Needs and Demands for eHealth Pain Management Interventions in Chronic Pain Patients.

Although chronic pain is a global health problem, the current care situation is often inadequate. eHealth offers many advantages as an additional option for treating chronic pain. Yet, an intervention's efficacy can only be fully exhausted if patients intend to use it. This study aims to identify the needs and demands of patients with chronic pain regarding intervention concepts and frameworks to develop specifically tailored eHealth pain management interventions. A cross-sectional study was conducted, including 338 individuals with chronic pain. Within the cohort, a distinction between a high- and a low-burden group was made. Respondents generally preferred a permanently accompanying mobile app, but the preferred content varied with group. According to the majority, interventions should be made available on smartphones, offer sessions once per week with a duration from 10 to 30 min, and be recommended by experts. These results can provide the basis for future eHealth pain management interventions tailored to the patients' needs and demands.

Psychotherapie in der Pandemie: Notwendigkeiten und Interventionsstrategien Psychotherapy in the pandemic: necessities and intervention strategies

Hintergrund Die COVID-19-Pandemie wirkte sich weltweit auf Lebensführung und Gesundheit zahlreicher Menschen aus. Die mannigfaltigen Veränderungen, Einschränkungen und Konsequenzen der Pandemie sorgten sowohl in der Allgemeinbevölkerung als auch in vulnerablen Gruppen für psychische Belastung. Fragestellungen Welche Faktoren beeinflussen das Ausmaß der psychischen Belastung? Welche Gruppen sind und waren besonders betroffen? Wie können Behandler*innen die Versorgung an den Bedarf der Patient*innen im Rahmen der pandemischen Situation anpassen? Material und Methoden Klinische Überlegungen und eine ausführliche Literaturrecherche bilden das Fundament für diesen Artikel. Ergebnisse Im Rahmen der COVID-19-Pandemie ist es v. a. in vulnerablen Gruppen, aber auch in der Allgemeinbevölkerung zu einem signifikanten Anstieg psychischer Belastung gekommen. Es konnten diverse Risiko- und Schutzfaktoren bezüglich der Ausprägung psychischer Belastung als auch therapeutische Implikationen eruiert werden. Hilfreiche Psychotherapieansätze umfassen u. a. die Validierung der Verunsicherung, selbstwirksamkeitsförderndes Verhalten, achtsamkeitsbasierte Techniken und kognitives Reframing. Präventive Strategien, gestufte Versorgung und digitale Interventionen können außerdem dem erhöhten Behandlungsbedarf entgegenwirken. Diskussion Für zukünftiges Pandemiemanagement ist es unverzichtbar, zielgruppengerechte Präventionsmaßnahmen und therapeutische Versorgung zu gewährleisten.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic causes a dysfunctional dietary behavior: A German cross-sectional study.

Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic has been affected our daily lives, the global population has been exposed to permanent concerns and thus might suffer from the psychological burden. It is well known that psychological burdens can affect dietary behavior. Aim: The impact of a psychological burden on people, and in particular on their dietary patterns was investigated in this nationawide cross-sectional study. Methods: 7525 participants responded to the questionnaire regarding the psychological burden concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and their current dietary structure with changes in the pattern and food amount (between November 2020 and March 2021). Results: A pandemic-related dysfunction of dietary behavior was found. Some participants reported restrictive (conscious) food intake and as well impulsive food intake, which can be described as dysfunctional eating behaviors. In particular, younger persons and individuals who claimed an increased psychological burden reported dysfunctional dietary behavior. Data clearly show that psychological burdens affect an individual's dietary behavior. Conclusion: Public health strategies have to be developed to support individuals at risk to improve coping strategies. The long-term aim should be avoiding the maintenance of dysfunctional dietary behavior.

Fear of Death during COVID-19 Does Not Explain Post-Infection Depression Symptoms beyond Reported Symptoms during the Infection in COVID-19 Survivors.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented global burden to the general population and, in particular, to individuals who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. In the context of the discussion about "post COVID-19", the aim of the study was to advance research on mental health and long-term consequences after COVID-19. In total, 214 COVID-19 survivors (female: 54.2%; hospitalized: 36.7%) participated in the repeated cross-sectional assessment. In addition to demographic data, mental and somatic symptoms, fear of death at the time of infection, and depressive (PHQ-8) and generalized anxiety symptoms (GAD-7) were assessed. Results showed an increased prevalence of depressive symptoms and symptoms of generalized anxiety compared to observations in the general population prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological symptoms of depression and reported levels of fear of death during the SARS-CoV-2 infection showed a negative association with the time interval since COVID-19 diagnosis. Furthermore, although fear of death during the acute COVID-19 was related to depression and generalized anxiety, this association was predominantly explained by the presence of mental and somatic symptoms. In conclusion, initial fear of death does not impact mental health beyond the overall symptom burden. Furthermore, depressive symptoms appear to vanish across time since infection.