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 ◽  
...  

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]

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Tasdik Hasan

Background: Depression is a major morbidity and the most common mental disorder among the medical students in medical schools globally. Undergraduate students suffer stress more due to their academic curriculum than the students of other faculties. In low resource settings like Bangladesh, there is a dearth in research on mental health of undergraduate medical students. This pilot study was conducted to add to the existing limited evidence by reporting the prevalence of depression, describing sleeping pattern &amp; suicidal tendencies among medical students. Relevantly, we have investigated to the overall mental health status among the medical students in Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in two medical colleges of Dhaka in between July 2013 to December 2013, among 221 Bangladeshi medical students from first to fifth year. By convenient sampling technique, data were collected by a pretested, structured, self-administered questionnaire and analysis was done by SPSS 18.0 version. Depression were assessed by validated PHQ-9 tool among the respondents. Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used for assessing overall mental health status. Results: Depression was found in 38.9% of participants with 3.6%, 14.5%, 20.8% of being either severe, moderate and mild depression respectively. 17.6% medical students had suicidal tendency or attempted suicide at least for once after attending medical school. The sleeping hours were inadequate and altered after starting this stressful academic course. 33.5% medical students had poor mental health status. There was a statistically significant association between poor mental health status with age group of less than 22 years and initial academic study year (1st to 3rd of MBBS).Conclusion: The findings are suggestive of a higher prevalence of depression among early year medical students and marginal predominance in males. Suicidal tendency is also higher. These calls for further investigation with situation analysis, qualitative explorations and surveys to explore the burden of such disorders in Bangladesh.


Author(s):  
Hari Krishnan R. ◽  
Hanitha Rajasekar ◽  
Suganthi S.

Background: The whole world became still, when a major pandemic COVID-19 started its toll across all developed and developing countries. It has caused both physical and emotional disturbances among all age groups. This study was done to evaluate the parental mental health in COVID-19 as this group is not given much importance. The major mental health problems associated with COVID-19 among parents are due to online classes which has caused depression, anxiety and stress.Methods: A cross-sectional study done among all parents, especially those of whose children are attending online class were included in the study. Convenient sampling was used to select 204 participants, GHQ 12 questionnaire was used for data collection on mental health status among parents.Results: Overall prevalence of parents with better mental health <19 was 108 (52.9%) and prevalence of parents with poor mental health >19 was 96 (47.1%).Conclusions: This study concluded that parental age of 31 to 40 years who are employed and have children studying in primary school to have a poor mental health status. The most important contributing factors for poor parental health were online classes for children and work place stress.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
David R. Axon ◽  
Jonathan Chien

Poor mental health is common among older adults with pain, resulting in high economic burden and impaired quality of life. This retrospective, cross-sectional database study aimed to identify characteristics associated with good mental health status among United States (US) adults aged ≥50 years with self-reported pain in the last four weeks using a weighted sample of 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data. Hierarchical multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify statistically significant predictors of good (versus poor) perceived mental health status. From a weighted population of 57,074,842 individuals, 85.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 84.4%, 86.7%) had good perceived mental health. Good mental health was associated most strongly with physical health status (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 9.216, 95% CI = 7.044, 12.058). Employed individuals were 1.7 times more likely to report good mental health versus unemployed (AOR = 1.715, 95% CI = 1.199, 2.452). Individuals who had completed less than high school education (AOR = 0.750, 95% CI = 0.569, 0.987) or who reported having a limitation (AOR = 0.513, 95% CI = 0.384, 0.684) were less likely to report good mental health. These key characteristics can be utilized to predict mental health status, which may be investigated to better manage concurrent pain and poor mental health.


Author(s):  
Masatoshi Tahara ◽  
Yuki Mashizume ◽  
Kayoko Takahashi

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 737-739
Author(s):  
Ergang Zhu ◽  
Jun Sun ◽  
Tianhua Du

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to confirm the relationship between low-intensity exercise and physical and mental health status among college students in China. METHODS This was a school-based cross-sectional study. The physical and mental health status was measured using a 12-item general health questionnaire(GHQ12) and low-intensity exercise was recorded by a self-reporting questionnaire. RESULTS The results revealed that the score of the GHQ12 was inversely associated with a higher frequency of low-intensity exercise (r=-0.38,p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that low-intensity exercise may be a proper mean for improving the physical and mental health status of college students. School departments should take measures to push students to take part in physical activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-120
Author(s):  
Namrata Puntambekar ◽  
Maruti B Desai ◽  
Ashwini Kanade ◽  
Mangesh S Pednekar

Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) has become a pandemic affecting health and wellbeing worldwide. In addition to the physical health, economic, and social implications, the psychological impacts of this pandemic are increasingly being reported in the scientific literature. Individuals with certain pre-existing comorbidities have been identified as a high-risk group for fatalities of COVID-19 infection. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the association of COVID-19 symptoms and the presence of comorbidities with the mental health of the population during this pandemic. Method: A cross-sectional web-based online study was conducted from 13thJune to 31stJuly 2020 and link was circulated using social media platforms. Participants were of age ≥18 and residents of India were included. HERO’s scale was used to assess the mental health status. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine associations. Results: Out of 1021 eligible individuals (460-females, 561-males), 15.2% females and 11.2% males reported poor mental health status. The COVID-19 symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, fever, and sore throat were associated with poor mental health among males, while only nausea, vomiting was associated among females. Also, the presence of any one or more comorbidities was associated with poor mental health across gender. Conclusion: Poor mental health was reported by both genders across the study population. Comorbidities and COVID-19 symptoms were significantly associated with poor mental health among males than females. These findings strongly support the need for an infrastructure to comprehend the gender-specific mental well-being as a core component of health across all the sections of Indian society. 


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 356-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afiong Oku ◽  
Oboko Oku ◽  
Eme Owoaje ◽  
Emmanuel Monjok

BACKGROUND: The mental health status of medical students has been proven to be poor compared to their peers in other disciplines and has led to grave personal and professional consequences. This subject has however remained largely unexplored in our medical school.AIM: The study was therefore conducted to assess the prevalence of mental health of medical students in the University of Calabar, Cross river state, Nigeria.METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of 451 randomly selected medical students from the pre-clinical and clinical levels of study in the University of Calabar. A self administered questionnaire including the GHQ12 was used to elicit information from the respondents. A score of ≥ 3 suggested poor mental while a score < 3 represented good mental health. Data were summarized using proportions, and c2 test was used to explore associations between categorical variables. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05.RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 23.4 ± 4.3 years, 63.8% were males, 34.8% were from the preclinical and 65.2% from clinical levels of study. Based on the GHQ categorisation, 39.2% had a poor mental health status, compared to 60.8% with good mental health status. The factors significantly associated with poor mental health, were recent experience of mistreatment by trainers or colleagues, perceived inadequate monthly allowance and perception that medical training is stressful (p < 0.05).  CONCLUSION: With more than a third of undergraduate medical trainees with traits of poor mental health, provision of accessible mental health services/counselling is strongly recommended early in their training.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S293-S293
Author(s):  
Chathurie Suraweera ◽  
Iresha Perera ◽  
Priyanka Rupasinghe ◽  
Janith Galhenage

AimsThe aim of this study was to describe and compare the mental health status of doctors and medical undergraduates in selected institutions during COVID-19 pandemic.MethodA cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among doctors working in major tertiary care hospitals two of which, risk is unpredictable and high, the other where all patients are positive for COVID-19 and among medical undergraduates. The doctors were selected using disproportionate stratified sampling and medical undergraduates using stratified cluster sampling. Data were gathered using a Google form containing socio-demographic details, perception on the pandemic and the General Health Questionnaire-12(GHQ-12).ResultThere were 468 participants in the study and among them 243(51.9%) were doctors. Mean age of the doctors’ is 34.54(SD = 7.43) years and more than half (50.06%) were in post graduate training. Majority were worried about their health (65%) and their loved one's health (90.1%). Among doctors 220(90.5%) felt that they have moderate or higher risk of acquiring COVID-19 and 15.6% would not have worked due to the risk. According to GHQ-12, 182(74%) doctors were psychologically distressed (mean GHQ = 12.64, SD = 4.54) and it was significantly associated with age less than 35 years (p = 0.039) and worry about interruption of their daily routines(p = 0.010).The mean age of 225 medical undergraduates was 25.20 (SD = 1.34) years and 176(78.2%) of the participants were psychologically distressed (mean GHQ = 14.32, SD = 6.67). Majority (59.11%) believed that they are at high risk of getting COVID-19. Their distress was significantly associated with the worry about the impact of COVID-19 related restrictions on their daily routines (p = 0.000).Binomial logistic regression confirmed that doctors were distressed due to impact on their income whereas both doctors and medical undergraduates were distressed due to impact on daily routines.ConclusionNearly three quarter of both doctors and medical undergraduates were psychologically distressed during COVID-19 pandemic. The worry was due to contracting illness, financial issues and the COVID-19 regulations.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0262141
Author(s):  
Md. Rajwanul Haque ◽  
Md. Mostaured Ali Khan ◽  
Md. Mosfequr Rahman ◽  
M. Sajjadur Rahman ◽  
Shawkat A. Begum

The deadliest coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is taking thousands of lives worldwide and presents an extraordinary challenge to mental resilience. This study assesses mental health status during the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated factors among informal waste workers in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in June 2020 among 176 informal waste workers selected from nine municipalities and one city corporation in Bangladesh. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to assess respondents’ mental health. The study found that 80.6% of the individuals were suffering from psychological distress; 67.6% reported anxiety and depression, 92.6% reported social dysfunction, and 19.9% reported loss of confidence. The likelihood of psychological distress (Risk ratio [RR]: 1.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.48) was significantly higher for female than male. Multiple COVID-19 symptoms of the family members (RR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.03–1.41), unawareness about COVID-19 infected neighbor (RR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.04–1.41), income reduction (RR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.06–2.41) and daily household meal reduction (RR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.03–1.73) were also found to be associated with psychological distress. These identified factors should be considered in policy-making and support programs for the informal waste workers to manage the pandemic situation as well as combating COVID-19 related psychological challenges.


Author(s):  
Neetu Singh ◽  
Jyotsna Singh

Background: Motherhood is a bliss in women’s lives and thus infertility is considered as a social stigma. In present study, we measure the effect of socio-demographic and personal factors on infertility as well as the status of social support and mental health in infertile women.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study comprising 90 infertile women and 90 women in the control group, conducted at Ram Prakash Gupta Memorial Mother and Child State Referral Centre of RMLIMS, Lucknow, India. The questionnaires used were Socio-demographic and personal characteristics, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess mental health, Perceived Social Support Questionnaire (PSSQ). To determine the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, personal characters, mental health, and social support with infertility, Chi-square test was used.Results: Age, education, and occupation had statistically significant (p<0.05) relation with infertility, high BMI, and caffeine intake also had the significant adverse effect on fertility outcomes (p<0.05). Infertility patients had poor mental health status (higher mean GHQ-12 score 20.8±4.2) and poor perceived social support (lower mean PSSQ score 29.7±7.0).Conclusions: In present study, the socio-demographic factors, lifestyle factors, social support and mental health status is associated with fertility outcomes. Their modifications have the potential to improve reproductive performances. A structured programme of education, social support, and counselling by specialist health professionals should be formulated to improve the quality of life as well as fertility outcomes in infertile patients.


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