Understanding Mental Wellbeing amongst Potentially Vulnerable Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education students were reported as one of the most affected in terms of wellbeing. In the current study, we explored higher education students' self-perceptions on why and how their mental wellbeing was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its related measures. Focus group discussions with potentially vulnerable university student groups, as well as university staff, revealed that the students described the pandemic as a period of reduced mental wellbeing. Overall, students identified two main reasons for this: the lingering aspect of the pandemic and restricted social contact and support. Moreover, we identified several underlying factors of specific student groups' vulnerability in terms of wellbeing: entering the university during the COVID-19 pandemic and students' living situation, employment status, financial stress, and home environment. Moreover, as a potential mitigating factor, the availability of university facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic emerged as beneficial for students' mental wellbeing. Our results indicate the importance of universities acting as social spaces that facilitate connection and peer support and, thus, working preventively towards the improved mental wellbeing of students. Furthermore, university support in providing facilities to increase inclusivity should be organized or improved. © 2023 by the authors.

The impact of COVID-19 on chronic care according to providers: a qualitative study among primary care practices in Belgium

The COVID-19 pandemic affects the processes of routine care for chronic patients. A better understanding helps to increase the resilience of the health system and to prepare it adequately for next waves of the pandemic. A qualitative study was conducted in 16 primary care practices: 6 solo working, 4 monodisciplinary and 7 multidisciplinary. Using semi-structured video interviews, 21 people (doctors, nurses, dieticians) were interrogated. A thematic analysis was performed using the domains of the chronic care model (CCM). Three themes emerged: changes in health care organization, risk stratification and self-management support. All participating practices reported drastic changes in organization with a collective shift towards COVID-19 care and a reduction of chronic care activities, less consultations, and staff responsible for self-management support put on hold. A transition to digital support did not occur. Few practitioners had a systematic approach to identify and contact high-risk patients for early follow-up. A practice with a pre-established structured team collaboration managed to continue most chronic care elements. Generally, practitioners expected no effects of the temporary disruption for patients, although they expressed concern about patients already poorly regulated. The findings in this article show a disruption of the delivery of chronic care in the Belgian primary care context. In such contexts, the establishment of the CCM can facilitate the continuity of care in times of a crisis. Short-term actions should be directed to facilitate the identification of high-risk patients and to develop a practice organization plan to organize chronic care and to use digital channels for support, especially with regard to vulnerable patients, during next waves of the epidemic. Copyright © 2022 Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde en Gezondheidszorg. All rights reserved.

Calibration of SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays across blood establishments in Europe

Background: SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests are variable using different antigens, reagent dilutions and units of reporting. Without calibration interlaboratory interpretation of assay results is not possible, SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests are variable using different antigens, reagent dilutions and units of reporting. Without calibration interlaboratory interpretation of assay results is not possible, slowing down progress in treatments with convalescent plasma. slowing down progress in treatments with convalescent plasma. Aims: The aim of this study, which is part of the SUPPORT-E consortium (Supporting high-quality evaluation of COVID-19 convalescent plasma throughout Europe), was to calibrate anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays used by European laboratories to determine antibody titers in (convalescent) plasma. Methods: To achieve this we distributed a set of 23 reference samples to 26 participating blood establishments across Europe. This set served as a quality control round for SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing and consisted of SARS-CoV-2 pre-outbreak negative plasma samples and plasma samples from unvaccinated convalescent donors with low, medium, high and very high IgG titers against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein. In addition, a serial dilution of one batch of pooled plasma (n = 3) was distributed that could serve as internal standard. This methodology allowed calibration to the WHO standard in IU/ml, so conversion factors could be calculated. Results: Twenty laboratories participated, including the qualitative Euroimmune (n = 7), Roche (n = 4) and Abbott (n = 4) SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay as most frequently used tests. Four laboratories, using commercial assays from WANTAI or DiaSorin, were not able to discriminate pre-outbreak samples from SARS-CoV-2 positive sera. In addition, the majority of the laboratories were not able to discriminate between plasma samples with high and very high titers, showing that the dynamic range of these commercial assays is limited. Using these data we calculated the conversion factor to IU/ml for the qualitative Euroimmune as 238, Roche as 0.98 and for the Abbott test as 0.9, which only applies when pre-vaccinated samples are used in the test. Summary/Conclusions: This initiative by the SUPPORT-E consortium aids in calibration of antibody testing across laboratories, allowing to compare SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers in (convalescent) plasma. For example, our conversion factor can now be used to calibrate Euroimmune units that were measured in the convalescent plasma samples within the Recovery (United Kingdom)1 Capsid (Germany)2 and CovEarly (Netherlands)3 clinical trial. .

Depressive symptoms in higher education students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. An examination of the association with various social risk factors across multiple high- and middle-income countries.

Higher-education students face substantial risks for developing depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic or experiencing exacerbated pre-existing depressive symptoms. This study uses data from the COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study, which collected data through a non-representative convenience sample in 125 higher-education institutions (HEI) across 26 high- and middle-income countries (N: 20,103) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It describes the prevalence of depressive symptoms in higher-education students. We find substantial cross-national variation in depressive symptoms, with lowest mean levels established in the Nordic countries and France, while highest mean levels of depressive symptoms were found in Turkey, South Africa, Spain and the USA. Elevated risk for depressive symptoms was found in female students, students with fewer social support resources and in a more disadvantaged socioeconomic position, and students with a migrant background. COVID-19 related stressors, such as reduced social contact, increased financial insecurity, and academic stress explained a relatively larger proportion of the variance in depressive symptoms compared to non-COVID-19 related stressors. This finding shows that not the pandemic itself, but rather the secondary effects of the pandemic relate to students' mental health. Our results enable HEIs to be better equipped to target groups that are particularly at risk during a pandemic.

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Health Behaviors among Students of a French University

This study aimed to determine the changes in health behaviors among students of a French university during the COVID-19 lockdown. An online retrospective survey was distributed to Rouen-Normandy University students at the end of the COVID-19 lockdown (13th March-11th May 2020). Voluntary university students were included. Data collected were on socio-demographics, academic environment, COVID19 concerns, tobacco smoking, binge drinking, cannabis use, and physical activity in the periods before and during COVID-19 lockdown. The survey was completed by 3671 university students (mean age 20.9 +/- 2.47 years, 72.9% female). Significantly favorable changes between the periods before and during COVID-19 were reported for tobacco smoking (18.5% vs. 14.8%), binge drinking (35.9% vs. 9.3%) and cannabis use (5.6% vs. 3.2%) and unfavorable changes for moderate (79.4% vs. 67.9%) and vigorous physical activity (62.5% vs. 59.1%). After logistic regression, factors associated with unfavorable changes in tobacco smoking and with favorable changes in vigorous physical activity were the worry of not validating the academic year and stress related to changes in the mode of teaching, respectively. For each health behavior, unfavorable changes were associated with higher depression levels, and male gender. Then as a decrease, mainly in binge drinking was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown, care must be taken to prevent university students from resuming binge drinking after the end of the lockdown. Health-promotion strategies directed at adopting or maintaining positive mental health and promoting physical activity should be developed for university students to better manage future lockdown periods.