scholarly journals Mental Health Consequences from COVID-19 Pandemic and Strategies for Community Level Recovery

Author(s):  
Daya Somasundaram ◽  
Nadarajah Rajeshkannan ◽  
Balachandran Kumarendran ◽  
Thirunavukarasu Kumanan ◽  
Nalayini Sugirthan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the globe from 2019 affecting millions of people physically, mentally, and socio-economically. The purpose of the study was to map out the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic and suggest recovery strategies.Methods: A qualitative inquiry into the mental health aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic using observations from working in busy health clinics, general practices, primary and community care setting, and dedicated COVID acute care wards during the pandemic in Australia, United Kingdom and Sri Lanka; discussions with colleagues worldwide; analyzing social and news media comments; literature survey and experience of dealing with past disasters were used to map out mental health consequences and put forward recovery strategies.Results: In covid sufferers, neuropsychiatric symptoms lasting months, unrelated to respiratory insufficiency suggested brain damage due to vascular endothelial injury and/or cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). A third went onto develop or have a relapse of a psychological or neurological conditions. In the general population, common consequences included common mental health disorders; changing patterns of substance abuse including alcohol; increased domestic violence and child abuse. Family relationships, interactions and understanding improved in many but minority had strained dynamics. Vulnerable groups included the elderly, women, youth; children; disabled; frontline and health workers; minorities and severely mentally ill. At the community level, there were signs of collective (mass) hysteria from panic buying to conspiracy theories, public shaming, fake news and disinformation spreading on social media and mass protests. There were also positive effects such as better understanding of bio-knowledge; interventions (rapid vaccine production, contact tracing methods) and discoveries (mRNA Vaccines), health systems improvements (tele-health), online learning, gratitude toward heath care workers, increased social/community/family cohesion, closer international networking, reduction in suicide rates and drop in interstate and civil conflicts, road accidents, crime and communicable diseases with their resultant morbidity, mortality and mental health consequences. Conclusions: In view of the widespread mental health and psychosocial consequences from the COVID-19 pandemic, a community-based approach is suggested while treating more severe mental disorders at the primary care or specialist level.

Author(s):  
Michiko Ueda ◽  
Andrew Stickley ◽  
Hajime Sueki ◽  
Tetsuya Matsubayashi

AbstractThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may have detrimental mental health consequences. However, as yet, there is limited understanding of its impact on the mental health of the general population. The aim of this study is to examine the mental health of the Japanese general population by conducting the first systematic survey during the pandemic (N=1,000), with a particular focus on identifying the most vulnerable groups. Results from logistic regression analyses showed that the mental health of young and middle-aged individuals was significantly worse than that of older individuals during the pandemic. There was also some indication that individuals who were not currently working were significantly more likely to report a high level of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Part-time and temporary contract-based workers were also more likely to suffer from anxiety disorder. Our results highlight that monitoring the mental health of younger and economically vulnerable individuals may be especially important. In addition, they also indicate that population mental health might not only be affected by the direct health consequences of COVID-19, but also by the economic ramifications of the pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan He ◽  
Lulin Zhou ◽  
Junshan Li ◽  
Jun Wu

Abstract Background Income inequality is one of the important reflections of the unbalanced development of the world economy and can have adverse effects on physical and mental health. Methods This article used the 2018 China Family Panel Studies Database as an empirical analysis data source. The Kakwani index (KI) was used to measure income inequality, and social capital was broken into cognitive social capital and structural social capital. Our assessment was conducted by using STATA16 software for ordered logistic regression, verifying income inequality, social capital on correlation between physical and mental health firstly; then by gradual regression methods to verify intermediary effect, and demonstrate the social capital as an intermediary variable affecting physical and mental health as income inequality. Result The income inequality has a significant negative effect on physical and mental health (β = − 0.964, − 0.381; OR = 0.382, 0.758; P < 0.01), Social capital has a significant effect on physical and mental health (Cognitive SC(MH): β = 0.146 and 0.104, OR = 1.157 and 1.110, P < 0.01; Cognitive SC(PH): β = 0.046 and 0.069, OR = 1.047 and 1.071, P < 0.01; Structural SC(MH): β = − 0.005, 0.025 and 0.015, OR = 0.995, 1.025 and 1.015, P > 0.1, P < 0.01 and P < 0.01; Structural SC(PH): β = − 0.026, 0.009 and − 0.013, OR = 0.975, 1.009 and 0.987, P < 0.01, P > 0.1 and P < 0.01). Our analysis also showed that social capital (cognitive social capital and structural social capital) has an intermediary effect on physical and mental health due to income inequality. Conclusion This study shows that income inequality can not only directly affect physical and mental health, but also through social capital intermediary utility indirectly affect physical and mental health, social capital has positive effects on physical and mental health. At the same time, income inequality and social capital’s effects on physical and mental health exist regional differences, urban-rural differences, and gender differences. Therefore, in the development of special policies to support and take care of vulnerable groups, special attention needs to be paid to poor rural areas and female groups.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmars Rancans ◽  
◽  
Jelena Vrublevska ◽  
Ilana Aleskere ◽  
Baiba Rezgale ◽  
...  

Description The goal of the study was to assess mental health, socio-psychological and behavioural aspects in the representative sample of Latvian general population in online survey, and to identify vulnerable groups during COVID-19 pandemic and develop future recommendations. The study was carried out from 6 to 27 July 2020 and was attributable to the period of emergency state from 11 March to 10 June 2020. The protocol included demographic data and also data pertaining to general health, previous self-reported psychiatric history, symptoms of anxiety, clinically significant depression and suicidality, as well as a quality of sleep, sex, family relationships, finance, eating and exercising and religion/spirituality, and their changes during the pandemic. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale was used to determine the presence of distress or depression, the Risk Assessment of Suicidality Scale was used to assess suicidal behaviour, current symptoms of anxiety were assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory form Y. (2021-02-04) Subject Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Keyword: COVID19, pandemic, depression, anxiety, suicidality, mental health, Latvia


2020 ◽  
pp. 215686932092309
Author(s):  
Kristin Turney

Theories of stress and strain, which emphasize the concentration of social stressors among vulnerable groups, suggest that police contact—the most common type of criminal justice contact—can have deleterious health consequences. Research documents a relationship between police contact and adverse health, but less is known about the mental health consequences of police stops among adolescents. I examined this with data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,437), a longitudinal survey of individuals born around the turn of the 21st century and followed over a 15-year period. First, personal police contact and vicarious but not personal police contact (both compared to no police contact) are positively associated with depressive symptoms, net of characteristics associated with police contact (including prior mental health, delinquency, and impulsivity). Second, more intrusive police contact (such as stops that include frisks or searches) is positively associated with depressive symptoms. Third, the association between police contact and depressive symptoms is concentrated among girls and Blacks. Given the concentration of police contact among already vulnerable adolescents living in highly surveilled and disadvantaged neighborhoods, those same adolescents at greatest risk of health impairments, police contact may exacerbate population health disparities.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica K. Morgan ◽  
James Trudeau ◽  
Joel K. Cartwright ◽  
Pamela K. Lattimore

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Caron ◽  
A. Liu

Objective This descriptive study compares rates of high psychological distress and mental disorders between low-income and non-low-income populations in Canada. Methods Data were collected through the Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health and Well-being (CCHS 1.2), which surveyed 36 984 Canadians aged 15 or over; 17.9% (n = 6620) was classified within the low-income population using the Low Income Measure. The K-10 was used to measure psychological distress and the CIDI for assessing mental disorders. Results One out of 5 Canadians reported high psychological distress, and 1 out of 10 reported at least one of the five mental disorders surveyed or substance abuse. Women, single, separated or divorced respondents, non-immigrants and Aboriginal Canadians were more likely to report suffering from psychological distress or from mental disorders and substance abuse. Rates of reported psychological distress and of mental disorders and substance abuse were much higher in low-income populations, and these differences were statistically consistent in most of the sociodemographic strata. Conclusion This study helps determine the vulnerable groups in mental health for which prevention and promotion programs could be designed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeedeh Fehresti ◽  
Elham Monaghesh

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the elderly's physical and mental health. The application of information and communication technology, such as mobile health (m-health), can play a significant role in combating this pandemic by changing the behavior and lifestyle of the elderly during this time of crisis. OBJECTIVE This systematic review aimed to synthesize m-health capabilities in providing health services to the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify the factors associated with the success of these tools. METHODS To find the relevant studies, a search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria were: studies in English that used m-health intervention in all aspects of elderly healthcare during the COVID-19 outbreak, published in peer-reviewed journals from 31 December 2019, and had any research design and methodology. Two authors independently took all the steps of this review, and finally performed narrative synthesis to report the findings. RESULTS Our initial search identified 421 studies, of which 10 met the inclusion criteria. The data analysis showed that all the m-health interventions had positive effects on the health of the elderly. The m-health services for the elderly during the current pandemic were used for therapy, information provision, self-help, monitoring, and mental health consultation purposes. The results also indicated that various factors affected the elderly's use of m-health tools. CONCLUSIONS The application of m-health keeps the elderly and healthcare providers safe, accelerates health service provision, reduces the costs of service delivery, and decreases the risk of morbidity and mortality during the COVID-19 outbreak. The successful use of m-health tools for the elderly in health programs during the current crisis greatly depends on supporting the elderly and overcoming the barriers.


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