Individual differences in COVID-19 mitigation behaviors: The roles of age, gender, psychological state, and financial status

The present study examined individual characteristics potentially associated with changes in mitigation behaviors (social distancing and hygiene) recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Analysis of online survey responses from 361 adults, ages 20–78, with US IP addresses, identified significant correlates of adaptive behavioral changes, with implications for preventive strategies and mental health needs. The extent to which individuals changed their mitigation behaviors was unrelated to self-rated health or concern regarding the personal effects of COVID-19 but was related to concern regarding the effects of the pandemic on others. Thus, mitigation behaviors do not appear to be primarily motivated by self-protection. Importantly, adaptive changes in mitigation behaviors increased with age. However, these changes, particularly those related to the frequency of close proximity encounters, appear to be due to age-related decreases in anxiety and depression. Taken together, the present results argue against over-reliance on ‘fear appeals’ in public health messages as they may increase anxiety and depression. Instead, the present findings argue for more appeals to people’s concern for others to motivate mitigation as well as indicating an immediate need to address individual mental health concerns for the sake of society as a whole.

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Stress-related emotional and behavioural impact following the first COVID-19 outbreak peak

Molecular Psychiatry ◽

10.1038/s41380-021-01219-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Asaf Benjamin ◽

Yael Kuperman ◽

Noa Eren ◽

Ron Rotkopf ◽

Maya Amitai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Health Impact ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Distress Symptoms ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Physiological Symptoms ◽

Individual Ability ◽

And Coping

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic poses multiple psychologically stressful challenges and is associated with an increased risk for mental illness. Previous studies have focused on the psychopathological symptoms associated with the outbreak peak. Here, we examined the behavioural and mental-health impact of the pandemic in Israel using an online survey, during the six weeks encompassing the end of the first outbreak and the beginning of the second. We used clinically validated instruments to assess anxiety- and depression-related emotional distress, symptoms, and coping strategies, as well as questions designed to specifically assess COVID-19-related concerns. Higher emotional burden was associated with being female, younger, unemployed, living in high socioeconomic status localities, having prior medical conditions, encountering more people, and experiencing physiological symptoms. Our findings highlight the environmental context and its importance in understanding individual ability to cope with the long-term stressful challenges of the pandemic.

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Rates of Comorbid Anxiety and Depression in Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases ◽

10.1177/2474126419849199 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 211-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Daniel Olson ◽

Xinxin Zhang ◽

Michael F. Ward ◽

Patrick Le ◽

Omar M. Ismail ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Macular Degeneration ◽

Patient Data ◽

Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Odds Ratios ◽

Comorbid Anxiety ◽

Age Related ◽

Prevalence Of Depression ◽

Icd 10

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate how age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is associated with anxiety and depression. Methods: An online repository of deidentified patient data was queried to identify and retrospectively analyze patients with AMD, depression, or anxiety via ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes. Odds ratios were calculated between AMD and anxiety and depression, respectively. Results: Of the 51 019 patients analyzed in this study, 11 681 (22.9%) had depression, 8727 (17.1%) had anxiety, and 2752 (5.4%) had AMD. The prevalence of anxiety among AMD patients was 18.2%, and the prevalence of depression among AMD patients was 25.0%. The odds of a patient with AMD carrying a diagnosis of anxiety are 1.3 (95% CI 1.2, 1.5) times higher than a patient without AMD, and the odds of carrying a diagnosis of depression are also 1.3 (95% CI 1.1, 1.4) times more likely. Conclusions: Patients with AMD have increased odds of suffering from comorbid anxiety and depression. Ophthalmologists should consider mental health screens and appropriate referrals as new diagnoses of AMD are made or as the disease progresses.

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Social Context of Depressive Distress in Aging Transgender Adults

Journal of Applied Gerontology ◽

10.1177/0733464816675819 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (12) ◽

pp. 1517-1539 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jaclyn M. White Hughto ◽

Sari L. Reisner

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Age Related ◽

Gender And Age ◽

And Gender ◽

Effects Of Aging ◽

Survey Responses ◽

The Relationship ◽

Male To Female ◽

Everyday Discrimination

This study investigates the relationship between discrimination and mental health in aging transgender adults. Survey responses from 61 transgender adults above 50 ( Mage = 57.7, SD = 5.8; 77.1% male-to-female; 78.7% White non-Hispanic) were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression models examined the relationship between gender- and age-related discrimination, number of everyday discrimination experiences, and past-week depressive distress, adjusting for social support, sociodemographics, and other forms of discrimination. The most commonly attributed reasons for experiencing discrimination were related to gender (80.3%) and age (34.4%). More than half of participants (55.5%) met criteria for past-week depressive distress. In an adjusted multivariable model, gender-related discrimination and a greater number of everyday discrimination experiences were associated with increased odds of past-week depressive distress. Additional research is needed to understand the effects of aging and gender identity on depressive symptoms and develop interventions to safeguard the mental health of this vulnerable aging population.

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Perception of Health Conditions and Test Availability as Predictors of Adults’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey Study of Adults in Malaysia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17155498 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (15) ◽

pp. 5498 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Huiyang Dai ◽

Stephen X. Zhang ◽

Kim Hoe Looi ◽

Rui Su ◽

Jizhen Li

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Condition ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Survey Study ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Curvilinear Relationships ◽

Perception Of Health ◽

Anxiety Depression

Research identifying adults’ mental health during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic relies solely on demographic predictors without examining adults’ health condition as a potential predictor. This study aims to examine individuals’ perception of health conditions and test availability as potential predictors of mental health—insomnia, anxiety, depression, and distress—during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey of 669 adults in Malaysia was conducted during 2–8 May 2020, six weeks after the Movement Control Order (MCO) was issued. We found adults’ perception of health conditions had curvilinear relationships (horizontally reversed J-shaped) with insomnia, anxiety, depression, and distress. Perceived test availability for COVID-19 also had curvilinear relationships (horizontally reversed J-shaped) with anxiety and depression. Younger adults reported worse mental health, but people from various religions and ethnic groups did not differ significantly in reported mental health. The results indicated that adults with worse health conditions had more mental health problems, and the worse degree deepened for unhealthy people. Perceived test availability negatively predicted anxiety and depression, especially for adults perceiving COVID-19 test unavailability. The significant predictions of perceived health condition and perceived COVID-19 test availability suggest a new direction for the literature to identify the psychiatric risk factors directly from health-related variables during a pandemic.

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Wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a secondary data analysis

10.31235/osf.io/pv4qs ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jen Murphy ◽

Mark Elliot

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

National Level ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Well Being ◽

Ordinary Least Squares ◽

Least Squares Regression ◽

The Uk ◽

Survey Responses ◽

The Impact

Introduction: In March 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic the UK government declared a national lockdown where citizens were required to stay at home. The impact of this lockdown on levels of well-being has been a source of concern for citizens and mental health professionals.Objectives: We investigated the trajectory of well-being over the course of the ?first wave and sought to determine whether the change in well-being is distributed equally across the population. Speci?fically we investigated pre-existing medical conditions, social isolation, ?financial stress and deprivation as a predictor for well-being and whether there were community level characteristics which protect against poorer well-being.Methods: Using online survey responses from the COVID19 modules of Understanding society, we linked 8,379 English cases across ?five waves of data collection to location based deprivation statistics. We used ordinary least squares regression to estimate the association between deprivation, pre-existing conditions and socio-demographic factors and the change in well-being scores over time, as measured by the GHQ-12 questionnaire.Results: A decline in well-being was observed at the beginning of the fi?rst lock down period at the beginning of March 2020. This was matched with a corresponding recovery between April and July as restrictions were gradually lifted. There was no association between the decline and deprivation, nor between deprivation and recovery. The strongest predictor of well-being during the lockdown, was the baseline score, with the counterintuitive finding that for those will pre-existing poor well-being, the impact of pandemic restrictions on mental health were minimal, but for those who had previously felt well, the restrictions and the impact of the pandemic on well-being were much greater.Conclusion: These data show no evidence of a social gradient in well-being related to the pandemic. In fact, wellbeing was shown to be highly elastic in this period indicating a national level of resilience which cut across the usually observed health inequalities.

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Older Age and Other Protective Factors of Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.2683 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 725-725

Author(s):

Kelly Smith ◽

Amanda Chappell ◽

Rachael Spalding ◽

Jenna Wilson ◽

Ilana Haliwa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Older Age ◽

Self Report ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Protective Behaviors ◽

Age Related

Abstract Research conducted early in the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., March 2020) suggested that older adults were less likely to experience negative pandemic-related mental health than younger people. We investigated whether this age-related advantage persisted during the July 2020 spike in COVID-19 cases and investigated links between coping strategies and mental health. We used data from the Understanding America Study (UAS) to conduct a secondary data analysis of participants (N = 5,753) aged 18-110 years (M=46.20, SD=12.88) who completed online self-report surveys twice—once immediately prior to the July spike in cases, and again during the spike. Surveys assessed engagement in protective behaviors (e.g., wearing a mask, washing hands), coping strategies (e.g., calling family/friends, getting extra exercise, meditating), and anxiety and depressive symptoms (using the Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-4). Multiple regression analyses were used to identify predictors of anxiety and depression during the spike, controlling for previous anxiety and depression, race, ethnicity, income, education, and marital status. Older age and engaging in protective behaviors were associated with less anxiety, whereas coping by calling family/friends was associated with more symptoms, R2 = .71, F(16, 5736) = 885.90, p < .001. Coping by calling and getting extra exercise were associated with fewer depressive symptoms, whereas coping by using social media was associated with more symptoms, R2 = .72, F(16, 5736) = 906.65, p < .001. These findings highlight age as a protective factor for anxiety but not for depression and underscore the importance of social support as a protective factor for mental health.

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The impact of COVID-19 on teachers' mental health

Journal for Multicultural Education ◽

10.1108/jme-08-2021-0131 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Shoshana Cohen-Fraade ◽

Maura Donahue

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Public School ◽

Online Survey ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Full Time ◽

Public School Teachers ◽

School Teachers ◽

Content Type ◽

Teachers Experiences ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine teachers’ experiences with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The authors administered an online survey to full-time public school teachers simultaneously enrolled in a master’s degree program in education. Out of 455 teachers who were sent the survey, 96 completed it, resulting in a 21.1% survey completion rate. The survey was composed of both quantitative and qualitative items which assessed teachers’ self-perceptions about their mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their use of mental health resources. Most questions were drawn from the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), so focused primarily on symptoms of depression and anxiety. Findings The results of the survey indicated that overall, teachers felt an increase in symptoms of anxiety and depression between March 2020 and February 2021. A noteworthy percentage of participants said they were seeking mental health supports. Research limitations/implications This study was conducted with teachers in an alternative certification program, so their experiences might not be widely generalizable to teachers enrolled in traditional pathways to certification. Originality/value While some research has been conducted on mental health, less has been conducted with public school teachers and even less has assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to add to the existing literature about teachers' experiences with anxiety and depression, as well as the specific impact of COVID-19.

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Gender-based approach on the social impact and mental health in Spain during COVID-19 lockdown: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044617 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. e044617

Author(s):

Constanza Jacques-Aviñó ◽

Tomàs López-Jiménez ◽

Laura Medina-Perucha ◽

Jeroen de Bont ◽

Alessandra Queiroga Gonçalves ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Social Impact ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

The Social ◽

Gender Based

ObjectiveLockdown has impacts on people’s living conditions and mental health. The study aims to assess the relations between social impact and mental health among adults living in Spain during COVID-19 lockdown measures, taking a gender-based approach into account.Design, setting and participantsWe conducted a cross-sectional study among adults living in Spain during the lockdown of COVID-19 with an online survey from 8 April to 28 May 2020. The main variable was mental health measured by Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale for anxiety and the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression. Sex-stratified multivariate ordinal logistic regression models were constructed to assess the association between social impact variables, anxiety and depression.ResultsA total of 7053 people completed this survey. A total of 31.2% of women and 17.7% of men reported anxiety. Depression levels were reported in 28.5% of women and 16.7% of men. A higher proportion of anxiety and depression levels was found in the younger population (18–35 years), especially in women. Poorer mental health was mainly related to fear of COVID-19 infection, with higher anxiety levels especially in women (adjusted ordinal OR (aOR): 4.23, 95% CI 3.68 to 4.87) and worsened economy with higher levels of depression in women (aOR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.84), and perceived inadequate housing to cope with lockdown was especially associated with anxiety in men (aOR: 2.53, 95% CI 1.93 to 3.44).ConclusionThe social impact of the lockdown is related to gender, age and socioeconomic conditions. Women and young people had worse mental health outcomes during lockdown. It is urgent to establish strategies for public health emergencies that include mental health and its determinants, taking a gender-based approach into account, in order to reduce health inequities.

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Using Predictive Evaluation to Design, Evaluate, and Improve Training for Polio Volunteers

Pedagogy in Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/2373379917739012 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 35-42

Author(s):

Denise A. Traicoff ◽

Dave Basarab ◽

Derek T. Ehrhardt ◽

Sandi Brown ◽

Martin Celaya ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Development Program ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Workplace Performance ◽

Worker Training ◽

Control And Prevention ◽

Training Quality ◽

Survey Results ◽

Survey Responses

Background: Predictive Evaluation (PE) uses a four-step process to predict results then designs and evaluates a training intervention accordingly. In 2012, the Sustainable Management Development Program (SMDP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used PE to train Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) program volunteers. Methods: Stakeholders defined specific beliefs and practices that volunteers should demonstrate. These predictions and adult learning practices were used to design a curriculum to train four cohorts. At the end of each workshop, volunteers completed a beliefs survey and wrote goals for intended actions. The goals were analyzed for acceptability based on four PE criteria. The percentage of acceptable goals and the beliefs survey results were used to define the quality of the workshop. A postassignment adoption evaluation was conducted for two cohorts, using an online survey and telephone or in-person structured interviews. The results were compared with the end of workshop findings. Results: The percentage of acceptable goals across the four cohorts ranged from 49% to 85%. In the adoption evaluation of two cohorts, 88% and 94% of respondents reported achieving or making significant progress toward their goal. A comparison of beliefs survey responses across the four cohorts indicated consistencies in beliefs that aligned with stakeholders’ predictions. Conclusions: Goal statements that participants write at the end of a workshop provide data to evaluate training quality. Beliefs surveys surface attitudes that could help or hinder workplace performance. The PE approach provides an innovative framework for health worker training and evaluation that emphasizes performance.

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Peer supporters’ experiences on an Australian perinatal mental health helpline

Health Promotion International ◽

10.1093/heapro/dax097 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 479-489 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Laura J Biggs ◽

Helen L McLachlan ◽

Touran Shafiei ◽

Rhonda Small ◽

Della A Forster

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Peer Support ◽

Online Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

Professional Staff ◽

Perinatal Mental Health ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Perinatal Anxiety ◽

Survey Responses

SummaryPerinatal mental health is an important public health issue, and peer support is a potentially important strategy for emotional well-being in the perinatal period. PANDA Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia provides support to individuals impacted by perinatal mental health issues via the National Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Helpline. Callers receive peer support from volunteers and counselling from paid professional staff. The views and experiences of PANDA peer support volunteers have not previously been studied. We conducted two focus groups and an online survey to explore the experiences of women providing volunteer peer support on the Helpline. Data collection took place in October and November 2013. Two social theories were used in framing and addressing the study aims and in interpreting our findings: the Empathy–Altruism Hypothesis, and the Helper Therapy Principle. All PANDA volunteers were invited to participate (n = 40). Eight volunteers attended a focus group, and 11 survey responses were received. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. All survey respondents ‘strongly agreed’ that they felt positive about being part of PANDA. Thematic analysis of data from focus groups and open-ended survey responses identified the following themes: motivated to help others, supported to support callers, helping to make a difference and emotional impacts for volunteers. Respondents described a strong desire to support others experiencing emotional distress as a motivator to volunteer. Although perinatal peer support services are designed to benefit those who receive support, this study suggests volunteers may also experience personal benefits from the role.

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