ABSTRACT
Background Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and high autistic traits (ATs) are at a higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following exposure to social traumatic events. However, the association between ATs and PTSD symptoms following exposure to pathogen threat-related traumatic situations, the role of sex differences in this association, and the mediating mechanism are yet unexplored. This study explored the effects of ATs, sex, and their interaction on COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms, as well as the possible mediating role of anxiety sensitivity (AS) between ATs and PTSD symptoms. Method In total, six hundred ninety-six valid participants (379 women) completed questionnaires assessing their ATs, COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms, and AS. Generalized linear model and mediation effects analyses were conducted. Results Our results showed higher levels of COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms in the high ATs group, especially in women with high AT, compared to the low ATs group. ATs also exerts a significant indirect effect on COVID-19-related PTSD symptom through AS. Conclusions The results indicate an increased vulnerability of individuals with high ATs (especially females) to COVID-19-related PTSD and the mediating mechanism of the co-occurrence of ATs-PTSD. These findings have implications for PTSD interventions for individuals with high ATs and ASD in the current COVID-19 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
1 A valuable metric in understanding local infectious disease dynamics is the local time-varying reproduction number, i.e. the expected number of secondary local cases caused by each infected individual. Accurate estimation of this quantity requires distinguishing cases arising from local transmission from those imported from elsewhere. Realistically, we can expect identification of cases as local or imported to be imperfect. We study the propagation of such errors in estimation of the local time-varying reproduction number. In addition, we propose a Bayesian framework for estimation of the true local time-varying reproduction number when identification errors exist. And we illustrate the practical performance of our estimator through simulation studies and with outbreaks of COVID-19 in Hong Kong and Victoria, Australia.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Communicable DiseasesABSTRACT
Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic had a wide-ranging impact on educational institutions across the United States. Given potential financial challenges and adverse psychosocial effects of campus closure, as done in the spring of 2020 in response to the first wave, many institutions of higher education developed strategies to allow campuses to reopen and operate in the fall despite the ongoing threat of COVID-19. Many however opted to have limited campus re-opening in order to minimize potential risk of spread of SARS-CoV-2. Objective: To analyze how Boston University (BU) fully reopened its campus in the fall of 2020 and controlled COVID-19 transmission despite worsening transmission in the city of Boston. Design: Multi-faceted intervention case study. Setting: Large urban university campus. Interventions: The BU response included a high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing facility with capacity to delivery results in less than 24 hours; routine asymptomatic screening for COVID-19; daily health attestations; compliance monitoring and feedback; robust contact tracing, quarantine and isolation in on campus facilities; face mask use; enhanced hand hygiene; social distancing recommendations; de-densification of classrooms and public places; and enhancement of all building air systems. Main Outcomes and Measures: Between August and December 2020, BU conducted >500,000 COVID-19 tests and identified 719 individuals with COVID-19: 627 (87.2%) students, 11 (1.5%) faculty, and 212 (25.5%) staff. Overall, about 1.8% of the BU community tested positive. Infections among faculty and staff were mostly acquired off campus, while undergraduate infections were more likely acquired in non-classroom campus settings. Of 837 close contacts traced, 86 (10.3%) tested positive for COVID-19. BU contact tracers identified a source of transmission for 51.5% of cases with 55.7% identifying a source outside of BU. Among infected faculty and staff with a known source of infection, the majority reported a transmission source outside of BU (100% for faculty and 79.8% for staff). Conclusions and Relevance: BU was successful in containing COVID-19 transmission on campus while minimizing off campus acquisition of COVID-19 from the greater Boston area. A coordinated strategy of testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine, with robust management and oversight, can control COVID-19 transmission, even in an urban university setting.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show an enhanced response to stressors, and gender plays an important role in stress response. Thus, autistic traits (ATs) in the general population and gender may regulate the emotion changes before and during the outbreak of COVID-19. The present study addressed this issue through a participants between quasi-experimental design, in which the epidemic status (before, during), gender (male, female), and AT groups (high ATs, low ATs) were independent variables, and positive and negative emotions were dependent variables. We used generalized linear models to estimate the effects of the independent variables and their interactions on emotions. The results showed that the COVID-19 outbreak reduced positive emotions and increased fear and anger. Furthermore, compared with before the COVID-19 outbreak, individuals with high ATs and females experienced stronger anger and fear than individuals with low ATs and males during the epidemic. The present study revealed the emotional impacts of COVID-19 and greater emotional susceptibility to COVID-19 pandemic among individuals with high ATs and females. Our findings provide prospective evidence for understanding the ASD/ATs-related enhanced response to pathogen threat-related stressors and have implications for COVID-19 crisis interventions.