC10568194 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDimensional frameworks of psychopathology call for multivariate approaches to map co-occurring disorders to index what symptoms emerge when and for whom. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) offers a method for assessing and differentiating the dynamics of co-occurring symptoms with greater temporal granularity and naturalistic context. The present study used multivariate mixed effects location-scale modeling to characterize the time-varying dynamics of depressed mood and anxiety for women diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD) and major depression (MDD).MethodsWomen completed five daily EMA surveys over 30 days (150 EMA surveys/woman, T ≈ 5250 total observations) and two clinical diagnostic and retrospective self-report measures administered approximately two months apart.ResultsThere was evidence of same-symptom lagged effects (bs = 0.08-0.09), but not cross-symptom lagged effects (bs < 0.01) during EMA. Symptoms co-varied such that momentary spikes from one's typical level of anxiety were associated with increases in momentary depressed mood (b = 0.19) and greater variability of depressed mood (b = 0.06). Similarly, spikes from one's typical levels of depressed mood were associated with increases in momentary anxiety (b = 0.19). Furthermore, the presence and magnitude of effects demonstrated person-specific heterogeneity.LimitationsOur findings are constrained to the dynamics of depressed and anxious mood among cisgender women with primary SAD and current or past MDD.ConclusionsFindings from this work help to characterize how daily experiences of co-occurring mood and anxiety fluctuate and offer insight to aid the development of momentary, person-specific interventions designed to regulate symptom fluctuations.
| S-EPMC11316648 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Depression and anxiety are associated with abnormalities in brain regions that process rewards including the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), the ventral striatum (VS), and the amygdala. However, there are inconsistencies in these findings. This may be due to past reliance on categorical diagnoses that, while valuable, provide less precision than may be required to understand subtle neural changes associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. In contrast, the tri-level model defines symptom dimensions that are common (General Distress) or relatively specific (Anhedonia-Apprehension, Fears) to depression and anxiety related disorders, which provide increased precision. In the current study, eligibility was assessed by quasi-orthogonal screening questionnaires measuring reward and threat sensitivity (Behavioral Activation Scale; Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Neuroticism). These participants were assessed on tri-level symptom severity and completed the Monetary Incentive Delay task during fMRI scanning. VS-mOFC and VS-amygdala connectivity were estimated during reward anticipation and reward outcome. Heightened General Distress was associated with lower VS-mOFC connectivity during reward anticipation (b = -0.064, p = 0.021) and reward outcome (b = -0.102, p = 0.014). Heightened Anhedonia-Apprehension was associated with greater VS-amygdala connectivity during reward anticipation (b = 0.065, p = 0.004). The present work has important implications for understanding the coupling between the mOFC and vS and the amygdala and the vS during reward processing in the pathophysiology of mood and anxiety symptoms and for developing targeted behavioral, pharmacological, and neuromodulatory interventions to help manage these symptoms.
| S-EPMC9926301 | biostudies-literature
Project description:High rates of sleep disturbances occur in depression. Sleep disturbances are linked to heightened inflammation. We sought to determine if sleep disturbances explain a portion of the putative inflammation - depression association among older adults. In late life, age-related immunoregulation changes may modify the inflammation-depression relationship.Cross-sectional associations of a panel of serum inflammatory markers with probable depression (measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale) were assessed among 2560 community-dwelling older men. We tested whether inflammatory marker - probable depression associations were independent of chronic diseases, as well as objective and subjectively measured sleep disturbances. We also tested whether inflammation-probable depression associations were moderated by age.Inflammatory markers were not independently associated with higher odds of probable depression. A significant age by C-reactive protein (CRP) interaction (p=0.01) was detected such that the strength of the CRP-probable depression association decreased with age. When stratifying by the median age of 76, elevated odds of probable depression were found for men with CRP levels above the median only among the younger group (OR=2.08, 95% CI 1.18-3.69). In the final adjusted model, independent effects of chronic diseases and subjective sleep disturbances contributed to a total of 37% attenuation of the original OR (adjusted OR=1.68, 95% CI 0.911-3.10, p=.09).In late-life, associations between inflammatory markers and mood may be explained by both chronic diseases and subjectively reported sleep disturbances. Our findings indicate that the association of CRP with probable depression diminishes in strength with age.
| S-EPMC3997106 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the associations between loneliness and its components and cognitive function among older Chinese adults living in nursing homes and to test whether depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbances mediate these associations.MethodsThe sample comprised 228 Chinese individuals aged ≥ 65 years living in nursing homes who were free of dementia and psychiatric or serious somatic diseases. Loneliness was evaluated using the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Global cognitive function was assessed using the Beijing version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between loneliness and its components and global cognitive function. A mediation analysis was used to test the potential mediating effects of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbances.ResultsThe mean (SD) age of the participants was 80.8 (6.3) years, and 58.3% were women. Compared with the lowest quartile of loneliness degree, the multivariable-adjusted beta coefficient (95% confidence interval [95% CI]) for the highest quartile was -1.32 (-2.61 to -0.02) (P for trend = 0.03). Loneliness components, personal feelings of isolation and the lack of relational connectedness but not the lack of collective connectedness, were also inversely associated with cognitive function. Significant indirect effects on cognitive function were observed for loneliness and its two components (personal feelings of isolation and the lack of relational connectedness) in mediating pathways via depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbances (all p < 0.05).ConclusionsA higher degree of loneliness and its two components, personal feelings of isolation and the lack of relational connectedness, are associated with worse cognitive function among Chinese residents in nursing homes. Depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbances may at least partially mediate these associations.
| S-EPMC9746079 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The aim of the present study was to evaluate sleep and mood disorders and related ocular parameters in glaucoma patients. We focused on visual fields and the retinal nerve fibre layer, because decreased circadian photoreception by damaged intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells is suspected in glaucoma. A cross-sectional study was performed on 140 subjects: 69 with glaucoma and 71 normal controls. Individuals with cataract, dry eye, or retinal pathology were excluded from the study. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and underwent comprehensive ophthalmological examinations for glaucoma. Patients with advanced glaucoma had significantly worse PSQI scores than normal controls (P < 0.05). Stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis revealed PSQI was significantly correlated with the mean deviation in the worse eye, the number and frequency of medications, and anxiety and depression subscores of the HADS after adjustment for age and sex (P < 0.05). We did not find a significant correlation between PSQI scores and the thickness of retinal nerve fibre layer. In conclusion, the subjective sleep quality of glaucoma patients was correlated with visual field loss and mood status.
| S-EPMC4863426 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundResearch suggests that changes in social support and loneliness have affected mental disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are a lack of studies comparing the robustness of these associations.AimsThe aims were to estimate the strength of the associations of loneliness and social support with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022) in the general population.MethodThe method entailed a systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of quantitative studies.ResultsSeventy-three studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled correlations of the effect size of the association of loneliness with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress were 0.49, 0.40, and 0.38, respectively. The corresponding figures for social support were 0.29, 0.19, and 0.18, respectively. Subgroup analyses revealed that the strength of some associations could be influenced by the sociodemographic characteristics of the study samples, such as age, gender, region, and COVID-19 stringency index, and by methodological moderators, such as sample size, collection date, methodological quality, and the measurement scales.ConclusionsSocial support had a weak association with mental disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic while the association with loneliness was moderate. Strategies to address loneliness could be highly effective in reducing the impact of the pandemic on social relationships and mental health.
| S-EPMC9957328 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSleep problems are associated with increased risk of physical and mental illness. Identifying risk factors is an important method of reducing public health impact. We examined the association between maternal postnatal depression (PND) and offspring adolescent sleep problems.MethodThe sample was derived from Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) participants. A sample with complete data across all variables was used, with four outcome variables. A sensitivity analysis imputing for missing data was conducted (n = 9633).ResultsPND was associated with increased risk of sleep problems in offspring at ages 16 and 18 years. The most robust effects were sleep problems at 18 years [adjusted odds ratio (OR) for a 1 s.d. increase in PND, 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-1.39, p < 0.001] and waking more often (adjusted OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.05-1.25, p = 0.003). This remained after controlling for confounding variables including antenatal depression and early sleep problems in infancy.ConclusionsPND is associated with adolescent offspring sleep problems. Maternal interventions should consider the child's increased risk. Early sleep screening and interventions could be introduced within this group.
| S-EPMC5244447 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveThe purpose of the study is to examine the prevalence of loneliness in Europe in 2016 and during the first months - April-July 2020 - of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to assess whether the risk factors associated with loneliness have changed after the outbreak of the pandemic.MethodThe analysis is based on two cross-country surveys, namely the 2016 European Quality of Life Survey and the 2020 Living, Working and COVID-19 Online Survey.ResultsThe COVID-19 pandemic has magnified already worrying levels of loneliness in Europe. Young adults have been the most severely hit by social distancing measures. Living alone has made social distancing measures more painful. Health and financial status are strong associates of loneliness, irrespective of the time period.ConclusionThis analysis will help anticipate the potential consequences that forced social isolation might have triggered in the population and identify populations more vulnerable to loneliness. Further monitoring is important to assess whether the registered increase in loneliness is transient or chronic and to design targeted loneliness interventions.
| S-EPMC9479375 | biostudies-literature