Abstract
The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health among HIV high-risk populations is not known. We assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms (DS) and explore the association with characteristics related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online survey among 881 men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) assessing the presence of DS using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10); results were compared with previously self-reported DS and national data. We applied latent class analysis (LCA) to identify classes of participants with similar COVID-19 related characteristics. The overall prevalence of significant DS was 53.3%. By LCA posterior probabilities we identified three classes: (1) minimal impact of COVID-19 (54.1%), (2) objective risk for COVID-19 (41.5%), and (3) anxiety and economic stress caused by COVID-19 (4.4%). Multivariate logistic regression showed that compared with those in class one, the odds to have significant DS were almost five times higher for those in class three. Our findings suggest high levels of depression among MSM and TGW in Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the need for the provision of targeted psychological interventions to minimize the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health.
Highlights
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency after identifying a cluster of unexplained cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, subsequently identified as COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 [1]
Covid-19 Related Variables We explored the effect and risk factors for COVID-19 in different aspects: loss of job because COVID-19, perceived risk of acquiring COVID-19, having at least one diagnosed risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease, and potential close contact with someone who has been tested positive for COVID-19
Because of high sexual activity reported during ImPrEP follow-up visits, we explored whether participants reduced their number of sexual partners due to COVID-19
Summary
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency after identifying a cluster of unexplained cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, subsequently identified as COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 [1]. Depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and harmful social behaviors [3] have been reported recently [4]. The prevalence of mild anxiety and depression among this population was 29 and 17%, respectively [5]. In the US, about a third of adults (32%) reported in March 2020 that worry and stress related to COVID-19 harmed their mental health, 14% reported a more significant impact [7]. A recent literature review exploring the COVID-19 pandemic consequences on mental health revealed lower psychological well-being and higher scores of anxiety and depression in the general population, compared to before COVID-19 [8]
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