Income Differences and COVID-19: Impact on Daily Life and Mental Health

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, people had to adapt their daily life routines to the currently implemented public health measures, which is likely to have resulted in a lack of in-person social interactions, physical activity, or sleep. Such changes can have a significant impact on mental health. Mobile sensing apps can passively record the daily life routines of people, thus making them aware of maladaptive behavioral adjustments to the pandemic. Objective This study aimed to explore the views of people on mobile sensing apps that passively record behaviors and their potential to increase awareness and helpfulness for self-managing mental health during the pandemic. Methods We conducted an anonymous web-based survey including people with and those without mental disorders, asking them to rate the helpfulness of mobile sensing apps for the self-management of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was conducted in May 2020. Results The majority of participants, particularly those with a mental disorder (n=106/148, 72%), perceived mobile sensing apps as very or extremely helpful for managing their mental health by becoming aware of maladaptive behaviors. The perceived helpfulness of mobile sensing apps was also higher among people who experienced a stronger health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (β=.24; 95% CI 0.16-0.33; P<.001), had a better understanding of technology (β=.17; 95% CI 0.08-0.25; P<.001), and had a higher education (β=.1; 95% CI 0.02-0.19; P=.02). Conclusions Our findings highlight the potential of mobile sensing apps to assist in mental health care during the pandemic.

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Supplemental Material for Real-Time Momentary Mood As a Predictor of College Students’ Prescription Drug Misuse in Daily Life: Direct Links and the Moderating Role of Background Mental Health

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1037/pha0000500.supp ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Real Time ◽

Daily Life ◽

Drug Misuse ◽

Prescription Drug Misuse ◽

Moderating Role

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Health in a connected world

Psychotic Disorders ◽

10.1093/med/9780190653279.003.0064 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 573-580

Author(s):

Philippe Delespaul ◽

Catherine van Zelst

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Lived Experience ◽

Therapeutic Relationship ◽

Social Relationships ◽

Daily Life ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Well Being ◽

Service Users ◽

Changing World

This chapter is about a redesign of mental healthcare, as it evolves in a changing world. It focuses on digital transformations and their impact on social relationships, networks, and communities. It intends to demonstrate better responses to the needs of service users in society. It first defines terminologies to access the changing world and focus on how to understand health, recovery, and well-being in people with lived experience of psychosis. These central elements can be accessed or maintained using eHealth, including mHealth, virtual reality, and eCommunities. It also discuss strengths, challenges, and pitfalls in developing and applying innovative interventions in the context of daily life. It reviews these trends and how these relate to the therapeutic relationship in general, and the mental health practitioner’s role in particular.

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Efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Daily Life (ACT-DL) in early psychosis: study protocol for a multi-centre randomized controlled trial

Trials ◽

10.1186/s13063-019-3912-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ulrich Reininghaus ◽

Annelie Klippel ◽

Henrietta Steinhart ◽

Thomas Vaessen ◽

Martine van Nierop ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽

Daily Life ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Psychotic Experiences ◽

Intervention Period ◽

Commitment Therapy ◽

Acceptance And Commitment ◽

Randomised Controlled

Abstract Background Psychotic experiences, social functioning and general psychopathology are important targets for early intervention in individuals with Ultra-High-Risk state (UHR) and a first-episode psychosis (FEP). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a promising, next-generation Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) that aims to modify these targets, but evidence on sustainable change and its underlying mechanisms in individuals’ daily lives remains limited. The aim of the INTERACT study is to investigate the efficacy of a novel ecological momentary intervention, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Daily Life (ACT-DL) in a multi-centre randomised controlled trial of individuals with UHR or FEP. Methods/design In a multi-centre randomised controlled trial, individuals aged 16–65 years with UHR or FEP will be randomly allocated to ACT-DL in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) as the experimental condition or a control condition of TAU only, which will include – for the entire study period – access to routine mental health care and, where applicable, CBT for psychosis (CBTp). Outcomes will be assessed at baseline (i.e. before randomisation), post-intervention (i.e. after the 8-week intervention period), and 6-month and 12-month follow-ups (i.e. 6 and 12 months after completing the intervention period) by blinded assessors. The primary outcome will be distress associated with psychotic experiences, while secondary outcomes will include (momentary) psychotic experiences, social functioning and psychopathology. Process measures to assess putative mechanisms of change will include psychological flexibility, stress sensitivity and reward experiences. In addition, acceptability, treatment adherence and treatment fidelity of ACT-DL will be assessed. Discussion The current study is the first to test the efficacy of ACT-DL in individuals with UHR and FEP. If this trial demonstrates the efficacy of ACT-DL, it has the potential to significantly advance the treatment of people with UHR and FEP and, more generally, provides initial support for implementing mHealth interventions in mental health services. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register, ID: NTR4252. Registered on 26 September 2013.

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Understanding the relationship between cognitive performance and function in daily life after traumatic brain injury

Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry ◽

10.1136/jnnp-2020-324492 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. jnnp-2020-324492

Author(s):

Lindsay Wilson ◽

Lindsay Horton ◽

Kevin Kunzmann ◽

Barbara J Sahakian ◽

Virginia FJ Newcombe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Daily Life ◽

Short Form ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

Effect Sizes ◽

Different Levels

ObjectiveCognitive impairment is a key cause of disability after traumatic brain injury (TBI) but relationships with overall functioning in daily life are often modest. The aim is to examine cognition at different levels of function and identify domains associated with disability.Methods1554 patients with mild-to-severe TBI were assessed at 6 months post injury on the Glasgow Outcome Scale—Extended (GOSE), the Short Form-12v2 and a battery of cognitive tests. Outcomes across GOSE categories were compared using analysis of covariance adjusting for age, sex and education.ResultsOverall effect sizes were small to medium, and greatest for tests involving processing speed (ηp2 0.057–0.067) and learning and memory (ηp2 0.048–0.052). Deficits in cognitive performance were particularly evident in patients who were dependent (GOSE 3 or 4) or who were unable to participate in one or more major life activities (GOSE 5). At higher levels of function (GOSE 6–8), cognitive performance was surprisingly similar across categories. There were decreases in performance even in patients reporting complete recovery without significant symptoms. Medium to large effect sizes were present for summary measures of cognition (ηp2 0.111), mental health (ηp2 0.131) and physical health (ηp2 0.252).ConclusionsThis large-scale study provides novel insights into cognitive performance at different levels of disability and highlights the importance of processing speed in function in daily life. At upper levels of outcome, any influence of cognition on overall function is markedly attenuated and differences in mental health are salient.

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College Grieving: Normalizing the Pain of Leaving and of Staying Behind

The Family Journal ◽

10.1177/1066480720943826 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 106648072094382

Author(s):

Joshua M. Gold ◽

Elizabeth Beasley

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young Adult ◽

Health Workers ◽

Daily Life ◽

Transition To College ◽

College Campuses ◽

Mental Health Workers ◽

First Year ◽

The Family ◽

Family Home

The transition to college, however enacted, is viewed as a time of joyous discovery and self-exploration for the launched young adult. For the family, this transition may allow for pride in parental accomplishment and perhaps relief as the young adult departs the family home. However, in both circumstances, there is an undercurrent of loss and perhaps unexpressed grieving. If unacknowledged and unresolved, these feelings may cause the student to question readiness for college and personal maturity, perhaps spiraling into depression or substance abuse and culminating in withdrawal or dismissal. At home, the challenge of reimaging family daily life and parental connection may lead to either overinvolvement or distancing, deflecting but not resolving the accompanying family pain. This article will explain the normative process of “freshman grief,” integrate the concepts of this loss through the lens of narrative counseling, and offer suggestions for mental health workers in secondary schools and on college campuses to help students and families anticipate, process, and resolve this time of bereavement in the midst of the excitement of the first year ( n = 175).

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