scholarly journals Comparison of Mental Health Symptoms Prior to and During COVID-19 among Patients with Systemic Sclerosis from Four Countries: A Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett D. Thombs ◽  
Linda Kwakkenbos ◽  
Richard S. Henry ◽  
Marie-Eve Carrier ◽  
Scott Patten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
The United Kingdom

ABSTRACTBackgroundNo studies have reported comparisons of mental health symptoms prior to and during COVID-19 in vulnerable populations. Objectives were to compare anxiety and depression symptoms among people with a pre-existing medical condition, the autoimmune disease systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma), including continuous change scores, proportion with change ≥ 1 minimal clinically important difference (MCID), and factors associated with changes, including country.MethodsPre-COVID-19 Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Cohort data were linked to COVID-19 data collected April 9 to April 27, 2020. Anxiety symptoms were assessed with the PROMIS Anxiety 4a v1.0 scale (MCID = 4 points) and depression symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (MCID = 3 points). Multiple linear and logistic regression were used to assess factors associated with continuous change and change ≥ 1 MCID.FindingsAmong 435 participants (Canada = 98; France = 159; United Kingdom = 50; United States = 128), mean anxiety symptoms increased 4.9 points (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.0 to 5.7). Depression symptom change was negligible (0.3 points; 95% CI −0.7 to 0.2). Compared to France, adjusted scores from the United States and United Kingdom were 3.8 points (95% CI 1.7 to 5.9) and 2.9 points higher (95% CI 0.0 to 5.7); scores for Canada were not significantly different. Odds of increasing by ≥ 1 MCID were twice as high for the United Kingdom (2.0, 95% CI 1.0 to 4.2) and United States (1.9, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.2). Participants who used mental health services pre-COVID had adjusted increases 3.7 points (95% CI 1.7 to 5.7) less than other participants.InterpretationAnxiety symptoms, but not depression symptoms, increased dramatically during COVID-19 among people with a pre-existing medical condition. Increase was larger in the United Kingdom and United States than in Canada and France but substantially less for people with pre-COVID-19 mental health treatment.RESEARCH IN CONTEXTEvidence before this studyWe referred to a living systematic review that is evaluating mental health changes from pre-COVID-19 to COVID-19 by searching 7 databases, including 2 Chinese language databases, plus preprint servers, with daily updates (https://www.depressd.ca/covid-19-mental-health). As of June 13, 2020, only 5 studies had compared mental health symptoms prior to and during COVID-19. In 4 studies of university students, there were small increases in depression or general mental health symptoms but minimal or no increases in anxiety symptoms. A general population study from the United Kingdom reported a small increase in general mental health symptoms but did not differentiate between types of symptoms. No studies have reported changes from pre-COVID-19 among people vulnerable due to pre-existing medical conditions. No studies have compared mental health changes between countries, despite major differences in pandemic responses.Added value of this studyWe evaluated changes in anxiety and depression symptoms among 435 participants with the autoimmune condition systemic sclerosis and compared results from Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare mental health symptoms prior to and during COVID-19 in any vulnerable population. These are the first data to document the substantial degree to which anxiety symptoms have increased and the minimal changes in depression symptoms among vulnerable individuals. It is also the first study to examine the association of symptom changes with country of residence and to identify that people receiving pre-COVID-19 mental health services may be more resilient and experience less substantial symptom increases than others.Implications of all the available evidenceAlthough this was an observational study, it provided evidence that vulnerable people with a pre-existing medical condition have experienced substantially increased anxiety symptoms and that these increases appear to be associated with where people live and, possibly, different experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic across countries. By comparing with evidence from university samples, which found that depression symptoms were more prominent, these data underline the need for accessible interventions tailored to specific needs of different populations. They also suggest that mental health treatments may help people to develop skills or create resilience, which may reduce vulnerability to major stressors such as COVID-19.

Mental Health Symptoms in a Cohort of Hospital Healthcare Workers Following the Peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasun Wanigasooriya ◽  
Priyanka Palimar ◽  
David Naumann ◽  
Khalida Ismail ◽  
Jodie L. Fellows ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
The United Kingdom

scholarly journals Comparison of Mental Health Symptoms prior to and during COVID-19: Evidence from a Living Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Sun ◽  
Yin Wu ◽  
Olivia Bonardi ◽  
Ankur Krishnan ◽  
Chen He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
General Population ◽  
University Students ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Population Groups ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
General Mental Health

Objectives: The rapid pace, high volume, and limited quality of mental health evidence being generated during COVID-19 poses a barrier to effective decision-making. The objective of the present report is to compare mental health outcomes assessed during COVID-19 to outcomes prior to COVID-19 in the general population and other population groups. Design: Living systematic review. Data Sources: MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), EMBASE (Ovid), Web of Science Core Collection: Citation Indexes, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, medRxiv (preprints), and Open Science Framework Preprints (preprint server aggregator). The initial search was conducted on April 13, 2020 with ongoing weekly updates. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: For this report, we included studies that compared general mental health, anxiety symptoms, or depression symptoms, assessed January 1, 2020 or later, to the same outcomes collected between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019. We required ≥ 90% of participants pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 to be the same or the use of statistical methods to address missing data. For population groups with continuous outcomes for at least three studies in an outcome domain, we conducted restricted maximum-likelihood random-effects meta-analyses. Results: As of March 22, 2021, we had identified 36 unique eligible studies with data from 33 cohorts. All reported COVID-19 outcomes between March and June 2020, and 3 studies also reported outcomes between September and November 2020. Estimates of changes in general mental health were close to zero in the general population (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.02, 95% CI -0.11 to 0.16, I2 = 94.6%; 4 studies, N = 19,707) and among older adults (SMD = 0.02, 95% CI -0.11 to 0.16, I2 = 90.4%; 4 studies, N = 5,520) and university students (SMD = -0.01, 95% CI -0.33 to 0.30, I2 = 92.0%; 3 studies, N = 3,372). Changes in anxiety symptoms were close to zero and not statistically significant in university students (SMD = 0.00, 95% CI -0.35 to 0.36, I2 = 95.4%; 5 studies, N = 1,537); women or females (SMD = 0.02, 95% CI -0.35 to 0.39, I2 = 92.3%; 3 studies, N = 2,778); and men or males (SMD = 0.07, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.15; I2 = 0.01%; 3 studies, N = 1,250); anxiety symptoms increased, however, among people with pre-existing medical conditions (SMD = 0.27, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.54, I2 = 91.0%; 3 studies, N = 2,053). Changes in depression symptoms were close to zero or small and not statistically significant among university students (SMD = 0.19, 95% CI -0.08 to 0.45, I2 = 91.8%; 5 studies, N = 1,537); people with pre-existing medical conditions (SMD = 0.01, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.17, I2 = 14.9%; 3 studies, N = 2,006); women or females (SMD = 0.21, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.55, I2 = 91.2%; 3 studies, N = 2,843); and men or males (SMD = 0.00, 95% CI -0.21 to 0.22; I2 = 92.3%; 4 studies, N = 3,661). In 3 studies with data from both March to June 2020 and September to November 2020, symptoms were unchanged from pre-COVID-19 at both time points or there were increases at the first assessment that had largely dissipated by the second assessment. Conclusions: Evidence does not suggest a widespread negative effect on mental health symptoms in COVID-19, although it is possible that gaps in data have not allowed identification of changes in some vulnerable groups. Continued updating is needed as evidence accrues.

scholarly journals Systematic Review of Arts-Based Interventions to Address Suicide Prevention and Survivorship in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 53S-63S
Author(s):  
Jill Sonke ◽  
Kelley Sams ◽  
Jane Morgan-Daniel ◽  
Andres Pumariega ◽  
Faryal Mallick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Arts

Study Objective. Suicide is a serious health problem that is shaped by a variety of social and mental health factors. A growing body of research connects the arts to positive health outcomes; however, no previous systematic reviews have examined the use of the arts in suicide prevention and survivorship. This review examined how the arts have been used to address suicide prevention and survivorship in nonclinical settings in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Design and Setting. Ten bibliographic databases, five research repositories, and reference sections of articles were searched to identify published studies. Articles presenting outcomes of interventions conducted between 2014 and 2019 and written in English, were included. Primary Results. Nine studies met inclusion criteria, including qualitative, quantitative randomized controlled trials, quantitative nonrandomized, quantitative descriptive, and mixed-methods studies. The programs studied used film and television (n = 3), mixed-arts (n = 3), theatre (n = 2), and quilting (n = 1). All nine interventions used the arts to elicit emotional involvement, while seven also used the arts to encourage engagement with themes of health. Study outcomes included increased self-efficacy, awareness of mental health issues, and likelihood for taking action to prevent suicide, as well as decreases in suicidal risk and self-harming behaviors. Conclusions. Factors that influence suicide risk and survivorship may be effectively addressed through arts-based interventions. While the current evidence is promising with regard to the potential for arts programs to positively affect suicide prevention and survivorship, this evidence needs to be supplemented to inform recommendations for evidence-based arts interventions.

Abstract P248: Assessing for Bi-Directional Relationships between Body Mass Index and Mental Health Symptoms in Girls

Circulation ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (suppl_12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen M McTigue ◽  
Elan Cohen ◽  
Alison Hipwell ◽  
Charity Moore ◽  
Rolf Loeber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Mixed Models ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Depression Score ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Oppositional Defiant

Introduction Obesity and mental health problems are increasing in youth; both are often under-treated. The interplay between mental health and body weight development in adolescent girls is not well understood. Hypothesis Bi-directional associations will be established between mental health symptoms (depression and conduct symptoms) and BMI in urban pre-adolescent girls. Methods We examined data from participants in an accelerated longitudinal cohort study of largely disadvantaged urban girls from a single US city (n=2,451; 53% African American). Data were collected annually over 6 years, starting in 2003 when girls were age 8-11. Depression and conduct symptoms (oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder symptoms combined) were collected via the validated Child Symptom Inventory (CSI-4) and height and weight were measured. Transitional models assessed for bi-directional associations between mental health symptoms and BMI. Random-effects mixed models identified within-subject and between-subject effects in models examining whether mental health symptoms predicted BMI. All models were adjusted for race, age, and receipt of public assistance, and when applicable, included interaction terms. Results Transitional models showed that prior depression symptoms (β=0.27; p<0.001) predicted an increase in BMI while prior conduct symptoms (β=0.04; p=0.05) showed a small and borderline significant effect on BMI. An increase in prior BMI predicted an increase in depression symptoms (β=0.074, p<0.001) but not conduct symptoms (β=0.028, p=0.125). Mixed models revealed significant between-girl and within-girl effects (β = 0.38 and 0.038, respectively, both with p<0.001) for depression symptoms predicting BMI. Conduct symptoms showed a significant between-girl effect (β=0.51; p=0.045) but a non-significant within-girl effect (β=0.011; p=0.080) when used to predict BMI. Conclusions We identified a clear bi-directional relationship between depression symptoms and BMI in under-privileged girls, and mixed models confirmed that a change in depression score is associated with increased BMI. While an increase in conduct symptoms shows a weak positive association with BMI, the association was not bi-directional. The potential for BMI and depression to each reinforce the other may represent a mechanism for the development of high-risk weight patterns in girls. Early identification of those at risk may facilitate preventive measures for both weight and mental health outcomes.

Parent and child mental health trajectories April 2020 to May 2021: Strict lockdown versus no lockdown in Australia

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110653
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M Westrupp ◽  
Christopher J Greenwood ◽  
Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz ◽  
Craig A Olsson ◽  
Emma Sciberras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Trajectories ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Parent Child

Objective: To control a second-wave COVID-19 outbreak, the state of Victoria in Australia experienced one of the world’s first long and strict lockdowns over July–October 2020, while the rest of Australia experienced ‘COVID-normal’ with minimal restrictions. We (1) investigate trajectories of parent/child mental health outcomes in Victoria vs non-Victoria and (2) identify baseline demographic, individual and COVID-19-related factors associated with mental health trajectories. Methods: Online community sample of 2004 Australian parents with rapid repeated assessment over 14 time-points over April 2020 to May 2021. Measures assessed parent mental health (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21), child depression symptoms (13-item Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire) and child anxiety symptoms (four items from Brief Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale). Results: Mental health trajectories shadowed COVID-19 infection rates. Victorians reported a peak in mental health symptoms at the time of the second-wave lockdown compared to other states. Key baseline predictors, including parent and child loneliness (standardized regression coefficient [β] = 0.09–0.46), parent/child diagnoses (β = 0.07–0.21), couple conflict (β = 0.07–0.18) and COVID-19 stressors, such as worry/concern about COVID-19, illness and loss of job (β = 0.12–0.15), predicted elevated trajectories. Effects of predictors on parent and child mental health trajectories are illustrated in an online interactive app for readers ( https://lingtax.shinyapps.io/CPAS_trend/ ). Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence of worse trajectories of parent and child mental health symptoms at a time coinciding with a second COVID-19 outbreak involving strict lockdown in Victoria, compared to non-locked states in Australia. We identified several baseline factors that may be useful in detecting high-risk families who are likely to require additional support early on in future lockdowns.

scholarly journals Global connectivity of the frontoparietal cognitive control network is related to depression symptoms in the general population

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas H. Schultz ◽  
Takuya Ito ◽  
Levi I. Solomyak ◽  
Richard H. Chen ◽  
Ravi D. Mill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Control Network ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Control Network ◽  
The Brain

ABSTRACTWe all vary in our mental health, even among people not meeting diagnostic criteria for mental illness. Understanding this individual variability may reveal factors driving the risk for mental illness, as well as factors driving sub-clinical problems that still adversely affect quality of life. To better understand the large-scale brain network mechanisms underlying this variability we examined the relationship between mental health symptoms and resting-state functional connectivity patterns in cognitive control systems. One such system is the frontoparietal cognitive control network (FPN). Changes in FPN connectivity may impact mental health by disrupting the ability to regulate symptoms in a goal-directed manner. Here we test the hypothesis that FPN dysconnectivity relates to mental health symptoms even among individuals who do not meet formal diagnostic criteria but may exhibit meaningful symptom variation. We found that depression symptoms severity negatively correlated with between-network global connectivity (BGC) of the FPN. This suggests that decreased connectivity between the FPN and the rest of the brain is related to increased depression symptoms in the general population. These findings complement previous clinical studies to support the hypothesis that global FPN connectivity contributes to the regulation of mental health symptoms across both health and disease.AUTHOR SUMMARYUnderstanding how large-scale network interactions in the brain contribute to (or serve a protective role against) mental health symptoms is an important step toward developing more effective mental health treatments. Here we test the hypothesis that cognitive control networks play an important role in mental health by being highly connected to other brain networks and able to serve as a feedback mechanism capable of regulating symptoms in a goal-directed manner. We found that the more well-connected the frontoparietal cognitive control network was to other networks in the brain the less depression symptoms were reported by participants. These results contribute to our understanding of how brain network interactions are related to mental health symptoms, even in individuals who have not been diagnosed with a disorder.

scholarly journals Fathers’ Childhood Experiences, Adult Mental Health Problems and Perceptions of Interactions With Their 36 Month-Old Children

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Roni Mermelshtine ◽  
Jacqueline Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Paternal Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Parenting Support ◽  
Paternal Mental Health

Perceptions of poor care in the family of origin can relate to adverse mental health and poor adaptation for mothers but there is less evidence about fathers. This study investigated the relevance of fathers’ recollections of their own parents (Generation 1) for their (Generation 2) current mental health symptoms and for interactions with their 3-year-old children (Generations 2/3), in a community sample of 482 British fathers. Recollections of G1 maternal and paternal behaviour were associated in uncontrolled correlations with G2 paternal mental health, but taking family social class and maternal (G2) mental health into account they did not significantly predict G2 fathers’ mental health symptoms at 36 months postpartum, though a trend remained for G1 paternal care. Significant predictors were paternal depression symptoms in the first year postpartum and G2 mothers’ current mental health. Predictors of more dysfunctional father-child (G2/G3) interactions at 36 months postpartum were working class status, recall of more G1 maternal controlling behaviour and more concurrent paternal mental health symptoms; predictors of less G2/G3 dysfunction were G2 paternal use of more positive discipline. Potential implications of the results for parenting support and advice are discussed, recognising that intergenerational transmission of parent-child relationships is likely for fathers.

scholarly journals Mental Health, Deprivation, and the Neighborhood Social Environment: A Network Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 719-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eoin McElroy ◽  
Jason C. McIntyre ◽  
Richard P. Bentall ◽  
Tim Wilson ◽  
Keith Holt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Statistical Approach ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Economically Deprived ◽  
Network Comparisons

Different aspects of the neighborhood social environment have been linked with mental ill health; however, the mechanisms underlying these associations remain poorly understood because of the number and complexity of the components involved. We used a novel statistical approach, network analysis, to explore the complex associations between neighborhood social cohesion, social disorder, and mental-health symptoms in a sample of 3,670 adults from an economically deprived region of the United Kingdom (mean age = 49.34 years, SD = 18.87; 57% female). Elasso regularized networks were estimated, and network comparisons were conducted by level of deprivation. Mental-health symptoms and neighborhood components formed relatively distinct clusters of items. These domains were linked primarily by paranoia, although only in the most deprived group. Drunken/rowdy behavior was particularly influential within the neighborhood cluster; therefore, policies aimed at reducing such disruptive behavior could have positive knock-on effects for social cohesion and mental health.

scholarly journals Assessing social support impact on depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate students in Shaanxi province during the COVID-19 pandemic of China

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0253891
Author(s):  
Kun Guo ◽  
Xiaoye Zhang ◽  
Simin Bai ◽  
Halimatus Sakdiah Minhat ◽  
Ahmad Iqmer Nashriq Mohd Nazan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Shaanxi Province ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Stress Symptoms

Following the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in China, undergraduate students may experience psychological changes. During emergency circumstances, social support is an important factor influencing the mental health condition among undergraduate students in Shaanxi province. This study aims to find the factors associated with mental health symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate students in Shaanxi province during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. A cross-sectional study was conducted from Feb 23 to Mar 7, 2020. A total of 1278 undergraduate students from the universities located in Shaanxi province participated in this study. The mental health symptoms were measured by 12-item Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) instruments. This survey showed that females receive more social support compared to males (t = -5.046, P<0.001); males have higher-level depression symptoms (t = 5.624, P<0.001); males have higher-level anxiety symptoms (t = 6.332, P<0.001), males have higher-level stress symptoms (t = 5.58, P<0.001). This study also found participants who have low social support was negatively correlated with mental health symptoms. In Conclusion, Males and low social support were associated with having the higher level of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among undergraduate students in Shaanxi province during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Therefore, it is suggested that people should supply more social support for undergraduate students in Shaanxi province during COVID-19 pandemic.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document