A brief, daily, online mental health and wellbeing intervention for university staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: Program description and outcomes using a mixed methods design (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Parker ◽  
Sarah Dash ◽  
Matthew Bourke ◽  
Rhiannon Patten ◽  
Melinda Craike ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Health Promotion Program ◽  
University Staff ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Personal Functioning ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The unprecedented changes and isolation measures to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have had multiple psychological and social impacts, with implications for professional and personal functioning. Evidence-informed interventions that can be rapidly implemented under pandemic conditions to support mental health during such times were urgently needed. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the acceptability and preliminary outcomes of a daily online mental health promotion program for tertiary education staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS The ‘VU Elevenses’ program was delivered as an uncontrolled intervention at Victoria University (VU) in the western metropolitan region of Melbourne, Australia. In April 2020, an email invitation was sent to all academic and professional staff inviting them to: 1) participate in the program; and 2) opt-in to the research component. The ‘VU Elevenses’ program provided 10-15-minute micro-interventions comprising lifestyle and wellbeing strategies to promote mental health, via an online meeting platform, at 11am each weekday. A mixed-method approach was used to evaluate the program, combining structured questionnaires with semi-structured interviews to investigate the experiences of staff who participated in the program. RESULTS Between 16-90 participants provided weekly program feedback. A total of 106 university staff opted into the longitudinal research component and 10 staff participated in the interviews. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with sessions and perceived benefits for mental health. Approximately one quarter of participants reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress at baseline, with significant reductions in these symptoms in the first seven weeks of the program, corresponding with easing in mandatory isolation (‘lockdown’) restrictions. However, symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress all increased when lockdown measures were reintroduced, but not to the same levels as the initial lockdown period. Overall changes in depression and anxiety from baseline to the end of the program were explained by changes in COVID related distress, whereas changes in self-compassion explained changes in stress. CONCLUSIONS We show that it is feasible and acceptable to develop and deliver a program of brief interventions in a timely manner, using a simple and accessible online platform. Although participation in the program was initially associated with reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, participants’ mental health worsened with the reintroduction of a ‘lockdown’ period. However, as symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress did not return to levels observed at the start of the VU Elevenses program, participation in the uncontrolled intervention may have offered a protective benefit against the impact of the second significant lockdown period. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

scholarly journals No one can see me cry: understanding mental health issues for Black and minority ethnic staff in higher education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Arday
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
University Staff ◽  
Differential Outcomes ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Minority Ethnic

AbstractBlack and minority ethnic (BME) communities continue to experience differential outcomes within the United Kingdom (UK) mental health system, despite increased attention on the area. The trauma of racism for BME academic and professional staff within higher education remains problematic against a backdrop of cultural and organisational institutional racism. Within higher education (HE), BME staff consistently face barriers in terms of accessing contextually appropriate mental health interventions that recognise the sophisticated nature of insidious racism in all its overt and covert manifestations. This paper attempts to address the issues facing ethnic minority staff within the Academy with regard to accessing mental health services at university. Importantly, this paper explores the impact of racial discrimination on BME faculty within the sector and the impact upon mental health, in addition to considering the paucity of psychological interventions available in dealing with discriminatory episodes and the need for universities to diversify healthcare professional cohorts. This study utilises the narratives of 40 BME academic and professional university staff to examine the impact of negotiating racial inequality and discrimination at university and the impact upon mental health. Other aspects examined consider the impact of belonging, isolation and marginalisation on mental health and how this consequently affects BME university staff. Conclusions and recommendations provided advocate greater diversification of mental health support systems for BME staff within universities. Conclusions drawn will also consider how existing systems can function to dismantle racial inequality and improve mental health invention for ethnic minority service users.

scholarly journals Exploring the impact of a complex intervention for women with depression in contexts of adversity: A pilot feasibility study of COURRAGE-plus in South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110102
Author(s):  
Rochelle A Burgess ◽  
Niklas Jeske ◽  
Shahana Rasool ◽  
Ayesha Ahmad ◽  
Anna Kydd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Narrative Therapy ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Social Intervention ◽  
Friedman Test ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Collective Narrative

Background: Depression is a leading cause of disease burden worldwide but is often undertreated in low- and middle-income countries. Reasons behind the treatment gap vary, but many highlight a lack of interventions which speak to the socio-economic and structural realties that are associated to mental health problems in many settings, including South Africa. The COURRAGE-PLUS intervention responds to this gap, by combining a collective narrative therapy (9 weeks) intervention, with a social intervention promoting group-led practical action against structural determinants of poor mental health (4 weeks), for a total of 13 sessions. The overall aim is to promote mental health, while empowering communities to acknowledge, and respond in locally meaningful ways to social adversity linked to development of mental distress. Aim: To pilot and evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention – COURRAGE-PLUS on symptoms of depression as assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) among a sample of women facing contexts of adversity in Gauteng, South Africa. Methods: PHQ-9 scores were assessed at baseline, post collective narrative therapy (midline), and post social intervention (endline). Median scores and corresponding interquartile ranges were computed for all time points. Differences in scores between time points were tested with a non-parametric Friedman test. The impact across symptom severities was compared descriptively to identify potential differences in impact across categories of symptom severity within our sample. Results: Participants’ ( n = 47) median depression score at baseline was 11 (IQR = 7) and reduced to 4 at midline (IQR = 7) to 0 at endline (IQR = 2.5). The Friedman test showed a statistically significant difference between depression scores across time points, [Formula: see text](2) = 49.29, p < .001. Median depression scores were reduced to 0 or 1 Post-Intervention across all four severity groups. Conclusions: COURRAGE-PLUS was highly effective at reducing symptoms of depression across the spectrum of severities in this sample of women facing adversity, in Gauteng, South Africa. Findings supports the need for larger trials to investigate collective narrative storytelling and social interventions as community-based interventions for populations experiencing adversity and mental distress.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON MENTAL HEALTH AND ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 213-224
Author(s):  
Jung Nam Sohn
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
National Level ◽  
Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽  
Health Promotion Program ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Impact

This descriptive study provides basic data for developing a mental health promotion program by analyzing the mental health status under the impact of COVID-19 and verifying the factors affecting mental health. This study aims to identify the prevalence and associated factors of mental health after the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted targeting a total of 156 Korean adults aged 19~64 years. Using the SPSS Win 19.0 program, the frequency, mean, t-test or ANOVA, X2-test, linear regression, and logistic regression analysis were performed. A total of 31.4%, 20.5%, and 12.8% of all subjects classified depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation risk, respectively, and intolerance of uncertainty affected depression (β = .51) and anxiety (β = .63). In addition to intolerance of uncertainty, self-efficacy (β = -.16) was a factor affecting depression. The variables explain 35% of depression and 44% of anxiety. Further, employment status affected suicidal ideation, which increased the risk of suicidal ideation 2.71-fold with unemployed status. This paper is novel because it seeks to find that the intolerance of uncertainty was the common factor affecting mental health during COVID-19. The early detection of risk due to COVID-19 and the intolerance of uncertainty are common factors underlying mental health issues, underscoring the need for cognitive interventions at the individual level and sufficient information and psychological support related to the COVID-19 at the national level.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health: The Role of Locus on Control and Internet Use

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 6985
Author(s):  
Rannveig Sigurvinsdottir ◽  
Ingibjorg E. Thorisdottir ◽  
Haukur Freyr Gylfason
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
The Impact

The true extent of the mental health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic are unclear, but early evidence suggests poorer mental health among those exposed to the pandemic. The Internet may have differential effects, by both connecting people with resources, or reinforce the constant checking of negative information. Moreover, locus of control becomes important in an uncontrollable pandemic. The current study aimed to examine whether exposure to COVID-19 would relate to greater symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, and to examine the role of internet use and locus of control. Adults in the United States and five European countries (N = 1723) answered an online survey through the website Mturk. Results show elevated psychological symptoms among those who have become infected with COVID-19 or perceive themselves to be at high risk if infected. Experience using the Internet relates to fewer symptoms, but information seeking is associated with more symptoms. Internet social capital relates to fewer symptoms of depression. Having an external locus of control relates to greater symptoms. These findings suggest that public health officials need to focus on the mental health effects of the pandemic, and that internet use and locus of control could be targets to improve mental health in the population.

scholarly journals The prevalence of depression, stress and anxiety symptoms in patients with chronic heart failure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nqoba Tsabedze ◽  
Jamie-Leigh Kinsey ◽  
Dineo Mpanya ◽  
Vanessa Mogashoa ◽  
Eric Klug ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Heart Failure ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Chronic Heart Failure ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Mental health illnesses are associated with frequent hospitalisation and an increased risk of all-cause mortality. Despite the high prevalence of depression in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), there is a paucity of data on this subject from low and middle-income countries (LMIC). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in patients attending a dedicated CHF clinic. Methods: A prospective study was conducted at an outpatient heart failure clinic in a tertiary academic centre. The study participants completed a Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS-21) questionnaire to screen for the presence and severity of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. Furthermore, the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire was completed and used to evaluate the impact of CHF on health-related quality of life (QoL). Descriptive statistics were used to describe patients' characteristics and logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of symptoms of depression. Results: The study population comprised of 103 patients, predominantly female (62.1%) with a median age of 53 (interquartile range 38 – 61) years. Symptoms of depression were reported by 52.4%, with 11.7% reporting symptoms suggestive of extremely severe depression. Anxiety was diagnosed in 53.4% of patients and extremely severe anxiety was reported by 18.4% of patients. Fifty patients were classified as stressed, and only 7.7% had extremely severe stress. More than half of the patients (54.4%) were in New York Heart Association functional class I. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction in the entire cohort was 30.5 (SD =±11.1%). In the multivariable logistic regression model, permanent employment [odds ratio (OR) -1.22, 95% CI:-0.01– -0.00, p=0.012], the six-minute walk test [OR -0.07, 95% CI: 0.02 – 0.06, p=0.001] and orthopnoea [OR 1.89, 95% CI: -0.01 – -0.00, p=0.012] were identified as independent predictors of depression. Conclusion: Depression and anxiety symptoms were found in over half of patients attending the CHF clinic. We recommend that mental health screening should be routinely performed in patients with CHF. Prospective, adequately powered, multicentre studies from LMIC investigating the impact of depression, anxiety and stress on CHF outcomes such as health-related QoL, hospitalisation and mortality are required.

“The dual diagnosis attitudes survey”: understanding the attitudinal impact of training across mental health and alcohol and drug service systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 137-149
Author(s):  
Gavin Foster
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Dual Diagnosis ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regional Partnership ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Anecdotal feedback obtained from alcohol and drug and mental health staff across the eastern metropolitan region of Melbourne, Australia suggests that attitudes towards working with people experiencing a dual diagnosis are becoming more positive. The purpose of this paper is to understand if dual diagnosis-specific training delivered to staff within mental health and alcohol and other drug services was a factor positively influencing attitudes. Design/methodology/approach No formal evaluation assessing the impact of dual diagnosis-specific training on staff attitudes had previously occurred within this region of Australia. Access to staff on two occasions from three distinct sectors provided an opportunity to examine if and, to what degree, attitudes can be influenced by dual diagnosis-specific training. Using a co-designed attitudes survey, information was gathered from mental health and alcohol and drug staff on their attitudes to working with people with co-occurring mental health and substance use problems. Findings Two surveys were conducted involving 186 staff in 2012 and 110 staff in 2016. The dual diagnosis attitudes survey showed that positive attitudes to working with people experiencing a dual diagnosis were associated with recency of training. While attitudes may be improved by dual diagnosis training, these findings cannot exclude the impact of other dual diagnosis capacity building activities. Originality/value This study highlights the benefits of a regional partnership between mental health and alcohol and drug services and people with lived experience of dual diagnosis and the benefit of recent co-designed dual diagnosis training on longitudinally assessed worker attitudes.

Children and war: Risk, resilience, and recovery

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 553-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmy E. Werner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Multiple Informants ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis article reviews and reflects on studies that have explored the effects of war on children around the world. Most are cross-sectional and based on self-reports. They describe a range of mental health problems, related to dose effects and to the negative impact of being a victim or witness of violent acts, threats to and loss of loved ones, prolonged parental absence, and forced displacement. The more recent the exposure to war, and the older the child, the higher was the likelihood of reported posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Especially vulnerable to long-term emotional distress were child soldiers, children who were raped, and children who had been forcibly displaced. In adulthood, war-traumatized children displayed significantly increased risks for a wide range of medical conditions, especially cardiovascular diseases. Among protective factors that moderated the impact of war-related adversities in children were a strong bond between the primary caregiver and the child, the social support of teachers and peers, and a shared sense of values. Among the few documented intervention studies for children of war, school-based interventions, implemented by teachers or locally trained paraprofessionals, proved to be a feasible and low-cost alternative to individual or group therapy. More longitudinal research with multiple informants is needed to document the trajectories of risk and resilience in war-affected children, to assess their long-term development and mental health, and to identify effective treatment approaches.

Sexual violence by occupational forces during and after World War II: influence of experiencing and witnessing of sexual violence on current mental health in a sample of elderly Austrians

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1354-1358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigitte Lueger-Schuster ◽  
Tobias M. Glück ◽  
Ulrich S. Tran ◽  
Elisabeth L. Zeilinger
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
World War ◽  
Psychological Measures ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Traumatic Distress ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTBackground: Wartime rape is an atrocity with long-lasting impacts not only on victims but whole societies. In this brief report, we present data on experience and witness of sexual violence during World War II (WWII) and subsequent time of occupation and on indicators of mental health in a sample of elderly Austrians.Methods: Interviews of 298 elderly Austrians from a larger epidemiological study on WWII traumatization were analyzed for the impact of experience and witness of sexual violence during the wartime committed by occupational forces. Interviews comprised a biographical/historical section and psychological measures (BSI, TLEQ, PCL–C). Participants were recruited in all nine provinces of Austria with respect to former zones of occupation (Western Allied/Soviet).Results: Twelve persons reported direct experience of sexual violence, 33 persons witnessed such atrocities. One third of the victims and 18.2% of the witnesses reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD full/subthreshold). Sexual violence occurred more often in the former Soviet zone. Victims and witnesses displayed higher odds of post-traumatic symptoms and symptoms of depression and phobic fear than non-victims. Furthermore, witnesses displayed higher levels of aggression compared to victims and non-witnesses.Conclusions: Our results corroborate previous findings that wartime rape has long-lasting effects over decades on current mental health and post-traumatic distress in victims and witnesses. We recommend integration of psychotraumatological knowledge on consequences of sexual violence on mental health into geriatric care and the education of dedicated personnel.

The impact of parental mental health problems on the educational outcomes of their offspring: Findings from the Raine Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110256
Author(s):  
Getinet Ayano ◽  
Ashleigh Lin ◽  
Berihun Assefa Dachew ◽  
Robert Tait ◽  
Kim Betts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Parental Mental Health ◽  
The Impact

Objectives: There is limited evidence on the impact of parental mental health problems on offspring’s educational outcomes. We investigated the impact of maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as paternal emotional problems on the educational outcomes of their adolescent and young adult offspring. Methods: We used data from a longitudinal birth cohort recruited between 1989 and 1991 in Australia (the Raine Study). The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale was used to assess maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms, and a self-reported question was used to measure paternal mental health problems. Both were assessed when the offspring was aged 10 years. Outcomes included offspring’s self-reported education attainment—not completing year 10 at age 17, not attending tertiary education at ages 17 and 22 and primary caregiver’s reports of offspring’s academic performance at age 17. Results: A total of 1033, 1307 and 1364 parent–offspring pairs were included in the final analysis exploring the association between parental mental health problems and offspring’s academic performance at school, completing year 10 and attending tertiary education, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, the offspring of mothers with anxiety symptoms were 3.42 times more likely than the offspring of mothers without anxiety symptoms to have poor or below-average academic performance (odds ratio = 3.42; 95% confidence interval = [1.31, 8.92]) and more than 2 times more likely to not attend tertiary education (odds ratio = 2.55; 95% confidence interval = [1.10, 5.5.88]) and not to have completed year 10 (odds ratio = 2.13; 95% confidence interval = [1.04, 4.33]). We found no significant associations between maternal depressive symptoms or paternal emotional problems and offspring educational attainment. Conclusion: Maternal anxiety symptoms, but not depression and paternal emotional problems, are associated with poor educational attainment and achievement in adolescent offspring. The findings highlight that efforts to improve the outcomes of offspring of mothers with anxiety could focus on educational attainment.

scholarly journals The impact of sleep, physical activity and sedentary behaviour on symptoms of depression and anxiety before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of South African participants

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Lewis ◽  
L. C. Roden ◽  
K. Scheuermaier ◽  
F. X. Gomez-Olive ◽  
D. E. Rae ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
South African ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Screen Use

AbstractDuring lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals have experienced poor sleep quality and sleep regularity, changes in lifestyle behaviours, and heightened depression and anxiety. However, the inter-relationship and relative strength of those behaviours on mental health outcomes is still unknown. We collected data between 12 May and 15 June 2020 from 1048 South African adults (age: 32.76 ± 14.43 years; n = 767 female; n = 473 students) using an online questionnaire. Using structural equation modelling, we investigated how insomnia symptoms, sleep regularity, exercise intensity/frequency and sitting/screen-use (sedentary screen-use) interacted to predict depressive and anxiety-related symptoms before and during lockdown. We also controlled for the effects of sex and student status. Irrespective of lockdown, (a) more severe symptoms of insomnia and greater sedentary screen-use predicted greater symptoms of depression and anxiety and (b) the effects of sedentary screen-use on mental health outcomes were mediated by insomnia. The effects of physical activity on mental health outcomes, however, were only significant during lockdown. Low physical activity predicted greater insomnia symptom severity, which in turn predicted increased depressive and anxiety-related symptoms. Overall, relationships between the study variables and mental health outcomes were amplified during lockdown. The findings highlight the importance of maintaining physical activity and reducing sedentary screen-use to promote better sleep and mental health.

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