Mental Health Well-Being and Attitudes on Mental Health Disorders among Family Physicians during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Connection with Resilience and Healthy Lifestyle

Family physicians (FPs) are exposed to high amounts of stress, and could be susceptible to the development of mental health disorders (MHD), especially after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the current study was to assess MHD history, attitudes toward MHDs and stress‑coping strategies in FPs. An additional goal was to estimate their comprehensive well-being and investigate connections with resilience and a healthy lifestyle. A total of 483 FPs submitted their responses via online survey. MHD attitudes were assessed with the according questionnaires, while burnout levels, healthy lifestyle, resilience, job and life satisfaction were estimated with validated scales. Results have shown that 32.5% of FPs disclosed positive MHD history, while 68.7% used professional help. Resilience and healthy lifestyle levels were significantly higher in MHD negative FPs (p < 0.001), while burnout levels were lower (p < 0.001). Moreover, healthy lifestyle (β = 0.03, p < 0.001) was an independent correlate of resilience, while healthy lifestyle (β= −0.35, p < 0.001, and resilience (β= −1.82, p < 0.001) were of burnout levels. Finally, resilience (OR = 0.387, p < 0.001) and healthy lifestyle (OR = 0.970, p = 0.021) were shown as independent predictors of positive MHD history status. Strong promotion and education of FP population regarding resilience and healthy lifestyle should be utilized in practice in order to alleviate the possibility of mental health disturbances and the according consequences.

Mental health disorders among students from rural areas three months after returning to school: a cross-sectional study among Polish students (12-13 y.o.)

Background: All over the world, the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children and adolescents’ mental health is observed. The conducted research aims to verify whether returning to schools, to the education inside the classroom in the company of their peers, improved or undermined the students’ mental health. Metods: The study was carried out on a sample of students inhabiting rural areas in a borderland region. The research sample was collected using purposive sampling and consisted of 552 respondents from 7th and 8th grades of primary school. An auditorium questionnaire was used to gather the research material. Results: Three months after returning to school, the students are in a bad mental condition. 61% of the respondents are satisfied with their lives, 52% of the respondents show symptoms of depression measured with the WHO-5 index, whereas 85% of them have average and high stress levels as measured with the PSSC scale. Higher levels of mental disorders was observed among females, the students inhabiting villages and evaluating their financial status as worse. Conclusions: Returning to schools failed to have a positive impact on the students’ mental health. Disorders occurring at a large scale will have a negative influence on the students’ performance and hinder their re-adaptation to school. Educational authorities shall immediately provide the students with support and monitor the situation in the next months.

The mental health of staff working on Intensive Care Units over the COVID-19 winter surge of 2020 in England: a cross sectional survey.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic generated a surge of critically ill patients greater than the NHS capacity. Additionally there have been multiple well-documented impacts associated with the national COVID-19 pandemic surge on ICU workers including an increased prevalence of mental health disorders on a scale potentially sufficient to impair high-quality care delivery. Aim: To identify prevalence of probable mental health disorders, functional impairment and establish demographic and professional predictors of probable mental health disorders, and functional impairment, in ICU staff between November 2020 to April 2021. Methods: English ICU staff were surveyed before, during and after the winter 2020/2021 surge using a survey which comprised of validated measures of mental health. Results: 6080 surveys were completed, by nurses (57.5%), doctors (27.9%), and other healthcare staff (14.5%). Reporting probable mental health disorders increased from 51% (prior to), to 64% (during) and then dropped to 46% (after) the peak. Younger, less experienced and nursing staff were most likely to report probable mental health disorders. Additionally, during and after the winter, over 50% of participants met threshold criteria for functional impairment. Staff who reported probable post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or depression were more likely to meet threshold criteria for functional impairment. Conclusions: The winter of 2020/2021 was associated with an increase in poor mental health outcomes and functional impairment during a period of peak caseload. These effects are likely to impact on patient care outcomes and the longer-term resilience of the healthcare workforce.

Lifestyles and school performance of health sciences students

Introduction: Lifestyles at the college stage involve fundamental changes in human development, which may have an impact on the school performance. The present work consists of a documentary review on the lifestyles of university students Objective: To identify the information that allows the evaluation of the lifestyles that are associated with the school performance of students of health sciences. Methodology: The research was carried out by using the keywords: lifestyles, school performance and students of health sciences, through PubMed and Crossref, in addition to the websites of public institutions, governments or organizations. The results of 20 studies were analyzed, which included a student population that was intervened through questionnaires about their lifestyles in school systems Results: It was found that students have unhealthy habits, 40% of students do not exercise, 90% of students consume junk food and 1 out of 5 students have mental health disorders. All of the above is striking, since being students of health sciences, it would be assumed that they practice healthy lifestyles, however, their knowledge has been little applied. Conclusion: Lifestyles and school performance are a problem that worries students, parents, teachers and authorities, not only in our country but also in other countries of the world.

Emotional and Psychological Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in College Students

COVID-19 has altered the mental health of the global population. The fear of getting sick, combined with other factors from a healthcare crisis—fear of losing loved ones, social isolation, unemployment, uncertainty about the future, etc.—have created the perfect environment for a greater development of psychological health disorders. All sectors of society are being affected by these changes, including above all, college students. The aim of this chapter is to observe the specific disorders college students may develop and what teachers can do about them. A language exchange project will be proposed as an integrated and preventive tool. It will also constitute a resource for eventual mental health disorders management. The combination of these two realities—mental health and education—should work as the basis for further investigation on integrated projects.

Pengaruh Pembatasan Sosial sebagai Upaya Menekan Penularan Covid-19 terhadap Kondisi Kesehatan Mental Remaja: Literature Review

Background: At the end of April 2021, the occurrence of Covid-19 in Indonesia has reached 1.63 million cases and 44,172 deaths. The social restriction policy is an effort for the government to suppress the rate of transmission of Covid-19, although on the other hand, this policy also raises fear, anxiety, and worry for the community, including teenagers. The emotional development and behaviour of adolescents towards adulthood require social space, but are constrained by social restrictions. Objective: to determine the effect of social restrictions on adolescent mental health. Methods: This study uses a literature review method from 2019 to 2021 obtained from the Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct databases using the keywords social restrictions, youth, mental health disorders, Youth and Children, Covid-19, Impact, and mental health. . The criteria for the selected articles were articles published in 2019-2021 nationally and internationally related to literature review research. Results: the impact of social restrictions on the mental health of adolescents is quite varied. The existence of limitations in socializing, boredom and the many tasks assigned to adolescents are the main factors for adolescents experiencing mental disorders such as stress, depression, and anxiety. Conclusion: social restrictions indirectly have an impact on the mental health of adolescents and even trigger mental health disorders in adolescents.