A Foundational Assessment of the Effects of the Spread of COVID-19 Virus Infection and Related Activity Restrictions on Mental and Physical Health, Psychological Distress, and Suicidal Ideation in Japan

The spread of COVID-19 has led to several subsidiary health problems for the general public. Therefore, verification of psychosomatic responses under various conditions is required. The current study examines the mental and physical responses of individuals in Japan in relation to differences in basic demographic information. A web survey was conducted among 1500 people. The results showed that differences in ethnicity, concurrence of physical or mental illness, the nature of those living in the same household (eg, high-risk individuals or preschoolers), household income and employment status were associated with differences in physical and mental health, psychological distress and/or suicidal ideation. Differences related to the degree of the spread of the infection in the area of residence, degree of engagement in essential work and frequency of contact with others during normal times were not found. Future longitudinal studies and verification of the effects of multiple variables are required.

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Expressive Writing and Stress-Related Disorders

The Oxford Handbook of Stress and Mental Health ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190681777.013.34 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 704-724 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kay Wilhelm ◽

Joanna Crawford

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Physical Health ◽

Expressive Writing ◽

Benefit Finding ◽

Target Groups ◽

Health Domains ◽

Meta Analyses ◽

Emotional Events ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Expressive writing (EW) was developed in the 1980s by Pennebaker and colleagues, who defined it as “writing focusing on traumatic, stressful or emotional events, and the feelings inspired by these.” There have been developments in terms of process, covering a range of instructions, target groups, and writing conditions and, more recently, benefit-finding writing (BFW) about benefits derived from stress or traumatic situations. EW has now been trialed across a broad range of situations, involving mental and physical health domains. Results from meta-analyses find small but significant improvements more related to physical health than mental health parameters. It is thought to be best suited to people with mild-to-moderate psychological distress who are addressing stress-related conditions and situations. The chapter describes common forms of EW and explores the place of BFW. Some mechanisms for expressive writing are discussed, but these are still speculative.

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Biomarkers of autonomic regulation for predicting psychological distress and functional recovery following road traffic injuries: protocol for a prospective cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024391 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. e024391

Author(s):

Ilaria Pozzato ◽

Ashley Craig ◽

Bamini Gopinath ◽

Yvonne Tran ◽

Michael Dinh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Physical Health ◽

Functional Recovery ◽

Latent Class ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Autonomic Regulation ◽

International Classification Of Functioning ◽

Local Health ◽

Mental And Physical Health

IntroductionPsychological distress is a prevalent condition often overlooked following a motor vehicle crash (MVC), particularly when injuries are not severe. The aim of this study is to examine whether biomarkers of autonomic regulation alone or in combination with other factors assessed shortly after MVC could predict risk of elevated psychological distress and poor functional recovery in the long term, and clarify links between mental and physical health consequences of traffic injury.Methods and analysisThis is a controlled longitudinal cohort study, with follow-up occurring at 3, 6 and 12 months. Participants include up to 120 mild to moderately injured MVC survivors who consecutively present to the emergency departments of two hospitals in Sydney and who agree to participate, and a group of up to 120 non-MVC controls, recruited with matched demographic characteristics, for comparison. WHO International Classification of Functioning is used as the framework for study assessment. The primary outcomes are the development of psychological distress (depressive mood and anxiety, post-traumatic stress symptoms, driving phobia, adjustment disorder) and biomarkers of autonomic regulation. Secondary outcomes include indicators of physical health (presence of pain/fatigue, physical functioning) and functional recovery (quality of life, return to function, participation) as well as measures of emotional and cognitive functioning. For each outcome, risk will be described by the frequency of occurrence over the 12 months, and pathways determined via latent class mixture growth modelling. Regression models will be used to identify best predictors/biomarkers and to study associations between mental and physical health.Ethics and disseminationEthical approvals were obtained from the Sydney Local Health District and the research sites Ethics Committees. Study findings will be disseminated to health professionals, related policy makers and the community through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and health forums.Trial registration numberACTRN12616001445460.

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Perceived ethnic and language-based discrimination and Latina immigrant women’s health

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/1359105315595121 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 68-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

May Ling Halim ◽

Keith H Moy ◽

Hirokazu Yoshikawa

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Physical Health ◽

Immigrant Women ◽

Ethnic Discrimination ◽

Language Discrimination ◽

Integral Role ◽

Immigrant Women's Health ◽

Mental And Physical Health ◽

Latina Immigrant Women

Perceiving ethnic discrimination can have aversive consequences for health. However, little is known about whether perceiving language-based (how one speaks a second language) discrimination poses the same risks. This study examined whether perceptions of language-based and ethnic discrimination are associated with mental and physical health. Among 132 Mexican and Dominican immigrant women, perceiving ethnic and language-based discrimination each predicted psychological distress and poorer physical health. When examined together, only ethnic discrimination remained a significant predictor. These results emphasize the importance of understanding how perceived ethnic and language-based discrimination play an integral role in the health of Latina immigrant women.

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The impact of work loss on mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a prospective cohort study

10.1101/2020.09.06.20189514 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Griffiths ◽

Luke Sheehan ◽

Caryn Van Vreden ◽

Dennis Petrie ◽

Genevieve Grant ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Physical Health ◽

Social Interactions ◽

Financial Resources ◽

Work Loss ◽

High Psychological Distress ◽

Prospective Longitudinal ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Objective: To determine if losing work during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with mental and physical health. To determine if social interactions and financial resources moderate the relationship between work loss and health. Design: Baseline data from a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Setting: Australia, 27th March to 12th June 2020. Participants: Australians aged 18+ years, employed in a paid job prior to the COVID-19 pandemic who responded to an online or telephone survey. Main Outcome Measures: Kessler-6 score > 18 indicating high psychological distress. Short Form 12 (SF-12) mental health or physical health component score <= 45 indicating poor mental or physical health. Results: 2,603 respondents including groups who had lost their job (N=541), were not working but remained employed (N=613), were working less (N=789) and whose work was unaffected (N=789). Three groups experiencing work loss had greater odds of high psychological distress (AOR=2.22-3.66), poor mental (AOR=1.78-2.27) and physical health (AOR=2.10-2.12) than the unaffected work group. Poor mental health was more common than poor physical health. The odds of high psychological distress (AOR=5.43-8.36), poor mental (AOR=1.92-4.53) and physical health (AOR=1.93-3.90) were increased in those reporting fewer social interactions or less financial resources. Conclusion: Losing work during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with mental and physical health problems, and this relationship is moderated by social interactions and financial resources. Responses that increase financial security and enhance social connections may partially alleviate the health impacts of work loss.

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Relationship of Experiencing Stressors and Coping to Physical and Mental Health, Psychological Distress, and Suicidal Ideation during the SARS-Cov-2 Outbreak in Japan

10.31226/osf.io/kxyu8 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Katsumasa Kishi ◽

Keita Kiuchi ◽

Kanto Araki

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Physical Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Severe Case ◽

Severe Stress ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

And Coping ◽

Relationship Of

An online survey was administered to 1500 residents of Japan age 18 years or older. Responses collected from these subjects were used for analysis. The results revealed that physical and mental health, psychological distress, and suicidal ideation were associated with severe stress and difficulty. Specifically, reduced physical health was associated with “decreased work” and “worries about being infected with COVID-19 or developing a severe case,” reduced mental health with “unable to pay rent” and “unable to get tested,” increased psychological distress with “losing one’s job” and “eviction from one’s home,” and increased suicidal ideation with “being unable to get a mask” and “problems with neighbors.” Psychological distress was significantly lower in those who “read for pleasure” while suicidal ideation was significantly lower in those who “played with children.”

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Recent versus lifetime experiences of discrimination and the mental and physical health of older lesbian women and gay men

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x19001533 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anthony Lyons ◽

Beatrice Alba ◽

Andrea Waling ◽

Victor Minichiello ◽

Mark Hughes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Sexual Orientation ◽

Physical Health ◽

Gay Men ◽

Orientation Discrimination ◽

Lesbian Women ◽

Potential Health ◽

Sexual Orientation Discrimination ◽

Health Related ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Abstract This study examines the potential health-related impact of recent versus lifetime experiences of sexual orientation discrimination among older Australian lesbian women and gay men. In a nationwide survey, a sample of 243 lesbian women and 513 gay men aged 60 years and over reported on their experiences of sexual orientation discrimination and their mental and physical health, including psychological distress, positive mental health and self-rated health. Among both lesbian women and gay men, recent discrimination uniquely predicted lower positive mental health after adjusting for experiences of discrimination across the lifetime and socio-demographic variables. In addition, recent discrimination uniquely predicted higher psychological distress among gay men. Experiences of discrimination over the lifetime further predicted higher psychological distress and poorer self-rated health among gay men after adjusting for recent experiences of discrimination and socio-demographic variables. However, there were no associations between lifetime discrimination and any of the outcome variables among lesbian women. Overall, recent and lifetime experiences of sexual orientation discrimination were related to mental and physical health in different ways, especially among the men. These findings have potential implications for policy/practice, and suggest that distinguishing between recent and lifetime experiences of discrimination may be useful when assessing potential health-related impacts of sexual orientation discrimination among older lesbian women and gay men, while also taking account of differences between these two groups.

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