scholarly journals Longitudinal Changes in Life Satisfaction and Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Risk and Protective Factors

2021 ◽  
pp. 216769682110421
Author(s):  
Richard Preetz ◽  
Andreas Filser ◽  
Ana Brömmelhaus ◽  
Tim Baalmann ◽  
Michael Feldhaus

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted emerging adults’ daily routines due to social distancing, stay-at-home orders, and public and educational facilities’ closure. This article uses longitudinal panel data from Germany ( N = 625) to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affects emerging adults’ mental health and life satisfaction. Specifically, we investigate risk and protective factors for within-person changes in life satisfaction and mental health using change score models. Our analysis reveals three main findings. First, we find a significant decline in emerging adults’ life satisfaction and mental health compared to pre-pandemic levels. Second, results show heterogeneity in life satisfaction and mental health trajectories. Third, limited peer contacts, financial strain, and returning to the parental home act as risk factors for longitudinal changes. Social integration, having an intimate partner, and self-efficacy act as protective factors. We discuss the implications of our findings for the consequences of the pandemic for emerging adults.

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e034220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliane Burghardt ◽  
Ana Nanette Tibubos ◽  
Danielle Otten ◽  
Elmar Brähler ◽  
Harald Binder ◽  
...  

IntroductionMental health is marked by gender differences. We formed a multi-cohort consortium to perform GEnder-Sensitive Analyses of mental health trajectories and study their implications for prevention (GESA). GESA aims at (1) identifying gender differences regarding symptoms and trajectories of mental health over the lifespan; (2) determining gender differences regarding the prevalence, impact of risk and protective factors; and (3) determining effects of mental health on primary and secondary outcomes (eg, quality of life, healthcare behaviour and utilisation).Methods and analysisWe plan to perform secondary analyses on three major, ongoing, population-based, longitudinal cohorts (Gutenberg Health-Study (GHS), Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP), Cooperative Health Research in the Augsburg Region (KORA)) with data on mental and somatic symptoms, medical assessments and diagnoses in north-east, middle and southern Germany (n>40 000). Meta-analytic techniques (using DataSHIELD framework) will be used to combine aggregated data from these cohorts. This process will inform about heterogeneity of effects. Longitudinal regression models will estimate sex-specific trajectories and effects of risk and protective factors and secondary outcomes.Ethics and disseminationThe cohorts were approved by the ethics committees of the Statutory Physician Board of Rhineland-Palatinate (837.020.07; GHS), the University of Greifswald (BB 39/08; SHIP) and the Bavarian Chamber of Physicians (06068; KORA). Together with stakeholders in medical care and medical training, findings will be translated and disseminated into gender-sensitive health promotion and prevention.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Nolan ◽  
◽  
Emer Smyth ◽  

New ESRI research, based on Growing Up in Ireland, shows that strong relationships with parents, peers and teachers enhance child and adolescent wellbeing New ESRI research funded by HSE Health and Wellbeing, examines the risk and protective factors for mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Using data from the Growing Up in Ireland ’08 Cohort at 9 years of age and the ’98 Cohort at 17 years of age, the research examined both positive (life satisfaction) and negative (socio-emotional difficulties) aspects of mental health and wellbeing. Socio-emotional difficulties refer to difficulties of an emotional nature (e.g., feeling unhappy, downhearted or tearful) or with peers (e.g., picked on or bullied).


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e053144
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Nii-Boye Quarshie ◽  
Kwaku Oppong Asante ◽  
Johnny Andoh-Arthur

IntroductionSelf-harm and suicidal behaviour represent major global health problems, which account for significant proportions of the disease burden in low-income and middle-income countries, including Ghana. This review aims to synthesise the available and accessible evidence on prevalence estimates, correlates, risk and protective factors, the commonly reported methods and reasons for self-harm and suicidal behaviour in Ghana.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a systematic review reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (2009) recommendations. Regional and global electronic databases (African Journals OnLine, African Index Medicus, APA PsycINFO, Global Health, MEDLINE and PubMed) will be searched systematically up to December 2021 for observational studies and qualitative studies that have reported prevalence estimates, correlates, risk and protective factors, methods and reasons for self-harm and suicidal behaviour in Ghana. The electronic database searches will be supplemented with reference harvesting and grey literature searching in Google Scholar and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global for postgraduate dissertations. Only records in English will be included. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (2018) will be used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Meta-analysis or narrative synthesis or both will be used, contingent on the extent of heterogeneity across eligible observational studies.Ethics and disseminationConsidering that this is a systematic review of accessible and available literature, we will not seek ethical approval. On completion, this review will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, be disseminated publicly at (mental) health conferences with focus on self-harm and suicide prevention. The important findings would also be shared with key national stakeholder groups in Ghana: Ghana Association for Suicide Prevention, Ghana Mental Health Authority, Ghana Psychological Association, Centre for Suicide and Violence Research, Accra and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health.Prospero registration numberCRD42021234622.


Author(s):  
Edgar Höhne ◽  
Anna Swantje van der Meer ◽  
Inge Kamp-Becker ◽  
Hanna Christiansen

Abstract In recent years, there has been a rising interest in the mental health of unaccompanied minor refugees (UMR), who are a high-risk group for mental disorders. Especially the investigation of predictive factors of the mental health of young refugees has received increasing attention. However, there has been no review on this current issue for the specific group of UMR so far. We aimed to summarize and evaluate the existing findings of specific risk and protective factors to identify the most verified influences on the mental health of UMR. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature search. Study designs were limited to quantitative cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Eight databases were searched in four different languages and article reference lists of relevant papers were screened. 27 studies were included (N = 4753). Qualitative synthesis revealed the number of stressful life events to be the most evaluated and verified risk factor for mental health of UMR. A stable environment and social support, on the other hand, can protect UMR from developing poor mental health. Besides that, several other influencing factors could be pointed out, such as type of accommodation, family contact, gender and cultural competences. Because of the large heterogeneity of outcome measures, quantitative synthesis was not possible. This review helps to improve our understanding of determinants of UMRs mental health and thus to provide more targeted treatment. Furthermore, it provides information on how to prevent the development of mental health problems by specifying factors that can be modified by different health and immigration sectors in advance. Further research is needed focusing on the interaction between the various predictive factors.


Author(s):  
Natasha R. Magson ◽  
Justin Y. A. Freeman ◽  
Ronald M. Rapee ◽  
Cele E. Richardson ◽  
Ella L. Oar ◽  
...  

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