The effects of sustained COVID-19 emergency and restrictions on the mental health of subjects with serious mental illness: A prospective study

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceptions of social relationships, negative affect, and paranoid ideation

The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to worsening mental health across the globe. The pandemic may have been especially impactful on those experiencing heightened psychosis spectrum symptomatology given greater pre-pandemic social isolation and increased vulnerability to stress. Yet, few studies exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceptions of social relationships and mental health have sampled individuals high in psychosis spectrum symptomatology, including those with psychosis spectrum disorders. Utilizing a mixed transdiagnostic community sample enriched for psychotic spectrum disorders, this longitudinal study investigated whether perceptions of social relationships and psychiatric symptoms changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether pandemic-related impacts were associated with social perceptions and symptomatology, and whether paranoid ideation was related to perceptions of the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemic impacts were not uniform, with participants reporting a range of adverse impacts including poorer health-related behaviors, difficulties fulfilling basic needs, and medical related challenges. Results indicated that compared to pre-pandemic assessments, perceived rejection and hostility increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants who experienced more pandemic-related impacts reported less social support, more social distress, greater negative affect, and greater paranoid ideation. Paranoid ideation was related to more negative perceptions of the government's response to the pandemic. These findings demonstrate the importance of assessing individual differences in pandemic-related impacts and the clinical consequences of such impacts. Results also suggest that those high in paranoid ideation may be reluctant to engage in government recommended protective health behaviors to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Mitigating the effect of COVID-19 in a postemergency phase: The role of sense of community and individual resilience

To identify and confirm patterns of relationships connecting sense of community (SOC) and individual resilience with psychological well-being, via the mediation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impacts on life domains. An online survey was conducted with a sample of adults (n = 650) 1 year after the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy and the United States (April-December 2021). Utilizing a Structural Equation Model, we tested a mediation model (n = 563) to identify the associations between SOC and individual resilience and the perceived impacts of the emergency situation and psychological well-being. Results revealed that during the crisis, SOC had an influence on psychological well-being, but only by mediating the effects of COVID-19 impacts on life domains. Independently, individual resilience had a direct influence on psychological well-being. The findings support the importance of the interaction of individual and collective variables that played different roles at different phases of the pandemic. The findings suggest for possible interventions to enhance well-being during crises.

Mental health of individuals with pre-existing mental illnesses at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic: results of the German National Cohort (NAKO)

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a range of studies on mental health, with mixed results. While numerous studies reported worsened conditions in individuals with pre-existing mental disorders, others showed resilience and stability in mental health. However, longitudinal data focusing on the German population are sparse, especially regarding effects of age and pre-existing mental disorders during the early stages of the pandemic.

Objectives

To assess the interplay between psychiatric history, age, and the timing of the pandemic, with a focus on understanding how these factors relate to the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms.

Methods

Exploratory analyses were based on 135,445 individuals aged 20-72 years from the German National Cohort (NAKO). Depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed before and after the first wave of the pandemic. Inferential statistical analyses and negative binomial regression models were calculated.

Results

Persons with a self-reported psychiatric history exhibited comparable levels of depression and anxiety symptom severity after the first wave of the pandemic compared to the time before. In contrast, individuals without a psychiatric history, particularly those in their 20s to 40s, experienced an increase in mental health symptom severity during the first wave of the pandemic.

Limitations

Analyses focuses on the first wave of the pandemic, leaving the long-term mental health effects unexplored.

Conclusion

Future research should consider age-specific and mental-health-related factors when addressing global health crises. Additionally, it is important to explore factors influencing resilience and adaptation, aiming to develop targeted interventions and informed policies for effective mental health management during pandemics.

Predictors of Motivation to Receive a COVID-19 Vaccination and the Number of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Received in Patients with Schizophrenia

Individuals with schizophrenia are more likely to be infected with COVID-19 than are members of the general population. No prospective study has examined the associations of multi-dimensional factors with the motivation to receive vaccination against COVID-19. This follow-up study investigated the effects of individual (sociodemographic and illness characteristics, depression, and self-esteem), environmental (perceived social support), and individual-environmental interaction factors (self-stigma and loneliness) on the motivation to receive vaccination against COVID-19 and the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses received one year later among 300 individuals with schizophrenia. The associations of baseline factors with motivation to receive vaccination against COVID-19 and the number of vaccine doses received 1 year later were examined through linear regression analysis. The results indicated that greater loneliness (p < 0.01) and being married or cohabitating (p < 0.05) at baseline were significantly associated with lower motivation to receive vaccination against COVID-19 at follow-up. Disorganization (p < 0.05) at baseline was significantly associated with fewer COVID-19 vaccine doses at follow-up; greater motivation to receive vaccination was significantly associated with more COVID-19 vaccine doses at follow-up (p < 0.001). Health professionals should consider the identified predictors while developing intervention programs aimed at enhancing vaccination against COVID-19 in individuals with schizophrenia.

Depression and Anxiety Symptoms "Among the Waves" of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Adjustment Disorder Patients

The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions caused great psychological suffering to the general population and psychiatric patients. We aimed to explore the course of depression and anxiety symptoms in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, adjustment disorder (AD) patients, and participants without psychiatric disorders (control group, CG) across the different phases of the pandemic: the first lockdown, a temporary interruption of restrictions, and the second lockdown. Out of the 158 patients screened, we enrolled 46 OCD and 19 AD patients as well as 29 CG participants. The Beck Depression Inventory-II and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y were administered to all participants at each time point. The results showed different symptom severities among the groups throughout the whole study, with OCD patients always scoring higher than AD patients and the CG, and the AD patients always scoring higher than the CG. The symptom course within each group was different. OCD patients' symptoms sharply worsened during the first lockdown and then remained stable irrespective of the subsequent pandemic phases. In the AD and CG groups, symptoms waxed and waned following the fluctuations of the restriction provisions, with a complete return to the baseline when the restrictions were stopped only in the CG. These findings suggest that the influence of the pandemic and of the associated restrictions on depression and anxiety manifestations may vary depending on the particular pre-existing mental health status.