Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety and depression symptoms of young people in the global south: evidence from a four-country cohort study

ObjectiveTo provide evidence on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young people who grew up in poverty in low/middle-income countries (LMICs).DesignA phone survey administered between August and October 2020 to participants of a population-based longitudinal cohort study established in 2002 comprising two cohorts born in 1994–1995 and 2001–2002 in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Peru and Vietnam. We use logistic regressions to examine associations between mental health and pandemic-related stressors, structural factors (gender, age), and lifelong protective/risk factors (parent and peer relationship, wealth, long-term health problems, past emotional problems, subjective well-being) measured at younger ages.SettingA geographically diverse, poverty-focused sample, also reaching those without mobile phones or internet access.Participants10 496 individuals were approached; 9730 participated. Overall, 8988 individuals were included in this study; 4610 (51%) men and 4378 (49%) women. Non-inclusion was due to non-location or missing data.Main outcome measuresSymptoms consistent with at least mild anxiety or depression were measured by Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (≥5) or Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (≥5).ResultsRates of symptoms of at least mild anxiety (depression) were highest in Peru at 41% (32%) (95% CI 38.63% to 43.12%; (29.49–33.74)), and lowest in Vietnam at 9% (9%) (95% CI 8.16% to 10.58%; (8.33–10.77)), mirroring COVID-19 mortality rates. Women were most affected in all countries except Ethiopia. Pandemic-related stressors such as health risks/expenses, economic adversity, food insecurity, and educational or employment disruption were risk factors for anxiety and depression, though showed varying levels of importance across countries. Prior parent/peer relationships were protective factors, while long-term health or emotional problems were risk factors.ConclusionPandemic-related health, economic and social stress present significant risks to the mental health of young people in LMICs where mental health support is limited, but urgently needed to prevent long-term consequences.

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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on anxiety and depression symptoms of young people in the Global South: evidence from a four-country cohort study

10.1101/2021.02.02.21250897 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Catherine Porter ◽

Marta Favara ◽

Annina Hittmeyer ◽

Douglas Scott ◽

Alan Sánchez Jiménez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Young Adults ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Young People ◽

Protective Factors ◽

Emotional Problems ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Anxiety And Depression

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo provide evidence on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of adolescents and young adults who grew up in poverty in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs).DesignA phone survey implemented August-October 2020 to participants of a population-based cohort study since 2002 comprising two cohorts born in 1994-5 and 2001-2 in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Peru and Vietnam. We examined associations between mental health and pandemic-related stressors, as well as structural factors (gender, location, wealth); and lifelong protective/risk factors (parent and peer relationship, past household wealth, long-term health problems, past emotional problems and subjective well-being) measured at younger ages.SettingA diverse, poverty focused sample, reaching those without mobile phones or internet access.Participants10,496 individuals were approached, 9,730 participated. Overall, 8,988 individuals were included in this study, 4,610 (51%) male and 4,378 (49%) female. Non-inclusion was due to non-location or missing data.Main outcome measuresAt least mild anxiety and depression were measured by Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7, ≥5) and Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8, ≥5).ResultsRates of symptoms of at least mild anxiety (depression) were highest in Peru at 41% (32%) [95% CI, 38.63-43.12; (29.49-33.74)], and lowest in Vietnam at 9% (9%) [95% CI, 8.16-10.58; (8.33-10.77)], mirroring COVID-19 mortality rates. Females were most affected in all countries but Ethiopia. In all countries, pandemic-related stressors were associated with increased rates of anxiety and depression, though with varying levels of importance across countries. Prior parent and peer relationships were protective factors for mental health while having a long-term health problem or prior emotional problems were risk factors.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic presents significant risks to the mental health of young people. Mental health support is limited in LMICs and young people have to date been lower priority for COVID-19 interventions.Strengths and limitations of this studyThe study uses data from adolescents and young adults who grew up in poverty in four LMICs which were diversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore investigating a globally vulnerable, but understudied group both in terms of age and wealth.This study reaches a broad sample of young people who grew up in poverty, including those without internet or mobile phone access.A key strength is combining a broad range of pandemic-related stressors from survey data on experiences of COVID-19 with previously measured information on longer-term risk and protective factors, therefore contributing to a more complete picture of COVID-19 effects.A limitation of the study is that it does not have a directly comparable pre-COVID baseline for depression/anxiety, however, proxy variables are used as a baseline and the explanatory variables capture dynamics that happened during the pandemic.A further limitation is possible underreporting due to stigma associated with mental health, despite piloting and validation, as well as possible bias in self-reported experiences of pandemic-related stressors due to feelings of anxiety or depression.

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Psychological well-being and risk perceptions of mothers in Kyiv, Ukraine, 19 years after the Chornobyl disaster

International Journal of Social Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0020764011415204 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 57 (6) ◽

pp. 637-645 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Richard E. Adams ◽

Lin T. Guey ◽

Semyon F. Gluzman ◽

Evelyn J. Bromet

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Well Being ◽

Population Based ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Epidemiologic Risk

Background: The Chornobyl nuclear power plant explosion in April 1986 was one of the worst ecological disasters of the 20th century. As with most disasters, its long-term mental health consequences have not been examined. Aims: This study describes the psychological well-being and risk perceptions of exposed women 19–20 years later and the risk factors associated with mental health. Methods: We assessed Chornobyl-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive episode (MDE) and overall distress among three groups of women in Kyiv, Ukraine ( N = 797): mothers of small children evacuated to Kyiv in 1986 from the contaminated area near the plant (evacuees); mothers of their children’s classmates (neighbourhood controls); and population-based controls from Kyiv. Risk perceptions and epidemiologic correlates were also obtained. Results: Evacuees reported poorer well-being and more negative risk perceptions than controls. Group differences in psychological well-being remained after adjustment for epidemiologic risk factors but became non-significant when Chornobyl risk perceptions were added to the models. Conclusions: The relatively poorer psychological well-being among evacuees is largely explained by their continued concerns about the physical health risks stemming from the accident. We suggest that this is due to the long-term, non-resolvable nature of health fears associated with exposure.

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Report2: Impact of Covid-19 on young people aged 13-24 in the UK- preliminary findings

10.31234/osf.io/s32j8 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Liat Levita ◽

Jilly Gibson Miller ◽

Todd K. Hartman ◽

Jamie Murphy ◽

Mark Shevlin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young People ◽

Data Collection ◽

Additional Data ◽

Well Being ◽

Survey Study ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Adult Study ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

A brief follow on report (from Report 1, see https://psyarxiv.com/uq4rn/). This report presents data on parents and their children's well being as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from our adult survey study. In addition to presenting additional data showing a potentially significant increase in anxiety and depression in young people aged 13-24, as a consequence of COVID-19. Data collection for our Adult Study (Wave 2) took place between 22nd April and was ended on Friday, May 1st, here we report headline figures for the impact of Covid-19 on parents and their children. We have described our methods in a separate report (https://psyarxiv.com/wxe2n) and released two reports on our mental health outcomes from wave 1 (https://psyarxiv.com/hb6nq, https://psyarxiv.com/ydvc7).

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Exposure to green space and prevention of anxiety and depression among young people in urban settings: a global scoping review

Journal of Public Mental Health ◽

10.1108/jpmh-02-2021-0030 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Rebecca Reece ◽

Isabelle Bray ◽

Danielle Sinnett ◽

Robert Hayward ◽

Faith Martin

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young People ◽

Green Space ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Urban Settings ◽

Content Type ◽

Low Middle Income Countries ◽

Wide Range ◽

Scoping Reviews

Purpose There is a mental health crisis, particularly among young people. Despite many young people living in urban settings, reviews about the association between exposure to green or natural environments and mental health tend to focus on either children or adults. The aim of this review is to examine the scope of the global literature for this age group, to inform a systematic review on the role of exposure to green space in preventing anxiety and depression amongst young people aged 14–24 years. Design/methodology/approach Seven databases were searched for quantitative and qualitative sources published from January 2000 to June 2020. This identified 201 sources and their characteristics are described here. Gaps in the literature are also highlighted. Findings The number of relevant studies published per year has increased over time. Most studies are set in North America (28%) or Europe (39%). The most common study designs were observational (34%) or experimental (28%). A wide range of exposures and interventions are described. Research limitations/implications This review included literature from predominantly high-income countries and has shown the under-representation of low-middle income countries and lack of ethnic diversity in study populations. It has also highlighted the lack of clinical measures of anxiety and depression as outcomes. Originality/value This inter-disciplinary review has contributed to the field by describing the geographic distribution of the literature and the broad range of exposures to green spaces being reported. Unlike previous scoping reviews, this review focused specifically on young people and on measures of anxiety and depression and their pre-cursers.

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The Influence of Illness Perception, Anxiety and Depression Disorders on Students Mental Health during COVID-19 Outbreak in Pakistan: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey

10.21203/rs.3.rs-30128/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Muhammad Aqeel ◽

Kanwar Hamza Shuja ◽

Jaffar Abbas ◽

Tasnim Rehna ◽

Arash Ziapour

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Illness Perception ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Problems ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Web Based ◽

Depression Disorders

Abstract Background: Since the emergence of a coronavirus disease (2019-nCoV) in December 2019, the whole world is in a state of chaos. Isolation strategy with quarantine is a useful model in controlling transmission and rapid spread. As a result, people remained at homes and disrupted their outside daily activities. It led to the closure of educational institutes, which is a source of many students to cope with numerous personal and familial issues. This study focuses on exploring the relationships and potential mediational pathways between mental health problems, illness perception, anxiety, and depression disorders.Method: The study incorporated snowball sampling techniques through a cross-sectional, web-based survey and recruited 500 students from different public and private universities from twin cities, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad from March 23 to April 15, 2020, during the coronavirus outbreak lockdown. The study used four instruments, Beck Depression Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire, and The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale for assessing depression, anxiety, illness perception, and mental health disorders.Results: The findings indicated normal (43.2%) mild (20.5%), moderate (13.6%), and severe (22.7%) level of anxiety prevalence in students. Results specified a normal (65.9%), mild (9.10%), moderate (9.12%), and severe (15.90%) depression prevalence, and findings stipulated that anxiety disorder prevalence was higher than the depression disorder. The correlational results specified a negative and significant relationship between mental health, illness perception, anxiety, and depression symptoms. The multiple regression analysis stated that anxiety and depression disorders mediated the relationship between mental health and present illness perception. The perception of illness exhibited a relation to depression and anxiety disorders.Conclusion: The study proposed a model to address mental health problems during the lockdown. The (2019-nCoV) illness perception developed mental disorders, including anxiety and depression, which has declined individuals' mental health. There is an urgent need for ongoing clinical examination and management to address psychological disorders, and findings suggest assessing mental health to combatting the pandemic worldwide. Findings recommend developing strategies to promote mental healthcare facilities during COVID-19 wide-ranging disasters. These results highlight the impending importance of devising strategies to treat mental health problems.

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Prospection, well-being, and mental health

Prospection, well-being, and mental health ◽

10.1093/med:psych/9780198725046.003.0011 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 255-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andrew MacLeod

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Methodological Issues ◽

Short Term ◽

The Past ◽

The Future ◽

Life Trajectory

Chapter 11 provides an overview of Chapters 1 to 10 and introduces the idea of a subjective future life trajectory. A subjective future life trajectory describes the sense that persons have of themselves being located in the present, but always moving forward into the future. The trajectory involves both short-term and long-term representations about the future, which vary in detail and value. Disruptions to the trajectory can take different forms, with anxiety and depression representing the two main kinds of disruption. A settled trajectory enables someone to focus on the present, whereas disrupted trajectories pull attention away from the present to try to ‘repair’ the trajectory. A future trajectory, and a present focus, can also be disrupted by memories relating to the past portion of the trajectory. Methodological issues that have been touched upon throughout the book are revisited and suggestions made for how research could move forward.

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The 10-year course of mental health, quality of life, and exile life functioning in traumatized refugees from treatment start

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0244730 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. e0244730

Author(s):

Marianne Opaas ◽

Tore Wentzel-Larsen ◽

Sverre Varvin

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Effect Sizes ◽

Medium Effect ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Symptom Reduction ◽

Life Functioning

Refugee patients with severe traumatic experiences may need mental health treatment, but treatment results vary, and there is scarcity of studies demonstrating refugees’ long-term health and well-being after treatment. In a 10-year naturalistic and longitudinal study, 54 multi-origin traumatized adult refugee patients, with a background of war and persecution, and with a mean stay in Norway of 10.5 years, were recruited as they entered psychological treatment in mental health specialist services. The participants were interviewed face-to-face with multiple methods at admittance, and at varying points in time during and after psychotherapy. The aim was to study the participants’ trajectories of symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression, four aspects of quality of life, and two aspects of exile life functioning. Linear mixed effects analyses included all symptoms and quality of life measures obtained at different times and intervals for the participants. Changes in exile life functioning was investigated by exact McNemar tests. Participants responded to the quantitative assessments up to eight times. Length of therapy varied, with a mean of 61.3 sessions (SD = 74.5). The participants improved significantly in symptoms, quality of life, and exile life functioning. Improvement in symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression yielded small effect sizes (r = .05 to .13), while improvement in quality of psychological and physical health yielded medium effect sizes (r = .38 and .32). Thus, long-time improvement after psychological therapy in these severely traumatized and mostly chronified refugee patients, was more notable in quality of life and exile life functioning than in symptom reduction. The results imply that major symptom reduction may not be attainable, and may not be the most important indication of long-term improvement among refugees with long-standing trauma-related suffering. Other indications of beneficial effects should be applied as well.

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Anxiety and Depression Symptoms of Patients in Fangcang Shelter Hospital During the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: a Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-30347/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ling-Ling Dai ◽

Xi Wang ◽

Tian-Chi Jiang ◽

Peng-Fei Li ◽

Yu Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Physical Symptoms ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

Independent Risk Factors ◽

Anxiety Depression

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic is a major health crisis has led to adverse mental health consequences in the general public, medical staff, and individual in self isolation. In order to stop transmission of the virus and save lives, Fangcang shelter hospitals were developed and used for the first time in China. However, there is no research on mental health problems in Fangcang shelter hospitals patients during the COVID-19 outbreak. The aim of this study was to survey the prevalence and major influencing factors of anxiety, depression among the hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Fangcang shelter hospital. Methods From February 23rd, 2020, to February 26th, 2020, we obtained the information of demographic data, clinical symptoms, and assessed the mental health status, sleep quality by using an online questionnaire including self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depressive scale (SDS) and pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) at Jianghan Fangcang shelter hospital. We assessed the prevalence of anxiety, depression symptoms and poor sleep quality via the scores of SAS, SDS and PSQI. We explored the influencing factors of anxiety and depression in COVID-19 patients using multivariable logistic regression models. Results We collected data from 307 COVID-19 patients in Jianghan Fangcang shelter hospital. The prevalence of anxiety, depression symptoms were 18.6% and 13.4%, respectively. Poor Sleep quality, number of current physical symptoms ≥ 2 were independent risk factors for anxiety symptoms (P < 0.05); female, family member confirmed COVID-19, number of current physical symptoms ≥ 2 were independent risk factors for depression symptoms (P < 0.05). PSQI scores were significant positively associate with SAS scores and SDS scores (P ༜ 0.05). Conclusions Anxiety and depression are common among the COVID-19 patients in Fangcang shelter hospital. Those with more current physical symptoms, poor sleep quality are more likely to have anxiety. Females, those with their family members diagnosed with COVID-19, more current physical symptoms are more vulnerable to depression symptom. Our findings can be used to formulate targeted psychological interventions to reduce adverse psychological impacts in Fangcang shelter hospital during the outbreak of epidemic disease in the future.

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Mental Health Point Prevalence in International Committee of the Red Cross Employees: The cases of Lebanon, Myanmar, and Nigeria

10.31219/osf.io/29ay8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Peter Deli ◽

Simone Aeschlimann ◽

Grazia Ceschi

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Online Survey ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

International Committee ◽

Point Prevalence ◽

Red Cross ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional

Like employees of any company or organization, humanitarian aid workers (HAW) are subject to mental health (MH) issues, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. MH issues can be challenging at individual and organizational levels and, ultimately, can also have adverse consequences on the people HAW try to help.The objectives of this study were to measure the point prevalence of PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms among HAW and compare the results to those found in the literature.A cross-sectional online survey was conducted on 432 International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) employees, both national and international, deployed in three countries. Results show an overall prevalence for PTSD symptoms ranging from 11.3% to 14.6%, for anxiety symptoms from 13.0% to 56.7%, and for depression symptoms from 19.9% to 41.9%. Sub-group analyses show that risk factors of developing PTSD are being national rather than international staff, being younger rather than older, and having a lower income/salary rather than a higher one. Anxiety risk factors are being a woman, not being in a relationship, working in Lebanon and Myanmar rather than Nigeria, being younger rather than older, and having a higher income/salary rather than a lower one. Depression risk factors are not being in a relationship, being national staff rather than international staff, working in Lebanon and Myanmar rather than Nigeria, being younger rather than older, and being senior rather than junior staff.Further investigation is needed to assess additional key variables in order to better pinpoint risk and protective factors, target the sub-groups most at risk, and suggest adequate psychosocial support in order to reduce MH issues prevalence.

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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological well-being of students in an Italian university: a web-based cross-sectional survey

Globalization and Health ◽

10.1186/s12992-021-00680-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Leonardo Villani ◽

Roberta Pastorino ◽

Enrico Molinari ◽

Franco Anelli ◽

Walter Ricciardi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

University Students ◽

Well Being ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Self Rating ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Italy was the first European country to implement a national lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Worldwide, this pandemic had a huge impact on the mental health of people in many countries causing similar reaction in terms of emotions and concerns at the population level. Our study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological well-being in a cohort of Italian university students. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey in the period immediately after the first lockdown through the administration of a questionnaire on the personal websites of students attending their undergraduate courses at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. We used the Patient-Health-Engagement-Scale, Self-Rating-Anxiety-Scale, and Self-Rating-Depression-Scale to assess engagement, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms of our sample. Results The sample size was 501 subjects, of which 35.33% were classified as anxious and 72.93% as depressed. Over 90% of respondents had good understanding of the preventive measures despite over 70% suffered from the impossibility of physically seeing friends and partners. Around 55% of students would have been willing to contribute much more to face the pandemic. An increase in the occurrences of anxiety was associated with being female, being student of the Rome campus, suffering from the impossibility of attending university, being distant from colleagues, and being unable of physically seeing one’s partner. Performing physical activity reduced this likelihood. Conclusion University students are at risk of psychological distress in the case of traumatic events. The evolution of the pandemic is uncertain and may have long-term effects on mental health. Therefore, it is crucial to study the most effective interventions to identify vulnerable subgroups and to plan for acute and long-term psychological services to control and reduce the burden of psychological problems.

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