scholarly journals Impact on Mental Health Due to COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study in Portugal and Brazil

Author(s):  
Lígia Passos ◽  
Filipe Prazeres ◽  
Andreia Teixeira ◽  
Carlos Martins

Mental health effects secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic were till recently considered less important or were neglected. Portugal and Brazil are facing the pandemic in quite different ways. This study aimed to describe the mental health status of the general adult population in Portugal and Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic and analyze the differences between the two countries. A cross-sectional quantitative study was based on an online questionnaire. Socio-demographic data were collected in addition to four validated scales: CAGE (acronym cut-annoyed-guilty-eye) Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-2. For each outcome, a multiple linear regression was performed. Five hundred and fifty people answered the questionnaire (435 women). The median age was 38 (Q1, Q3: 30, 47) years, 52.5% resided in Brazil and 47.5% in Portugal. The prevalence of anxiety was 71.3% (mild anxiety was present in 43.1%), the prevalence of depression was 24.7% and 23.8% of the sample had both depression and anxiety. Isolation was a significant factor for depression but not for anxiety. Well-being was below average. Mental illness was considerably higher than pre-COVID-19 levels. Portugal and Brazil will have to be prepared for future consequences of poor mental health and contribute immediate psychological support to their adult populations.

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S339-S340 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.R. Lucas ◽  
F. Daniel ◽  
S. Guadalupe ◽  
I. Massano-Cardoso ◽  
H. Vicente

IntroductionFrom a life-span developmental perspective, retirement can be considered a life event that entails a complex psychological challenge, including leaving one's professional life and organizing/enjoying the newly available free time. The literature about retirement identifies different stages and patterns of transition/adaption associated with time spent in retirement.ObjectivesTo analyze the association between time spent in retirement and subjective measures of mental health, depressive symptomatology, loneliness and satisfaction with life.MethodsQuantitative cross-sectional study with 641 participants (M = 74,86). The instruments included: sociodemographic questionnaire; mental health inventory (MHI-5); geriatric depression scale (GDS); UCLA loneliness scale; satisfaction with life scale (SWLS).ResultsStatistically significant differences in all the health and well-being variables addressed were found between subgroups of time spent in retirement (MHI-5: P = 0.001; GDS: P < 0.001; UCLA: P = 0.038; SWLS: P = 0.022). Mental health and satisfaction with life increases in the first year after retirement, but during the second year, they decrease to the levels found in pre-retirement. Loneliness and depressive symptomatology follow an inverted pattern. With the passing of years, loneliness and depression tend to increase; mental health and satisfaction with life tend to decrease.ConclusionsThe results provide support to the hypotheses of honeymoon and disenchantment phases in the recently retired and to the existence of different patterns of transition/adaptation associated with time spent in retirement. They also highlight the relevance of devising intervention strategies that enable individuals to maintain the satisfaction levels with life and mental health achieved during the first phase of retirement.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


Author(s):  
Imran Aslan ◽  
Dominika Ochnik ◽  
Orhan Çınar

Students have been highly vulnerable to mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, and researchers have shown that perceived stress and mental health problems have increased during the pandemic. The aim of this study was to reveal the prevalence of perceived stress and mental health among students during the pandemic and to explore predictors of stress levels. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 358 undergraduates from 14 universities in Turkey, including 200 female students (56%). The measurements used in the study were the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Perception of COVID Impact on Student Well-Being (CI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Physical Activity Scale (PA), and a sociodemographic survey. Students reported high perceived stress, mild generalized anxiety, and low satisfaction with life. More than half of the students met the diagnostic criteria of GAD (52%) and depression (63%). Female and physically inactive students had higher PSS-10 levels. A hierarchical linear regression model showed that after controlling for gender and negative CI, anxiety and physical inactivity significantly predicted high perceived stress. The study shows that students’ mental health during the pandemic is at high risk.


2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 488-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert Kanengoni ◽  
Christophe Nzitonda Ngarambe ◽  
Johanna Hendrina Buitendach

This cross-sectional study purposively sampled ( n = 191) church ministers from all nine South African Provinces to investigate the relationship between psychological capital, work outcomes, and well-being among the church ministers in South Africa. A psychological capital questionnaire, the Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire, organisational commitment scale, orientation to happiness scale, satisfaction with life scale, and general health questionnaire were used to collect data. The results revealed that overall psychological capital not only had a positive relationship with job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and well-being but was also predictive of the mentioned constructs. Findings from this study encourage organisations in general, and church ministry in particular, to enhance individuals’ level of psychological capacities for institutional and individual growth and thriving.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Figueiredo Costa ◽  
Igor Carmo Borges ◽  
Pedro Giavina-Bianchi ◽  
Lewis Buss ◽  
Carlos Henrique Mesquita Peres ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Healthcare workers (HW) are a vulnerable group to develop burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of this study were to evaluate the perception of HW about the antibody test, and, secondarily, the prevalence of burnout and factors associated with burnout among HW who took the test.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated burnout among HW in a 600-bed building entirely dedicated to COVID-19 inpatients care at Hospital das Clinicas (HC), located in São Paulo, Brazil. The HW answered an online questionnaire that included questions on burnout, a single-item scale based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory; demographic data, professional category, type of Protective Personal Equipment (PPE) used, distancing from social support; and emotional reactions to their serology result. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were done to evaluate the risk of burnout.Outcomes: Among 4,417 HW tested, 528 (12.0%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 1,945 answered the questionnaire. Burnout was reported by 308 (15.8%); anxiety, tenseness, and depression associated with COVID-19 were reported by 344 (17.7%); 292 (15.1%); and 181(9.3%) of the participants, respectively. The risk factors for burnout were: being a physician [adjOR:1.604;(95%CI 1.604-1.080;p=0.019)]; a physiotherapist [adjOR:2.047;(95%CI:1.285–3.261;p=0.003)]; perceiving a decrease in public safety[adjOR:1.983;(95%CI:1.229–3.199;p=0.005)]; anxiety [adjOR:2.721;(95%CI:1.812–4.085;p=<0.001)], and depression associated with COVID-19[adjOR:2.071;(95%CI:1.308–3.279;p=0.002)]; and having negative feeling towards had a previously negative SARS-CoV-2 serology[adjOR:1,989;(95%CI:1.484-2.664; p<0.001)].Interpretation: Routine serological testing was one of the strategies used in our hospital to promote the well-being of HW. We observed that those who had negative feeling regarding testing negative to COVID-19 in previous serologies were at higher risk of burnout, suggesting that the risk of contracting the disease is a major stressor for HW.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Al Banna ◽  
Abu Sayeed ◽  
Satyajit Kundu ◽  
Enryka Christopher ◽  
M Tasdik Hasan ◽  
...  

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has imposed threats on both physical andmental health since its outbreak. This study aimed to explore the impactof the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among a representativesample of home-quarantined Bangladeshi adults. A cross-sectional designwas used with an online survey completed by a convenience samplerecruited via social media. A total of 1,427 respondents were recruited,and their mental health was assessed by the DASS-21 measure. Theprevalence of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms was 33.7%and 57.9%, respectively, and 59.7% reported mild to extremely severelevels of stress. Perceptions that the pandemic disrupted life events,affected mental health, jobs, the economy and education, predictions ofa worsening situation, and uncertainty of the health care system capacitieswere significantly associated with poor mental health outcomes.Multivariate logistic regressions showed that sociodemographic factorsand perceptions of COVID-19 significantly predict mental health outcomes.These findings warrant the consideration of easily accessible lowintensitymental health interventions during and beyond this pandemic.


2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 2231-2240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Ul-Haq ◽  
D. F. Mackay ◽  
E. Fenwick ◽  
J. P. Pell

BackgroundThe evidence is conflicting as to whether body mass index (BMI) is associated with mental health and, if so, to what extent it varies by sex and age. We studied mental health across the full spectrum of BMI among the general population, and conducted subgroup analyses by sex and age.MethodWe undertook a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of the Scottish adult population. The Scottish Health Survey provided data on mental health, measured by the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ), BMI, demographic and life-style information. Good mental health was defined as a GHQ score <4, and poor mental health as a GHQ score ⩾4. Logistic regression models were applied.ResultsOf the 37 272 participants, 5739 (15.4%) had poor mental health. Overall, overweight participants had better mental health than the normal-weight group [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87–0.99, p = 0.049], and individuals who were underweight, class II or class III obese had poorer mental health (class III obese group: adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.05–1.51, p = 0.013). There were significant interactions of BMI with sex (p = 0.013) and with age (p < 0.001). Being overweight was associated with significantly better mental health in middle-aged men only. In contrast, being underweight at all ages or obese at a young age was associated with significantly poorer mental health in women only.ConclusionsThe adverse associations between adiposity and mental health are specific to women. Underweight women and young women who are obese have poorer mental health. In contrast, middle-aged overweight men have better mental health.


Author(s):  
Jerónimo J Gonzalez-Bernal ◽  
Paula Rodríguez-Fernández ◽  
Mirian Santamaría-Peláez ◽  
Josefa González-Santos ◽  
Benito León-del-Barco ◽  
...  

Life satisfaction is one of the main dimensions of well-being related to psychological factors, being essential for a person to adjust to difficult circumstances. The restrictive measures adopted to minimize the diffusion of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) could alter the subjective dimension of well-being, so the objective of this study was to determine the factors related to life satisfaction of the Spanish population during forced home confinement derived from the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was designed, based on an online survey, and disseminated through the main social networks, which included the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and sociodemographic and COVID-19-related variables. The possible relationships between the different variables were studied using univariate and multivariable regression analyses. A total of 3261 subjects participated in the study. Factors associated with greater personal life satisfaction were fewer days of home confinement (β = (−0.088); p ≤ 0.001), the perception of having received enough information (β = 0.076; p ≤ 0.001), having private access to the outside (β = 0.066; p ≤ 0.001), being employed (β = 0.063; p ≤ 0.001), being male (β = 0.057; p = 0.001) and not having been isolated (β = 0.043; p = 0.013). The results of this study provide novel information about the profiles of people related to greater well-being and life satisfaction during forced social distancing and home confinement, but more studies are needed to help to understand and complement these findings.


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. 


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Matzopoulos ◽  
Robert Morlock ◽  
Amy Morlock ◽  
Bernard Lerer ◽  
Leonard Lerer

Introduction: Popular media coverage of psychedelics use, growing research into this class of compounds for psychiatry and decriminalization initiatives, are transforming the public perception of psychedelics. However, little is known about levels of knowledge and psychedelic mushroom (PM) use among American adults.Methods: We examined PM use and various measures of health status, quality of life, and self-reported mental health outcome measures obtained through a national on-line, cross-sectional survey of adults with a demographic composition representative of the US adult population by region, gender, age, and race (weighted N = 251,297,495) from November 2020–March 2021.Results: General mental health and well-being were popular reasons for PM use (63.6%), although use for medically-diagnosed (31.8%) and self-diagnosed (19.0%) conditions was also common. PM users reported more depression and anxiety as reflected in higher GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores. Factors predictive of PM use included being male [OR 1.54 95%CI 1.09–2.15] and having higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores [OR 1.42; 95%CI 1.22–1.65]. Self-reported PM use was less likely among participants with health insurance [OR = 0.50 (0.35–0.72)], increased age [OR = 0.92 (0.90–0.93)] and, relative to those living in the west US census region, living in the northeast [OR = 0.27 (0.15–0.50)], midwest [OR = 0.34 (0.20–0.56)], and south [OR = 0.38 (0.26–0.55)].Discussion and Conclusions: A significant number of Americans are already “self-medicating” with PM and as growing positive media coverage of psychedelics drives public interest in the health benefits of PM, this number will increase. The association between PM use and poor mental health requires further research to inform policy.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Choe Chai Tan ◽  
Kuan Siew Khor ◽  
Pei Boon Ooi

Abstract BackgroundDepression, anxiety, and stress are ranked among the top mental health concerns faced by undergraduate students. The transition to higher education coincides with the new social environment and adaptation that has potential to increase mental illness.AimsIn this cross-sectional study, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale and Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire were used to examine depression, anxiety, stress, interpersonal needs, and satisfaction with life among 430 undergraduate students in two private universities in Malaysia.MethodThis study conducted hierarchical regression analysis to show that thwarted belongingness accentuates the negative relationship between stress and satisfaction with life.ResultsThe study also showed that students, who reported higher perceived burdensomeness, appeared to be less than satisfied in life, but there is a positive relationship between (i) depression and (ii) anxiety with satisfaction with life.ConclusionsFindings and suggestions for mental health practitioners, researchers and teaching staff, are put forward.


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