ICT use patterns, mental health symptoms and the well-being of the open distance learning student: a replication study with historically advantaged students

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may aggravate workplace conditions that impact health-care workers’ mental health. However, it can also place other stresses on workers outside of their work. This study determines the effect of COVID-19 on symptoms of negative and positive mental health and the workforce’s experience with various sources of support. Effect modification by demographic variables was also studied. Methods A cross-sectional survey study, conducted between 2 April and 4 May 2020 (two waves), led to a convenience sample of 4509 health-care workers in Flanders (Belgium), including paramedics (40.6%), nurses (33.4%), doctors (13.4%) and management staff (12.2%). About three in four were employed in university and acute hospitals (29.6%), primary care practices (25.7%), residential care centers (21.3%) or care sites for disabled and mental health care. In each of the two waves, participants were asked how frequently (on a scale of 0–10) they experienced positive and negative mental health symptoms during normal circumstances and during last week, referred to as before and during COVID-19, respectively. These symptoms were stress, hypervigilance, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, unable to relax, fear, irregular lifestyle, flashback, difficulty concentrating, feeling unhappy and dejected, failing to recognize their own emotional response, doubting knowledge and skills and feeling uncomfortable within the team. Associations between COVID-19 and mental health symptoms were estimated by cumulative logit models and reported as odds ratios. The needed support was our secondary outcome and was reported as the degree to which health-care workers relied on sources of support and how they experienced them. Results All symptoms were significantly more pronounced during versus before COVID-19. For hypervigilance, there was a 12-fold odds (odds ratio 12.24, 95% confidence interval 11.11–13.49) during versus before COVID-19. Positive professional symptoms such as the feeling that one can make a difference were less frequently experienced. The association between COVID-19 and mental health was generally strongest for the age group 30–49 years, females, nurses and residential care centers. Health-care workers reported to rely on support from relatives and peers. A considerable proportion, respectively, 18 and 27%, reported the need for professional guidance from psychologists and more support from their leadership. Conclusions The toll of the crisis has been heavy on health-care workers. Those who carry leadership positions at an organizational or system level should take this opportunity to develop targeted strategies to mitigate key stressors of health-care workers’ mental well-being.

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Combined Effect of Mothers' and Fathers' Mental Health Symptoms on Children's Behavioral and Emotional Well-being

Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine ◽

10.1001/archpedi.158.8.721 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 158 (8) ◽

pp. 721 ◽

Cited By ~ 95

Author(s):

Robert S. Kahn ◽

Dominique Brandt ◽

Robert C. Whitaker

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Combined Effect ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Mothers And Fathers

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Impact of occupational exposure to COVID-19 on the physical and mental health of an essential workgroup: New York City transit workers

Journal of Emergency Management ◽

10.5055/jem.0599 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (9) ◽

pp. 133-146

Author(s):

Robyn R. Gershon, MHS, DrPH ◽

Alexis A. Merdjanoff, PhD ◽

Gabriella Y. Meltzer, BA ◽

Rachael Piltch-Loeb, MSPH, PhD ◽

Jonathan Rosen, MS, CIH, FAIHA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

New York ◽

New York City ◽

York City ◽

Well Being ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Hand Sanitizer ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Disposable Gloves

Background and purpose: Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City (NYC) vowed to “keep the subways running” despite the lack of plans in place for protecting the health and well-being of transit workers. This study was designed to assess the impact of employment during the early phase of the pandemic on this essential frontline workforce. Methods, settings, and study participants: A convenience sample of members (stratified by job title) of the NYC Transport Workers Union, Local 100, was recruited in August 2020 to participate in an anonymous, cross-sectional, internet-based survey. Results: The demographics of the sample participants (N = 645) reflected union membership, ie, 82 percent male, 29 percent Black; 27 percent Hispanic, and 59 percent ≥age 50 years. At the time of the “NYC Pause” (March 22, 2020) when mandatory stay-at-home orders were issued, transit workers had limited worksite protections. Many reported a lack of such basics as face masks (43 percent), hand sanitizer (40 percent), and disposable gloves (34 percent). A high proportion (87 percent) were concerned about getting infected at work. Lack of certain protections was significantly associated with both fear of contagion at work and mental health symptoms. Nearly 24 percent of participants reported a history of COVID-19 infection. Self-reported infection was significantly correlated with lack of certain protections, including respiratory masks (p 0.001), disposable gloves (p 0.001), and hand sanitizer (p 0.001). Infection was also significantly associated with mental health symptoms (p 0.001). By August 2020, despite participants reporting that many worksite protections were then in place, 72 percent of workers were still fearful for their safety at work, eg, because of potential exposure due to passengers not wearing masks, and risk of verbal abuse and physical assault by passengers angered when asked to wear face masks. Workers who were fearful for their safety at work were more than six times more likely to report mental health symptoms (p 0.001). Conclusions: Lack of worksite protections before “NYC Pause” (March 22, 2020) was significantly associated with self-reported infection, fear, and mental health symptoms in TWU, Local 100 members. To reduce the risk of adverse impacts associated with bioevents in all essential work groups, and across all essential occupational settings, infection control preparedness, early recognition of risk, and implementation of tailored risk reduction strategies are imperative. Pandemic preparedness is fundamental to protecting the health and well-being of essential workers and crucial in controlling the spread of disease in the community. Bioevent preparedness for all essential frontline workgroups will also help reduce occupational health inequities. Workers at risk, regardless of setting, deserve and have the right to equal protections under federal and state law.

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Substance use and symptoms of mental health disorders: a prospective cohort of patients with severe substance use disorders in Norway

Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy ◽

10.1186/s13011-021-00354-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Christer Frode Aas ◽

◽

Jørn Henrik Vold ◽

Rolf Gjestad ◽

Svetlana Skurtveit ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Mental Health Disorders ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Frequent Use ◽

Health Disorders ◽

Over Time

Abstract Background There is high co-occurrence of substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health disorders. We aimed to assess impact of substance use patterns and sociodemographic factors on mental health distress using the ten-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-10) over time. Methods Nested prospective cohort study of 707 participants with severe SUD across nine opioid-agonist-therapy outpatient clinics and low-threshold municipality clinics in Norway, during 2017–2020. Descriptive statistics were derived at baseline and reported by means and standard deviation (SD). A linear mixed model analysis was used to assess the impact of substance use patterns and sociodemographic factors on SCL-10 sum score with beta coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Mean (SD) SCL-10 score was 2.2 (0.8) at baseline with large variations across patients. We observed more symptoms of mental health disorders among people with frequent use of benzodiazepines (beta 3.6, CI:2.4;4.8), cannabis (1.3, CI:0.2;2.5), opioids (2.7, CI:1.1;4.2), and less symptoms among people using frequent stimulant use (− 2.7, CI:-4.1;-1.4) compared to no or less frequent use. Females (1.8, CI:0.7;3.0) and participants with debt worries (2.2, CI:1.1;3.3) and unstable living conditions (1.7, CI:0.0;3.3) had also higher burden of mental health symptoms. There were large individual variations in SCL-10 score from baseline to follow-up, but no consistent time trends indicating change over time for the whole group. 65% of the cohort had a mean score > 1.85, the standard reference score. Conclusions People with SUD have a considerable burden of mental health symptoms. We found no association between substance use patterns and change in mental health symptoms over time. This could suggest that the differences observed were indicating flattening of effects or self-medication to a larger degree than medication-related decline in mental health. This call for better individualized mental health assessment and patient care.

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High levels of psychosocial distress among Australian frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey

General Psychiatry ◽

10.1136/gpsych-2021-100577 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. e100577

Author(s):

Natasha Smallwood ◽

Leila Karimi ◽

Marie Bismark ◽

Mark Putland ◽

Douglas Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Primary Care ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Allied Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Staff ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Frontline Healthcare Workers

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound and prolonged impact on healthcare services and healthcare workers.AimsThe Australian COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers Study aimed to investigate the severity and prevalence of mental health issues, as well as the social, workplace and financial disruptions experienced by Australian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA nationwide, voluntary, anonymous, single timepoint, online survey was conducted between 27 August and 23 October 2020. Individuals self-identifying as frontline healthcare workers in secondary or primary care were invited to participate. Participants were recruited through health organisations, professional associations or colleges, universities, government contacts and national media. Demographics, home and work situation, health and psychological well-being data were collected.ResultsA total of 9518 survey responses were received; of the 9518 participants, 7846 (82.4%) participants reported complete data. With regard to age, 4110 (52.4%) participants were younger than 40 years; 6344 (80.9%) participants were women. Participants were nurses (n=3088, 39.4%), doctors (n=2436, 31.1%), allied health staff (n=1314, 16.7%) or in other roles (n=523, 6.7%). In addition, 1250 (15.9%) participants worked in primary care. Objectively measured mental health symptoms were common: mild to severe anxiety (n=4694, 59.8%), moderate to severe burnout (n=5458, 70.9%) and mild to severe depression (n=4495, 57.3%). Participants were highly resilient (mean (SD)=3.2 (0.66)). Predictors for worse outcomes on all scales included female gender; younger age; pre-existing psychiatric condition; experiencing relationship problems; nursing, allied health or other roles; frontline area; being worried about being blamed by colleagues and working with patients with COVID-19.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic is associated with significant mental health symptoms in frontline healthcare workers. Crisis preparedness together with policies and practices addressing psychological well-being are needed.

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Change in Mental Health Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Appraisals and Daily Life Experiences

10.31234/osf.io/8cgfh ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Annette Brose ◽

Elisabeth Sophie Blanke ◽

Florian Schmiedek ◽

Andrea C. Kramer ◽

Andrea Schmidt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Life Experiences ◽

Daily Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Present Moment ◽

Affective States ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Post Test

Intro: When confronted with major threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic, people often experience (temporary) decline in well-being. The central purpose of this study was to identify mechanisms underlying stability and change of well-being in times of threat like the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined change in mental health symptoms and its relationships with appraisals of the pandemic and daily life experiences during the pandemic, including affective states, stress, and mindfulness. Methods: We conducted a study across 3.5 weeks, including pretest, posttest, and a diary phase in-between. In this report, we worked with a sample of 460 adults, pre- and post-test information, as well as a total of 7189 observations from the diary phase. Results: Results showed that less fortunate change in mental health symptoms across three weeks was predicted by more negative affect and less mindfulness, specifically less attention to the present moment, in daily life. Furthermore, less fortunate change in mental health symptoms was correlated with change towards less fortunate appraisals of the appraisals. Finally, we showed that more general views of the pandemic (i.e., appraisals) were interrelated to experiences in daily life, with more negative appraisals of the pandemic predicting more negative affect and stressor occurrence as well as less mindfulness.Discussion: These findings speak to the dynamic nature of well-being and appraisals in times of threat, and they show how experiences in daily life matter for change in well-being

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Mental health symptoms in a cohort of hospital healthcare workers following the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2020.150 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kasun Wanigasooriya ◽

Priyanka Palimar ◽

David N. Naumann ◽

Khalida Ismail ◽

Jodie L. Fellows ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

Moral Dilemmas ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

History Of ◽

Clinically Significant ◽

The Uk

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is likely to lead to a significant increase in mental health disorders among healthcare workers (HCW). Aims We evaluated the rates of anxiety, depressive and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a population of HCW in the UK. Method An electronic survey was conducted between the 5 June 2020 and 31 July 2020 of all hospital HCW in the West Midlands, UK using clinically validated questionnaires: the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire(PHQ-4) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Univariate analyses and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the strengths in associations between 24 independent variables and anxiety, depressive or PTSD symptoms. Results There were 2638 eligible participants who completed the survey (female: 79.5%, median age: 42 years, interquartile range: 32–51). The rates of clinically significant symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD were 34.3%, 31.2% and 24.5%, respectively. In adjusted analysis a history of mental health conditions was associated with clinically significant symptoms of anxiety (odds ratio (OR) = 2.3, 95% CI 1.9–2.7, P < 0.001), depression (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 2.1–3.0, P < 0.001) and PTSD (OR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.7–2.5, P < 0.001). The availability of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), well-being support and lower exposure to moral dilemmas at work demonstrated significant negative associations with these symptoms (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusions We report higher rates of clinically significant mental health symptoms among hospital HCW following the initial COVID-19 pandemic peak in the UK. Those with a history of mental health conditions were most at risk. Adequate PPE availability, access to well-being support and reduced exposure to moral dilemmas may protect hospital HCW from mental health symptoms.

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Association between poor sleep for infants to two years and subsequent mental health symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Journal of Child Health Care ◽

10.1177/13674935211015085 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 136749352110150

Author(s):

Beth L Mah ◽

Kate Larkings

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Mental Health Disorder ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Infant Sleep ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms

Sleep plays a complex bidirectional role in the life span of most mental health illness. How soon poor sleep becomes an indicator of future mental illness is unknown. Infant sleep is a complex concept which can impact greatly on both baby and family well-being. Thus, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to investigate whether poor infant sleep to age two is associated with future mental health symptoms. A systematic search of Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Cochrane was conducted, using PRISMA guidelines. The search resulted in 17 articles to include in this review. A combined adjusted odds ratios of 1.65 (95% CI = 1.34, 2.05) for infant sleep problems leading to subsequent mental health symptoms resulted. A variety of outcome measures for both poor infant sleep and mental health symptoms/diagnosis were used, limiting the generalisability of results. Poor sleep in infancy should be considered one of many risk factors for future mental health disorder signifying the importance of early intervention.

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If You Can’t Say Something Nice: A Latent Profile Analysis of Social Reactions to Intimate Partner Violence Disclosure and Associations With Mental Health Symptoms

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/1077801218811681 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (10) ◽

pp. 1243-1261 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jacqueline Woerner ◽

Janan Wyatt ◽

Tami P. Sullivan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Symptom Severity ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Well Being ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Social Reactions ◽

Latent Profile

The social reactions that victims receive when disclosing intimate partner violence (IPV) have important implications for recovery and well-being. Women from the community ( n = 172) reported IPV, reactions to IPV disclosure, and mental health symptoms in individual interviews. Latent profile analyses revealed three subgroups of victims with varied experiences of reactions. The group characterized by high negative/low positive reactions reported the highest depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity; symptom severity was high regardless of IPV severity. However, symptoms were only severe at high IPV severity among individuals classified into groups characterized by high positive reactions, and by low negative and low positive reactions.

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