State mental health infrastructure, personality, and politics of shelter-in-place

Guided by the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study investigated how regional variation in mental health needs and resources may have impacted early efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Publicly available data were analyzed to evaluate states' initial responses (i.e., February 2020-March 2020) to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of the 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, were included in the analyses, providing a total sample size of N = 51. U.S. states with greater mental health needs and barriers to treatment tended to: be slower to implement shelter-in-place orders;have residents who showed less increase in time at their residences in response to the crisis;be more rural, economically disadvantaged, and more conventional;and have less access to the internet. Considering this cultural context provides insight for tailoring and implementing interventions in a culturally competent manner. Furthermore, mental health resource sharing across states and regions may be needed to address future mental health care gaps resulting from the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Rural and financially strained areas with fewer resources and greater mental health needs tended to spend less time under shelter-in-place orders and showed less increase in time spent at home during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Special attention is needed to strengthen community resources and health care infrastructure to support recovery from the pandemic. Access to finances and resources may facilitate more rapid and flexible change in routines required by future pandemics and large-scale threats. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Community-based N95 distribution during the COVID-19 Omicron BA.1 surge: feasibility, 1-month utilization, and price implications.

Masks and other non-pharmaceutical interventions can complement vaccines and treatments as a part of multilayered mitigation to reduce the burden of COVID-19 in high-risk settings like surges. Although N95s provide greater protection than cloth and procedure masks against airborne infectious illnesses, few people used N95s historically, potentially due to lack of familiarity and cost. The study was designed to examine the feasibility of distributing N95s during a COVID-19 surge. A follow-up survey summarized mask behavior. The investigators aimed to distribute 2,500 N95s to 500 adults in 5-packs with informational handouts at community locations during the COVID-19 Omicron BA.1 surge in New Orleans, Louisiana. A 1-month follow-up survey assessed utilization, safety perceptions, social diffusion of awareness of N95s, and purchase intentions. The investigators successfully distributed all 2,500 N95s during the peak of the BA.1 surge (December 13, 2021 to January 17, 2022). At 1-month follow-up, 96.7% of participants had tried an N95. They utilized an average of 3.42 (68.4%) of the five N95s, felt safer wearing N95s (Ps < 0.0001), discussed N95s with others (80.4%), and would wear N95s again if free (87.9%). Future utilization intentions were price sensitive. Communities will readily use public health tools like N95s when at risk and offered for free with useful information. Cost was identified as a key barrier to sustained utilization. Findings have immediate public policy implications for reducing national, regional, and organizational surges. The research provides an illustrative example of the importance of behavioral science in responding to public health crises.

Masks are a part of a comprehensive approach to reducing the burden of COVID-19 surges. High-quality masks, called N95 masks in the USA, provide better protection than cloth or blue procedure masks. Most people have not used N95s due to a lack of familiarity or cost. We tested a program to distribute N95s to the community during a COVID-19 surge. Specifically, we gave 2,500 N95s to 500 adults in 5-packs with informational handouts during the COVID-19 Omicron BA.1 surge in New Orleans, Louisiana. We requested recipients complete a 1-month follow-up survey. Overall, we were successful in distributing all 2,500 N95s during the peak of the winter 2021­2022 surge. By 1-month follow-up, nearly all recipients had tried an N95 and had used nearly 70% of the total given. They felt safer, discussed the masks with others, and would wear them again if free. Cost was a key barrier to using N95s in the future. After our study, the USA federal government implemented a program to distribute free N95s, but there are no policy plans to distribute free N95s during future winter surges or in response to vaccine-evading variants. Free N95 distribution programs would be popular and reduce the burden of COVID-19.

State mental health infrastructure, personality, and politics of shelter-in-place

Guided by the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study investigated how regional variation in mental health needs and resources may have impacted early efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Publicly available data were analyzed to evaluate states' initial responses (i.e., February 2020-March 2020) to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of the 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, were included in the analyses, providing a total sample size of N = 51. U.S. states with greater mental health needs and barriers to treatment tended to: be slower to implement shelter-in-place orders;have residents who showed less increase in time at their residences in response to the crisis;be more rural, economically disadvantaged, and more conventional;and have less access to the internet. Considering this cultural context provides insight for tailoring and implementing interventions in a culturally competent manner. Furthermore, mental health resource sharing across states and regions may be needed to address future mental health care gaps resulting from the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Rural and financially strained areas with fewer resources and greater mental health needs tended to spend less time under shelter-in-place orders and showed less increase in time spent at home during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Special attention is needed to strengthen community resources and health care infrastructure to support recovery from the pandemic. Access to finances and resources may facilitate more rapid and flexible change in routines required by future pandemics and large-scale threats. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Correlates of death among SARS-CoV-2 positive veterans: The contribution of lifetime tobacco use.

Despite a growing body of research examining correlates and consequences of COVID-19, few findings have been published among military veterans. This limitation is particularly concerning as preliminary data indicate that veterans may experience a higher rate of mortality compared to their civilian counterparts. One factor that may contribute to increased rates of death among veterans with COVID-19 is tobacco use. Indeed, findings from a recent meta-analysis highlight the association between lifetime smoking status and COVID-19 progression to more severe or critical conditions including death. Notably, prevalence rates of tobacco use are higher among veterans than civilians. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine demographic and medical variables that may contribute to likelihood of death among veterans testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, we examined the unique influence of lifetime tobacco use on veteran mortality when added to the complete model. Retrospective chart reviews were conducted on 440 veterans (80.5% African American/Black) who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (7.3% deceased) at a large, southeastern Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital between March 11, 2020 and April 23, 2020, with data analysis occurring from May 26, 2020 to June 5, 2020. Older age, male gender, immunodeficiency, endocrine, and pulmonary diseases were positively related to the relative risk of death among SARS-CoV-2 positive veterans, with lifetime tobacco use predicting veteran mortality above and beyond these variables. Findings highlight the importance of assessing for lifetime tobacco use among SARS-CoV-2 positive patients and the relative importance of lifetime tobacco use as a risk factor for increased mortality.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health: Real-time surveillance using Google Trends.

In the wake of COVID-19, the capacity to track emerging trends in mental health symptoms and needs will guide public health responses at multiple ecological levels. Using Google Trends to track population-level mental health-related Google searches in the United States, this investigation identified pandemic-associated spikes in searches related to anxiety symptoms and remote treatments for anxiety, such as deep breathing and body scan meditation. As other discernable population-level changes in mental health have yet to emerge, continued surveillance is warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).