Anxiety, Perceived Stress, and Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Population Estimates of Persons Presenting to a General Practitioner in Romania

Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals are experiencing severe mental distress. Thus, during the last year, drastic changes occurred in everyday life of every human being. Following social distancing and economic insecurity, significant increases in mental health concerns (loneliness, anxiety, depression, or insomnia) have developed. The objective of this study was to explore the anxiety, perceived stress, and resilience in a population presenting at the general practitioner, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected between February and April 2021 and 440 individuals who presented to the general practitioner were evaluated. Concerning anxiety level, almost half of the respondents (49,3%, N = 217) scored above the threshold value on the anxiety scale (mild intensity 38.6%, moderate intensity 9.9%, severe intensity 0.8%). Having a low level of resilience, as well as experiencing a high level of stress, are both predictive of the occurrence of high anxiety (p < 0.001, r = −0.551 and p < 0.001, r = 0.622, respectively). Furthermore, resilience is negatively related to perceived stress (p < 0.001, r = −0.676). It is critical in the current crisis to recognize those at risk of developing mental illnesses, taking into consideration the various socioeconomic classes, as well as to maintain and improve the general public’s mental health using appropriate psychological interventions.

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Benevolence – Associations With Stress, Mental Health, and Self-Compassion at the Workplace

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.568625 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Christina Andersson ◽

Cecilia U. D. Stenfors ◽

Peter Lilliengren ◽

Stefan Einhorn ◽

Walter Osika

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Emotional Exhaustion ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Stress Symptoms ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

Pro Social Behavior

ObjectiveBenevolence is an emerging concept in motivation theory and research as well as in on pro-social behavior, which has stimulated increasing interest in studying factors that impair or facilitate benevolence and effects thereof. This exploratory study examines the associations between benevolence, stress, mental health, self-compassion, and satisfaction with life in two workplace samples.MethodsIn the first study n = 522 (38% = female, median age = 42) participants answered questionnaires regarding self-reported stress symptoms (i.e., emotional exhaustion), depressive symptoms and benevolence. In the second study n = 49 (female = 96%) participants answered questionnaires regarding perceived stress, self-compassion, anxiety, depression symptoms, and benevolence.ResultsIn study 1, measures of emotional exhaustion (r = −0.295) and depression (r = −0.190) were significantly negatively correlated with benevolence. In study 2, benevolence was significantly negatively correlated with stress (r = −0.392) and depression (r = −0.310), whereas self-compassion (0.401) was significantly positively correlated with benevolence. While correlations were in expected directions, benevolence was not significantly associated with Satisfaction with Life (r = 0.148) or anxiety (r = −0.199) in study 2.ConclusionSelf-assessed benevolence is associated with levels of perceived stress, exhaustion, depression, and self-compassion. Future studies are warranted on how benevolence is related to stress and mental ill health such as depression and anxiety, and if benevolence can be trained in order to decrease stress and mental ill health such as depression and anxiety in workplace settings.

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School Mental Health Education for Anxiety, Depression and Mental Illnesses in U.K. (England ^|^amp; Wales)

Anxiety Disorder Research ◽

10.14389/adr.5.39 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 39-48

Author(s):

Yasutaka Ojio ◽

Yuko Kitagawa ◽

Misato Matamura ◽

Tsukasa Sasaki ◽

Fumiharu Togo

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Education ◽

School Mental Health ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Mental Health Education ◽

Anxiety Depression

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Early indicators and risk factors associated with mental health problems during COVID-19 quarantine: Is there a relationship with the number of confirmed cases and deaths?

International Journal of Social Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0020764020966020 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002076402096602

Author(s):

Héctor Badellino ◽

María Emilia Gobbo ◽

Eduardo Torres ◽

María Emilia Aschieri

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Health Problems ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Strong Impact ◽

Anxiety Depression

Background: On March 20 2020, the Argentine Ministry of Health enforced a mandatory quarantine throughout the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims: The object of this study is to determine the initial impact on mental health of Argentine population, by measuring the prevalence of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and self-perceived stress and by determining the associated risk factors, and to analyze that impact in relation to the number of confirmed cases and deaths. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted through a digital questionnaire, which was completed by 1,985 respondents between March 29 and April 12. The prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia was measured with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale (GAD-7), the 9-Item Patients Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9); the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. Results: The 62.4% of the surveyed population reported signs of psychological distress. It was found that being a woman, being 18 to 27 years old, living with family members or a partner, smoking, and having a poor sleep quality were the significant risk factors. Conclusion: Despite the low number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths at that time, a strong impact on mental health indicators was revealed. The authors of this study recommend the monitoring of the population at risk over time and early interventions in order to avoid long-lasting mental health problems.

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Experience of clinical services shapes attitudes to data sharing

10.1101/2021.02.02.21251041 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

E.J. Kirkham ◽

S. M. Lawrie ◽

C.J. Crompton ◽

M.H. Iveson ◽

N. D. Jenkins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Personal Experience ◽

Public Support ◽

Mental Health Research ◽

Health Data ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

High Level

AbstractBackgroundRoutinely-collected mental health data could deliver novel insights for mental health research. However, patients’ willingness to share their mental health data remains largely unknown. We investigated factors influencing likelihood of sharing these data for research purposes amongst people with experience of mental illness.MethodsWe collected responses from a population-representative UK sample of National Health Service (NHS) users (n = 2187) of which about half (n = 1087) had lifetime experience of mental illness. Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the influence of demographic factors, clinical service experience, and primary mental illness on willingness to share mental health data, contrasted against physical health data.ResultsThere was a high level of willingness to share mental (89.7%) and physical (92.8%) health data for research purposes. Higher levels of satisfaction with the NHS were associated with greater willingness to share mental health data. Furthermore, people with personal experience of mental illness were more willing than those without to share mental health data, once the effect of NHS satisfaction had been controlled for. Of the mental illnesses recorded, people with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), personality disorder or bipolar disorder were significantly more likely to share their mental health data than people without mental illness.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that positive experiences of health services and personal experience of mental illness are associated with greater willingness to share mental health data. NHS satisfaction is a potentially modifiable factor that could foster public support for increased use of NHS mental health data in research.

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TWO FACETS OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE, THE FIVE-FACTOR MODEL, AND PROMOTIONS AMONG IRANIAN MANAGERS

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.2004.32.8.769 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 32 (8) ◽

pp. 769-776 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Nima Ghorbani ◽

P. J. Watson

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Factor Model ◽

Five Factor Model ◽

Incremental Validity ◽

Research Attention ◽

Self Knowledge ◽

Attributional Complexity ◽

Knowledge Scale ◽

Anxiety Depression

Reflective and Experiential Self-Knowledge Scales were administered to Iranian managers along with measures of the Five Factor Model, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and attributional complexity. Experiential Self-Knowledge correlated positively with the number of promotions earned by these managers. Both scales were associated with higher levels of Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, and Extraversion and, in general, with greater self-reported mental health. Each Self-Knowledge Scale displayed evidence of incremental validity. These data confirmed that the Reflective and Experiential Self-Knowledge Scales deserve additional research attention.

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Association of Sedentary Behavior With Anxiety, Depression, and Suicide Ideation in College Students

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2020.566098 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Liyuan Jiang ◽

Yong Cao ◽

Shuangfei Ni ◽

Xiang Chen ◽

Minxue Shen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

College Students ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Dose Response ◽

Suicide Ideation ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Mediation Effect ◽

Anxiety Depression

Objectives: To investigate the association of sedentary behavior with anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation in multi-centered college students in China.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of the first-year college student population. The students underwent a questionnaire survey inquiring about sedentary behavior (hours per day) and physical activity (minutes per week) during the past year. Anxiety, depression, and sleep quality were measured by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-2), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. Mixed models were used to estimate the associations, and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) were presented as the effect size. Mediation effect analysis was conducted to test the mediation effect of PSQI.Results: A total of 28,298 participants (response rate: 82%) completed the survey and were included in the final analyses. Crude and adjusted estimates consistently showed that both sedentary behavior and physical activity were significantly associated with mental illnesses. Sedentary behavior was positively associated with anxiety, depression, and suicidal behavior in a dose-response manner (AOR: 0.54–0.24; ≥7 h/day as reference), independent from the effect of physical activity (AOR: 0.78–0.41; no physical activity as reference). The association of sedentary behavior with mental health was partly mediated by sleep quality (25–71%).Conclusions: There is an independent dose-response association of sedentary behavior with mental well-being among college students in China, and this association may be partially attributable to impaired sleep quality. Attention should be drawn and actions should be taken by college educators and mental health providers.

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Correlates of emotional intelligence among Lebanese adults: the role of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, alcohol use disorder, alexithymia and work fatigue

BMC Psychology ◽

10.1186/s40359-021-00525-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sahar Obeid ◽

Chadia Haddad ◽

Kassandra Fares ◽

Diana Malaeb ◽

Hala Sacre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Emotional Intelligence ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Social Phobia ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Physical Work ◽

Study Results ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

Cluster 2

Abstract Background Relationship between emotional intelligence and emotional variables such as stress, depression, anxiety and mental health has been well documented in child and adult samples. New insights into the association between emotional intelligence and different components of mental health in one study (cognitive, emotional and behavioral dimensions) can help patients, therapists, relatives, and friends to understand, explain, and cope with symptoms. There have been no studies assessing the association between the emotional intelligence (EI) with various factors in Lebanon. This study principal aim was to evaluate how EI is related to mental health issues: social anxiety, depression, alcohol use disorders (AUD), work fatigue, stress and alexithymia in Lebanon. Methods 789 participants were enrolled in a cross-sectional study between November 2017 and March 2018. A cluster analysis was used to evaluate participants’ profiles with the help of emotional intelligence subscales, to separate the Lebanese population into equal limited units with different characteristics using the K-mean technique. Results Three clusters were computed dividing participants into low EI (cluster 1; 24.5%), moderate EI (cluster 2; 43.7%) and high EI (cluster 3; 31.7%) respectively. Fitting into the cluster 1 (low EI) was significantly associated with higher AUD, alexithymia, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, social phobia, emotional, mental and physical work fatigue, suicidal ideation compared to cluster 3 (high EI). Fitting into the cluster 2 (moderate EI) was significantly correlated with higher AUD, depression, alexithymia, anxiety, perceived stress, social phobia, mental work fatigue and suicidal ideation compared to cluster 3 (high EI). Conclusion This study results suggest that emotional intelligence is related to different variables, warranting interventions to limit/decrease alcohol abuse and mental/psychological illnesses as much possible.

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Evaluation of the Perception of Stress in University Students: Implications for Symptoms and Health Complaints and Nutritional Habits

Journal of Education ◽

10.1177/0022057420969427 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002205742096942

Author(s):

Fagner Luiz Pacheco Salles ◽

Denise Maciel Ferreira ◽

Priscila da Silva Bozi ◽

Maria Aparecida Furtado ◽

Joyce Favalessa Mai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Status ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Public Universities ◽

Health Complaints ◽

Nutritional Habits ◽

University Courses ◽

High Level ◽

The University ◽

Precise Assessment

Health education is seen as highly difficult and challenging, due to the high level of stress observed in students. The precise assessment of perceived stress becomes important for understanding the students’ profile as well as their nutritional habits during the university period. The aim of the analysis described in this article is to assess the associations between mental health, self-reported symptoms/health complaints, and nutritional habits in health students. Our findings suggest using it in other contexts such as public universities and other university courses to assess students’ mental health status and food intake

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Effects of a mobile health intervention on activities of stress self-management for workers: A randomized controlled trial

10.21203/rs.3.rs-988972/v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Young Joo Lee

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Stress Management ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Work Engagement ◽

Health Intervention ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

Self Management ◽

Control Group ◽

Anxiety Depression

Abstract Background: Mobile health interventions are being widely tried because of their attractive advantages. However, there is not enough evidence for its effectiveness. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of mobile app-based stress management intervention (mSMI) on highly stressed workers. Methods: A sample of 82 white-collar workers with elevated symptoms of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale-10≥22) were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The mSMI consisted of three modules: self-management including a work diary, counseling based on cognitive behavioral therapy and interventions focused on music, meditation, relaxation and image healings. Self-report data were collected the baseline and post-intervention. Study outcomes were perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and work engagement. Data were assessed using analysis of covariance with covariates. Results: There was significantly reduced perceived stress from baseline to 6 weeks in mSMI (t=5.788, p<.001) and control group (t=3.184, p=.003). After adjusting for covariates, the between-group difference in the perceived stress was significantly different (F=4.051, p=.048); however, the effect size was small. There was no significant intervention effect on anxiety, depression, and work engagement. The process evaluation indicated that most participants (85.3%) were satisfied with the intervention and their mental health benefited. Conclusion: This study found that mobile health intervention facilitated stress management for highly stressed workers. Further studies should address job-related outcomes and mental health symptoms in workers by applying the latest information technology and addressing the limitations of mobile interventions. Trial Registration: Not applicable.

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Effects of a mobile health intervention on activities of stress self-management for workers: A randomized controlled trial

10.21203/rs.3.rs-988972/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Young Joo Lee

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Stress Management ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Work Engagement ◽

Health Intervention ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

Self Management ◽

Control Group ◽

Anxiety Depression

Abstract Background: Mobile health interventions are being widely tried because of their attractive advantages. However, there is not enough evidence for its effectiveness. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of mobile app-based stress management intervention (mSMI) on highly stressed workers.Methods: A sample of 82 white-collar workers with elevated symptoms of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale-10≥22) were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The mSMI consisted of three modules: self-management including a work diary, counseling based on cognitive behavioral therapy and interventions focused on music, meditation, relaxation and image healings. Self-report data were collected the baseline and post-intervention. Study outcomes were perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and work engagement. Data were assessed using analysis of covariance with covariates.Results: There was significantly reduced perceived stress from baseline to 6 weeks in mSMI (t=5.788, p<.001) and control group (t=3.184, p=.003). After adjusting for covariates, the between-group difference in the perceived stress was significantly different (F=4.051, p=.048); however, the effect size was small. There was no significant intervention effect on anxiety, depression, and work engagement. The process evaluation indicated that most participants (85.3%) were satisfied with the intervention and their mental health benefited.Conclusion: This study found that mobile health intervention facilitated stress management for highly stressed workers. Further studies should address job-related outcomes and mental health symptoms in workers by applying the latest information technology and addressing the limitations of mobile interventions.Trial Registration: Not applicable.

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