Mental health during the first wave of COVID-19 in Canada, the USA, Brazil and Italy.

BACKGROUND: The mental health (MH) burden on healthcare practitioners (HCPs) is emerging as a significant cost of the pandemic, although few studies have compared the MH of HCPs in different countries. METHODS: A link to an online survey was posted in the Spring of 2020 which included questions regarding perceived impact of the pandemic; current MH symptom severity and impairment was evaluated using validated scales. RESULTS: Overall, 1315 individuals (74% female, mean age: 42.9 + 16.4) in Canada, the United States, Brazil and Italy completed the survey. Nearly 26% met diagnostic thresholds for GAD and MDD; Italian respondents reported the lowest rates of disorder. Except for Canada, non-HCPs in each country reported higher symptom severity than HCPs. Amongst the HCPs, Canadian HCPs reported the highest rates of anxiety and depression as well as increases in alcohol and cannabis use, lower levels of perceived emotional support and more worry about themselves or their loved ones contracting COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Despite key infrastructural and COVID-19 mortality differences between the countries, the MH effects appeared to be quite similar. HCPs, with the exception of Canada, reported less impact on their mental health compared to the general population, suggesting resilience in the face of adversity.Key pointsRates of current mental health disorders were similar across Canada, the USA and Brazil but lower in Italy, yet much higher than pre-pandemic ratesNon-Healthcare Practitioners (HCPs) reported significantly higher severity on all MH scales in the overall sample. This was consistent within the USA, Brazil and Italy, however in Canada, HCPs reported higher anxiety, depression and stress symptom severity compared to Canadian non-HCPs.Canadian HCPs reported significantly higher anxiety and depression symptom severity than all other countriesCanadian HCPs also reported significantly greater increases in alcohol and cannabis use, lower levels of perceived emotional support and more worry about themselves or their loved ones contracting COVID-19 compared to HCPs in the other countries.

Psychometric properties of the arabic version of the obsessive compulsive beliefs questionnaire-44 in a student population.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Obsessive Compulsive Beliefs Questionnaire-44 (OBQ-44) in a sample of Kuwait University students. This questionnaire was developed by the Obsessive Compulsive Cognitions Working Group in order to assess belief domains believed to be crucial in the development of obsessive compulsive symptoms. METHOD: The Arabic version of the OBQ-44 was developed according to the standard translation and back-translation methods. The Arabic versions of the OBQ-44, the Maudsley Obsessive - Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), and Beck Depression Inventory-Revised (BDI-II) were then administered on a sample of 200 Kuwait University students from the faculty of humanities chosen through random cluster sampling. Retest was administered within a 4 week time period. RESULTS: The results of principle component factor analysis with varimax rotation indicated 6 factors which overlapped to a high degree. A 3 factor solution was chosen based on the scree plot and factor loadings which explained 36.12% of the variance. The factors were labeled as responsibility and threat estimation (RT), importance and control of thought (ICT) and perfectionism/Certainty (PC). The reliability coefficient of the three factors and the total score were assessed using three methods: Internal consistency, Test-retest reliability and Split-half reliability. Results showed an acceptable internal consistency for the Arabic version of the OBQ-44. Regarding the validity of OBQ-44, the instrument correlated with the total score of MOCI and most of its subscales. CONCLUSION: These data support the reliability and validity of the OBQ-44 in a sample of Kuwait University students.