Personal Mental Health Research Articles

Impact of subclinical mental disorders of voice function and quality of life in voice-speaking professions during the COVID-2019 pandemic

Objective: To investigate the risk of mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals of the voice-speech professions and the possibility of its impact on voice function and quality of life. Materials and Methods: The study involved 33 people of voice-speech professions who were treated at the University Clinic of Zaporizhzhia State Medical University in 2020. The presence of mental disorders was determined by questionnaires using the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). The patients were divided into 2 groups, depending on the absence and presence of significantly expressed symptoms. A specialized phoniatric examination using functional loads (measuring the time of maximum phonation (PMF), perceptual assessment of the voice according to the GRBAS scale), videostroboscopy of the larynx were carried out. The assessment of the mental impact of voice disorders on the quality of life was carried out according to the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) questionnaire. The statistical significance of the comparative indicators and the connection of their changes were established using the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Results: It was found that among the surveyed 33 people, 22 patients (group 1) had subclinical anxiety and depression, and 11 (group 2) had no significant symptoms. Patients with subclinically severe mental disorders (n = 22) showed a significant increase in the emotional indicator by 85.37% (p≤0.01). A high positive relationship was found between subclinical levels of anxiety and depression and disturbances in the phonatory cycle of the larynx. When conducting a Spearman correlation analysis between the data of perceptual assessment of the voice according to the GRBAS system, data of video stroboscopy of the larynx, indicators of anxiety and depression, and the results of the VHI questionnaire, a positive relationship of a high degree was established between the level of anxiety and vibratory insufficiency of the vocal folds (rs=0.95; p≤0.05), negative with the Navy (rs=-0.59; p≤0.05), as well as physical (rs=0.75; p≤0.05) and emotional (rs=0.79; p≤0.05) components of average quality of life. The data obtained indicate a significant effect of subclinical disorders of the mental state on impaired voice function and the emotional component of the quality of life in persons of vocal-speech professions. Conclusions: Screening of mental health in persons of voice-speech professions together with a baseline assessment of voice function and quality of life are important steps for monitoring potential voice disorders and the formation of risk groups in order to carry out preventive and therapeutic measures for voice disorders.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Loneliness and Social Isolation: A Multi-Country Study.

The COVID-19 global pandemic and subsequent public health social measures have challenged our social and economic life, with increasing concerns around potentially rising levels of social isolation and loneliness. This paper is based on cross-sectional online survey data (available in 10 languages, from 2 June to 16 November 2020) with 20,398 respondents from 101 different countries. It aims to help increase our understanding of the global risk factors that are associated with social isolation and loneliness, irrespective of culture or country, to support evidence-based policy, services and public health interventions. We found the prevalence of severe loneliness was 21% during COVID-19 with 6% retrospectively reporting severe loneliness prior to the pandemic. A fifth were defined as isolated based on their usual connections, with 13% reporting a substantial increase in isolation during COVID-19. Personal finances and mental health were overarching and consistently cross-cutting predictors of loneliness and social isolation, both before and during the pandemic. With the likelihood of future waves of COVID-19 and related restrictions, it must be a public health priority to address the root causes of loneliness and social isolation and, in particular, address the needs of specific groups such as carers or those living alone.

Research on the Effects of Occupational Stress and the DRD2 Gene on the Psychological Health of Workers in the Xinjiang Desert Oil Field.

Background: This study investigated the relationship between occupational stress and the mental health of people working in oil fields in the arid desert environment of Xinjiang, and revealed the causal relationship between occupational stress and psychological disorders, while furthermore exploring the relationship between psychological disorders and genetic levels.Methods: The participants of this study included oil field company workers from the Xinjiang Petroleum Administration of Karamay City, Xinjiang, who underwent occupational health examinations. The Occupational Stress Inventory Revised Edition (OSI-R) was used to measure the occupational stress of the oil workers. The mental health status of oil workers was evaluated using the Symptoms Checklist-90.Results: Occupational tasks: The total scores of the personal strain and mental health questionnaires were positively correlated with somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, terror, paranoia, and psychosis (P < 0.05). Individual coping resources and the mental health total score was negatively correlated with somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, hostility, terror, paranoia, and psychosis. The following factors were identified as mental health risk factors: female gender; age 45 and above (relative to ≤30 years old); high scores on the personal strain questionnaire; occupational stress; external effort; internal investment; and high effort-low return. The following factors were identified as protective factors for mental health: Han nationality; oil transportation (relative to drilling); individual resilience; and work returns. In respect to the abnormal psychological group and the normal psychological group, statistically significant differences were found in the distribution of genotypes and allele frequencies at the rs1800497 locus (P < 0.05). The depression and paranoia scores observed between different genotype groups at the rs1800497 locus were statistically significant (P < 0.05).Conclusions: This study shows that occupational stress and the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) gene have an impact on the mental health of oil field workers in the arid desert environment of Xinjiang. Effort-reward imbalance and occupational stress were identified as risk factors for mental health, while rewards for work were protective factors. Higher levels of occupational stress may lead to depression and other psychological disorders, adversely affecting mental health. In oil field operators in the arid desert environment of Xinjiang, the AA genotype of the DRD2 gene in the rs1800497 locus was identified as a genotype specific to susceptibility to mental health problems, and a correlation was found between the A allele and an increased risk of psychological problems. Therefore, it is necessary to devise relevant measures to alleviate occupational stress among oil workers and increase their job rewards, so as to improve their mental health.

Traumatized Refugees in Psychotherapy: Long-Term Changes in Personality, Mental Health, Well-Being, and Exile Life Functioning.

This pre- and posttreatment study of 22 severely traumatized adult refugees spanned a mean of 6.5 years. Changes in personality functioning, mental health, and well-being were examined using the Rorschach Performance Assessment System, Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, Hopkins Symptom Checklist–25, and the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life–BREF questionnaire. A paired samples t-test revealed significant improvement after psychotherapy in traumatic ideation and initial severe disruptions in thought processes, reality testing, perception, self and other representations, and relational capacity (Cohen’s d = 0.46–0.59). Symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress were significantly reduced (d = 0.54–0.84), quality of life in the physical health and psychological health domains increased significantly (d = 0.87 and 0.97), and percentage of participants with exile language proficiency and work/study status increased significantly. The findings demonstrate the potential of psychotherapy to contribute to normalizing perceptual, cognitive, and relational capacities in severely traumatized refugees, paramount to well-being and functioning in exile.

Uses and Misuses of Recorded Mental Health Lived Experience Narratives in Healthcare and Community Settings: Systematic Review.

Mental health lived experience narratives are first-person accounts of people with experience of mental health problems. They have been published in journals, books and online, and used in healthcare interventions and anti-stigma campaigns. There are concerns about their potential misuse. A four-language systematic review was conducted of published literature characterizing uses and misuses of mental health lived experience narratives within healthcare and community settings. 6531 documents in four languages (English, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian) were screened and 78 documents from 11 countries were included. Twenty-seven uses were identified in five categories: political, societal, community, service level and individual. Eleven misuses were found, categorized as relating to the narrative (narratives may be co-opted, narratives may be used against the author, narratives may be used for different purpose than authorial intent, narratives may be reinterpreted by others, narratives may become patient porn, narratives may lack diversity), relating to the narrator (narrator may be subject to unethical editing practises, narrator may be subject to coercion, narrator may be harmed) and relating to the audience (audience may be triggered, audience may misunderstand). Four open questions were identified: does including a researcher’s personal mental health narrative reduce the credibility of their research?: should the confidentiality of narrators be protected?; who should profit from narratives?; how reliable are narratives as evidence?)

Quantifying the Impact of Phenoconversion on Medications With Actionable Pharmacogenomic Guideline Recommendations in an Acute Aged Persons Mental Health Setting.

Introduction: Polypharmacy and genetic variants that strongly influence medication response (pharmacogenomics, PGx) are two well-described risk factors for adverse drug reactions. Complexities arise in interpreting PGx results in the presence of co-administered medications that can cause cytochrome P450 enzyme phenoconversion.Aim: To quantify phenoconversion in a cohort of acute aged persons mental health patients and evaluate its impact on the reporting of medications with actionable PGx guideline recommendations (APRs).Methods: Acute aged persons mental health patients (N = 137) with PGx and medication data at admission and discharge were selected to describe phenoconversion frequencies for CYP2D6, CYP2C19 and CYP2C9 enzymes. The expected impact of phenoconversion was then assessed on the reporting of medications with APRs.Results: Post-phenoconversion, the predicted frequency at admission and discharge increased for CYP2D6 intermediate metabolisers (IMs) by 11.7 and 16.1%, respectively. Similarly, for CYP2C19 IMs, the predicted frequency at admission and discharge increased by 13.1 and 11.7%, respectively. Nineteen medications with APRs were prescribed 120 times at admission, of which 50 (42%) had APRs pre-phenoconversion, increasing to 60 prescriptions (50%) post-phenoconversion. At discharge, 18 medications with APRs were prescribed 122 times, of which 48 (39%) had APRs pre-phenoconversion, increasing to 57 prescriptions (47%) post-phenoconversion.Discussion: Aged persons mental health patients are commonly prescribed medications with APRs, but interpretation of these recommendations must consider the effects of phenoconversion. Adopting a collaborative care model between prescribers and clinical pharmacists should be considered to address phenoconversion and ensure the potential benefits of PGx are maximised.

Mental Health and Personality Traits during COVID-19 in China: A Latent Profile Analysis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health problems have increased and are likely to be influenced by personality traits. The present study investigated the association between personality traits and mental health problems (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) symptoms, and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms) through the person-centered approach because this has some advantages over the variable-centered approach. The data were collected from a sample of 765 Chinese citizens who participated in an online survey in October 2020. Latent profile analysis identified three latent personality profiles—highly adaptive, adaptive, and maladaptive. Highly adaptive individuals had higher extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and lower neuroticism, while maladaptive individuals had lower extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and higher neuroticism. Multivariate analysis of variance results showed that individuals with highly adaptive profiles had lower anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms compared to individuals with adaptive and maladaptive profiles. The findings of the present study indicate mental health professionals would benefit from formulated intervention plans given the association between latent personality profiles and mental health problems.

Ageing Mindfully During COVID: Therapists Reflections from Delivering Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Groups via Tele-Health Within an Aged Persons Mental Health Service

Ageing Mindfully During COVID: Therapists Reflections from Delivering Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Groups via Tele-Health Within an Aged Persons Mental Health Service

The Positive Worldview of Teenage Schoolchildren as a Predictor of a Safe Educational Environment

The content of the article was determined by the problem of positive worldview formation of teenage schoolchildren as a predictor of a safe educational environment. The lack of qualitative characteristics of the educational environment and, in particular, its safety presupposes great difficulties in the personal development of schoolchildren during the period of maturation. Improving the level of psychological safety and psychological culture in the socio-cultural space is a preventative means of maintaining personal mental health. The early providing of purposeful psychological aid based on the principles of humanity and pragmatism determines the change in the mental reality of a person and limits the identification of psychopathological symptoms of development. The research was conducted on the basis of comprehensive schools of Kryvyi Rih city (Ukraine). To accomplish the task a comparative method of research organization (a cross section of data in different age groups of schoolchildren of the sample) was used. The methods employed in the research were designed to measure happiness in general, to estimate peculiarities of behavioral reactions in situations of uncertainty, to identify stress factors as positive worldview, confidence and constructive activity. For deeper analysis of the obtained data and revealing of dependence between indicators of worldview trends and the age of respondents a correlation analysis was carried out. The received data can be a basis for further research work in peculiarities of strategies of behavior of teenage schoolchildren.

Learning to mentalize: Exploring vulnerable parents\u2019 experiences of change during video guidance in an infant mental health clinic

BackgroundInterventions that promote infant mental health face challenges when applied for parents who struggle with psychosocial and psychological burdens. Video-based guidance using the Marte Meo method is used in specialized clinical settings with high-risk families to improve parent-child interaction, parental sensitivity and mentalizing. However, knowledge about the lifeworlds of these parents and their experiences of the therapeutic process during video guidance is limited.AimThis qualitative study explores how parents in an infant mental health outpatient clinic who had difficulties mentalizing and maintaining an emotional connection with their infants experienced the change process during Marte Meo video guidance.MethodsWe identified a strategic sample of parents with difficulties mentalizing and maintaining an emotional connection with their infants through the Parent Development Interview. Twelve parents received video guidance and were afterwards interviewed in-depth. The research interviews were qualitatively analysed via a team-based reflexive thematic analysis.ResultWe identified four themes: a) feeling inadequate or disconnected as a parent; b) discovering the infant as a relating and intentional person; c) becoming more agentic and interconnected; and d) still feeling challenged by personal mental health issues.ConclusionParents described positive changes in their interactions, in mentalizing their infants, the relationship and themselves as parents, in their experiences of self-efficacy and on a representational level. They also described increased confidence and improved coping despite ongoing personal mental health challenges. The findings suggest that video guidance using the Marte Meo method can be a critical intervention for vulnerable parents but should be coordinated with parents’ primary treatments when complex parental mental health issues are involved.

Challenges of Women Healthcare Providers during Covid-19 Pandemic in Aizawl City, Mizoram, India

Background: The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant influence on people's health, economics, social, and political life. The infection has spread around the world, increasing the stress and challenges faced by healthcare personnel everywhere. Women health workers were actively engaged in the prevention, promotion, and protection of Covid-19, holding important positions as doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, and contributing important role in various other aspects; this virus had an impact on the women health workers' personal lives, mental, physical, and biological health. Aim and Objective: To explore the challenges faced by women health providers confront during Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: Structured questionnaire was administered among 100 women healthcare providers (nurse, radiographer, laboratory workers) who are working in the different healthcare settings in Aizawl district, Mizoram using online open data kit website. The quantitative data is processed and analysed with the help of Ms Excel and SPSS software. Results and Conclusion: The study found that women healthcare providers are facing difficulties in balancing work and personal life, adjustment to changes in lifestyle, decrease of interest in work, irregular supply of PPE and fear of exposure. Thus, the respondent suggested continuing working with good supportive equipment’s is necessary so as to execute their duties efficiently. The study concludes that effective measures must be taken to ensure safety at workplace. Keywords:Covid-19 pandemic, challenges, health care providers, workplace safety.

Exploring Intraindividual Profiles for Home Buildings Based on Architectural Compositional Elements and Psychological Health Factors: A Transdisciplinary Approach.

Based on the transactional and salutogenic perspectives, we explored individual profiles that integrate psychosocial factors and compositional elements of the built home environment. Adults with different socio-demographic characteristics completed several self-report measures on psychological factors (personality traits, self-efficacy, mental health, and happiness) and architectural elements constituting the ideal home environment. Adopting an individual-centered perspective, three distinct intra-individual psycho-architectural (person-environment) profiles were found with different compositional preferences and psychosocial characteristics in terms of functioning, health, and well-being: endopathic (characterized by higher levels of psychosocial resources and well-being indicating a highly adapted and successful profile, and architectural preferences corresponding to their identities and experiences—expression through spaces), assimilative (characterized by average levels in all regulatory parameters indicating moderately adaptive individuals, and architectural preferences of spaces created in interactive processes—introjection of spaces), and additive individuals (characterized by a comparatively dysfunctional, poorer psychosocial profile, and architectural preferences in line with provoking a restorative effect—change with spaces). An awareness of the psychosocial features of the users for whom the homes are built can help in designing spaces to inhabit that are adapted to them for an enhancement of their overall well-being. Therefore, a better understanding of the interconnections between psychology and architecture will help in designing healthy spaces.

Mental health and personality implications among medical students during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic

Few studies have explored the correlations between personality traits and mental health during the outbreak period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, we conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the personality traits and mental health of 142 students at Wenzhou Medical University, using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Sleep Status Self-Rating Scale, and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. The results indicate that 30.28% of the sample had symptoms of anxiety, 40.85% had symptoms of depression, and 13.38% had disordered sleep. Neuroticism was positively correlated with anxiety, depression, and disordered sleep; extraversion was negatively correlated with anxiety, depression, and disordered sleep; openness was negatively correlated with disordered sleep; and conscientiousness was negatively correlated with both depression and disordered sleep. The results demonstrate that personality traits were risk factors for psychological disorders among students during the COVID-19 outbreak. Our findings may help provide a guide for screening for those susceptible to psychological disorders.

Long COVID and mental health.

Long COVID and mental health.

Driving Cessation and Mental Health in Persons With Dementia: A Preliminary Study

The driving safety of persons with dementia (PwD) is an important public-health issue worldwide. Driving is closely related to personal autonomy, self-esteem, and independence. When PwD lose their driving privileges, this may lead to negative effects on mental health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between driving cessation and mental health in PwD. A cross-sectional design with convenient sampling was used, Data were collected using structured questionnaires. Participants were all PwDs who were recruited from a medical center in northern Taiwan. A total of 78 PwD were recruited. Two-fifths (41%) of the participants were still driving, with motorcycle the most common vehicle used. The participants who had retired from driving were older, and most did not have a spouse, were less socially active, had a lower mean level of functional ability, and perceived a lower association between driving and quality of life. Driving cessation was found to be positively correlated with age and the instrumental activities of daily living. Depression and anxiety levels in former drivers were higher than in current drivers, although the differences were not significant. Among PwD, depression and anxiety is higher in former drivers. It is suggested that a prospective study should be conducted, that driving safety issues for PwD should be addressed in public health education, and that standards of driving safety for PwD should be developed and enacted.

Effectiveness of a telephone intervention based on motivational health coaching for improving the mental health of caregivers of people with dementia: A randomised controlled trial.

Caring for a family member with dementia is considered one of the activities with the greatest negative impact on a person's mental health. Developing long-lasting and effective strategies is a challenge for caregivers. This study sought to evaluate the impact of an intervention based on a programme of motivational coaching delivered by telephone in a group of caregivers of patients with dementia compared to a control group. A randomised controlled trial with a control group and an intervention group. (CONSORT guidelines were used). Telephone calls were made during six weeks, involving a process of coaching and motivational interviews. The following variables were measured in caregivers: self-efficacy of caring, depression, perceived stress, frequency of problematic behaviours and dysfunctional thoughts. Assessments were conducted at three time points: baseline, post-intervention and three months' post-intervention. In total, 106 caregivers participated (53 subjects in the control group and 53 in the intervention group). Statistically significant differences (ANCOVA) were found between both groups for the self-efficacy and stress variables, with improved results in the intervention group (p<.01). Furthermore, statistically significant differences were found in the intervention group between the baseline and post-intervention assessments, with improvements in self-efficacy, decreased stress and decreased dysfunctional thoughts (p<.05). The results were maintained over time for both groups. An intervention based on telephone calls using a health coaching approach with motivational interviewing appears to be effective for the improvement of self-efficacy and mental health of caregivers of people with moderate dementia. Furthermore, these effects appear to be maintained over time.

Stress Detection using Machine Learning and Deep Learning

Stress is a normal phenomenon in today's world, and it causes people to respond to a variety of factors, resulting in physiological and behavioural changes. If we keep stress in our minds for too long, it will have an effect on our bodies. Many health conditions associated with stress can be avoided if stress is detected sooner. When a person is stressed, a pattern can be detected using various bio-signals such as thermal, electrical, impedance, acoustic, optical, and so on, and stress levels can be identified using these bio-signals. This paper uses a dataset that was obtained using an Internet of Things (IOT) sensor, which led to the collection of information about a real-life situation involving a person's mental health. To obtain a pattern for stress detection, data from sensors such as the Galvanic Skin Response Sensor (GSR) and the Electrocardiogram (ECG) were collected. The dataset will then be categorised using Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Decision Tree (DT), K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Deep Learning algorithms (DL). Accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-Score are used to assess the data's performance. Finally, Decision Tree (DT) had the best performance where DT have accuracy 95%, precision 96%, recall 96% and F1-score 96% among all machine learning classifiers.

Exploring the differential contribution of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition to explain externalising and internalising behaviours across genders

Psychopathic personality traits are positively associated with externalising behaviours, and negatively associated with internalising behaviours. However, the contribution of different facets of psychopathy (boldness, meanness, disinhibition) in explaining externalising and internalising behaviours across genders are inconsistent. In this study, we explored gender differences in the assessment of, and relationships between, psychopathic personality traits, trait anxiety, social anxiety, depression, mental health, and aggressive behaviour in 822 students from a German University (586 women, 236 men; Mage = 22.27). Using a structural equation model, we found a positive relationship between aggressive behaviour and all three facets of psychopathy, a positive relationship between internalising behaviours and disinhibition, and a significant negative relationship between internalising behaviours and boldness. Despite gender differences in absolute levels of these variables, the overall pattern of the relationships between variables was consistent across genders. This indicates that symptom level differences across gender cannot be accounted for by variation in early developing personality traits like psychopathy.

The effects of community safety support on COVID-19 event strength perception, risk perception, and health tourism intention: The moderating role of risk communication.

The community is crucial in preventing COVID‐19 pandemic. By employing 313 online surveys, it is found that the community safety support enhances risk perception, disruption recognition, and criticality recognition but it negatively impacts on novelty recognition. Additionally, risk communication could moderate the relationship between risk perception and health tourism intention. These findings reveal that people would pay more attention to the risk information and they could join health tourism in the post‐pandemic period to enhance their personal physical and mental health. Therefore, health tourism enterprises should appropriately strengthen risk communication and improve people's health awareness to further promote healthy tourism consumption.

P27 Health Behavior Changes and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Crisis in Food Insecure College Students

<h3>Background</h3> The COVID-19 pandemic has had impactful and possibly long-term effects on the lives of college students. This may be particularly challenging for food insecure students, who are at a higher risk for negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. <h3>Objective</h3> The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of COVID-19 on the health behaviors and mental health of food insecure college students. <h3>Study Design, Setting, Participants</h3> A mixed-methods study design was used to determine the changes in mental and health behaviors in food insecure college students. Students completed 2 surveys over 6 months, pre and post COVID-19. Surveys were composed of validated measures and open-ended questions. Participants were asked to describe their demographics, food security, fruit and vegetable intake, stress, and life satisfaction. Food insecure students (n = 41) were recruited from Florida International University. Participants were female (92.5%), White Caucasian (42.5%), and Hispanic (60%), and of normal BMI (52.5%). <h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3> Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v26. Descriptive statistics, frequencies, and <i>t</i> tests were performed on validated measures. Diet and physical activity open response questions were categorized into positive, negative or neutral changes due to COVID-19. Overall changes went through a thematic review and were categorized into themes. <h3>Results</h3> Post COVID-19, participants significantly decreased their fruit and vegetable intake (<i>t</i> = -2.12, <i>P</i> = 0.04). Participants indicated both positive and negative changes in diet and physical activity. Participants also increased their perceived stress (<i>t</i> = 2.37, <i>P</i> = 0.02) and decreased life satisfaction (<i>t</i> = -3.03, <i>P</i> < 0.01) but indicated positive changes including getting closer to family and friends, improved work, school, and finances, and had increased time to enjoy activities. <h3>Conclusion</h3> COVID-19 had both positive and detrimental effects on diet, physical activity, stress and life satisfaction of food insecure students. While overall measures declined, students indicated that quarantine gave them an opportunity to work on personal relationships and mental health.