ABSTRACT
Importance: Although the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on mental health, there is no comprehensive longitudinal study of the entire population of a country without selection bias. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the prescription of psychotropic drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from the French national health data system (SNDS). Design settings and participants: Prescriptions for psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics, and antipsychotics) from 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2021 were collected from administrative data provided by the SNDS. This database includes more than 99% of the French population, i.e., 67 million people. The data were analyzed using an interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) model. Main outcomes and measures: Consumption of psychotropic drugs was aggregated in months and expressed in number of boxes per thousand inhabitants. Results: During the study period, more than 1.3 billion boxes of psychotropic medications were dispensed. Comparison of psychotropic drug dispensing before and after the pandemic showed a relative increase of 0.76 (95 CI 0.57 to 0.95, p<0.001) boxes per month per thousand inhabitants, all classes of psychotropic drugs combined. Three classes saw their consumption increase in an almost similar proportion, respectively, by 0.23 (0.15 to 0.32, p<0.001) boxes for antidepressants, 0.27 (0.20 to 0.34, p<0.001) boxes for anxiolytics and 0.23 (0.17 to 0.30, p<0.001) boxes for hypnotics. The change in antipsychotic consumption was very small, with an increase of 0.04 boxes (0.02 to 0.06, p = 0.001) per month per thousand population. Conclusion and relevance: The COVID-19 pandemic had led to an increase in the consumption of psychotropic drugs, confirming the significant impact of the pandemic on the mental health of the general population.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the French government took many measures, the most notable of which was a national lockdown on 17 March 2020. Its effects have been widely studied, but to our knowledge, no study has sought to determine how adolescents have adapted to cope with this situation. The present study set out to explore teenagers' stress levels, coping strategies, and substance use during this period. METHODS: This paper is a cross-sectional study that rides on an existing prevention program interviewed 348 French middle school students (209 girls and 139 boys) in grade 8 (M age = 13.45; SDage = 0.54) using an online questionnaire between March 17 and May 11, 2020 (COVID-19 lockdown). The study examined the teenagers' perceived stress, coping strategies they had used, including recent use of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis, during COVID-19 lockdown. RESULTS: Teenagers reported lower perceived stress during lockdown than usually, with a significant decrease for girls. Those who perceived the least social support reported the highest levels of stress. The strategies of planning, behavioral disengagement, self-distraction, positive reframing, acceptance, and religion were used more than usual, while active coping and self-blame were used less. Acceptance was the most often used strategy and a source of decreased stress during lockdown. A significant decrease in recent tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use was also observed. CONCLUSION: Changes in the use of coping strategies, withdrawal from the stressful school environment, and greater exposure to parents than to peers caused adolescents to be less stressed and to decrease their substance use during the lockdown.
ABSTRACT
Students are some of the primary psychological victims of the global health crisis. This population is particularly sensitive to stress, and is also prone to developing substance and behavioral addictions, including food addictions, which may be exacerbated by the lockdown and health measures. Levels of stress, anxiety, loneliness, and depressive symptoms among students have increased since the coronavirus crisis. Several studies show that drug use, including alcohol, has also increased since the implementation of health measures. Interestingly, the stress that was most perceived by students with addiction problems was mainly due to uncertainty about the organization of daily life and the expected consequences of the lockdown. Stress appeared to be more prevalent among female students and was associated with more anxiety disorders, more exposure to the media, and less social support. When problematic eating behaviors were already present before the lockdown, the stress of the lockdown increased them. Protective factors such as social support and regular contact with family protected against stress and the various addictive issues studied. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (French) Les etudiants sont en premiere ligne des victimes psychologiques de la crise sanitaire mondiale. Cette population particulierement sensible au stress, est aussi sujette a developper des addictions aux substances ou des addictions comportementales, notamment sur le plan alimentaire;difficultes qui pourraient etre aggravees par le confinement et les mesures sanitaires. Les niveaux de stress, d'anxiete, de solitude et de symptomes depressifs des etudiants ont augmente depuis la crise du coronavirus. Concernant la consommation de drogues, dont l'alcool, plusieurs etudes montrent qu'elle a egalement augmente depuis la mise en place de mesures sanitaires. De maniere interessante, le stress qui est le plus perc u par les etudiants victimes de problematiques d'addiction etait principalement attribuable a l'incertitude liee a l'organisation de la vie quotidienne et aux consequences prevues du confinement. Le stress semble plus concerner les etudiantes et il est associe a plus de troubles anxio-depressifs, plus d'exposition aux medias et moins de soutien social. Lorsque des comportements alimentaires problematiques etaient deja presents avant le confinement, le stress du au confinement les a augmentes. Les facteurs de protection par exemple un support social, des contacts reguliers avec la famille protegeaient du stress et des differentes problematiques addictives etudiees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Background: This study evaluated factors linked with perceived stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown and addictive behaviors prior to and during lockdown in a sample of students who indicated engaging in alcohol consumption behaviors before lockdown. Methods: Cross-sectional study. French students from four universities participated in this study, and 2,760 students reported alcohol use. During the first week of lockdown, students reported their perceived levels of stress regarding COVID-19. Substance use and addictive behaviors were reported before and during lockdown, and media exposure, demographical, living conditions, and environmental stressors were reported during lockdown. Results: Women reported greater levels of stress (95% CI: 1.18 to 1.93, p < 0.001). Highly-stressed students also report less social support (95% CI: -1.04 to -0.39, p < 0.001) and were more likely to worry about the lockdown (95% CI: 0.27 to -0.65, p < 0.001). Alcohol-related problemswere more prevalent among the most stressed students (95% CI: 0.02 to 0.09, p = 0.004) as well as eating problems (95% CI: 0.04 to 0.36, p = 0.016) and problematic internet use (95% CI, 0.06 to 0.14, p < 0.001). Students reporting the highest levels of stress also indicated more compulsive eating during the previous seven days (95% CI, 0.21 to 1.19, p = 0.005). Conclusions: The level of stress was strongly related to four categories of variables: (i) intrinsic characteristics, (ii) addictive behaviors before lockdown, (iii) lockdown-specific conditions, and (iv) addictive behaviors during the lockdown. Several variables linked to COVID-19 were not directly linked with perceived stress, while perceived stress was found to correlate with daily life organization-related uncertainty and anticipated consequences of lockdown. Importantly, social support seems to be a protective factor on high level of stress.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Since mid-March 2020, over 3 billion people have been confined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Problematic eating behaviors are likely to be impacted by the pandemic through multiple pathways. This study examined the relationships between stress related to lockdown measures and binge eating and dietary restriction in a population of French students during the first week of confinement. METHODS: A sample of undergraduate students (N = 5,738) completed an online questionnaire 7 days after lockdown measures were introduced. The survey comprised variables related to lockdown measures and the COVID-19-pandemic, mood, stress, body image, binge eating and dietary restriction during the past 7 days, as well as intent to binge eat and restrict in the following 15 days. RESULTS: Stress related to the lockdown was associated with greater likelihood of binge eating and dietary restriction over the past week and intentions to binge eat and restrict over the next 15 days. Greater exposure to COVID-19-related media was associated with increased eating restriction over the past week. Binge eating and restriction (past and intentions) were associated with established risk factors, including female gender, low impulse regulation, high body dissatisfaction, and having a concurrent probable eating disorder. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The higher the stress related to the first week of confinement, the higher the risk of problematic eating behaviors among students, particularly those characterized by eating-related concerns. Screening for risk factors and providing targeted interventions might help decrease problematic eating behaviors among those who are most vulnerable.