Dataset Information

COVID-19-related psychological distress and engagement in preventative behaviors among individuals with severe mental illnesses.

ABSTRACT: Individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) may be disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and psychological distress. This study investigated the prevalence of engagement in COVID-19 preventative behaviors, predictors of these behaviors, and COVID-19-related psychological distress. One hundred and sixty-three individuals with SMIs (94 with schizophrenia spectrum illnesses and 69 with affective disorders) and 27 psychiatrically healthy comparison participants were recruited from ongoing studies across 3 sites, to complete a phone survey querying implementation of 8 specific COVID-19 preventative behaviors that participants engaged in at least once in the past month as well as standard assessments of depression, anxiety, perceived stress, loneliness, and coping. Data were collected between 3 April 2020 and 4 June 2020. The large majority of our SMI sample, which consisted of outpatients with relatively mild symptom severity, endorsed engaging in multiple preventative behaviors. Relatively few differences were found between groups; however, individuals with SMI were less likely to work remotely than healthy individuals and individuals with schizophrenia spectrum illness were less likely to stay home as a preventative measure, wear face masks, and work remotely than individuals with affective disorders. Differences in staying home remained after controlling for potential confounds. Although individuals with SMI reported more psychological distress related to COVID-19, this distress was largely unrelated to engagement in preventative behaviors. The large majority of individuals with SMI in this outpatient sample, regardless of broad diagnostic category, reported performing multiple behaviors intended to prevent COVID-19 infection at least once a month and reported distress associated with the pandemic. These findings suggest a good level of awareness of COVID-19 among stable outpatients with SMI. The degree to which more acutely ill persons with SMI engage in such preventative behaviors, however, remains to be examined.

SUBMITTER: Pinkham AE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7859192 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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COVID-19-related psychological distress and engagement in preventative behaviors among individuals with severe mental illnesses.

Pinkham Amy E AE Ackerman Robert A RA Depp Colin A CA Harvey Philip D PD Moore Raeanne C RC

NPJ schizophrenia 20210203 1

Individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) may be disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and psychological distress. This study investigated the prevalence of engagement in COVID-19 preventative behaviors, predictors of these behaviors, and COVID-19-related psychological distress. One hundred and sixty-three individuals with SMIs (94 with schizophrenia spectrum illnesses and 69 with affective disorders) and 27 psychiatrically healthy comparison participants were recruited from ...[more]

PMID: 33536446

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Project description:BackgroundAlthough national policies in China are comprehensive and instructive, a wide disparity exists between different cities. The current status of public mental health services by region in China remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate policies related to public mental health services, the contact coverage of public mental health services and outcomes of service users.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out in Southern China, between April 2021 and March 2022. Considering the geographical location, socioeconomic development levels, and prevalence of severe mental illness, four cities including Wuhan, Changsha, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen were selected. Relevant service providers were asked to report data on mental health policies and facility-related information, including mental health resources, registration rates of patients, management rates of patients, and medication rates of patients. Eligible patients were invited to report service user-related data, including contact coverage of public mental health services and their outcomes. SPSS 26.0 was used for data analysis.ResultsThe four cities in Southern China have made different efforts to develop public mental health services, primarily focusing on socio-economically disadvantaged individuals. Community health centers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen reported having more professional human resources on mental health and higher mental health budgets for patients. The contact coverage rates of most public mental services were higher than 80%. Patients in Changsha (B = 0.3; 95%CI: 0.1-0.5), Guangzhou (B = 0.2; 95%CI: 0.1-0.3), and Shenzhen (B = 0.3; 95%CI: 0.1-0.4) who received social medical assistance services reported higher levels of medication adherence. Patients in Wuhan (B = -6.5; 95%CI: -12.9--0.1), Guangzhou (B = -2.8; 95%CI: -5.5--0.1), and Shenzhen who received community-based rehabilitation services reported lower levels of disability (B = -2.6; 95%CI: -4.6--0.5).ConclusionsThere have been advances in public mental health services in the four Southern cities. The contact coverage rates of most public mental health services were higher than 80%. Patients' utilization of public mental services was associated with better health outcomes. To improve the quality of public mental health services, the government should try to engage service users, their family members, and supporters in the design, delivery, operationalization, and evaluation of these public mental health services in the future.

Dataset Information

COVID-19-related psychological distress and engagement in preventative behaviors among individuals with severe mental illnesses.

Publications

COVID-19-related psychological distress and engagement in preventative behaviors among individuals with severe mental illnesses.

Similar Datasets

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