Proportion of Late Pregnant Women with Anxiety Symptom under COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused stress and anxiety for pregnant women worldwide. We examined the anxiety symptom in Japanese women during pregnancy using a self-administered questionnaire under the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Between April 2020 and March 2021 (2020, the COVID-19 pandemic), we asked 248 Japanese women without history of mental disorders who delivered singleton neonates at 37-41 weeks' gestation to answer the two-item generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-2) at first, second, and third trimesters of gestation. We also asked 311 women with the same situation between January 2019 and December 2019 (2019) as control. RESULTS: The women with anxiety symptom were common during the first trimester of gestation irrespective of COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, the proportion of the women with anxiety symptom decreased as the trimester of pregnancy progressed (p < 0.01); however, in 2020, the proportion of women with anxiety symptom did not decrease during pregnancy. During the late pregnancy, the proportions of women with anxiety symptom in 2020 were significantly higher than those in 2019 (p < 0.01) regardless of maternal parity or age in Japan. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic seemed to prevent the decrease in anxiety symptom that should decrease as pregnancy progresses regardless of maternal parity or age in Japan.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Wellbeing in the Context of Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim was to assess both the type and degree of impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and family wellbeing in a cohort with neurodevelopmental disorders. DESIGN: This was a single time-point observational study utilizing a combination of surveys and standardized measures, which were administered to parents by researchers by telephone. SETTING: The Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Clinic of the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Catania University, Italy. PARTICIPANTS: In total, 200 caregivers completed the questionnaires on behalf of themselves and their child. They were predominantly mothers (88.00%) and primary caregivers (93.50%), with a mean age of 42.84 years (sd = 7.13). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES MEASURES: A questionnaire featured in a previous study was used to assess the impact of COVID-19 on general wellbeing, types of support, family health, home-based learning, and child behaviors. Children's diagnoses were recorded. Caregivers provided information about physical, mental, financial, and vocational wellbeing, and completed several standardised measures of mental health and well-being: the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale - K6; the General Anxiety Disorder Scale - GAD-2; and the WHO Well-being Scale - WHO-5. RESULTS: Overall, 58.50% of respondents agreed somewhat or strongly that their child's overall health and wellbeing had been impacted by the pandemic, while 47.74% felt that their own wellbeing as parents had been affected. Whilst home-based learning and disruption to services for children were noted as being significant, child wellbeing appeared to not be correlated with these but rather to restrictions, home isolation, and disruption to routine. CONCLUSION: Children with neurocognitive disorders and their families have been substantially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected that targeted resources and support services will be required in response to this increase in need.

Implementing Home Office Work at a Large Psychiatric University Hospital in Switzerland During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Field Report.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, psychiatric hospitals all over the world had to adapt their services to the prevailing governmental regulations. As a consequence, home office use and telepsychiatry boomed. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of home office use, its adoption, and the association of home office use with employees' mental health in a large psychiatric university hospital in Switzerland. METHODS: We obtained and analyzed home office implementation and use data from the psychiatric university hospital's information technology services. We also conducted a cross-sectional web-based survey to assess the employees' attitudes toward the clinic's crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Part of this web-based survey consisted of questions about home office use between March and June 2020, attitudes toward home office implementation, and mental health. Three mental health measures assessed depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ]-2), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder [GAD]-2), and stress factors (stress module of the PHQ-D); a cut-off score ≥3 was used for the PHQ-2 and GAD-2. RESULTS: Of the 200 participating employees, 69 reported that they had worked from home at least partially (34.5%). Home office use differed significantly across professional groups (χ162=72.72, P≤.001, n=200). Employees experienced neither depressive symptoms (mean 0.76, SD 1.14) nor anxiety (mean 0.70, SD 1.03). The employees reported minor psychosocial stressors (mean 2.83, SD 2.92). The number of reported stress factors varied significantly across groups with different levels of home office use (χ42=9.72, P=.04). CONCLUSIONS: In general, home office implementation appears to be feasible for large psychiatric hospitals, however, it is not equally feasible for all professional groups. Professional groups that require personal contact with patients and technical or manual tasks must work onsite. Further evaluation of home office use in psychiatric hospitals up to the development of clinics that function merely online will follow in future research. The situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic served as a stepping stone to promote home office use and should be used to improve employees' work-life balance, to save employers costs and foster other benefits.

Follow-Up Survey of the Impact of COVID-19 on People Living with HIV during the Second Semester of the Pandemic.

COVID-19 affects persons living with HIV (PLWH) both directly (via morbidity/mortality) and indirectly (via disruption of HIV care). From July-November 2020, an online survey was conducted to investigate the psychosocial well-being of PLWH and changes in HIV care during the second semester of the COVID-19 outbreak. Data were collected on the socio-demographic characteristics of PLWH, their psychosocial well-being, impact of COVID-19 preventive measures on their daily routines and HIV follow-up. Of the 247 responses analyzed (mean age: 44.5 ± 13.2 years; 73.7% male), 67 (27.1%) and 69 (27.9%) respondents screened positive for anxiety (GAD-2 score ≥ 3) and depression (PHQ-2 score ≥ 3), respectively. HIV care had returned to pre-COVID-19 state for 48.6% PLWH, and 108 (43.7%) had no HIV follow-up during the past month. Over three quarters (76.1%) of respondents expressed willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Compared to previous findings in April 2020, substance use increased from 58.6% to 67.2% (p < 0.001). Our findings suggest that the well-being and medical follow-up of PLWH are still affected after almost a year into the COVID-19 outbreak. Remote HIV follow-up (telemedicine) with psychosocial support should be envisaged in the medium to long-term. Given that most PLWH accept COVID-19 vaccination, they may be prioritized for this intervention.