Increase In Mental Health Problems Research Articles

Positive life changes during the COVID-19 pandemic moderate the association between mothers’ COVID-related stressors and psychopathology

BackgroundAmple research has documented the potential of both negative and positive impacts secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic on global mental health in adults and families, but less work has focused on mothers who experience economic marginalization. This longitudinal study aims to assess the impact of positive changes from the pandemic on the association between COVID-related stressors and psychopathology before and after the start of the pandemic. MethodsSeventy-five mothers from low income, economically marginalized backgrounds (mean age=30 years, 80 % Black) completed a pre-pandemic visit (T1;2015-2019) and an online survey (T2;2020-2021) mid-pandemic. The study assessed mother's depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms and lifetime adversity, COVID-19 related stressors, and positive changes associated with the pandemic. ResultsControlling for pre-pandemic psychopathology symptoms, lifetime adversity and educational attainment, there was a significant, positive association between exposure to COVID-19 related stressors and risk for T2 psychopathology. Positive life changes buffered this association, however, such that exposure to COVID-19 related stressors and psychopathology were unrelated for mothers who reported a moderate to high level of positive changes associated with the pandemic. LimitationsThe sample was small and generalizability of results is limited. ConclusionsThe pandemic was associated with an increase in mental health problems and unique stressors, especially among caregivers who are low-income. These findings shine light on how both material and psychological access to positive experiences (e.g., more time with family) can buffer the impact of stressors on mental health symptoms.

The relationship between sense of coherence and emotional intelligence as individual health assets for mental health promotion in students and healthcare professionals: a scoping review.

Workplace Mental health promotion in healthcare sector, is a global priority due to the stress associated with caregiving environments and the increase of mental health problems among health professionals and students. The role of emotional intelligence (EI) and sense of coherence (SOC) have been identified as critical health protectors. However, the relationship between them as well as the underlying mechanisms of these relationships on health benefits in this population is still unclear. To synthetize the existing literature on the relationship between emotional intelligence and sense of coherence, as well as their mutual impact on healthcare workers' and student's well-being. A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. A systematic search was conducted in PsyCINFO, CINHAL, SCOPUS and PUBMED databases, using key-terms such as students, health professionals, emotional intelligence, and sense of coherence. A total of 11 articles were included, with a range of years from 2014 to 2022. Evidence was found to support the positive relationship between sense of coherence and emotional intelligence. The use of EI as a training pathway to improve SOC and health promoting behaviors is suggested. The benefits of intervening on these factors contribute to improved health professionals' and students' general well-being and motivation for a better performance, either in their studies or clinical work. The positive relationship between emotional intelligence and a sense of coherence has direct and indirect benefits on students' and healthcare professionals' well-being. Future studies should address longitudinal and experimental analysis to confirm these findings.

Secular trends in mental health problems among young people in Norway: a review and meta-analysis.

There is a growing concern that the mental health of recent generations of youth is deteriorating, yet the etiology of these secular changes is not fully understood. We aimed to review the evidence on trends in mental health problems among young people in Norway. Seven large-scale repeated cross-sectional studies were included in this study, comprising 35 cross-sectional data collections between 1992 and 2019, with a total sample of 776,606 young people. Our study found a clear increase in mental health problems among young females in Norway over the past few decades, while the trends were less marked for males. The proportion of individuals scoring above the problematic symptom score threshold increased on average by 11.2% (range 2.2% to 21.9%) for females and 5.2% (range - 0.9% to 11.1%) for males, based on data from the individual studies. The results from a meta-regression analysis showed that across all surveys, mean symptom scores increased by 17% (95% CI 12 to 21%) among females and 5% (95% CI 1 to 9%) among males from 1992 to 2019. Overall, mental health problems have increased continually since the early 1990s among young people, especially among young females. The cause of these secular changes remains unknown but likely reflect the interplay of several factors at the individual and societal level.Protocol registration: Open science framework, November 8, 2021 ( https://osf.io/g7w3v ).

Social work undergraduate curriculum and the readiness of the students to practice in the field of mental health

ABSTRACT With the growing economic and sociopolitical challenges, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing use of social media, Nigeria is recording a continuous increase in mental health problems. Social workers are expected to be at the forefront of mental health management, which begs the question of whether student social workers are ready for mental health practice. This paper sets out to find out the extent to which the content of the undergraduate curriculum of the Department of Social Work, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, prepares the students to practice in the field of mental health. In-depth interviews were used to collect data from 20 purposively selected undergraduate social work students. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the generated data. Findings show that the students who participated in the study believed that the curriculum has sufficient mental health courses to prepare them to practice in the field of mental health. Highlighting the paramount role of educators, the participants also indicated a need to improve the delivery of the course contents by educators. With this, it is necessary to introduce practical context-based and innovative delivery methods like the recent use of video simulations for mental health service delivery training.

Nature-Based Education for Facilitating Resilience and Well-Being among Youth—A Nordic Perspective

This article provides a brief overview of current research regarding well-being among youth to find factors that may have influenced an increase in mental health problems among children and young people and to clarify the current state of knowledge. Research highlighting protective factors that seem to promote resilience is put forward, which includes factors regarding interactions between youth and their families, friends and education providers. An insight into the development of the Finnish education system is also provided in the search for factors that affect students learning and engagement in school. To provide a possible pathway forward, the article will highlight some existing studies on resilience building from nature-based activities, indicating a possibility to help youth and children with mental illness or problematic school absences develop socio-emotional skills, confidence in themselves and a belief in the future.

Mental health in all policies: How does an effort for mental health in all policies impact the battle against increasing mental unwell-being across society?

The worldwide pandemic caused by the covid-19 virus led to interventions in personal freedom of citizens that were never seen before. These measures limiting freedom caused an enormous impact on people’s mental health, which is largely dependant on social, economic and environmental factors. Mainly in young people a strong increase in mental health problems could be observed. Specific sanitary measures heavily affected their social lives, education, hobbies and other areas in their lives. This crisis showed us the interconnectedness of many areas of life with mental health policy and the need for a holistic approach. Therefore we mustn’t focus solely on expanding mental health care and making it more accessible if we want a general improvement of the population’s mental health. On top of the important and necessary increase in accessibility and availability, there is a need to prevent additional mental health problems of our citizens. For this reason we want to make a case for a mental health in all policies. There is a need for high quality integrated mental health care, as well as generally a policy of integrated care that addresses mental health as part of the larger health system, which fortifies resilience. In this presentation we want to demonstrate this need by showing local examples and research which makes the case for a mental health in all policies for all.

How to improve the capacity of general practitioners? – a Flemish approach

“Barely any region left with freely accessible primary health care in Flanders.” This is one of the many newspaper headlines that was recently published to emphasize the fact that more and more general practitioners refuse to take in new patients, because they run out of capacity to provide patients with proper health care. Where does it go wrong? 
 Accessibilty to general practitioners is a hot topic for the Flemish policymakers. An aging population and an increase of mental health problems asks a lot from the general practitioners, as well as the shift of tasks from hospitals towards primary health care and the growing attention for prevention. However, is there a real shortage in general practitioners? Looking abroad learns that the number of general practitioners might not be the major cause of the capacity problem, but that the true bottleneck might lie in the way of organizing primary health care capacity and accessibility. Embedded in a landscape of health care where general practitioners mostly work on a self-employed base, and the fragmented governmental structure in Belgium as an extra obstacle makes this a major challenge for the near future.
 A dialogue between policy makers from all Belgian governments was opened to create a common approach: each government will take actions within their own authorities. The Flemish government worked out a plan to counter this massive challenge in primary health care through different initiatives, in cooperation with representatives of the general practitioners on the field, local authorities and umbrella organizations.
 Flanders commits itself by installing three major fundaments which can create change in the way general practitioners are organized: a first step is to create an accurate and up-to-date database of the current available general practitioners health care services compared with the local care need; in parallel the funding of general practitioners will be expanded in a way which stimulates interdisciplinary collaboration and optimizes health care capacity; on top of that the Flemish government is experimenting with new forms of primary care practices in which integrated care is the keystone and which are supported by local authorities and in close connection with welfare services. 
 These projects described above are in full development. On the working field more and more general practitioners are willing to put their shoulders under these initiatives to create solid solutions for the future. 
 The international audience of this lecture might recognize similar issues they encounter in their own countries and will be able to see similarities and differences compared to the Flemish context. By drawing these parallels one can have a broader view on the approach of improving health care capacity and accessibility. 
 These Flemish projects will be brought together with the initiatives from the other Belgian governments at a roundtable discussion to align all the initiatives on primary health care capacity and create a future proof primary health care capacity in Belgium.

Changes in child and adolescent mental health across the COVID‐19 pandemic (2018–2023): Insights from general population and clinical samples in the Netherlands

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic negatively affected child and adolescent mental health and at the end of the pandemic (April 2022) child mental health had not returned to pre‐pandemic levels. We investigated whether this observed increase in mental health problems has continued, halted, or reversed after the end of the pandemic in children from the general population and in children in psychiatric care.MethodsWe collected parent‐reported and child‐reported data at two additional post‐pandemic time points (November/December 2022 and March/April 2023) in children (8–18 years) from two general population samples (N = 818–1056 per measurement) and one clinical sample receiving psychiatric care (N = 320–370) and compared these with data from before the pandemic. We collected parent‐reported data on internalizing and externalizing problems with the Brief Problem Monitor and self‐reported data on Anxiety, Depressive symptoms, Sleep‐related impairments, Anger, Global health, and Peer relations with the Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®).ResultsIn the general population, parents reported no changes in externalizing problems but did report higher internalizing problems post‐pandemic than pre‐pandemic (p < 0.001). Children also reported increased mental health problems post‐pandemic, especially in anxiety and depression, to a lesser extent in sleep‐related impairment and global health, and least in anger (all ps < 0.01). In the clinical sample, parents reported higher internalizing (p < 0.001), but not externalizing problems post‐pandemic compared to the start of the pandemic. Children reported greatest increases in problems in anxiety, depression, and global health, to a lesser extent on sleep‐related impairment, and least on anger (all ps < 0.05).ConclusionsChild mental health problems in the general population are substantially higher post‐pandemic compared to pre‐pandemic measurements. In children in psychiatric care mental health problems have increased during the pandemic and are substantially higher post‐pandemic than at the start of the pandemic. Longitudinal and comparative studies are needed to assess what the most important drivers of these changes are.

Mental health and decision-making participation of adolescent orphans: A pilot study

Background: Mental health has been brought to attention lately, with the increase of mental health problems during adolescence. In Indonesia, it is reported that one-third of adolescents develop mental health disorders. Childhood grief, separation from the family, child labor, or abuse affect the orphans’ mental health, including their decision-making participation. Purpose: As a pilot study, this study would like to investigate the mental health conditions and decision-making participation among orphans in one orphanage in Mojokerto district, East Java, Indonesia.Methods: This cross-sectional study utilizes the Depression Anxiety Scale Youth version (DASS-Y) and Child and Adolescent Participation in Decision Making Questionnaire (CAP-DMQ). Thirty-five adolescent orphans of one orphanage in Mojokerto were recruited using convenience sampling. The frequency of respondents’ mental health and decision-making participation were measured, and the mean differences between each group of sociodemographic factors were measured using the Mann-Whitney U test or the Kruskal Wallis test. Association between mental health and decision-making participation was calculated using Chi-square test.Results: The results show that 40% of respondents were categorized as having mild mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and stress. Mental health problems are mostly found in males (22.90%) and elementary school (20%). The participation of the orphans in decision-making is considered good, with a median of 25.5. The bivariate analysis concludes the association between anxiety, age, grade, and decision-making participation (p= 0.024, p= 0.029, p=0.029, respectively).Conclusion: Taken together, attention to orphans, especially adolescents, and their problems are necessary to reduce the health discrepancies within these vulnerable groups. Broader respondents are needed to understand the complete picture of mental health conditions among Indonesian adolescent orphans, including late adolescents.

The Association of Insomnia and Stress on Cardiovascular Risk Factors during COVID-19 Confinement in the Mexican Population

During the pandemic confinement, the WHO changed the term “social distancing” to “physical distancing”, to help people deal with the lack of social contact. As a result, there was an increase in mental health problems, including insomnia and stress, with a negative impact on cardiovascular health. The objective of this research was to identify the association between insomnia and stress and cardiovascular risk (CVR) during the pandemic in a sample of the general population in Mexico; the participants were chosen using the non-probabilistic method. The data were obtained from an online questionnaire about medical histories focused on cardiovascular risk, according to the Official Mexican Standards and Regulations for patients’ clinical records, NOM-004-SSA3-2012, along with an index for the severity of insomnia, measured with a seven-item guide, and an instrument to measure stress. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics for several different variables: sociodemographics, stress, insomnia, and cardiovascular risk. Cardiovascular risk was compared to insomnia and stress variables, which led to statistically significant differences and correlations between the variables. Participants were divided into four groups with respect to CVR, from low to very high CVR. This research demonstrated that women were more susceptible to stress and cardiovascular risk. However, stress was a more major indicator of CVR than insomnia, but in the high and very high CVR groups, insomnia contributed along with stress; coping strategies reduced the risk in the high CVR group but did not function as expected with respect to reducing risk in the very high CVR group. These findings suggest that sleep patterns and mental health alterations present during the pandemic may persist even when the pandemic was declared as having ended and may contribute to increases in cardiovascular risk in the long-term.

Antecedents of Depression among Undergraduates in Nigerian Private Universities

Prevalence of the effect of depression on young adults’ well-being has turned out to be a priority as a result of the simultaneous increase in mental health problems among individuals. Depression being a mental disorder that comes with unhappy mood, loss of interest, low self-worth, insomnia, and poor concentration seems to be ravaging the younger generation, especially undergraduates in tertiary institutions. Hence, this study investigated the antecedents of depression among undergraduates in Nigerian private universities. The research objectives were to (1) examine the level of depression among the undergraduates; (2) assess the past history of depression among the undergraduates;( 3) assess the level of perceived family support among the undergraduates; (4) determine the significant relationship between the history of depression and levels of depression; and (5) to assess the significant relationship between the history of depression and perceived family support. This research work made use of the quantitative source of data, through which data were gathered using a structured questionnaire and administered to 365 undergraduates. The findings showed that the majority of the undergraduates manifest one level of depression or the other, as about one-fifth of the respondents show signs of no form of depression and are thus regarded as normal. The study also showed that the level of perceived family support received by the undergraduates was found to be moderate, and there was a significant relationship between the history of depression and perceived family support. It was also found that there is a significant relationship between history of depression and levels of depression. The study recommends that counseling centers be provided in all institutions so as to give help to students battling with one issue or the other so as to avoid a high level of depression. In addition, parents are advised to show a positive and caring attitude to their children as the experiences a student experiences at home could have a significant influence on the student in school, which could lead to depression or otherwise.

ASUHAN KEPERAWATAN DENGAN STUDI KASUS ISOLASI SOSIAL DENGAN PENDEKATAN CARING TEORI JEAN WATSON

The recent increase in mental health problems is still a concern throughout the world. Due to waste and inefficiency, these psychological problems are caused by incompetence and deficiencies, both individually and collectively, which will hinder human and environmental growth. The purpose of contextual investigation is to find out about parenting through social contextual research using Jean Watson's Hypothetical Caring technique. The research design used is a case study. The number of clients used was three, namely social isolation clients. Social alienation is an issue raised. He received therapy from a maintenance treatment program. A third quiet patient was found to have a tendency to isolate himself indoors, was unmotivated to work with others, and spent a lot of time alone before receiving supportive care. After receiving maintenance treatment for four groups, it was found that the third patient was persistent in talking to those closest to him, was able to start a conversation, and expressed the need to cooperate. Some argue that people with social isolation can benefit from group action therapy in this way. We really hope that future authors will be willing to use a methodological approach to provide appropriate execution in order to obtain comprehensive data and make execution more effective.

10.G. Workshop: Investigating risk and protective factors for youth mental health using population-based datasets

Abstract Mental health problems are increasing among young people both in Ireland and worldwide and the causes of this increase are not known. This workshop will focus on large population based datasets which provide recent and comprehensive information on the mental health of young people, including the Growing Up in Ireland study, the Planet Youth study and the ALSPAC cohort. We will present recent data on prevalence of mental health disorders among adolescents and we will present data on possible risk factors and protective factors for mental health problems in youth. We will focus on the possible role played by the COVID pandemic in this observed increase. We will also present data relating to substance use including cannabis use and diet . We will explore trajectories of psychopathology between childhood and adolescence and incidence and persistence of psychotic experiences in youth. This workshop will be a chance to bring together researchers and clinicians working in this important area to discuss the issue of youth mental health which will have importance not just for Ireland but for other countries worldwide. Key messages • An increase in mental health problems among young people has been observed over recent years but the causes for this increase are not known. • There is an urgent need to identify risk and protective factors for mental health problems among youth and how these are changing over time.

COVID-19 AND SOCIAL CHANGE- A BRIEF STUDY OF SIKKIM

The novel coronavirus pandemic which originated in Wuhan province of China have altered the way of life all around the world. The Covid- 19, which was declared pandemic by WHO in March 2020, have had tremendous impact on every section of society especially in developing country like India. The measures undertaken by the Government to curb the rise of pandemic have altered the way of life. With uncertainty in every aspect of life, there has been an increase in mental health problems, economic loss, unemployment, labour issues, inequality, starvation, suicide, xenophobia, change in the social and cultural norms etc. The norm of social distancing due to constant fear of getting infected by the contagious disease has led to social isolation thereby altering human relations. Sikkim, though having witnessed zero cases till the month of May 2020, could not stay free from the disease for longer period of time. Sikkim, too recorded its first case on 23 May 2020 when a 25 year old student returning from Delhi tested positive for the disease. Thus, with the inflow of students and natives to their home from various parts of the country, there was surge in the Covid cases which created social changes. This article, thus, aims at investigating into the social change brought about by the Covid- 19 pandemic in the state of Sikkim.

What predicts the alleviation of Covid-related future anxiety in schoolchildren 6 to 9 months into the pandemic?

Although the first COVID-19-related lockdown in the Spring of 2020 has contributed to an increase in mental health problems in many children worldwide, less is known about the longer-term effects of the pandemic on their (future) anxiety. This article examines resilience factors against children's Covid-relatedfut ure anxiety (CRFA). N = 140 children (48,6% female) in 3rd and 4th grade classrooms in Northern Germany were asked to self-report about their CRFA, their anxiety, and the social climate in their classrooms in September (T1) and December 2020 (T2). Results indicate that 18.6% of the children experienced CRFA "often" in at least one item of the CRFA scale at T1. CRFA was more pronounced in girls and in children from immigrant families. Changes in children's CRFA between T1 and T2 were predicted by changes in their anxiety and changes in classroom climate. Children in classrooms with increasing levels of peer support tended to have decreasing levels of CRFA, whereas their agemates' CRFA in less supportive classrooms tended to increase over time. These results suggest that peer and teacher social support may bolster children's resilience against future anxiety in challenging times. Implications for teachers and schools are discussed.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Stress in Middle School Teachers and Staff in Minnesota: An Exploratory Study Using Random Forest Analysis.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted many occupations, teachers and school staff have faced unique challenges related to remote and hybrid teaching, less contact with students, and general uncertainty. This study aimed to measure the associations between specific impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and stress levels in Minnesota educators. A total of 296 teachers and staff members from eight middle schools completed online surveys between May and July of 2020. The Epidemic Pandemic Impacts Inventory (EPII) measured the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic according to nine domains (i.e., Economic, Home Life). The Kessler-6 scale measured non-specific stress (range: 0-24), with higher scores indicating greater levels of stress. Random forest analysis determined which items of the EPII were predictive of stress. The average Kessler-6 score was 6.8, indicating moderate stress. Three EPII items explained the largest amount of variation in the Kessler-6 score: increase in mental health problems or symptoms, hard time making the transition to working from home, and increase in sleep problems or poor sleep quality. These findings indicate potential areas for intervention to reduce employee stress in the event of future disruptions to in-person teaching or other major transitions during dynamic times.

Examining associations between remote work and anxiety and depression: a longitudinal survey study in Israel

IntroductionAccumulating evidence points at increases in mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been attributed, among other things, to social distancing policies, such as the shift to remote...

COVID Protection Behaviors, Mental Health, Risk Perceptions, and Control Beliefs: A Dynamic Temporal Network Analysis of Daily Diary Data.

To control infections, behavioral non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as social distancing and hygiene measures (masking, hand hygiene) were implemented widely during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, adherence to NPIs has also been implied in an increase in mental health problems. However, the designs of many existing studies are often poorly suited to disentangle complex relationships between NPI adherence, mental health symptoms, and health-related cognitions (risk perceptions, control beliefs). To separate between- and temporal within-person associations between mental health, health-related cognitions, and NPI adherence. Six-month ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study with six 4-day assessment bouts in 397 German adults. Daily measurement of adherence, mental health symptoms, and cognitions during bouts. We used dynamic temporal network analysis to estimate between-person, as well as contemporaneous and lagged within-person effects for distancing and hygiene NPIs. Distinct network clusters of mental health, health cognitions, and adherence emerged. Participants with higher control beliefs and higher susceptibility were also more adherent (between-person perspective). Within-person, similar findings emerged, additionally, distancing and loneliness were associated. Lagged findings suggest that better adherence to NPIs was associated with better mental health on subsequent days, whereas higher loneliness was associated with better subsequent hygiene adherence. Findings suggest no negative impact of NPI adherence on mental health or vice versa, but instead suggest that adherence might improve mental health symptoms. Control beliefs and risk perceptions are important covariates of adherence-both on between-person and within-person level.

Impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of children and young people: an umbrella review

BackgroundOver the past 3 years, a multitude of studies have highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children and young people (CYP). In this umbrella...

The Causes and Effects of Poverty in Somalia: A Case Study of Guriceel District, Galmudug State, Somalia

This study focused on the causes and effects of poverty in Guriceel district, Galmudug state, Somalia. The aim of the study was to examine the causes and effects of poverty in Guriceel district, Galmudug state, Somalia. The study adopted a descriptive survey and targeted 500 people in Guriceel district. A sample of 126 respondents of the target population was considered by use of stratified purposive sampling technique. The primary data was collected through the use of closed-ended questionnaires and secondary data was obtained from literatures reviewed from the published documents by various scholars to supplement the primary data. The key findings of the study were that there are many causes of poverty in Guriceel district which they include: continuous civil war in Somalia is hindering economic activities of the people which is subjecting them into poverty, high level of corruption among civil servants, the existence of weak rule of law and poor governance leading to poor and ineffective service delivery in the district is causing of poverty in the district, high level of unemployment leading to low income generation by the residents in the district is causing poverty, poor access to affordable and quality health care in the district is causing poverty, high reproductive rate in the district is causing poverty in the district, dangerous climate change resulting into continuous drought is causing poverty in the district and lastly poor planning and distribution of social and economic services in the district is causing poverty in the district. And the main effects of poverty in Guriceel district entail: increase in the risk of people becoming infected with chronic illness, made people to live in dilapidated housing, increase of the death rate in the district, high risk of education underachievement for children from poor families, increase of mental health problems among poor people, high risk of education underachievement for children from poor families, increase of mental health problems among poor people, widening of gender inequality gap, increase in the rate of malnutrition among children from poor families who have got inadequate nutrition, reduction of life expectancy level among poor people and lastly poverty increase in crime rate like theft in Guriceel district. The study recommends that Federal Government of Somalia should provide enough and quality social services, establish more vocational training schools, create more jobs for the jobless youth, empower women, promote and practise of effective accountability and transparency in the public service to curb corruption, provide quality and affordable health services, formulate new policy on new on friendly youth-employment, reform the education curriculum and of more micro-finance institutions in all sub-districts in Somalia to provide loan to poor people.