scholarly journals Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health in Peru: Psychological Distress

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 691
Author(s):  
Carlos Ruiz-Frutos ◽  
Juan Carlos Palomino-Baldeón ◽  
Mónica Ortega-Moreno ◽  
María del Carmen Villavicencio-Guardia ◽  
Adriano Dias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Prompt Action ◽  
Latin American Countries

This pandemic has been classified as a “psychological pandemic” that produces anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleep disorders. As the mental health effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, continue to unfold, there are still large knowledge gaps about the variables that predispose individuals to, or protect individuals against the disease. However, there are few publications on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of citizens in Latin American countries. In this study, the effects that COVID-19 had on citizens of Peru have been described. For this, 1699 questionnaires, collected between 2 April and 2 September 2020, were analyzed. Descriptive, bivariate analysis was performed with odds ratio (OR) calculations and a data mining methodology. Sociodemographic variables (from the General Health Questionnaire), health conditions and perception, symptoms, and variables related to contact and preventive measures regarding COVID-19 were analyzed. As compared to other countries, less affectation of mental health and increased use of preventive measures were observed. It has been suggested that the country’s precarious health system and poverty rates prior to the pandemic may justify higher mortality figures in Peru than in other Latin American countries, despite prompt action for its containment and compliance with the protective measures. Psychological distress had a greater incidence in women, young people, people without a partner, and people without university studies. The most significant conditioning variables were self-perceived health status, headache or muscle pain over the past 14 days, level of studies, and age. The extensive use of preventive measures against COVID-19 is in line with the strict legislative measures taken, and this is, in turn, in line with other countries when looking at the lower effect on mental health, but contrary when focusing on the high lethality identified. The need to include the economy or availability and quality of healthcare in future studies arises, as well as the suitability to analyze the cause for differences between countries.

scholarly journals Psychological distress during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador: Cross-sectional study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257661
Author(s):  
Juan Gómez-Salgado ◽  
Ingrid Adanaque-Bravo ◽  
Mónica Ortega-Moreno ◽  
Regina Allande-Cussó ◽  
Cristian Arturo Arias-Ulloa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
System Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Probabilistic Sampling ◽  
Cultural Variables

Background The effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on the mental health of citizens from Asia, Europe, or North America begin to be known, but there are fewer publications on its effects in Latin American countries. In this study, its impact in Ecuador is described, with data collected during the first phase of the pandemic. The objective of this study was to analyse the level of psychological distress in the population of Ecuador during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and findings Cross-sectional observational study. The questionnaires were collected through an online self-developed questionnaire, between April 2 and May 17, 2020, using the non-probabilistic sampling methodology: snowball method. The variables considered were sociodemographic variables, physical symptoms, health status, COVID-19 contact history, preventive measures, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The percentage with high psychological distress (PD) (GHQ-12 ≥ 3) has been somewhat lower than that found in Europe, being women, young people, people with higher level of education, living without a partner, not living with children or children under 16 years of age, and with worse perception of health the groups with the highest PD. Differences have been observed with European studies regarding common symptoms, preventive measures to avoid contagion, percentage of infected relatives, or diagnostic tests performed. Conclusions The use of the same research instrument, validated in Europe and adapted to Ecuador, has facilitated the comparison of the found results and differences, which can be explained by socio-economic or cultural variables, the health system, level of information, or by preventive measures put in place to prevent the pandemic.

scholarly journals A Cross Sectional Study on the Mental Health Impacts of Covid-19 Pandemic in a Sample of Nigerian Urban Dwellers

2021 ◽  
pp. 28-36
Author(s):  
Friday E. Okwaraji ◽  
Godwin C. Onyebueke
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Corona Virus ◽  
And Gender

Aim:  Corona virus disease (COVID-19) is caused by a new type of corona virus first discovered in China in 2019; hence the name COVID-19. Some of its symptoms include cough, fever, and breathing difficulty. In severe cases the disease can lead to death.  This study looked at the mental health impacts of COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of Nigerian urban dwellers. Study Design: This is a descriptive cross sectional design. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in Enugu metropolis between the months of January and February 2021. Methodology: Using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), The Short Screening Scale for Post traumatic stress disorder, The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2) this study investigated the mental health impacts of COVID-19 pandemic among 520 Nigerian urban dwellers. Results: Results shows that 29.2%; 13.1% and 1.9% had mild, moderate and sever depressive symptoms respectively. Equally 21.9%, 13.3% and 5.4% had mild, moderate and severe anxiety symptoms respectively. Furthermore 37.3% showed signs of psychological distress just as 24.8% manifested symptoms of PTSD. Results further revealed significant associations between psychological distress and gender; PTSD and gender as well as anxiety and gender respectively.  Conclusion:  Following the high level of mental health impacts of Covid-19 pandemic noticed among the subjects who took part in the study, it was therefore recommended that psychological testing and psychotherapy be included in the routine testing and management of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

scholarly journals Mental health of UK military personnel while on deployment in Iraq

2010 ◽  
Vol 197 (5) ◽  
pp. 405-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Mulligan ◽  
Norman Jones ◽  
Charlotte Woodhead ◽  
Mark Davies ◽  
Simon Wessely ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Psychological Problem ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Perceived Leadership ◽  
Unit Cohesion

BackgroundMost research on the mental health of UK armed forces personnel has been conducted either before or after deployment; there is scant evidence concerning personnel while they are on deployment.AimsTo assess the mental health of UK armed forces personnel deployed in Iraq and identify gaps in the provision of support on operations.MethodPersonnel completed a questionnaire about their deployment experiences and health status. Primary outcomes were psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire–12, GHQ–12), symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and self-rating of overall health.ResultsOf 611 participants, 20.5% scored above the cut-off on the GHQ–12 and 3.4% scored as having probable PTSD. Higher risk of psychological distress was associated with younger age, female gender, weaker unit cohesion, poorer perceived leadership and non-receipt of a pre-deployment stress brief. Perceived threat to life, poorer perceived leadership and non-receipt of a stress brief were risk factors for symptoms of PTSD. Better self-rated overall health was associated with being a commissioned officer, stronger unit cohesion and having taken a period of rest and recuperation. Personnel who reported sick for any reason during deployment were more likely to report psychological symptoms. Around 11% reported currently being interested in receiving help for a psychological problem.ConclusionsIn an established operational theatre the prevalence of common psychopathology was similar to rates found in non-deployed military samples. However, there remains scope for further improving in-theatre support mechanisms, raising awareness of the link between reporting sick and mental health and ensuring implementation of current policy to deliver pre-deployment stress briefs.

scholarly journals Mental Health Burden of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Healthcare Workers in Four Latin American Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 004695802110610
Author(s):  
Roberto Ariel Abeldaño Zuñiga ◽  
Hugo Juanillo-Maluenda ◽  
María Alejandra Sánchez-Bandala ◽  
Graciela Verónica Burgos ◽  
Silvina Andrea Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Spanish Version ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Health Burden ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Latin American Countries

The aim of the study was to assess the mental health burden of the COVID-19 pandemic in healthcare workers in four Latin American countries in 2020. An online survey was carried out with 1721 participants from Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico in 2020. A non-probabilistic convenience sampling method was used to recruit voluntary participants. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were assessed with the SPRINT-E scale, Perceived Discrimination was assessed with a Spanish version of the scale developed by Molero, and anxiety toward death was assessed with the Spanish version of the Templer scale. All instruments were assessed for internal consistency. The overall frequency of post-traumatic stress symptoms was 23.9%. The frequency by countries was 26.4% in Argentina, 29.8% in Chile, 19.9 in Colombia, and 23.8% in Mexico. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were associated with individual subtle discrimination, anxiety toward the death of the elderly, lack of Personal Protective Equipment, and exposition to the death. The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a mental health burden on health workers in the countries included in the study, not only due to the implications of the disease in the face of exposure to death, but also due to institutional conditions and in which they carry out their work.

Mental Health Status of a Latin American Community in New South Wales

1996 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert McDonald ◽  
Carmen Vechi ◽  
Jenny Bowman ◽  
Robert Sanson-Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
New South ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Threshold Score ◽  
Hunter Region

Objective: To determine the levels and predictors of psychological distress within a Latin American community in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. Method: Participants (n=184) were interviewed in their homes by a bilingual interviewer using a specially prepared questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results: Of the 13 independent variables examined, two demographic and two immigrant-related variables were significantly associated with an above-threshold score: marital status, employment status, perceived discrimination, and dissatisfaction with life in Australia. Conclusions: Compared to results from other community surveys, the levels of psychological distress within this Latin American community appear to be relatively high.

scholarly journals Psychological distress among adult urban population of Puducherry

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 3265
Author(s):  
Murugan N. ◽  
Amit Kumar Mishra ◽  
Ramesh Chand Chauhan ◽  
Velavan A.
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Systematic Random Sampling ◽  
Study Population

Background: A large proportion of population in the community with psychological distress goes unnoticed. This study was done to assess the psychological distress among adult population of an urban area of Puducherry.Methods: The study was conducted among 569 individuals of age 18 years and above. Systematic random sampling method was used to select the households in the study area and from each household one adult was randomly selected. The General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) was used to assess the psychological distress among the study participants.Results: Majority of the participants had low psychological distress (60.5%) followed by typical (19.3%), more than typical (10%), evidence of psychological distress (6.2%) & severe distress (4%). One-fifth (20.2%) of the participants had psychological distress which needs attention. The mental health status of the participants was significantly associated with the age, sex, marital status, religion and education (p<0.05).Conclusions: The psychological distress is a major public health problem in the study population. Focused interventions to improve the mental health of population are required to decrease the mental distress in the community. 

scholarly journals Clinical decisions and stigmatizing attitudes towards mental health problems in primary care physicians from Latin American countries

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. e0206440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel O. Rojas Vistorte ◽  
Wagner Ribeiro ◽  
Carolina Ziebold ◽  
Elson Asevedo ◽  
Sara Evans-Lacko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Clinical Decisions ◽  
Stigmatizing Attitudes ◽  
Latin American Countries

Health Strategies in Latin America for the Elderly in relation to COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 128 (S2) ◽  
pp. S301-S311
Author(s):  
Nidia Bonilla ◽  
Lorena Cudris ◽  
Beatriz Mendoza ◽  
Andrés Gamboa ◽  
Jesús Forgiony-Santos5
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Latin American Countries ◽  
Vulnerable Population Groups

Introduction: The quarantine measures adopted because of the COVID-19 pandemic have involved the design and implementation of health programs to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and to understand the mental health implications for the elderly, one of the most vulnerable population groups. Objective: To characterize the strategies and programs implemented by Latin American countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on the older population. Methods: Forty-five documents were reviewed including scientific articles, decrees, and guidelines issued by the Ministries of Health of 13 Latin American countries under the search criteria, COVID 19, health, and older adults. Results: Strategies were implemented according to the stages and levels of incidence of the pandemic, the most vulnerable groups were protected in the case of the elderly aged 60 or 65. It allowed classifying the countries according to the objective of their health actions focused on prevention, promotion, rehabilitation, and recovery of the patient. Discussion: The health services have been reoriented by prioritizing the increase of health promotion and disease prevention through information, education, and communication strategies. Conclusions: The health emergency decreed by the countries did not prioritize strategies or policies against the emotional and mental aspects, and the subsequent affectations of social isolation that test the strategies and psychological resources of the new normality.

scholarly journals A Survey of Psychological Symptoms One Month Post Discharge in Patients Infected with COVID 19

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (34) ◽  
pp. 2884-2887
Author(s):  
Ajay Kumar Joopaka ◽  
Molanguri Umashankar ◽  
Pingali Srilakshmi ◽  
Pradeep Sharma Telkapalli ◽  
Chinni Krishna Banoth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Corona virus disease or the (COVID 19) has caused mental health problems in the general population, in people infected and hospitalised for the disease and in patients who have recovered from the disease physically but continue to suffer from lingering mental health problems. Studies have shown stress, depression, and anxiety in one third of the survivors. Similarly post-traumatic stress disorder has been reported to be around 13 % in the survivors of COVID 19. In this study, we wanted to assess the psychological symptoms in the survivors of Covid 19 patients, one month post discharge and also assess various factors associated with the same. METHODS A cross sectional telephonic survey of the patients one month following discharge was done to understand the psychological problems. Sociodemographic data was recorded on a semi structured proforma, whereas psychological distress was recorded on patient health questionnaire - 4 (PHQ - 4) and the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was screened for by the impact of event scale revised (IES - R). RESULTS Of the 200 patients evaluated, 46.8 % scored above 20 on the impact of event scale which was considered to be a positive screen for post-traumatic stress disorder. Moderate psychological distress was reported by 10.5 % and severe by 7.5 % as measured by PHQ - 4. Being married, having other family members effected by the infection and deaths in the family were some of the factors that were significantly associated with psychological distress and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSIONS Continued mental health support needs to be extended to members who are considered to have recovered and discharged from the hospital following the COVID 19 infection. KEY WORDS COVID 19, Psychological Symptoms, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

scholarly journals Population-level changes in the mental health of UK workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study using Understanding Society

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theocharis Kromydas ◽  
Michael J Green ◽  
Peter Craig ◽  
Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi ◽  
Alastair H Leyland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Absolute Risk ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Service Workers ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Small Employers

Objectives The COVID−19 pandemic has substantially affected workers mental health. We investigated changes in UK workers mental health by industry, social class, and occupation and differential effects by UK country of residence, gender and age. Methods We used representative Understanding Society data from 6,474 adults (41,207 observations) in paid employment who participated in pre−pandemic (2017−2020) and at least one COVID-19 survey. The outcome was psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-12; score≥4). Exposures were industry, social class and occupation and are examined separately. Mixed−effects logistic regression was used to estimate relative (OR) and absolute (%) increases in distress before and during pandemic. Differential effects were investigated for UK countries of residence (Non−England/England), gender (Male/female), and age (Younger/Older) using 3−way interaction effects. Results Psychological distress increased in relative terms most for professional, scientific and technical (OR:3.15, 95% CI 2.17−4.59) industry in the pandemic versus pre−pandemic period. Absolute risk increased most in hospitality (+11.4%). For social class, small employers/self−employed were most affected in relative and absolute terms (OR:3.24, 95% CI 2.28− 4.63; +10.3%). Across occupations Sales and customer service (OR:3.01, 95% CI 1.61− 5.62; +10.7%) had the greatest increase. Analysis with 3−way interactions showed considerable gender differences, while for UK country of residence and age results are mixed. Conclusions Psychological distress increases during the COVID−19 pandemic were concentrated among professional and technical and hospitality industries, small employers/self−employed and sales and customers service workers. Female workers often exhibited greater differences in risk by industry and occupation. Policies supporting these industries and groups are needed.

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