scholarly journals Life With Corona: Increased Gender Differences in Aggression and Depression Symptoms Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Burden in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Abreu ◽  
Anke Koebach ◽  
Oscar Díaz ◽  
Samuel Carleial ◽  
Anke Hoeffler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Situation

Gender differences (GD) in mental health have come under renewed scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic. While rapidly emerging evidence indicates a deterioration of mental health in general, it remains unknown whether the pandemic will have an impact on GD in mental health. To this end, we investigate the association of the pandemic and its countermeasures affecting everyday life, labor, and households with changes in GD in aggression, anxiety, depression, and the somatic symptom burden. We analyze cross-sectional data from 10,979 individuals who live in Germany and who responded to the online survey “Life with Corona” between October 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021. We estimate interaction effects from generalized linear models. The analyses reveal no pre-existing GD in aggression but exposure to COVID-19 and COVID-19 countermeasures is associated with sharper increases in aggression in men than in women. GD in anxiety decreased among participants with children in the household (with men becoming more anxious). We also observe pre-existing and increasing GD with regards to the severity of depression, with women presenting a larger increase in symptoms during the hard lockdown or with increasing stringency. In contrast to anxiety, GD in depression increased among participants who lived without children (women > men), but decreased for individuals who lived with children; here, men converged to the levels of depression presented by women. Finally, GD in somatic symptoms decreased during the hard lockdown (but not with higher stringency), with men showing a sharper increase in symptoms, especially when they lived with children or alone. Taken together, the findings indicate an increase in GD in mental health as the pandemic unfolded in Germany, with rising female vulnerability to depression and increasing male aggression. The combination of these two trends further suggests a worrying mental health situation for singles and families. Our results have important policy implications for the German health system and public health policy. This public health challenge requires addressing the rising burden of pandemic-related mental health challenges and the distribution of this burden between women and men, within families and for individuals who live alone.

scholarly journals Resilience, well-being, depression symptoms and concussion levels in equestrian athletes

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika McGivern ◽  
Stephen Shannon ◽  
Gavin Breslin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
History Of

Purpose This paper aims to conduct the first cross-sectional survey on depression, Resilience, well-being, depression symptoms and concussion levels in equestrian athletes and to assess whether past concussion rates were associated with depression, resilience and well-being. Design/methodology/approach In total, 511 participants from Canada, Republic of Ireland, UK, Australia and USA took part in an international cross-sectional, online survey evaluating concussion history, depression symptoms, resilience and well-being. Findings In total, 27.1% of athletes met clinically relevant symptoms of major depressive disorder. Significant differences were shown in the well-being and resilience scores between countries. Significant relationships were observed between reported history of concussion and both high depression scores and low well-being scores. Practical implications Findings highlight the need for mental health promotion and support in equestrian sport. Social implications Results support previous research suggesting a need for enhanced mental health support for equestrians. There is reason to believe that mental illness could still be present in riders with normal levels of resilience and well-being. Originality/value This study examined an understudied athlete group: equestrian athletes and presents important findings with implications for the physical and mental health of this population.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, and Perceived Stress in Postpartum Mexican Women during the COVID-19 Lockdown

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4627
Author(s):  
Blanca Vianey Suárez-Rico ◽  
Guadalupe Estrada-Gutierrez ◽  
Maribel Sánchez-Martínez ◽  
Otilia Perichart-Perera ◽  
Carolina Rodríguez-Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Postpartum Depression ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mexican Women ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression

The COVID-19 lockdown represents a new challenge for mental health researchers and clinical practitioners. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress in postpartum Mexican women. The study included 293, 4–12-week postpartum women over the age of 18. The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), Trait-State Trait Anxiety Inventory (T-STAI), and Ten Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), which are all questionnaires validated for the Mexican population, were applied using a web-based online survey. Prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the maternal age was 29.9 ± 6.3 years; the EPDS score: 11 ± 6, T-STAI score: 41.7 ± 12.3, and PSS-10 score: 17.1 ± 7. The prevalence (95% CI) of the postpartum depression symptoms was 39.2% (34–45%), trait anxiety symptoms were found among 46.1% (32–43%) of the participants, and moderate and high perceived stress were in 58% (52–64) and 10.9% (7.8–15) of the participants, respectively. The prevalence of depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety, and perceived stress was higher among postpartum Mexican women during the COVID-19 outbreak than before the lockdown. Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring perinatal mental health during pandemics and the need to design effective psychologic interventions for these patients.

scholarly journals Changes in the Health of Adolescent Athletes: A Comparison of Health Measures Collected Before and During the CoVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy A. McGuine ◽  
Kevin Biese ◽  
Scott J. Hetzel ◽  
Labina Petrovska ◽  
Stephanie Kliethermes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Adolescent Athletes ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Measures

ABSTRACT Context: In the spring of 2020, schools closed to in-person teaching and sports were cancelled to control the transmission of CoVID-19. The changes that took place to the physical and mental health among young athletes during this time remain unknown, however. Objective: Identify changes in the health (mental health, physical activity and quality of life) of athletes that occurred during the CoVID-19 pandemic. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Sample recruited via social media. Patients or Other Participants: 3243 Wisconsin adolescent athletes (age=16.2±1.2 yrs., female=58% female) completed an online survey in May 2020 (DuringCoVID-19). Health measures for this cohort were compared with previously reported data for Wisconsin adolescent athletes (n=5231, age=15.7±1.2, 47% female) collected in 2016–2018 (PreCoVID-19). Main Outcome Measure(s): Demographic information included: sex, grade and sports played. Health assessments included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item (PHQ-9) to identify depression symptoms, the Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale (PFABS) for physical activity, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL) for health related quality of life (HRQoL). Univariable comparisons of these variables between groups were made via t-tests or chi-square tests. Means and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each group were estimated by survey weighted ANOVA models. RESULTS: Compared to PreCoVID-19, a larger proportion of the During-CoVID-19 participants reported rates of moderate to severe levels of depression (9.7% vs 32.9%, p<0.001). During-CoVID-19 participants reported 50% lower (worse) PFABS scores (mean:12.2 [95%CI: 11.9, 12.5] vs 24.7 [24.5, 24.9] p<0.001) and lower (worse) PedsQL total scores compared to the PreCoVID-19 participants (78.4 [78.0, 78.8] vs. 90.9 [90.5, 91.3] p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: During the CoVID-19 pandemic, adolescent athletes reported increased symptoms of depression, decreased physical activity and decreased quality of life compared to adolescent athletes in previous years.

scholarly journals A gender comparison of the psychological distress of medical students in Nigeria during the Coronavirus pandemic: A cross-sectional survey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun Mercy Idowu ◽  
OyinOluwa Gloria Adaramola ◽  
Boluwatife Samson Aderounmu ◽  
Ifeoluwa Delight Olugbamigbe ◽  
Olaoluwa Ezekiel Dada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

AbstractBackgroundThe Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic as a large scale stressor could have negative distress on the mental health on medical students. Since gender differences in mental health may exist between males and females, it would prove interesting to see if a large scale stressor such as the pandemic will cause variances in the psychological distress between both genders.This study assessed and compared the psychological distress of COVID-19 among male and female medical students in medical schools in South-Western NigeriaMaterials and methodsA cross-sectional online survey using was carried out among 1010 medical students from three largest universities in south western Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents were purposively selected, data was obtained on participants demographic and psychological distress was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12). Data was analyzed using the SPSS version 21 statistical software, chi square was used to assess gender differences, multivariate regression analysis assessed the predictors of psychological distress among both gendersand p values less than 0.05 were considered significant.ResultsFemale medical students are at a higher risk of psychological distress compared to their male counterparts (p<0.005). Females were almost twice at risk of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic than males (OR=1.534, 95% p=0.003). Females with a positive history of mental illness were five times more at risk of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to females with no previous mental health history (OR=5.102, p=0.002)ConclusionFemales were at higher risk of psychological distress compared to male students. Gender specific interventions addressing psychological distress among medical students are recommended.

scholarly journals Mental health consequences during alerting situations and recovering to a new normal of coronavirus epidemic in 2019: a cross-sectional study based on the affected population

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Zhang ◽  
Rujun Zheng ◽  
Yan Fu ◽  
Qianqian Mu ◽  
Junying Li
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Traumatic Experience ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Targeted Interventions

Abstract Background As a major virus outbreak in the twenty-first century, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented hazards to mental health globally. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study based on the results of an online survey. The survey was conducted 1 month after the outbreak (February 18–29, 2020) and repeated at the time of resuming activity (April 8–14, 2020). The 15-item Death Anxiety Scale (T-DAS) was used to assess the degree of death anxiety, and the Chinese version of PTSD checklist-civilian version (PCL-C), for PTSD symptom clusters. Through convenient sampling, a total of 7678 cases were collected. Results Our findings showed that even after the lockdown was lifted, the prevalence of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and death anxiety remained significantly high in the general population affected by the outbreak. Regression model analysis showed that PTSD was significantly associated with age > 50 years, contact history/living community, poor health status of participants, past traumatic experience (PTE), and medical occupation. Moreover, death anxiety mediated the relationship between life-threatening PTE and PTSD, indicating that reducing death anxiety could buffer the negative effects of PTE on PTSD. Conclusions Despite the lifting of the lockdown, long-term adverse psychological effects remain in the affected general population. The management of mental health after major public health events is important, and high-risk groups such as the elderly and healthcare workers should receive targeted interventions. In addition, the study suggests that methods for alleviating death anxiety must be included in plans to manage the psychological impact of public health emergencies.

scholarly journals Gender Differences in Psychological Stress Factors of Physical Therapy Degree Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 810
Author(s):  
Alberto Bermejo-Franco ◽  
Juan Luis Sánchez-Sánchez ◽  
María Isabel Gaviña-Barroso ◽  
Beatriz Atienza-Carbonell ◽  
Vicent Balanzá-Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Physical Therapy Students ◽  
Cross Sectional

(1) Background: The aim of the study was to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental health and quality of life of male and female physical therapy students at the European University of Madrid. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted including a range of tests capturing different domains: 36-item Short Form Health Survey, six-item state version of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Three Items Loneliness Scale, four-item version of the Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory revised version, and Sleep Quality Numeric Rating Scale. (3) Results: A total of 151 students completed the study, consisting of 78 females and 73 males. Gender differences were observed on most of the domains evaluated. Female participants showed worse levels of general health perception, quality of life, depression symptoms, anxiety, stress, experiential avoidance and psychological inflexibility, sleep quality and loneliness compared to male physical therapy students. (4) Conclusions: The results of this study support the need of psychological interventions as preventive programs in situations such as COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of this study comprise of improving knowledge, awareness, and self-coping strategies or other psychological domains oriented to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on mental health and health-related quality of life in university students, especially among female ones.

scholarly journals Mental Health Point Prevalence in International Committee of the Red Cross Employees: The cases of Lebanon, Myanmar, and Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Deli ◽  
Simone Aeschlimann ◽  
Grazia Ceschi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
International Committee ◽  
Point Prevalence ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional

Like employees of any company or organization, humanitarian aid workers (HAW) are subject to mental health (MH) issues, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. MH issues can be challenging at individual and organizational levels and, ultimately, can also have adverse consequences on the people HAW try to help.The objectives of this study were to measure the point prevalence of PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms among HAW and compare the results to those found in the literature.A cross-sectional online survey was conducted on 432 International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) employees, both national and international, deployed in three countries. Results show an overall prevalence for PTSD symptoms ranging from 11.3% to 14.6%, for anxiety symptoms from 13.0% to 56.7%, and for depression symptoms from 19.9% to 41.9%. Sub-group analyses show that risk factors of developing PTSD are being national rather than international staff, being younger rather than older, and having a lower income/salary rather than a higher one. Anxiety risk factors are being a woman, not being in a relationship, working in Lebanon and Myanmar rather than Nigeria, being younger rather than older, and having a higher income/salary rather than a lower one. Depression risk factors are not being in a relationship, being national staff rather than international staff, working in Lebanon and Myanmar rather than Nigeria, being younger rather than older, and being senior rather than junior staff.Further investigation is needed to assess additional key variables in order to better pinpoint risk and protective factors, target the sub-groups most at risk, and suggest adequate psychosocial support in order to reduce MH issues prevalence.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study From Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khezar Hayat ◽  
Muhammad Arshed ◽  
Iqra Fiaz ◽  
Urooj Afreen ◽  
Faiz Ullah Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Transmission Rate ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression

Background: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly increased the rate of mortality and morbidity worldwide due to its rapid transmission rate. The mental health status of individuals could have a negative impact attributed to this global situation. Therefore, this study was intended to explore the symptoms of depression and anxiety among healthcare workers (HCWs) of Pakistan during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken by administering a web-based questionnaire between May and June 2020. Two tools, including the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), were employed to measure anxiety and depression symptoms among HCWs. The data analyses were carried out using descriptive statistics, Man Whitney, and Kruskal Wallis tests.Results: Of 1094 HCWs who participated in this online survey, 742 (67.8%) were physicians, followed by nurses (n = 277, 25.3%) and pharmacists (n = 75, 6.9%). The survey respondents had a median depression and anxiety score of 5.00 (7.00–3.00) and 8.00 (11.00–5.00), respectively. A considerable number of HCWs (82.2%) utilized online psychological resources to deal with their psychological distress. Female HCWs, nurses, frontline HCWs, and HCWs aged 30–49 years were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety (p &lt; 0.05).Conclusion: During the recent ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, there is a mild level of symptoms of depression and anxiety among HCWs. Our findings call for urgent psychological interventions for vulnerable groups of Pakistani HCWs.

scholarly journals Gender and Trust in Government Modify: The association between Mental Health and Stringency of Public Health Measures to reduce COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily O'Hara ◽  
Hanan Abdul Rahim ◽  
Zumin Shi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The Government

Introduction: Trust in government to take care of its citizens may affect mental health outcomes such as anxiety and depression, particularly as measures become more stringent. The study aimed to investigate the associations between stringency of COVID-19 social distancing policies and mental health outcomes, and the moderating effects of trust in government and gender. Methods: The study consisted of secondary analysis of publicly available cross sectional data from a global online survey COVID-19 survey conducted between 20 March and 7 April 2020. There were 106,497 adult participants (18 years of age and over) from 58 countries. The main outcome measures were indices for depression and worries. The exposure measure was the stringency index. The effect modifier measures were gender and trust in government. Multivariable regression was conducted to determine the three-way interaction between the exposure, modifier and outcome measures, adjusting for age, income and education. Results: The median age of participants (56.4% women) was 37 years. Women had higher worries and depression than men. The proportion of people trusting (44%) and distrusting (45%) the government was almost the same. Among those who strongly trusted the government, an increase in policy stringency was associated with an increase in worries. Among men who distrusted the government, an increase in policy stringency was associated with an increase in depression, but in distrusting women there was an inversed Ushaped association between policy stringency and both worries and depression. Once policies exceeded the 50-point mark on the stringency index, women benefited from the most stringent policies, yet men did not, particularly men who strongly trust or distrust the government. Conclusion: As the stringency of public health measures increases, so too do depression and worries. For safe and effective public health measures, governments should develop strategies to increase trust in their actions.

Exclusive Breastfeeding Moderates the Association Between Prenatal and Postpartum Depression

2021 ◽  
pp. 089033442199105
Author(s):  
Bárbara Figueiredo ◽  
Tiago Miguel Pinto ◽  
Raquel Costa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Postpartum Depression ◽  
Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Prenatal Depression ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Background Exclusive breastfeeding has a wide range of benefits for maternal health. However, the benefit of exclusive breastfeeding for maternal mental health needs to be further explored. Research Aim To determine the moderating role of exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months on the association between prenatal and postpartum depression. Methods This study had a prospective, longitudinal, and comparative design with two groups and three assessment waves. The sample comprised 334 participants (70 depressed and 264 non-depressed) recruited at public health services in northern Portugal. Participants completed a measure of depression symptoms between the second and the third trimester of pregnancy and between 3 and 6 months, and a measure of breastfeeding status at 3 months. Results Exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months moderated the association between prenatal and postpartum depression. Participants with prenatal depression who were exclusively breastfeeding at 3 months showed fewer symptoms of depression and lower rates of depression between 3 and 6 months postpartum, compared to participants with prenatal depression who were not exclusively breastfeeding. Participants without prenatal depression who were exclusively breastfeeding at 3 months showed similar depression symptoms and similar rates of depression between 3 and 6 months postpartum, compared to participants without prenatal depression who were not exclusively breastfeeding. Conclusion Exclusive breastfeeding has a potential protective influence on postpartum depression among women with prenatal depression. Public health policies targeting women with prenatal depression should be implemented and include practices to promote and support exclusive breastfeeding in order to enhance women’s exclusive breastfeeding and mental health.

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