scholarly journals FAAH, SLC6A4, and BDNF variants are not associated with psychosocial stress and mental health outcomes in a population of Syrian refugee youth

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Clukay ◽  
Anthony Matarazzo ◽  
Rana Dajani ◽  
Kristin Hadfield ◽  
Catherine Panter-Brick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Candidate Genes ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Psychosocial Stress ◽  
Monoamine Oxidase A ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Refugee Youth ◽  
Syrian Refugee ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis posits that early childhood stressors disproportionately impact adult health. Numerous studies have found adult mental health to be associated with childhood adversities and genetic variants, particularly in genes related to neurochemistry. However, few studies have examined the way interactive effects may manifest over time and fewer still include protective factors, like resilience. Our group has previously found associations between the monoamine oxidase A gene, MAOA, and a contextually-specific measure of resilience with a measure of perceived psychosocial stress over time in Syrian refugee youth. In this study, we work with the same sample of adolescents to test genetic variants in three additional candidate genes (FAAH, the 5-HTTLPR region of SLC6A4, and BDNF) for associations with six psychosocial stress and mental health outcomes. Using multi-level modeling, we find no association between variants in these candidate genes and psychosocial stress or mental health outcomes. Our analysis included tests for both direct genetic effects and interactions with lifetime trauma and resilience. Negative results, such as the lack of genetic associations with outcome measures, provides a more complete framework in which to better understand positive results and associations.

A Longitudinal Test of Three Theories of Overconfidence

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean C. Murphy ◽  
Fiona Kate Barlow ◽  
William von Hippel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High School ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Intellectual Ability ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Motivation ◽  
Social Success ◽  
Over Time

This article presents a longitudinal test of three proposed functions of overconfidence. In a sample of 894 high school boys surveyed across two school years, we examined whether overconfidence in sporting ability and intelligence predicts improved mental health, motivation, and popularity. Both sporting and intelligence overconfidence showed positive cross-sectional associations with mental health outcomes, but there was little evidence that overconfidence predicted improved mental health over time. Some evidence emerged that overconfidence in sporting ability, but not intellectual ability, predicted increased effort, but neither type of overconfidence predicted improvements in ability over time. Finally, sporting but not intellectual overconfidence predicted increased popularity over time. These results suggest that overconfidence is associated with increased social success over time in at least some domains, and contradict the oft-cited possibility that overconfidence leads to increasingly deleterious outcomes over time.

Food Insecurity and Mental Health Trajectories During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Evidence

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 408-409
Author(s):  
Dexia Kong ◽  
Peiyi Lu ◽  
Elissa Kozlov ◽  
Mack Shelley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Health Trajectories ◽  
Over Time

Abstract The extent to which food insecurity impacts changes in mental health outcomes over time in the context of Covid-19 remains unknown. Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative survey, the objectives of the present study were to: (1) assess the prevalence of food insecurity among U.S. adults amid the Covid-19 pandemic; and (2) investigate the relationships between food insecurity statuses and changes in mental health outcomes over time as the pandemic unfolds. Longitudinal data from the Internet-based Understanding Coronavirus in America survey collected bi-weekly between April and December 2020 were used (n=4,068, 15 repeated measures). Adult respondents (aged ≥18) were asked about their food insecurity experiences and stress/anxiety/depressive symptoms. Linear mixed-effect models examined changes in mental health outcomes over time among groups with various food insecurity statuses. Overall prevalence of food insecurity was 8%. Food insecurity was consistently associated with higher levels of stress/anxiety/depressive symptoms (p<0.001). Stress/anxiety/depressive symptoms declined over time among food-secured U.S adults. However, mental health trajectories of respondents with various food insecurity categories, including food insecurity status, persistent food insecurity, and food insecurity of higher severity and longer duration, remained stable or worsened over time. Moreover, the mental health gap between food-secured and food-unsecured participants widened over time. Food insecurity represents a pressing public health problem during the Covid-19 pandemic with substantial mental health implications. Persistent and severe food insecurity may contribute to mental health disparity in the long term. Food insecurity reduction interventions may alleviate the estimated alarming mental health burden as the pandemic unfolds.

scholarly journals Transition to Parenthood, Gender and Well-Being: A Longitudinal Study of the United Kingdom

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandrine Metzger ◽  
Pablo Gracia
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Over Time

Previous studies have omitted a dynamic analysis to examine systematically how the transition into parenthood shapes gendered mental health trajectories. This paper adopts a life-course approach to study gender differences in how the transition into parenthood affects multiple indicators of parents’ mental health over time, using high-quality panel data from the ‘UK Household Longitudinal Study’ (2009-2020). Results from fixed effects models with discrete-time trends show that: (1) mothers’ mental health is more largely affected –both positively and negatively– by the transition to parenthood than fathers’; (2) mothers’ overall mental health shows a distinctive positive anticipation and adaptation around childbirth, while fathers show insignificant changes in this transition; (3) becoming a parent decreases the risks of depressive moods for both genders, with long-lasting effects for mothers; (4) stress and energy levels show a deterioration during care-intensive years for both parents, particularly among women; (5) mothers from higher socioeconomic backgrounds experience lower mental health outcomes during care-intensive years. Overall, this study demonstrates the relevance of parenthood transitions in shaping gendered effects on specific mental health outcomes, with distinct implications for women and men over time, as well as across socioeconomic groups.

Changes in Mental Health and Treatment, 1997–2017

2021 ◽  
pp. 002214652098413
Author(s):  
Amy L. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Cohort Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Treatment Seeking ◽  
Period Effect ◽  
The Past ◽  
Over Time

Mental health outcomes have shown dramatic changes over the past half-century, yet these trends are still underexplored. I utilize an age-period-cohort analysis of the National Health Interview Survey from 1997 to 2017 (N = 627,058) to disentangle trends in mental health outcomes in the United States over time. Specifically, I leverage the contrast between reported psychological distress and rates of mental health treatment to isolate which has changed, how, and for whom. There is little evidence that psychological distress is worsening over time. Yet, treatment seeking has increased over the past 20 years. The increase in treatment seeking is best modeled as a period effect, providing initial evidence that the historical context has influenced responses to mental health over time for Americans of all ages and birth cohorts. I conclude with potential mechanisms and implications for future mental health research.

scholarly journals Sustained negative mental health outcomes among healthcare workers over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Mediavilla ◽  
Eduardo Fernandez-Jimenez ◽  
Irene Martinez-Morata ◽  
Fabiola Jaramillo ◽  
Jorge Andreo-Jover ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Over Time

Objective: To characterize the evolution of healthcare workers' mental health status over the 1-year period following the initial COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and to examine baseline characteristics associated with resolution or persistence of mental health problems over time. Methods: We conducted an 8-month follow-up cohort study. Eligible participants were healthcare workers working in Spain. Baseline data were collected during the initial pandemic outbreak. Survey-based self-reported measures included COVID-19-related exposures, sociodemographic characteristics, and three mental health outcomes (psychological distress, depression symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms). We examined three longitudinal trajectories in mental health outcomes between baseline and follow-up assessments (namely asymptomatic/stable, recovering, and persistently symptomatic/worsening). Results: We recruited 1,807 participants. Between baseline and follow-up assessments, the proportion of respondents screening positive for psychological distress and probable depression decreased, respectively, from 74% to 56% and from 28% to 21%. Two-thirds remained asymptomatic/stable in terms of depression symptoms and 56% remained symptomatic or worsened over time in terms of psychological distress. Conclusions: Poor mental health outcomes among healthcare workers persisted over time. Occupational programs and mental health strategies should be put in place.

scholarly journals The mental health of NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: two-wave Scottish cohort study

BJPsych Open ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes H. De Kock ◽  
Helen Ann Latham ◽  
Richard G. Cowden ◽  
Breda Cullen ◽  
Katia Narzisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Health Changes ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Over Time

Background Health and social care workers (HSCWs) are at risk of experiencing adverse mental health outcomes (e.g. higher levels of anxiety and depression) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This can have a detrimental effect on quality of care, the national response to the pandemic and its aftermath. Aims A longitudinal design provided follow-up evidence on the mental health (changes in prevalence of disease over time) of NHS staff working at a remote health board in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic, and investigated the determinants of mental health outcomes over time. Method A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted from July to September 2020. Participants self-reported levels of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7) and mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale) at baseline and 1.5 months later. Results The analytic sample of 169 participants, working in community (43%) and hospital (44%) settings, reported substantial levels of depression and anxiety, and low mental well-being at baseline (depression, 30.8%; anxiety, 20.1%; well-being, 31.9%). Although mental health remained mostly constant over time, the proportion of participants meeting the threshold for anxiety increased to 27.2% at follow-up. Multivariable modelling indicated that working with, and disruption because of, COVID-19 were associated with adverse mental health changes over time. Conclusions HSCWs working in a remote area with low COVID-19 prevalence reported substantial levels of anxiety and depression, similar to those working in areas with high COVID-19 prevalence. Efforts to support HSCW mental health must remain a priority, and should minimise the adverse effects of working with, and disruption caused by, the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Changes in physical activity levels and mental health during COVID-19: Prospective findings among adult twin pairs

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0260218
Author(s):  
Glen E. Duncan ◽  
Ally R. Avery ◽  
Siny Tsang ◽  
Bethany D. Williams ◽  
Edmund Seto
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Adult Twins ◽  
Over Time

Background Physical distancing and other COVID-19 pandemic mitigation strategies have negatively impacted physical activity (PA) levels and mental health in cross-sectional studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between changes in PA and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, following implementation of mitigation strategies, in a sample of adult twins. Methods This was a prospective study of 3,057 adult twins from the Washington State Twin Registry. Study participants completed online surveys in 2020, at baseline (March 26 –April 5), and three follow-up waves (W1: April 20 –May 3; W2: Jul 16 –Aug 2; W3: Sept 16 –Oct 1). Physical activity was operationalized as self-reported moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and neighborhood walking (minutes/week), and mental health outcomes, operationalized as self-reported anxiety and perceived stress were assessed in the three waves of follow-up. Latent growth curve models (LGCMs) were used to assess changes in PA and mental health outcomes over time. Parallel LGCMs were used to estimate the cross-sectional, parallel, and prospective associations between PA and mental health over time. All models took into within-pair correlations and adjusted for age, sex, and race. Results Individuals’ amount of MVPA and walking decreased over time, whereas levels of anxiety remained stable, and stress increased slightly. Cross-sectional associations observed between both PA predictors and mental health outcomes were weak. After taking into account cross-sectional associations between PA and mental health outcomes, changes in PA over time were not associated with changes in mental health outcomes over time. Conclusions Over a time period aligned with COVID-19 mitigation strategies and social restrictions, changes in physical activity was not associated with changes in anxiety or stress levels in the current sample. Nonetheless, the average decline in PA over time is worrisome. Public health resources should continue to promote PA as a means to improve physical health during the pandemic.

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