Dimensions Of Mental Health Research Articles

Fluctuations in mental health in students accessing a university-wide online mental health promotion intervention before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Objective Growing evidence shows that online mental health interventions for university students are a cost-effective means for addressing mental health problems among university students. This study presents data on the numbers and characteristics of students who engaged in an online mental health promotion intervention called YOLO in the context of a university-wide rollout of the program before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Participants completed a questionnaire assessing socio-demographics and mental health (wellbeing and distress). A total of 240 students accessed the program over a 12-month period and of these, 164 provided reliable data. Results YOLO was accessed by students representing diverse socio-demographics including domestic vs. international student status, degree level, faculty, ethnicity, and age, although there was an over-representation of females (77.2%). Students who accessed YOLO pre-COVID-19 did not substantially differ across most mental health dimensions from those who accessed it during-COVID-19, although more students reported mild-moderate anxiety symptoms during-COVID than pre-COVID-19. The only socio-demographics significantly associated with mental health were age and degree level. Younger age was related to higher anxiety and 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students reported poorer mental health comparative to students in other years. Additionally, a higher proportion of these students accessed YOLO during-COVID-19 than at pre-COVID-19. Conclusion The present data along with findings from other studies that have evaluated YOLO, suggest that online mental health promotion programs that do not require in-person contact are an important and necessary resource for all university students.

Assessment of Initial Depressive State and Pain Relief With Ketamine in Patients With Chronic Refractory Pain

Repeated ketamine administration is common in treatment-refractory chronic pain, but ketamine analgesic and antidepressant effects are poorly understood in patients with chronic pain with depression symptoms. To determine clinical pain trajectories with repeated ketamine administrations, exploring whether ketamine dose and/or pretreatment depressive and/or anxiety symptoms may mediate pain relief. This nationwide, multicenter, prospective cohort study included patients in France with treatment-refractory chronic pain who received repeated ketamine administration, over 1 year, according to ketamine use in their pain clinic. Data were collected from July 7, 2016, through September 21, 2017. Linear mixed models for repeated data, trajectory analysis, and mediation analysis were performed from November 15 to December 31, 2022. Ketamine administration in cumulative dose (milligrams) over 1 year. Primary outcome was mean pain intensity (0-10 on the Numerical Pain Rating Scale [NPRS]), assessed every month for 1 year by telephone, after inclusion in the hospital. Depression and anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]), quality of life (12-item Short Form Health Survey [SF-12]), cumulative ketamine dose, adverse effects, and concomitant treatments were secondary outcomes. A total of 329 patients (mean [SD] age, 51.4 [11.0] years; 249 women [75.7%] and 80 men [24.3%]) were enrolled. Repeated ketamine administration was associated with a decrease of NPRS (effect size = -0.52 [95% CI, -0.62 to -0.41]; P < .001) and an increase of SF-12 mental health (39.7 [10.9] to 42.2 [11.1]; P < .001) and physical health (28.5 [7.9] to 29.5 [9.2]; P = .02) dimension scores over 1 year. Adverse effects were in the normal range. There was a significant difference between patients without and with depressive symptoms in pain diminution (regression coefficient, -0.04 [95% CI, -0.06 to -0.01]; omnibus P = .002 for interaction of time × baseline depression [HADS score ≤7 or >7]). The mediation model showed that ketamine dose was not associated with pain diminution (r = 0.01; P = .61) and not correlated with depression (r = -0.06; P = .32), and that depression was associated with pain diminution (regression coefficient, 0.03 [95% CI, 0.01-0.04]; P < .001), whereas ketamine dose was not (regression coefficient, 0.00 [95% CI, -0.01 to 0.01]; P = .67). The proportion of reduction of pain mediated by baseline depression was 64.6%. The findings of this cohort study on chronic refractory pain suggest that depression (and not ketamine dose or anxiety) was the mediator of the association of ketamine with pain diminution. This finding provides radically new insights on how ketamine reduces pain primarily by dampening depression. This reinforces the need for systematic holistic assessment of patients with chronic pain to diagnose severe depressive symptoms where ketamine would be a very valuable therapeutic option.

The gender dimensions of mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic: A path analysis.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a substantial population mental health impact, with evidence indicating that mental health has deteriorated in particular for women. This gender difference could be explained by the distinct experiences of women during the pandemic, including the burden of unpaid domestic labour, changes in economic activity, and experiences of loneliness. This study investigates potential mediators in the relationship between gender and mental health during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. We used data from 9,351 participants of Understanding Society, a longitudinal household survey from the UK. We conducted a mediation analysis using structural equation modelling to estimate the role of four mediators, measured during the first lockdown in April 2020, in the relationship between gender and mental health in May and July 2020. Mental health was measured with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Standardized coefficients for each path were obtained, as well as indirect effects for the role of employment disruption, hours spent on housework, hours spent on childcare, and loneliness. In a model controlling for age, household income and pre-pandemic mental health, we found that gender was associated with all four mediators, but only loneliness was associated with mental health at both time points. The indirect effects showed strong evidence of partial mediation through loneliness for the relationship between gender and mental health problems; loneliness accounted for 83.9% of the total effect in May, and 76.1% in July. No evidence of mediation was found for housework, childcare, or employment disruption. The results suggest that the worse mental health found among women during the initial period of the Covid-19 pandemic is partly explained by women reporting more experiences of loneliness. Understanding this mechanism is important for prioritising interventions to address gender-based inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Mental Health and Well-Being of Migrant Populations in Portugal Two Years after the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In Portugal, like in other European countries, the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the risk of poverty and social exclusion faced by migrants. This study aimed to assess mental health and well-being, and their social determinants, among Brazilian and Cape Verdean immigrant populations two years after the COVID-19 pandemic while exploring the role of positive psychological factors such as resilience and perceived social support. We conducted a cross-sectional survey combining online and face-to-face questionnaires for data collection between February and November 2022 on dimensions of mental health considered potentially relevant to the post-pandemic context: psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. Overall, 604 immigrants were included (322 Brazilian and 282 Cape Verdean); 58.5% of those surveyed were women and 41.5% were men. The results revealed that gender (being a woman) was associated with both psychological distress and depression, higher education was associated with anxiety, and that, for the three mental health dimensions under analysis, the perception of discrimination and resilience were negative and positive predictors, respectively. Findings can inform the design and implementation of relevant public mental health promotion programs with a focus on equity targeted to the general population. Such programs would help to address the psychological and social impacts of this long-term, insidious global pandemic that has challenged governments, health care systems, health care professionals, individuals, families, and communities worldwide.

The association between various dimensions of sleep parameters and mental health: A large cross-sectional study of 13554 Chinese students

ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the association between multiple sleep variables and mental health among Chinese students aged 9–22. MethodWe stratified the included 13,554 students by educational levels. Sleep parameters contained sleep duration on school days and weekends, napping time, chronotype and social jetlag (SJL), which were calculated via questionnaires. Individual psychological well-being and distress were assessed by Warwick-Edinburgh mental Well-being scale and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale 10 respectively. The multiple linear and binary logistic regression were applied to analyze the association of sleep with mental health. ResultsShort sleep on school days showed significantly positive association with psychological problems. While among senior high school students, we found reverse result that sleeping less might negatively associated with more severe distress (7-8 h: aOR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.46, 0.97). The association of sleep duration with mental health was attenuated a lot on weekends. The chronotype was significantly related with mental health in primary and junior high school: intermediate chronotype (vs late chronotype) was associated with greater wellbeing (β = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.09, 1.96; β = 1.89, 95% CI: 0.81, 2.97) and less distress (aOR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.60, 1.00; aOR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.91). The relationship between SJL, napping duration and psychological health problems were also observed in some educational levels. ConclusionSleep deprivation on school days, late chronotype and SJL were positively associated with worse mental health in our study, which differed among various educational stages.

Personality traits and dimensions of mental health

Individuals are different in a relatively constant pattern of thoughts, feeling, and behaviors, which are called personality traits. Mental health is a condition of well-being in which people may reach their full potential and deal effectively with stress, work efficiently, and contribute to their communities. Indeed, the link between personality and mental health as indicated by the 12-item version of the general health questionnaires (GHQ-12) has been well-established according to evidence found by decades of research. However, the GHQ-12 comprises many questions asking about different dimensions of mental health. It is unclear how personality traits relate to these dimensions of mental health. In this paper, we try to address this question. We analyzed data from 12,007 participants from the British Household Panel Study (BHPS) using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and generalized linear models. We replicated the factor structure of GHQ-12 labeled as GHQ-12A (social dysfunction & anhedonia; 6 items), GHQ-12B (depression & anxiety; 4 items), and GHQ-12C (loss of confidence; 2 items). Moreover, Neuroticism was positively related to all dimensions of mental health issues, Extraversion was negatively related to GHQ-12A (social dysfunction & anhedonia) and GHQ-12B (depression & anxiety), Agreeableness and Conscientiousness were negatively related to GHQ-12A (social dysfunction & anhedonia) and GHQ-12C (loss of confidence), and Openness was negatively related to GHQ-12B (depression & anxiety). These results contribute to theories including the predisposition/vulnerability model, complication/scar model, pathoplasty/exacerbation model, and the spectrum model, which propose that personality traits are linked to mental health and explained possible reasons. Psychologists may use results from this study to identify individuals who may be at high risk of developing various non-psychiatric mental health issues and intervene to avoid negative outcomes.

The Impact of Social Loafing on Turnover Intention for Tourism Employees Post COVID-19: The Mediating Role of Mental Health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread changes in the way that people work, including an increase in remote work and changes in group dynamics. Social loafing, the phenomenon of reduced individual effort in group settings, has been widely studied in the literature. However, less is known about the potential impacts of social loafing on mental health and turnover intention in this relationship. In this study, we hypothesized that social loafing would be related to turnover intention and that mental health would mediate this relationship. To test these hypotheses, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 700 full-time tourism employees in Egypt. The obtained data were analyzed by Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our results indicated that social loafing was significantly related to turnover intention and negative mental health consequences significantly mediated this relationship. The results showed that stress (as a dimension of mental health) experienced by employees may act as a mediator between social loafing and turnover intention. On the other hand, depression and anxiety were not observed to have a similar mediating effect. This implies that stress could play a vital role in the decision-making process of employees who are contemplating leaving their job due to social loafing. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing social loafing may have the added benefit of improving mental health and decreasing turnover intention in the workplace.

The impostor phenomenon in post‐secondary students: A review of the literature

AbstractThe impostor phenomenon (IP) is characterised by a belief that one is not actually intelligent or accomplished, despite objective evidence of success, but rather has fooled others and is therefore vulnerable to discovery as a fraud. Impostor feelings are widespread in the post‐secondary population and may be disproportionately experienced by groups already marginalised within academia (e.g., women, racialised students). The IP may be associated with significant mental health issues and changes long‐term education and career plans; as such, it is imperative that administrators take steps to address impostorism on university and college campuses. The purpose of this review was to summarise factors of the IP from existing research on the experiences and background characteristics of undergraduate, graduate and professional students (i.e., medicine, law). Findings on the subject of IP and gender as well as IP and ethnicity were inconsistent. Most studies found that IP was negatively related to self‐esteem and various dimensions of mental health. The relationship of IP to grade point average was inconsistent but several studies showed a negative association between IP and measures of academic performance. These findings suggest there is a critical need to bring awareness to and address experiences of the IP in the academic community; implications for campus mental health professionals are explored. Limitations of existing research are addressed and directions for future research are discussed. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyTo offer a summary of findings related to experiences of the IP among students in higher education.Why the new findings matterIP is negatively associated with multiple mental health concerns, self‐esteem, and measures of academic performance; therefore, interventions are needed to better support students in their academic pursuits.Implications for higher education personnel (e.g., professors, administrators)Implications for mental health professionals and students are discussed. Recommendations for intervention include raising awareness and normalising feelings of IP through workshops and orientations, and resource development with a particular focus on practical strategies to support students in coping with feelings of IP. Earlier intervention to manage IP is needed to curb associated mental health issues and deleterious changes to long‐term education and career plans.

Happiness and mental health of older adults: multiple mediation analysis.

This study aims to explore the influence mechanism of older adult mental health. As the aging population grows, the mental health of older adults becomes a significant public health and social issue, with happiness serving as a key dimension of mental health. This study utilizes public data from CGSS to investigate the relationship between happiness and mental health, with Process V4.1 used for mediating effects analysis. The findings suggest a positive predictive effect of happiness on mental health, with three mediating paths identified: independent mediating effect paths of income satisfaction and health, as well as a multiple mediating effects path through income satisfaction and health. The study suggests that improving the multi-subject mental health support service system for older adults and creating public values for mental health risk coping mechanisms. This helps to understand the complex relationship between aging on individual and social levels. These results provide empirical support for healthy aging among older adults and future policymaking.

Factors Influencing Disabled Stroke Survivors' Quality of Life in Rural China: Based on the Structural Characteristics and Psychometric Properties of the SF-36 Assessment.

Many stroke survivors' quality of life is impaired. Few studies of factors influencing their quality of life have been based on the factors tested by the short form 36 instrument. This study did so with 308 physically disabled stroke survivors in rural China. Principal components analysis was applied to refine the dimension structure of the short form 36 assessment, followed by backward multiple linear regression analysis to determine the independent factors influencing quality of life. The structure revealed differed from the generic structure in showing that the mental health and vitality dimensions are not unidimensional. Subjects who reported access to the outdoors as convenient demonstrated better quality of life in all dimensions. Those who exercised regularly achieved better social functioning and negative mental health scores. Other factors influencing a better quality of life in terms of physical functioning were younger age and not being married. Being older and better educated predicted better role-emotion scores. Being female correlated with better social functioning scores, while men scored better on bodily pain. Being less educated predicted higher negative mental health, while being less disabled predicted better physical and social functioning. The results suggest that the SF-36's dimension structure should be re-evaluated before using it to assess stroke survivors.

Estudio transversal sobre la calidad de vida y el riesgo psicosocial de trabajadores migrantes

Migration figures place Chile as one of the South American countries with the highest rate of migrants. The present study estimated the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics, quality of life, and psychosocial occupational risks in migrant workers from the Maule region. Cross-sectional study with migrant workers between 18 and 60 years of age residing in the Maule region (n = 145). The applied questionnaires were: a psychosocial risk questionnaire, a health and quality of life questionnaire, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. A bivariate statistical analysis was performed using nonparametric Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal Wallis, Spearman correlation, and multiple linear regression models. In Chile, 21% of the migrants maintained the same work activity as in their country of origin. Although the quality of life in physical and mental health is adequate, 52% have low psychological demands at work, 48.9% have low levels of active work and development skills, 57.7% have a high-risk level of compensation and self-esteem, and 65.5% have a high-risk level of double presence at work. Migrants with a higher quality of life in the physical health dimension have a lower risk of maintaining a balance between effort and reward; they worked 44 hours a week and did not work directly at Maule. Migrants with a higher quality of life in the mental health dimension have a lower risk of emotional demands, perceive greater social support in the company, and are less concerned about domestic chores. Migrants with lower quality of life in the physical health dimension presented less compensation at work and recognition, came to work directly in the region, and had jobs with fewer contract hours. Workers with lower quality of life in their mental health exhibited a greater risk of psychological demands at work and perceived low social support in the company; they were concerned about having to respond to domestic and salaried work.

Interdisciplinary homecare improves the mental health dimension of quality of life in diabetic ulcer patients

The study aimed to identify the effect of interdisciplinary homecare programs on the mental health dimensions of patients' quality of life who require long-term care services. The research method was conducted with a quasi-experiment for six months of intervention on sixteen patients obtained with a random sample for January-September 2022 at the PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital Yogyakarta homecare unit. Short form-36 (SF-36) was used to evaluate the quality of life dimension. Results; Interdisciplinary homecare significantly improves the health of patients with long-term care needs; diabetic ulcers (p=0.001). Age and comorbidities were identified as characteristics of patients with diabetic ulcers, which must be considered in treating diabetic ulcers. Conclusion; Assistance with interdisciplinary home care is recommended in long-term care in community settings and patients to improve the quality of life, especially the mental health of patients.Â

COVID-19 and stress of Indian youth: An association with background, on-line mode of teaching, resilience and hope.

COVID-19 pandemic causes serious threats to physical health and triggers wide varieties of psychological problems, including anxiety and depression. Youth exhibit a greater risk of developing psychological distress, especially during epidemics influencing their wellbeing. To identify the relevant dimensions of psychological stress, mental health, hope and resilience and to examine the prevalence of stress in Indian youth and its relationship with socio-demographic information, online-mode of teaching, hope and resilience. A cross-sectional online survey obtained information on socio-demographic background, online-mode of teaching, psychological stress, hope and resilience from the Indian youth. A Factor Analysis is also conducted on the recompenses of the Indian youth on psychological stress, mental health, hope and resilience separately to identify the major factors associated with parameters. The sample size in this study was 317, which is more than the required sample size (Tabachnik etal., 2001). About 87% of the Indian youth perceived moderate to a high levels of psychological stress during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Different demographic, sociographic and psychographic segments were found to have high stress levels due to the pandemic, while psychological stress was found to be negatively correlated with resilience as well as hope. The findings identified significant dimensions of the stress caused by the pandemic and also identified the dimensions of mental health, resilience and hope among the study subjects. As stress has a long-term impact on human psychology and can disrupt the lives of people and as the findings suggest that the young population of the country have faced the greatest amount of stress during the pandemic, a greater need for mental health support is required to the young population, especially in post pandemic situations. The integration of online counselling and stress management programs could assist in mitigating the stress of youth involved in distance learning.

Health-related quality of life and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS in Sichuan, China: A cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to explore health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in Sichuan, China. A total of 401 PLWH were recruited from the city of Panzhihua between August 2018 and January 2019. Demographic characteristics and disease-related data were collected by self-administered questionnaires and medical system records. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured by the medical outcome study HIV health survey (MOS-HIV), which measured ten subdimensions and two summarized dimensions, the physical health summary score (PHS) and the mental health summary score (MHS). Logistic regression models were used to explore the variables independently associated with quality of life. The PHS and MHS measured by MOS-HIV were 53.66 ± 6.80 and 51.31 ± 7.66, respectively. Younger age, higher educational level, no methadone use, higher CD4 lymphocyte counts, less symptom counts and heathy BMI significantly were associated with higher HRQOL in the univariate χ2-test analysis. Education level was found to have a significant influence on patients' quality of life, both in physical health (P = 0.022) and mental health (P = 0.002) dimensions. Younger age (P = 0.032), higher CD4 lymphocyte counts (P = 0.007), less symptom counts (P < 0.001) and health BMI level (P < 0.001) were positively related to the PHS of quality of life in the multivariable logistic regression model. The HRQoL of PLWH in Sinchuan Province was relatively low. Age, educational level, methadone use, CD4 lymphocyte counts, symptom counts and BMI were positively related to quality of life. This study indicates that health caregivers should pay more attention to comorbidity issues and mental health in PLWH, especially for those with lower education levels, unhealthy body mass index, more symptomatic presentation and older age.

The Effectiveness of Narrative Exposure Therapy on Quality of Life and Emotional Regulation in Divorced Women in Zarrinshahr City

Aim: Today, considering the growing divorce and its consequences in society, it is important to examine it in different aspects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of narrative medical exposure on quality of life and emotional regulation of divorced women in zarrinshahr city (Iran).&#x0D; Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest and control group. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all divorced women of Zarrinshahr Relief Committee. A sample of 30 women under the Imam Khomeini Relief Organization was selected by voluntary sampling method and randomly divided into two experimental groups (15 subjects) and control (n = 15). Data were gathered in two stages: pre-test and post-test. World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire Group of Experts of the World Health Organization (1996) and Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (Gross, et al., 2003) were used. The experimental group received 7 days of treatment and 90 minute treatment group (NET); while the control group received no intervention. The collected data were analyzed using univariate covariance (ANCOVA) and analyzed by SPSS-23 software.&#x0D; Findings: The results showed that after controlling the effects of pre-test, there was a significant difference between the post-test scores of the two groups in the dimensions of physical health (F = 369.965; P &lt;0.001), mental health (F = 75.457; P &lt;0.000), Social health (F = 52.905; P &lt;0.003) and environmental health (F = 320.321; P &lt;0.001) and dimensions of cognitive reassessment (F = 260.901; P &lt;0.001) and subduction (1/359; F= P&gt; 0.005).&#x0D; Conclusion: The results of this study show that oral exposure can be a suitable health plan for improving the quality of life and emotional problems of divorced women.

Electric shortages and mental health in Maracaibo, Venezuela: A cross-sectional study.

For the past 10 years, Venezuela has undergone a severe electric crisis. However, not all regions have been equally affected. The city of Maracaibo has endured more blackouts than other cities, and they have now become routine. This article sought to study the impact of electric shortages on the mental health of Maracaibo's inhabitants. Using a sample from all districts in the city, the study sought to test if there are correlations between the number of hours without electricity (per week), and four dimensions of mental health: anxiety, depression, poor sleep quality, and boredom. Results came out showing that there are moderate correlations across all four variables.

Category characteristics of high school students' sense of hope and its relationship with mental health.

This study used the latent profile analysis technique to investigate the latent categories of high school students' sense of hope and their relationship with mental health. A total of 1,513 high school students from six middle schools in China was tested using the Adult Dispositional Hope Scale and the Symptom Checklist 90. Analysis of variance was used to explore the relationship between latent categories of sense of hope and mental health. High school students' sense of hope scores are negatively associated with mental health scores. The high school students' sense of hope could be divided into three latent categories: negative sense of hope group, moderate sense of hope group and positive sense of hope group. The differences in scores on each dimension of mental health among high school students with different latent categories of sense of hope were statistically significant. The positive sense of hope group had lower scores on the dimensions of somatization, compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, terror, paranoia, and psychosis than the negative sense of hope group and the moderate sense of hope group. There are three latent categories of high school students' sense of hope, and the sense of hope category is closely related to mental health. Based on the different categories of high school students' sense of hope, the program of mental health education can be reasonably selected to create a positive general environment for mental health education and ultimately enhance the mental health of high school students.

Do Dimensional Measures of Mental Health Symptoms Predict Level of Alcohol Involvement in the General Population?

Background: There is a limited understanding of what specific mental health symptoms are associated to alcohol involvement. It is important to understand how the severity of different mental health dimensions may differ, and distinguish between, levels of alcohol involvement. Objectives: (a) explore for differences in severity of mental health symptoms between those with lower, and moderate/high alcohol involvement, (b) assess the degree to which mental health dimensions can distinguish between those with lower, and moderate/high alcohol involvement, and (c) examine what mental health dimensions are related to the highest risk of moderate/high alcohol involvement. Results: 400 participants representative of the general population in the USA were recruited online through Prolific and completed the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test and Brief Symptom Inventory. Each of the nine mental health symptom dimensions significantly differed between lower and moderate/high alcohol involvement, with the moderate/high alcohol involvement group reporting greater severity symptoms. The nine symptom dimensions in combination also significantly distinguished lower and moderate/high alcohol involvement, however only somatization offered unique predictive utility. Lastly, global distress was also able to significantly distinguish the alcohol involvement groups, albeit to a lesser accuracy compared to the collection of individual symptom dimensions. Conclusions: These findings suggest that overall mental health distress may be important to understanding alcohol involvement, however individual symptom dimensions can add further explanatory variance. In particular, somatic symptoms may offer unique utility in understanding the relationship between mental health and alcohol involvement.

Recurrent COVID-19 Waves and Lockdown: Impact on Daily Life and Mental Health of People in Nepal

Background. Lockdown is recognized as an effective measure in limiting the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) throughout the world. However, recurrent COVID-19 infection and the extension of lockdown have threatened the livelihoods of people, mainly socioeconomic and mental health dimensions. Objective. The present study is aimed at identifying the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the daily life and mental health of the general population of Nepal. Furthermore, the study identified the predictors of the mental health status of the people during COVID-19 lockdown. Methods. The study was conducted among 354 Nepalese people specifically the breadwinner of the family. Respondents completed the questionnaires related to the sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19, and its impact on various aspects of life, including mental health via Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items (DASS-21). Data was collected through the web-based method, Google Forms questionnaire. Respondents were contacted through email and social networks (Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Viber) following a snowball approach. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Logistic regression analysis was done to identify significant demographic, COVID-related, and socioeconomic factors associated with mental health outcomes. Results. Based on DASS-21 scores, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 46.6% (mild: 22.3%, moderate: 16.7%, severe: 6.5%, and extremely severe: 1.1), 42.1% (mild: 10.2%, moderate: 18.6%, severe: 11.6%, and extremely severe: 1.7%), and 39% (mild: 16.7%, moderate: 12.7%, and severe: 9.6%), respectively. Various factors associated with COVID-19, its lockdown measures, and sociodemographic characteristics of the people were identified as the significant predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress among the general population of Nepal. Conclusion. The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on individuals’ work, income, education, living standard, lifestyle, and consequently mental health is significant. The study findings warrant the importance of understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals’ all aspects of life and timely monitoring and appropriate intervention on risk groups to reduce the severity and chronicity of mental health problems.

Global and Dimensions of Mental Health in Arthritis Patients.

Arthritis is one of the main clusters of long-lasting musculoskeletal and joint disorders. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the impact of arthritis patients' mental health, which has mainly focused on depression and anxiety in clinical samples. However, much less is known about how domains of mental health based on the widely used 12-item version of the general health survey (GHQ-12) are affected by arthritis. The current research answered this question using confirmatory factor analysis, general linear models, and one-sample t-tests on a nationally representative sample from the United Kingdom with 5588 arthritis patients and 8794 participants indicating that they were not clinically diagnosed with arthritis. The current study found that (1) a total of three factors of GHQ-12 that are labeled GHQ-12A (social dysfunction and anhedonia; six items), GHQ-12B (depression and anxiety; four items), and GHQ-12C (loss of confidence; two items), and (2) both the global mental health and dimensions of mental health are negatively affected by arthritis. Clinicians could use the results from the present study to make better treatment decisions for patients with arthritis.