scholarly journals Persistent distress after psychological exposure to the Nagasaki atomic bomb explosion

2011 ◽  
Vol 199 (5) ◽  
pp. 411-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiharu Kim ◽  
Atsuro Tsutsumi ◽  
Takashi Izutsu ◽  
Noriyuki Kawamura ◽  
Takao Miyazaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Atomic Bomb ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Primary Outcome Measure ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Radiological Hazard ◽  
Sample Group ◽  
Individual Perception ◽  
Health Deterioration ◽  
Bomb Explosion

BackgroundAlthough there is speculation that individuals living in the vicinity of nuclear disasters have persistent mental health deterioration due to psychological stress, few attempts have been made to examine this issue.AimsTo determine whether having been in the vicinity of the Nagasaki atomic bomb explosion in the absence of substantial exposure to radiation affected the mental health of local inhabitants more than half a century later.MethodParticipants were randomly recruited from individuals who lived in the vicinity of the atomic bomb explosion in uncontaminated suburbs of Nagasaki. This sample (n = 347) was stratified by gender, age, perception of the explosion and current district of residence. Controls (n = 288) were recruited from among individuals who had moved into the area from outside Nagasaki 5–15 years after the bombing, matched for gender, age and district of residence. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of those at high risk of mental disorder based on the 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire, with a cut-off point of 5/6. Other parameters related to individual perception of the explosion, health status, life events and habits were also assessed.ResultsHaving been in the vicinity of the explosion was the most significant factor (OR = 5.26, 95% CI 2.56–11.11) contributing to poorer mental health; erroneous knowledge of radiological hazard showed a mild association. In the sample group, anxiety after learning of the potential radiological hazard was significantly correlated with poor mental health (P<0.05), whereas anxiety about the explosion, or the degree of perception of it, was not; 74.5% of the sample group believed erroneously that the flash of the explosion was synonymous with radiation.ConclusionsHaving been in the vicinity of the atomic bomb explosion without radiological exposure continued to be associated with poorer mental health more than half a century after the event. Fear on learning about the potential radiological hazard and lack of knowledge about radiological risk are responsible for this association.

scholarly journals Risk of depression in family caregivers: unintended consequence of COVID-19

BJPsych Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Gallagher ◽  
Mark A. Wetherell
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Data Set

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is likely to exacerbate the symptoms of poor mental health in family caregivers. Aims To investigate whether rates of depressive symptomatology increased in caregivers during COVID-19 and whether the unintended consequences of health protective measures, i.e., social isolation, exacerbated this risk. Another aim was to see if caregivers accessed any online/phone psychological support during COVID. Method Data (1349 caregivers; 6178 non-caregivers) was extracted from Understanding Society, a UK population-level data-set. The General Health Questionnaire cut-off scores identified those who are likely to have depression. Results After adjustment for confounding caregivers had a higher risk of having depressive symptoms compared with non-caregivers, odds ratio (OR) = 1.22 (95% CI 1.05–1.40, P = 0.008) evidenced by higher levels of depression pre-COVID-19 (16.7% caregivers v. 12.1% non-caregivers) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (21.6% caregivers v. 17.9% non-caregivers), respectively. Further, higher levels of loneliness increased the risk of depression symptoms almost four-fold in caregivers, OR = 3.85 (95% 95% CI 3.08–4.85, P < 0.001), whereas accessing therapy attenuated the risk of depression (43%). A total of 60% of caregivers with depression symptoms reported not accessing any therapeutic support (for example online or face to face) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions COVID-19 has had a negative impact on family caregivers’ mental health with loneliness a significant contributor to depressive symptomatology. However, despite these detriments in mental health, the majority of caregivers do not access any online or phone psychiatric support. Finally, psychiatric services and healthcare professionals should aim to focus on reducing feelings of loneliness to support at-risk caregivers.

Cohabiting unions, repartnering and mental health

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1553-1559 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID J. PEVALIN ◽  
JOHN ERMISCH
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Parental Status ◽  
Proportional Hazard ◽  
Panel Survey ◽  
Rank Tests ◽  
Proportional Hazard Models ◽  
Women Poor ◽  
Considerable Body

Background. A considerable body of research has established that transitions out of marriage are generally deleterious for mental health and some have examined transitions out of cohabitation. In this study we depart from these established areas to investigate the effects of poor mental health on the duration and outcome of cohabitations and on the time to, and likelihood of, repartnering after both cohabitation and marriage.Method. Samples came from the British Household Panel Survey, 1991–2001. These were: (1) 447 cohabiting spells; (2) 5571 paired person-years during cohabitation; (3) 508 spells after cohabitation; (4) 1197 person-year observations within those spells; (5) 869 spells after marriage; and (6) 2736 person-year observations within those spells. Life tables, log-rank tests, multinomial logit and proportional hazard models were used. Mental health was measured by the 12-item General Health Questionnaire.Results. Poor mental health increased the risk of dissolving a cohabiting union for both men and women. Poor mental health reduced the risk of repartnering after a cohabiting union but had no effect on the risk of repartnering after a marriage. Other factors such as past marital status, age and parental status also had significant effects.Conclusions. This study provides evidence that poor mental health during a cohabiting union increases the chances of that union dissolving instead of turning into marriage and poorer mental health immediately after a transition out of a cohabiting union is associated with reduced chances of repartnering.

scholarly journals Reduced Sleep Duration and Sleep Efficiency Were Independently Associated With Frequent Nightmares in Chinese Frontline Medical Workers During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Qi Lin ◽  
Ze-Xin Lin ◽  
Yong-Xi Wu ◽  
Lin Wang ◽  
Zhao-Nan Zeng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Sleep Efficiency ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
General Mental Health ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Frequent Nightmare

ObjectivesNightmares were related to emotion and behavioral problems and also emerged as one of the core features of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our study aimed to investigate the associations of frequent nightmares with sleep duration and sleep efficiency among frontline medical workers in Wuhan during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.MethodsA total of 528 health-care workers from the province of Fujian providing medical aid in Wuhan completed the online questionnaires. There were 114 doctors and 414 nurses. The age, sex, marital status, and work situation were recorded. A battery of scales including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were used to evaluate subjects’ sleep and general mental health. Frequent nightmares were defined as the response of at least once a week in the item of “nightmare” of PSQI.ResultsFrequent nightmares were found in 27.3% of subjects. The frequent nightmare group had a higher score of PSQI-sleep duration and PSQI-habitual sleep efficiency (frequent nightmares vs. non-frequent nightmares: PSQI-sleep duration, 1.08 ± 0.97 vs. 0.74 ± 0.85, P &lt; 0.001; PSQI-habitual sleep efficiency, 1.08 ± 1.10 vs. 0.62 ± 0.88, P &lt; 0.001). Reduced sleep duration and reduced sleep efficiency were independently associated with frequent nightmares after adjustment for age, sex, poor mental health, and regular sleeping medication use (reduced sleep duration: OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.07–3.58, P = 0.029; reduced sleep efficiency: OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.09–4.32, P = 0.027). Subjects with both reduced sleep duration and sleep efficiency were also associated with frequent nightmares (OR = 2.70, 95% CI = 1.57–4.65, P &lt; 0.001).ConclusionThe present study found that sleep duration and sleep efficiency were both independently associated with frequent nightmares among frontline medical workers in Wuhan during the COVID-19 pandemic. We should pay attention to nightmares and even the ensuing PTSD symptoms among subjects with reduced sleep duration or sleep efficiency facing potential traumatic exposure.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and mental health deterioration by ethnicity and gender in the UK

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244419
Author(s):  
Eugenio Proto ◽  
Climent Quintana-Domeque
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Average Increase ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Ethnicity And Gender ◽  
Health Deterioration ◽  
Gender Specific

We use the UK Household Longitudinal Study and compare pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2017-2019) and during-COVID-19 pandemic data (April 2020) for the same group of individuals to assess and quantify changes in mental health as measured by changes in the GHQ-12 (General Health Questionnaire), among ethnic groups in the UK. We confirm the previously documented average deterioration in mental health for the whole sample of individuals interviewed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we find that the average increase in mental distress varies by ethnicity and gender. Both women –regardless of their ethnicity– and Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) men experienced a higher average increase in mental distress than White British men, so that the gender gap in mental health increases only among White British individuals. These ethnic-gender specific changes in mental health persist after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Finally, we find some evidence that, among men, Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani individuals have experienced the highest average increase in mental distress with respect to White British men.

scholarly journals Bi-directional associations between religious attendance and mental health: findings from a British birth cohort study

2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2021-216943
Author(s):  
Aradhna Kaushal ◽  
Mai Stafford ◽  
Dorina Cadar ◽  
Marcus Richards
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
The Uk

BackgroundThere is evidence that religious attendance is associated with positive outcomes for mental health; however, there are few longitudinal studies, and even fewer, which take into account the possibility of bi-directional associations. This study aimed to investigate bi-directional associations between religious attendance and mental health.MethodsParticipants were 2125 study members who provided data at age 68–69 from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (1946 British birth cohort study). Mental health was assessed using the 28-item General Health Questionnaire at ages 53, 60–64 and 68–69. Religious attendance was measured using a 4-point scale (weekly=3, monthly=2, less than monthly=1 or never=0) at ages 43, 60–64 and 68–69. Cross-lagged path analysis was used to assess reciprocal associations between mental health and religious attendance, adjusting for gender and education.ResultsPrevious religious attendance was strongly related to later attendance (r=0.62–0.74). Similarly, mental health at baseline was strongly associated with subsequent mental health scores (r=0.46–0.54). Poor mental health at age 53 and 60–64 was associated with more frequent religious attendance at age 60–64 (b=0.04; 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.06; p<0.05), and 68–69 (b=0.03; 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.06; p<0.05), respectively. There was no evidence that religious attendance at age 43, 60–64 or 68–69 was associated with later or concurrent mental health.ConclusionUsing birth cohort data from the UK, it was found that poor mental health was associated with later religious attendance but not vice versa. Future research should confirm these novel findings and explore the underlying mechanisms between religious attendance and mental health.

scholarly journals Mental Health Crisis and Stress Coping among Healthcare College Students Momentarily Displaced from Their Campus Community Because of COVID-19 Restrictions in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7245
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Tahara ◽  
Yuki Mashizume ◽  
Kayoko Takahashi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Stress Coping ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis

College students are one of the most affected groups by self-quarantine due to COVID-19, as they may live in loneliness and anxiety, increasing their risk of mental health crisis. This study aimed to identify risk factors for poor mental health and stress coping strategies among healthcare college students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted over 7 consecutive days starting on 28 April 2020 using a web-based questionnaire. The survey assessed socioeconomic characteristics and the General Health Questionnaire-12 score, self-reported health status, anxiety, and satisfaction with daily life, work, leisure, and new activities. Approximately 70% of 223 respondents had poor mental health. Less communication with friends was the main risk factor for mental health problems. Good health status and satisfaction with leisure and new activities were associated with reduced risk of mental health problems. Students with poor mental health tended to seek social support as a stress coping strategy. This study showed that the mental health of students declined during self-quarantine, and loneliness could be the major reason. There is a need for a new form of communication and learning that deals with the isolation and loneliness of students, especially for students living alone.

scholarly journals Coping Mechanisms: Exploring Strategies Utilized by Japanese Healthcare Workers to Reduce Stress and Improve Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Tahara ◽  
Yuki Mashizume ◽  
Kayoko Takahashi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Coping Strategy ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major problem affecting the mental health of millions of people, including healthcare workers. In this study, we analyzed risk factors and coping mechanisms that could reduce the risk of poor mental health among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted for 7 days from 30 April 2020 using a web-based questionnaire. The survey assessed various outcome measures, including the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), health status, satisfaction with daily life activities, work, leisure, and new activities, and anxiety over COVID-19. Data from 661 participants were analyzed, and 440 participants (66.6%) showed poor mental health (GHQ-12 ≥ 4). Also, our result showed that female gender, lower levels of communication with friends, and high anxiety were associated with poorer mental health. In contrast, good health status, high work satisfaction, and high satisfaction from new activities were associated with buffering mental health problem. Most participants chose an escape-avoidance coping strategy, and participants with worse mental health were more likely to adopt seeking social support as a coping strategy. These results may support healthcare workers to cope with mental health problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prevalence and determinants of mental distress during COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh: evidence from an online survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-103
Author(s):  
Shilpi Rani Saha ◽  
Dr. Md. Mobarak Hossain Khan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
The People ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing pandemic and life-threatening highly infectious disease outbreak. The people of Bangladesh are at high risk of COVID-19 and have already experienced various socio-economic, Physical health, and psychological consequences. Particularly, mental health problems are dominantly reported in the literature and should be controlled. The main objective of this epidemiological study is to assess the mental distress and identify its determinants using an online-based survey. Such information is urgently needed to develop feasible strategies for Bangladesh. An online survey was conducted for this study from May 01 to May 05, 2020. A total of 240 respondents provided self-reported online responses. Respondent’s mental distress was measured by the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) and by the self-rated mental health (SRMH) questions. Various kinds of statistical analyses ranging from simple to multivariable logistic recession were performed using SPSS 23.0. About 31.3% and 48.3% of respondents were mentally distressed by GHQ-12 and SRMH questions, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that mental distress was significantly higher among those respondents, whose usual activity was affected by the coronavirus (OR = 6.40, 95% CI: 1.87 - 21.90, p<0.001) and whose financial stress was increased due to lockdown (OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.01 – 4.46, p<0.05) on GHQ-12. Female sex (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.03 – 3.75, p<0.05) and respondents with poor mental health before the outbreak (OR = 3.38, 95% CI: 1.18 – 9.72, p<0.05) were also significantly affected by mental distress on SRMH. At least thirty-one percent of the respondents were found to be mentally distressed. Some of the study findings, particularly significant determinants, should be considered while developing strategies to reduce the burden of mental distress among study respondents or similar groups.

scholarly journals Comparison of Mental Health Status between Two Periods during Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in Iranian Adult Population

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. e2199
Author(s):  
Arash Mani ◽  
AliReza Estedlal ◽  
Ali Akbary ◽  
Taraneh Estedlal ◽  
Sara Ouladinejad-Rodbali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Sex Education ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Status ◽  
First Year ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: One unprecedented year after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic is no longer a short-term stressor; the unremitting/chronic effects of COVID-19 disease is likely to cause impaired physical and mental health upon population and the implemented public health and social measures to limit transmission and reduce mortality and morbidity from COVID-19 expose many people to social isolation, job loss, and economic recession. This study aims to compare mental status and four mental symptoms (somatization, anxiety, depression, and social functions) between two periods during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: Current study consists of two cross-sectional mental health surveys on the Iranian adult population carried out in two periods of March to April 2020 and December 2020 to February 2021 in two important Provinces of Iran (Fars and Khorasan Razavi). In the first survey, 1337 individuals participated in the study and completed the General Health Questionnaire-28, while in the second survey, 1205 participants completed the same questionnaire. Results: Among 1337 participants of the first survey, there were 876 (65.5%) females and 461 (34.5%) males with an average age of 37.41±10.58 years. In the second survey, there were 1205 participants with mean age of 33.79±19.57 years. The rates of females and males were 57.7% and 42.3%, respectively. Compared to the first survey, the second one showed that poor mental health condition that was 1.40 (95% confidence interval: 1.17-1.67) times higher based on the age, sex, education, marital status, economic, alcohol, cigarette, water-pipe, and sedative (P<0.001). Conclusion: Poor mental health status has increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. These results revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic was a chronic stressor faced by people every day; therefore, more robust mental health-related considerations must be implemented. [GMJ.2021;10:e2199]

scholarly journals Risk of Depression in Family Caregivers: Unintended Consequence of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Gallagher ◽  
Mark A. Wetherell
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Face To Face

BackgroundCOVID-19 is likely to exacerbate the symptoms of poor mental health family caregivers. To investigate whether rates of depression increased in caregivers during COVID-19 and whether the unintended consequences of health protective measures, i.e., social isolation, exacerbated this risk. Another aim was to see if caregivers accessed any online/phone psychological support during COVID.MethodData (1349 caregivers; 7527 non-caregivers) was extracted from Understanding Society, UK population level dataset. The General Health Questionnaire cut-off scores identifying those with and without depression were our primary outcome.ResultsAfter adjustment for confounding caregivers had a higher risk of having depression compared with non-caregivers, Odds ratio (OR) = 1.22 (95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.05-1.40)), p=.008 evidenced by higher levels of depression pre-COVID-19 (16.7% vs 12.1%) and during COVID-19 (21.6% vs 17.9%), respectively. Further, higher levels of loneliness increased the risk of depression almost 4-fold risk in caregivers, OR = 3.85 (95% confidence interval (95% CI), 3.08-4.85)), p<.001), while access to therapy attenuated the risk (47%. While 60% of caregivers with depression reported not accessing any therapeutic support (e.g., online or face to face) during COVID-19.ConclusionCOVID-19 has had a negative impact on family caregivers’ mental health with loneliness a significant contributor to caregiver’s depression. However, despite these detriments in mental health, the majority of caregivers do not access any online or phone psychiatric support. Reducing feelings of isolation therefore provides an opportunity for psychiatric services and health care professionals to support at-risk caregivers.

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