Investigating the moderating role of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and suicidal capability in suicidal behavior

Objective: Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the world. The present research aimed to investigate the moderating role of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and suicidal capability in suicidal ideation, behavior, and attempts among the Iranian population. Method(s): The data were analyzed using cross-sectional regression models. The population of this study included 600 students of the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili. The tools used to collect the data in this study were the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, the Depressive Symptom Index-Suicidality Subscale (DSI-SS), the Suicide Attempt Questionnaire, the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (IPTS), the Suicide Capacity Scale-3, the Adverse Childhood Experiences, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire, and the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. Result(s): The results of this study showed that there was an interaction between thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness in suicidal behavior and DSI-SS. The results also showed that the acquired and practical capability subscales (suicidal capability) strengthen the relationship between suicidal behavior and the DSI-SS, on the one hand, and suicide attempt, on the other hand. Conclusion(s): The findings of the study showed that the interpersonal theory of suicide can pave the way to prevent suicidal ideation and behavior in Iranian society, and it is recommended that Iranian practitioners apply the theory in practice.Copyright © 2022 Yerkure Tanitim ve Yayincilik Hizmetleri A.S.. All rights reserved.

Social Media App Usage in Relation with PHQ-9 Depression Scores during the COVID-19 Pandemic

With about 300 million affected people, major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common diseases worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cases increased even further, by 28%. Many factors may be correlated with MDD, including the excessive use of social media apps. In this paper, we investigated the relationship between the use of social media and communication apps and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and social distancing like lockdowns probably changed smartphone usage times and usage patterns. While previous studies have shown an association between depression and social media usage, we report about the situation during these special circumstances. We employed a log-linear regression to examine the association of social media and communication app usage and depression. To quantify the usage, we applied the total usage time in hours of social media apps (e.g., WhatsApp, Facebook) as well as communication apps (Phone and Messaging) within one week. To measure depressive symptoms, we used the PHQ-9 score. We discovered a significant association between the usage time and the PHQ-9 score (beta=0.0084, p-value=0.010). We conclude that social media usage is a robust marker for depression severity and future research should focus on a better understanding of the underlying causality and potential counter-measures. © 2022 ACM.

Handwriting and Drawing for Depression Detection: A Preliminary Study

The events of the past 2 years related to the pandemic have shown that it is increasingly important to find new tools to help mental health experts in diagnosing mood disorders. Leaving aside the long-covid cognitive (e.g., difficulty in concentration) and bodily (e.g., loss of smell) effects, the short-term covid effects on mental health were a significant increase in anxiety and depressive symptoms. The aim of this study is to use a new tool, the "online” handwriting and drawing analysis, to discriminate between healthy individuals and depressed patients. To this purpose, patients with clinical depression (n = 14), individuals with high sub-clinical (diagnosed by a test rather than a doctor) depressive traits (n = 15) and healthy individuals (n = 20) were recruited and asked to perform four online drawing/handwriting tasks using a digitizing tablet and a special writing device. From the raw collected online data, seventeen drawing/writing features (categorized into five categories) were extracted, and compared among the three groups of the involved participants, through ANOVA repeated measures analyses. The main results of this study show that Time features are more effective in discriminating between healthy and participants with sub-clinical depressive characteristics. On the other hand, Ductus and Pressure features are more effective in discriminating between clinical depressed and healthy participants. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Geospatial variations in socioeconomic conditions and health outcomes in COVID-19 era: insights from South Africa (2020–2022)

South Africa also has the highest burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related comorbidities in Africa. We aimed to quantify the temporal and geospatial changes in unemployment, food insecurity, and their combined impact on depressive symptoms among South Africans who participated into several rounds of national surveys. We estimated the population-attributable risk percent (PAR%) for the combinations of the risk factors after accounting for their correlation structure in multifactorial setting. Our study provided compelling evidence for immediate and severe effect of the pandemic where 60% of South Africans reported household food insecurity or household hunger, shortly after the pandemic emerged in 2020. Despite the grants provided by the government, these factors were also identified as the most influential risk factors (adjusted odds ratios (aORs) ranged from 2.06 to 3.10, p < 0.001) for depressive symptoms and collectively associated with 62% and 53% of the mental health symptoms in men and women, respectively. Similar pattern was observed among pregnant women and 41% of the depressive symptoms were exclusively associated with those who reported household hunger. However, aORs associated with the concerns around pandemic and vaccine were mostly not significant and ranged from 1.12 to 1.26 which resulted substantially lower impacts on depressive symptoms (PAR%:7%-and-14%). Our findings suggest that South Africa still has unacceptably high rates of hunger which is accelerated during the pandemic. These results may have significant clinical and epidemiological implications and may also bring partial explanation for the low vaccine coverage in the country, as priorities and concerns are skewed towards economic concerns and food insecurity. © 2023, The Author(s).

Effects of sleep quality on suicide risk in COVID-19 patients: The chain mediating of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Background: Although current studies have identified sleep disorders as an independent risk factor for suicide, the relationship between sleep disorders and suicide risk has not been well established. This study explored whether anxiety and depressive symptoms are used as mediators to participate in the impact of sleep quality on suicide risk. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. We administered a psychological questionnaire to the participants, using a combination of self-assessment and psychiatrist assessment.Sleep quality, suicide risk, level of anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed by PSQI, NGASR, SAS and SDS.The study subjects were 391 hospitalized COVID-19 patients from Wuhan hospitals. We used model 6 in the PROCESS (version 3.5) plug-in of SPSS software to conduct mediation test with sleep quality as the independent variable, suicide risk as the dependent variable, level of anxiety and depressive symptoms as intermediate variables. Results: The severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms and the risk of suicide in the sleep disorder group (63.15 ± 13.71, 59.85 ± 13.38, 6.52 ± 3.67) were higher than those in the non-sleep disorder group (49.83 ± 13.14, 44.87 ± 10.19, 2.87 ± 3.26) (P < 0.001). The mediation model works well, The total indirect effect was 0.22 (95%CI = [0.17, 0.28]), and the direct effect was 0.16 (95%CI = [0.08, 0.24]). Limitations: This study used a self-assessment scale. Conclusions: Anxiety and depressive symptoms played a chain mediating role between sleep quality and suicide risk.

Impact of Unexpected In-House Major COVID-19 Outbreaks on Depressive Symptoms among Healthcare Workers: A Retrospective Multi-Institutional Study.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly affected the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs). The authors have provided psychosocial support to HCWs working in typical hospitals and nursing homes in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, where major COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred since December 2020. This study retrospectively examines depressive symptoms before psychosocial interventions among HCWs working at typical hospitals and nursing homes experiencing in-house major COVID-19 outbreaks. We have offered psychosocial support in eight hospitals and nursing homes, obtaining data on the mental health status of 558 HCWs using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The study's results indicate that 29.4% of HCWs have exhibited moderate or higher depressive symptoms, and 10.2% had suicidal ideation. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that being a nurse was associated with higher depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation compared to other HCWs. In addition, multiple logistic regression analysis of Polymerase Chain Reaction-positive HCWs showed that being a nurse and the number of COVID-19-related symptoms was associated with high depressive symptoms. These results suggest that HCWs in typical hospitals and nursing homes experiencing major COVID-19 outbreaks are more likely to exhibit severe depressive symptoms, which may worsen if infected with COVID-19. This study's findings expand the current understanding of HCWs' depressive symptoms and the importance of psychosocial support during unexpected major outbreaks in healthcare facilities.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depressive Symptoms Among Mizan-Tepi University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Depression is an extremely common and widespread problem among university students. A better understanding of the magnitude and determinants of depressive symptoms is required to create appropriate interventions for those groups. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among Mizan-Tepi University students during the pandemic lockdown. METHODS: From September 11th to September 25th, 2020, 779 Mizan-Tepi University students participated in this web-based cross-sectional study. The link was created with a Google Form, and the questionnaire was distributed to participants via e-mail, WhatsApp, Telegram, and other social media accounts. To determine the prevalence and determinants of depressive symptoms, both descriptive and inferential analyses were used. The chi-squared test of association and logistic regression were used to identify predictors of depressive symptoms among university students. We used (IBM) SPSS version 20 for all statistical analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among university students was 39.5%. According to results of multivariable binary logistic regression, being female (AOR = 0.339, 95%CI: 0.220-0.522), being an alcoholic (AOR = 2.101, 95%CI: 1.452-3.041), smoking (AOR = 2.088, 95%CI: 1.460-2.986), being quarantined for 14 days (AOR = 1.775, 95%CI: 1.231-2.560), frequently using social media (AOR = 1.510, 95%CI: 1.063-2.145), fearing COVID-19 (AOR = 5.058, 95%CI: 3.508-7.292), having sleeping problems (AOR = 1.703, 95%CI: 1.051-2.760), having a family member infected with COVID-19 (AOR = 1.829, 95%CI: 1.211-2.763), being exposed to COVID-19 (AOR = 1.748, 95%CI: 1.114-2.743), monthly disposable income ≥ 501 ETB (AOR = 0.531, 95%CI: 0.359-0.784), having a higher level of hope (AOR = 0.158, 95%CI:0.056-0.447), and having high social support (AOR = 0.546, 95%CI: 0.374-0.797) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms among students. CONCLUSION: In this study, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was found to be high among university students. Being an alcoholic, smoking, quarantined for 14 days, frequently using social media, fearing COVID-19, having sleep problems, having a family member infected with COVID-19, and being exposed to COVID-19 were all associated with an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms, while being a female, having a high level of disposable monthly income, hope, and social support decreased the risk of depressive symptoms among university students. Interventions should be put in place to promote mental health among university students.

Pregnancy-related COVID worry, depressive symptom severity, and mediation through sleep disturbance in a low-income, primarily Latinx population in California's Central valley.

PURPOSE: This study (1) assessed the psychometric properties of a pregnancy-related COVID worry scale, (2) explored variations in pregnancy-related COVID worry over the course of the pandemic, and (3) examined associations between pregnancy-related COVID worry and depressive symptom severity, and evaluated sleep disturbance as a mediator. METHODS: Data were drawn from an ongoing randomized trial comparing the effectiveness of two enhanced forms of prenatal care. The current analysis includes baseline pre-randomization data collected from participants who enrolled November 2020-November 2021 (n = 201). Participants were pregnant individuals with low income and primarily Latinx. RESULTS: Our 7-item scale was valid and reliable for assessing pregnancy-related COVID worry. Pregnancy-related COVID worry did not vary significantly by any participant characteristic or pandemic stage. Pregnancy-related COVID worry was significantly associated with depressive symptom severity in multivariate analysis (p = .002). For each unit increase on the 10-point pregnancy-related COVID worry scale, the odds of mild-to-severe depression increased by 16% (odds ratio = 1.16, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.32, p = .02), holding all other variables constant. Sleep disturbance mediated the pregnancy-related COVID worry-depressive symptom relationship (48% of the total effect mediated). CONCLUSIONS: Worry about how COVID may impact their baby, birth, and postpartum experiences was associated with higher depressive symptom severity, partly through its effect on sleep. These findings suggest that interventions related to improving sleep quality among perinatal populations may reduce depressive symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04154423, "Engaging Mothers & Babies; Reimagining Antenatal Care for Everyone (EMBRACE) Study".

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health in Childhood and Adolescence: The Reality of a Portuguese School.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has led to social isolation, with the potential to increase depressive symptoms, even at the pediatric age. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of depressive symptoms in large youth cohorts was 12.9% worldwide. Aims This study aims to characterize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the pediatric population's mental health. Materials and methods This was an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study conducted through the use of a questionnaire, including the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), between April 5 and May 5, 2021. The study was conducted on children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years old in a school in the geographical area of ​​a Portuguese grade II hospital. Incomplete data were excluded. Data were statistically analyzed using the IBM SPSS® program (version 28; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY), considering statistical significance if p<0.05. Results A total of 228 children and adolescents were included; 113 were female (49.6%). The average age of the population was 12.2 years. Fifteen point four percent (15.4%) had depressive symptoms, of which 51,9% were female. Of the children and adolescents with depressive symptoms, 5.7% had a personal history of past COVID-19 infection and 42.9% had at least one family member with a history of past COVID-19 infection. Seventeen point one percent (17.1%) had at least one family member involved in pandemic-related work. Children and adolescents who were infected with COVID-19 had more depressive symptoms than noninfected children and adolescents (p=0.013). At the same time, children and adolescents, with at least one family member with a history of past COVID-19 infection, had more depressive symptoms than children and adolescents without a family history of past COVID-19 infection (p=0.004). Children and adolescents with a family member involved in pandemic-related work had more depressive symptoms than children and adolescents without any family member involved in pandemic-related work (p=0.004). Conclusions COVID-19 infection, whether personal or familiar, has an impact on mental health, even in the pediatric age, and it is imperative to know the consequences of emotional and mental changes in this population.

Characteristics of House-Tree-Person Drawing Test in Junior High School Students with Depressive Symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the drawing characteristics of the house-tree-person drawing test (HTP) in junior high school students with depressive symptoms. METHODS: A total of 167 junior high school students were recruited and completed HTP and questionnaires. 12 drawing characteristics of HTP were extracted and compared to explore the potential drawing characteristics of depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Among 12 drawing characteristics, eight drawing characteristics appeared more frequently in the depressed group (CES-D ≥ 20) than in the non-depressed group (CES-D < 20), while one drawing characteristic appeared with a lower frequency. Further, controlling for the risk perception of COVID-19, seven drawing characteristics, not suggestive of movement, lacking details, blackening the paper, drawing in an only dark color, drawing a detailed crown, hands behind the back, and omitting expression, emerged as predictors of depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 20) in junior high school students. CONCLUSION: Seven drawing characteristics of HTP are significantly associated with depressive symptoms in junior high school students. HTP is insightful for early screening for junior high school students with depressive symptoms.

Sleep and Mental Health Among Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association of sleep with mental health among Korean adolescents during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: Using data from the 16th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey (2020) of 46,475 adolescents, we examined sleep duration and satisfaction and examined mental health for depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. The data were analyzed using complex sample descriptive statistics and a multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS: In 2020, the average sleep duration was 6.3 hours, and the sleep satisfaction rate was 30.8%. Depressive symptom and suicidal ideation rates were 24.2 and 10.3, respectively. These values are slightly better than those previously reported, before COVID-19. However, poor sleep was still associated with mental health. The likelihood of mental health problems was higher among those who slept for six hours or less than for those who slept for eight hours or more (p<0.05). Additionally, the results showed that the lower the sleep satisfaction, the higher the likelihood of mental health problems (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Even after the COVID-19 outbreak, poor sleep associated with mental health problems remained as high as before the outbreak of COVID-19.

Virtual Intervention for Caregivers of Persons With Lewy Body Dementia: Pilot Quasi-Experimental Single-Arm Study.

BACKGROUND: Compared to other types of dementia, family caregivers of people with Lewy body dementia (LBD) report higher stress levels and more severe depressive symptoms. Although several digital support interventions for caregivers of persons with dementia exist, few target LBD specifically or leverage a fully remote and asynchronous approach suitable for pandemic circumstances. OBJECTIVE: We performed a pilot evaluation of a digital intervention designed to help caregivers of people with LBD address challenges they have experienced, with the end goal of reducing psychological distress in this population. METHODS: We recruited 15 family caregivers of people with LBD to participate in the quasi-experimental, single-arm, mixed methods study titled Virtual Online Communities for Aging Life Experience-Lewy Body Dementia (VOCALE-LBD). The study offers an 8-week web-based intervention that uses a digital discussion platform and involves moderation, peer-to-peer support, didactic training, and problem-solving skill enactment. RESULTS: Participants' baseline characteristics were the following: mean age 66 (SD 8) years; 14 of 15 (93%) of them were female; all (15/15, 100%) were White; and 8 (53%) of them had at least a postgraduate degree. Throughout the intervention, participants engaged in weekly web-based discussions, generating a total of 434 posts (average 4 posts per week). Attrition was 20% (3/15). Upon study exit, participants showed the following average improvements: 3.0 (SD 6.0) in depression, 8.3 (SD 16.7) in burden, 2.9 (SD 6.8) in stress, and 0.3 (SD 0.8) in loneliness. When looking at the proportion of participants with clinically significant improvement versus those with a worsening of ≥0.5 SD for each outcome, we observed net improvements of 50% (6/12), 33% (4/12), 25% (3/12), and 25% (3/12) in depression, loneliness, burden, and stress, respectively. In terms of the benefits of participation, participants reported that participation helped them "a great deal" to (1) improve their understanding of LBD (9/12, 75%), (2) gain confidence in dealing with difficult behaviors of the care recipient (6/12, 50%), and (3) improve in one's abilities to provide care to the care recipient (4/12, 33%). CONCLUSIONS: The study generated promising feasibility and preliminary efficacy data for a low-cost, web-based intervention designed for caregivers of persons with LBD. Though the study was not powered for significance, we observed nominal average and net improvements in important psychological outcomes. Moreover, many caregivers reported that study participation helped them better understand the disease, feel more confident in dealing with difficult behaviors of the care recipient, and improve their ability to care for the care recipient. If validated in future studies, the intervention could be an accessible, on-demand resource for caregivers, enabling them to engage in moderated remote discussions with peers at their own convenience in terms of location, time of the day, and frequency.

Mental Health During Covid-19 Pandemic

The outburst of coronavirus in December 2019 from Wuhan, China leads to the global COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic by WHO at the beginning of 2020. This resulted in lockdown in many countries, as a preventive measure. Due to the lockdown, people were forced to stay at home, which increased the feeling of loneliness, anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts. Mental health is the least discussed topic but most important. With the outbreak of the highly infectious virus, public fear, anxiety, stress due to lethality, uncertainty also follows. This review article is aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of individuals and groups of individuals. A twenty percent increase in mental illnesses was reported in a survey by the Indian Psychiatric Society, since the coronavirus outbreak in India. In China, a study showed 16.5% moderate to severe depressive symptoms;28.8% moderate to severe anxiety symptoms;8.1% moderate to severe stress due to COVID -19. Different countries all over the world showed similar statistics. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had probably been the greatest pandemic in modernized human history. To prevent the transmission of coronavirus, the lockdown was imposed, which forced everyone to stay at home. The isolation had an adverse effect on the mental health of individuals.. The mental health of females of all age groups was more adversely affected than the males. Older people were more prone to mental illness, as compared to youngers. Students lacked interest in studies and their motivation to study was decreased. Health care professions were in the most important position during the entire pandemic, however, they weren't resistant to anxiety, stress, or depression. © The Electrochemical Society

Factors Associated With Depressive Symptoms in Individuals Who Have Experienced COVID-19 Self-Quarantine.

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors associated with depressive symptoms in individuals who have experienced self-quarantine because of coronavirus disease exposure or infection using Lazarus and Folkman's stress, coping, and adaptation theory, and George's Social Antecedent Model of Depression. This was a cross-sectional study that used data from the 2020 Korean Community Health Survey. A complex sample design was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics, the Rao-Scott X2 test, and logistic regression analysis were conducted to identify factors associated with depressive symptoms. Approximately 5.3% of the subjects had depressive symptoms. The factors associated with depressive symptoms were age, level of education, household income, changes in daily life due to coronavirus disease, whether someone provided assistance during the self-quarantine, perceived health status, and hospital consultation due to depressive symptoms. The findings of this study will be utilized as basic data for the development of programs to alleviate and prevent depressive symptoms in self-quarantine individuals.

Psychological Symptom Progression in School-Aged Children After COVID-19 Home Confinement: A Longitudinal Study.

Background: The long-term mental health effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children are rarely reported. We aimed to investigate the progression of depressive and anxiety symptoms among a cohort of children in the initial epicenter of COVID-19 in China. Methods: Two waves of surveys were conducted in the same two primary schools in Wuhan and Huangshi, Hubei province: Wave 1 from 28 February to 5 March, 2020 (children had been confined to home for 30-40 days) and Wave 2 from 27 November to 9 December, 2020 (schools had reopened for nearly 3 months). Depressive and anxiety symptoms were estimated using the Children's Depression Inventory - Short Form (CDI-S) and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), respectively. ΔCDI-S and ΔSCARED scores between Wave 2 and Wave 1 were calculated and further categorized into tertiles. Multivariable linear regression and multinomial logistic regression models were then applied. Results: A total of 1,224 children completed both surveys. The prevalence of mental health outcomes at Wave 2 increased significantly compared to Wave 1, specifically depressive symptoms (age-standardized prevalence rates: 37.5 vs. 21.8%) and anxiety symptoms (age-standardized prevalence rates: 24.0 vs. 19.6%). Higher ΔSCARED scores were observed in females and children in Wuhan, and children with experience of neglect had higher ΔCDI-S (ß = 1.12; 95% CI = 0.67-1.58) and ΔSCARED (ß = 6.46; 95% CI = 4.73-8.19) scores compared with those without experience of neglect. When the Δ scores were further categorized into tertiles, similar results were found. Conclusions: The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms after schools resumed was increased compared with that during the home quarantine period, even though the COVID-19 pandemic was under control. Females and children in Wuhan, and also children with experience of neglect were at increased risk of mental health disorders.

The effects of changes in daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults in Korea.

This study aims to identify the effects of daily life changes due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults. This cross-sectional and secondary data analysis study collected and analysed the data of 72 335 older adults aged older than 65 who participated in the 2020 Korean Community Health Survey. Changes in daily life due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic were measured by changes in physical activity, sleep duration, consumption of instant foods or soda drinks, alcohol consumption, smoking, and social contact compared to before the pandemic as perceived by the participants. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess depressive symptoms, and multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between the two. After adjusting for socio-demographic and health-related factors, changes in daily life due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic that affected depressive symptoms in older adults living in the community were observed. This study confirmed that changes in daily life due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic negatively affected the mental health of older adults. Thus, there is a need to improve social support and care systems, by including non-face-to-face programmes using remote communication technology. It will allow older adults to maintain their daily lives and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Longitudinal Nationwide Study of Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chile.

Background: Despite numerous efforts to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, there are few longitudinal studies that examine the change in the burden of psychological distress over time and its associated factors, especially in developing countries. Objective: The primary aim of this study was to assess the levels of psychological distress at two time points during the COVID-19 outbreak based on a representative community sample in Chile. The secondary aim was to identify groups that are more vulnerable to psychological distress during the pandemic. Methods: A nationally representative, longitudinal telephone survey of Chilean adults was conducted. This study analyses panel data from two waves in 2020: May 30 to June 10 and September 15 to October 9. A total of 823 people participated in both surveys. Changes in mental health outcomes (anxiety and depressive symptoms) were assessed, estimating the effect of demographic characteristics, psychosocial and economic factors, household conditions, and health status. Results: There was a significant increase in psychological distress (PHQ-4 ≥ 6) between Waves 1 (22.6%) and 2 (27.0%), especially among younger participants. Overall, the results of this study show that being female, living in or near the capital, living in overcrowded households and having a perceived lack of space in the home, loneliness or perceived social isolation, and having received mental health treatment within the last year are significantly associated with psychological distress over time (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study highlights the need to implement psychosocial programs to protect people's psychological well-being, as well as social policies to improve household living conditions and levels of social connectedness during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Changes in Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms During COVID-19 Lockdown: United States Adult Age Groups.

This study investigates: (1) the changes in three major health-related factors-physical activity, non-physical-activity health behavior (i.e., diet quality, alcohol consumption, smoking, sleep quality), and depressive symptoms, and (2) how changes in physical activity were associated with changes in one's depressive symptoms among young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults while controlling non-physical-activity health behavior and sociodemographic characteristics among young, middle-aged, and older adults before and after the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown in the United States. A total of 695 participants completed an online questionnaire via MTurk, and participants were asked to recall their physical activity, depressive symptoms, and non-physical-activity health behavior status in January and May of 2020. The IPAQ-SF was used to evaluate individuals' physical activity, while the CES-D-10 was used to assess depressive symptoms. Covariates included non-physical-activity health behavior and sociodemographic factors. A Bayesian significance testing of changes was used to examine significant changes in physical activity, non-physical-activity behavior, and depressive symptoms in each age group while Bayesian regression analysis was employed to examine how the changes in physical activity were associated with respondents' depressive symptoms while controlling for individual NHB and sociodemographic characteristics. The results showed that the participants tended to maintain their physical activity levels after the lockdown despite significant increases in sitting time among young and older adults. Decreases in moderate physical activity frequency were associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms (R 2 = 17.1%). Although young and middle-aged cohorts experienced fewer differences in depressive symptoms compared to their counterparts in the older group, we found no significant heterogeneity effects in the relationships of interest across all age groups. Considering different influences of physical activity on depressive symptoms depending on different levels of activity and ages, more randomized clinical trials with program-based intervention studies should be conducted with different physical activity programs for different age populations.

Prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Estimating the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among older adults with different health conditions can inform mental health services for this population during the corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Method: A search of 12 scientific databases identified 17 studies with 11,237 Chinese older adults who were infected by COVID-19, were generally healthy, or had chronic illnesses. Meta-analysis was used to estimate the overall prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in these three groups. Assessment criteria, region, and time phase of the pandemic were tested as sources of heterogeneity. Results: With an average risk of bias score of 6.71 (range = 6-8), the majority of included studies employed appropriate statistical methods, used validated measurement tools, and had adequate response rates; however, they might have deficiencies in sample frame, sampling method, and sample size. Within the COVID-19, general, and chronic illness groups, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 27%, 26%, and 61%, respectively, and the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 14%, 23%, and 85%, respectively. Among generally healthy older adults, anxiety was more prevalent during the Phase 2 (March-April 2020) of the pandemic compared with other time phases. Conclusions: The results have implications for addressing the mental health problems of Chinese older adults, especially those with chronic illnesses, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anxiety, depression and insomnia in pregnant women during the COVID-19 epidemic in Beijing.

Objective: To evaluate the anxiety, depression and sleep problems and the related factors in pregnant women and during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: Totally 885 pregnant women were recruited in and surveyed by online self-evaluating questionnaire from Feb 28th to April 26th, 2020 in four hospitals. The psychological assessment included Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) for anxiety symptoms, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms, and insomnia severity index (ISI) for insomnia symptoms. Results: In this sample, the detection rates of anxiety symptoms, depressive symptom and insomnia symptoms were 12. 2%, 24. 6% and 13. 6% respectively. Less care (OR = 1. 73), delivery worries (OR = 3. 95) and poor psychological resilience (OR = 4. 57) were risk factors for anxiety symptoms. High family income (OR = 1. 94), delivery worries (OR = 2. 39) and poor resilience (OR= 3. 04) were risk factors for depressive symptoms. Oilier marital status except married (OR =4. 95) and larger gestational weeks (13 - 27 weeks, OR = 2. 03;28 weeks or more, OR = 2. 13), history of somatic disease (OR = 1. 77), delivery worries (OR = 2. 78) and poor psychological resilience (OR = 1. 67) were risk factors for insomnia symptoms. Conclusion: Anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms and insomnia symptoms of pregnant women in Beijing are more common during the COVID-19 epidemic, especially in those with delivery worries and poor psychological resilience under COVID-19. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] 目的：评估新冠肺炎流行期间孕妇的焦虑抑郁症状与睡眠问题及其相关因素。方法: 2020年2 月28 日-4月26日，通过网络问卷平台调查北京四家助产机构就诊的885例孕妇的焦虑抑郁症状及睡眠问 题。采用广泛焦虑量表(GAD-7)评估焦虑症状，采用患者健康问卷抑郁症状群量表(PHQ-9)评估抑郁症状， 采用失眠严重程度指数量表(ISI)评估失眠症状。结果：本样本中焦虑症状、抑郁症状及失眠症状检出率分别 为12.2%, 24.6%和13.6%。缺少照顾(OR = 1.73)、有分娩担忧(OR = 3.95)及心理弹性差(OR = 4.57)是焦 虑症状的危险因素；家庭收入高(OR = 1.94)、有分娩担忧(OR = 2.39)及心理弹性差(OR = 3.04)是抑郁症状 的危险因素；除已婚外其他婚姻状况(OR = 4.95)、孕周较长(13～27 周，OR = 2.03;28 周及以上, OR =2.13)、 有躯体疾病史(OR = 1.77)、存在分娩担忧(OR = 2.78)及心理弹性差(OR = 1.67)是失眠症状危险因素。结 论：新冠肺炎流行期间北京市孕妇焦虑症状、抑郁症状及失眠症状常见，尤其是存在分娩担忧及心理弹性差的 孕妇。 (Chinese) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Chinese Mental Health Journal / Zhongguo Xinli Weisheng Zazhi is the property of Chinese Mental Health Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)