A Positive Legacy of Trauma? The Role of Perceived Social Support on Mental Health Among Earthquake Survivors During the COVID-19 Outbreak.

Background: People with prior experience of severe trauma may be particularly vulnerable in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about mental health problems among prior trauma survivors during the pandemic outbreak. Methods: A total of 362 Wenchuan earthquake survivors were assessed using Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, as well as Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, as part of an online survey between February 3 and 10, 2020. Results: Our results showed that 6.6 and 4.7% of the participants experienced depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak, respectively. Perceived social support was negatively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Earthquake exposure has no direct effect on current depressive and anxiety symptoms, but it would moderate the direct relationship between perceived social support and psychological symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that trauma exposure may lead to salutogenic outcomes. The protective effect of perceived social support on psychological symptoms was greater in people with a higher level of trauma exposure than in a lower one.

Does sleep disturbance predicts posttraumatic stress disorder and depression among college students during COVID-19 lockdown? A longitudinal survey

Aim To examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between self-reported sleep disturbances, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in a large cohort of Chinese adolescents experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Participants were 67905 Chinese college students in the two-wave longitudinal web-based survey during early COVID-19 outbreak (Time1, T1: Feb 3rd to 10th, 2020) and initial remission period (Time2, T2: March 24th to April 3rd, 2020). The Youth Self Rating Insomnia Scale (YSIS), 6-Item Impact of Event Scale (IES-6), and 9-Item Patient Heath Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to assess adolescents' sleep, PTSD, and depressive symptoms, respectively, at T1 and T2. Results Self-reported PTSD and depression prevalence at T1 were 34.6% and 21.6% respectively. While depressive symptoms worsened as the lockdown time increased, while PTSD symptoms decreased. After adjusting for confounding factors, sleep disturbance and sleep deprivation at T1 were significantly associated with increased PTSD and depressive symptoms at T2. Furthermore, sleep disturbance and sleep deprivation also predicted the new onset and persistence of PTSD and depression. Conclusion Sleep disturbance predicts the development and persistence of PTSD and depression. Early assessment and treatment of sleep disturbance may be an important strategy for prevention and intervention of PTSD and depression in adolescents after experiencing the special public health emergency.

Trajectories of mental health status during the early phase pandemic in China: A longitudinal study on adolescents living in the community with confirmed cases.

Sufficient research reports that individuals living in the community with confirmed COVID-19 cases are more likely to exhibit poor mental health condition. However, little is known about the longitudinal trajectories of mental health status among these people who are exposed to increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Using a 3-wave longitudinal survey between February and June 2020, data has been collected from 2,352 adolescents living in the community with confirmed cases. Depressive/anxiety symptoms, soc-demographic, and other psychological factors of interest (e.g., social support) were measured. Using latent growth mixture modeling, we identified two subgroups (Resistance vs. Dysfunction) of adolescents based on their depressive and anxiety symptoms. More social support and positive coping are identified as protective factors for mental health, whereas higher level of negative coping predicts unfavorable outcomes. These findings suggested that adolescents living in the community with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are a group to which researchers should pay more attention when studying the impacts of quarantine on mental health. It is also crucial to emphasize the role of social support and positive coping in planning psychological interventions for adolescents.

A Positive Legacy of Trauma? The Role of Perceived Social Support on Mental Health Among Earthquake Survivors During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Background People with prior experience of severe trauma may be particularly vulnerable in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about mental health problems among prior trauma survivors during the pandemic outbreak. Methods A total of 362 Wenchuan earthquake survivors were assessed using Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, as well as Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, as part of an online survey between February 3 and 10, 2020. Results Our results showed that 6.6 and 4.7% of the participants experienced depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak, respectively. Perceived social support was negatively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Earthquake exposure has no direct effect on current depressive and anxiety symptoms, but it would moderate the direct relationship between perceived social support and psychological symptoms. Conclusions Our findings suggested that trauma exposure may lead to salutogenic outcomes. The protective effect of perceived social support on psychological symptoms was greater in people with a higher level of trauma exposure than in a lower one.

Longitudinal trajectories of insomnia symptoms among college students during the COVID-19 lockdown in China.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the patterns and predictors of the trajectories of college students' insomnia symptoms across different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A total of 35,516 college students completed three online surveys during the COVID-19 outbreak period (3-10 February 2020), initial remission period (24 March-3 April 2020), and effective control period (1-15 June 2020), respectively. These surveys measured the participants' socio-demographic and pandemic related factors, insomnia symptoms, mental health status, and psychosocial factors. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine predictors for trajectory membership. RESULTS: The prevalence of insomnia symptoms increases during home quarantine. Five insomnia symptoms trajectories were observed: resistance (82.8% of the sample), recovery (5.0%), delayed-dysfunction (5.8%), chronic-dysfunction (1.8%), and relapsing/remitting (4.6%). Female gender, residence location in urban, has history of sleep problems, smoking, alcohol use, community or village has confirmed COVID-19 cases, current poor mental health, higher negative coping were related to higher risk of developing insomnia symptoms in at least one time point, whereas better family function increased the possibility of recovery relative to chronic dysfunction. Lower social support and positive coping could also cause insomnia chronicity. CONCLUSION: Adolescents have different trajectories of insomnia symptoms during pandemic lockdown. Although most adolescents did not experience insomnia or recovered over time, some adolescents, especially those with the risk factors noted above, exhibit delayed or chronic symptoms. These findings could inform mental health professionals regarding how to provide individualized and appropriate intervention for college students after their return to school.

Is returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic stressful? A study on immediate mental health status of Chinese college students.

BACKGROUND: As the COVID-19 pandemic has posed substantial impacts on individual's daily routine and psychological state. For the first time at great scale, Chinese college students had their educational activities moved online in spring 2020. Due to this unexpected isolation and unconventional learning method, their mental health following returning to school is worth investigating. METHODS: Between June 1 and June 15, 2020, a total of 8,921 returning college students' mental health status were assessed using instruments designed for psychiatric disorders, namely the 9-Item Patient Heath Questionnaire (PHQ-9), 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), 6-Item Impact of Event Scale (IES-6), Youth Self Rating Insomnia Scale (YSIS), and self-developed questionnaire. RESULTS: Our results showed that 8.7%, 4.2%, 10.5%, and 6.1% of the participants experienced depression, anxiety, acute stress, and insomnia, respectively, with a total of 19.8% reporting having at least one psychiatric symptom following their return to school. Sophomore and Senior year, and presence of previous psychiatric conditions contribute to the increased occurrence of psychiatric issues. The level of impact by COVID-19 on one's daily functioning is also positively associated with poor mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested no significant increase in the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, following the first batch of students' return to school. These findings aim to complement the current understanding of the psychiatric impact of COVID-19 on students and assist school principals to plan their return-to-school approaches in a mental-health sensitive way.