Coping and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among Chinese youth in the peak and remission periods of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed emergent vulnerability to adolescents' mental health. This longitudinal study investigated the association between coping at the peak of the COVID outbreak (T1) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms concurrently, and at the remission periods of COVID in China three months (T2) and six months (T3) later in a sample of 6th to 12th-grade students (N = 782). The results showed that forward-focus coping was negatively associated with PTSD symptoms across all three timepoints and predicted reduced risk for more PTSD symptoms at T2, and trauma-focus coping was positively associated with PTSD symptoms across all three timepoints and predicted higher risk of PTSD symptoms both at T2 and T3. There was an interaction effect of trauma-focus coping and T1 symptoms on later symptoms (T3) - trauma-focus coping was more detrimental for those who had more initial symptoms. The results showed the beneficial effects of future-oriented coping and harmful effects of trauma-focus coping for Chinese youth during the epidemic. Clinical implications of the results were discussed.

Parental psychosocial factors predicting adolescents' psychological adjustment during the surging and remission periods of COVID-19 in China: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Parents play a critical role in adolescents' psychological adjustment, especially in stress response. Few studies have investigated parental impact on adolescents' psychological adjustment in the pandemic. The longitudinal study examined how parental psychosocial factors at the surging period of the pandemic (T1) in China predicted adolescents' anxiety and depression concurrently and at the remission periods three (T2) and six months (T3) later. METHODS: Middle and high school students and their parents from three schools in Shanghai, China, completed online surveys on March 10, 2020 (T1), June 16, 2020 (T2), and Sep 25, 2020 (T3). Adolescents' anxiety/depression levels were assessed by matching self- and parent-reports at T1, T2, T3, and parents reported their psychological state (emotion and psychopathology), pandemic response (appraisal and coping), and perceived social support (PSS) at T1. RESULTS: Parental positive/negative emotions, anxiety, depression, control-appraisal, forward- and trauma-focus coping style and PSS were all significantly related to their children's anxiety/depression at T1. All factors, except coping style, predicted adolescents' anxiety/depression at T2 and T3, even after controlling for T1 adjustment levels. Parental positive emotion and depression had the strongest impact on adolescents' adjustment. LIMITATIONS: Some participants didn't complete the surveys at later time points, and the participants were only recruited in Shanghai. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that parents' psychosocial factors played a pivotal role on adolescents' psychological adjustment during COVID-19, highlighting the need to provide help to parents who were suffering from potential psychological distress.

The Prevalence of Psychological Status During the COVID-19 Epidemic in China: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The COVID-19 is creating panic among people around the world and is causing a huge public mental health crisis. Large numbers of observational studies focused on the prevalence of psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic were published. It is essential to conduct a meta-analysis of the prevalence of different psychological statuses to insight the psychological reactions of general population during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Sixty six observational studies about the psychological statuses of people during the COVID-19 were included, searching up to 1 December 2020. Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. OpenMeta[Analyst] was used for the data analysis. High prevalence of acute stress and fear symptoms were observed in the early period of the epidemic. Additionally, anxiety and depression symptoms continued at a high prevalence rate during the epidemic. It should alert the lasting mental health problems and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental disorders. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD 42020171485.

Prevalence and dynamic features of psychological issues among Chinese healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and cumulative meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed tremendous pressure on healthcare workers who are at the frontline in the battle against it, causing various forms of psychological distress. AIMS: To outline the prevalence and dynamic changing features of medical workers' psychological issues and to review the related national policies during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. METHODS: We systematically searched for studies on the psychological states of Chinese medical staff from 1 January 2020 to 8 May 2020. The aggregate prevalence of each psychological issue was calculated and plotted to observe the changes over time. Policies on psychological support for medical staff during the pandemic were reviewed to explore their link to the prevalence of psychological problems. RESULTS: In total, 26 studies were included in this study. A total of 22 062 medical workers were surveyed from 31 January to 27 February 2020. Medical staff exhibited a substantial prevalence of anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, stress-related symptoms and sleep problems during the survey period, with aggregate prevalence rates of 27.0%, 26.2%, 42.1% and 34.5%, respectively. Cumulative meta-analyses revealed that the prevalence of psychological distress peaked at the beginning of the pandemic and subsequently exhibited a slow downward trend. CONCLUSION: Chinese medical staff displayed significant psychological disturbance during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was especially severe at the early stage. Implementing supportive policies may help alleviate ongoing psychological problems in healthcare workers.

Effectiveness and influencing factors of online education for caregivers of patients with eating disorders during COVID-19 pandemic in China.

OBJECTIVE: The goals were twofold: To estimate the depression and anxiety levels among caregivers of patients with eating disorders (ED) in China during the COVID-19 pandemic when compared with a control group, and to assess whether an online education program was effective in decreasing the anxiety and depression of the caregivers of patients with ED, and associated factors. METHOD: Caregivers of patients with ED (n = 254) and a comparison group of non-ED caregivers (N = 254) were recruited at baseline. Additionally, caregivers of patients with ED were invited into a free 4-week online education program, with an additional online group as support. Depression and anxiety levels were assessed at baseline and after the intervention. RESULTS: Caregivers of patients with ED showed significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety than the comparison group of non-ED caregivers. The online education program showed no significant effect on decreasing depression and anxiety levels of caregivers of patients with ED overall. Caregivers who had older loved ones and not living with them were more likely to decrease their depression levels. Caregivers of patients with longer illness duration were less likely to decrease their anxiety levels. DISCUSSION: These results showed that caregivers of ED patients suffered more serious psychological distress during the pandemic. A more structured and intensive online intervention with a limited number of participants might be required to address caregivers' distress in post-COVID-19 China.