Mental health difficulties in students with suspected COVID-19 symptoms and students without suspected COVID-19 symptoms: A cross-sectional comparative study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Survey on the Traditional Use of Medicinal Herbs in Haiti: A Study on Knowledge, Practices, and Efficacy Prevention

The use of medicinal herbs is highly developed in Haiti. However, there is a significant lack of knowledge in the literature on medicinal plants and their uses. The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and practices of Haitian families for the prevention/treatment of COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory diseases, as well as the mode of preparation and administration of the plants. Individuals were interviewed using the TRAMIL questionnaire as the information holder. The data obtained were analyzed by calculating 5 indices (relative frequency of citation, use value, the family use value, informant consensus factor, and fidelity level). The study surveyed 120 Haitians and collected 75 plants from 43 botanical families. The botanical family most used for all these preventions and remedies is the Lamiaceae. The highest ranked species with a relative frequency of citation value > 0.3. Infusion, decoction, and in the form of punch are the methods used for the remedies. The study found that the use of herbal remedies is still prevalent in the study area, and many of the commonly used plants have been scientifically validated. However, some plants, such as Samyda rosea Sims, lack sufficient research and are recommended for further investigation.

The long-term effects of consecutive COVID-19 waves on mental health

BACKGROUND

Although several studies have documented the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, the long-term effects remain unclear.

AIMS

To examine longitudinal changes in mental health before and during the consecutive COVID-19 waves in a well-established probability sample.

METHOD

An online survey was completed by the participants of the COVID-19 add-on study at four time points: pre-COVID-19 period (2014-2015, n = 1823), first COVID-19 wave (April to May 2020, n = 788), second COVID-19 wave (August to October 2020, n = 532) and third COVID-19 wave (March to April 2021, n = 383). Data were collected via a set of validated instruments, and analysed with latent growth models.

RESULTS

During the pandemic, we observed a significant increase in stress levels (standardised β = 0.473, P < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (standardised β = 1.284, P < 0.001). The rate of increase in depressive symptoms (std. covariance = 0.784, P = 0.014), but not in stress levels (std. covariance = 0.057, P = 0.743), was associated with the pre-pandemic mental health status of the participants. Further analysis showed that secondary stressors played a predominant role in the increase in mental health difficulties. The main secondary stressors were loneliness, negative emotionality associated with the perception of COVID-19 disease, lack of resilience, female gender and younger age.

CONCLUSIONS

The surge in stress levels and depressive symptoms persisted across all three consecutive COVID-19 waves. This persistence is attributable to the effects of secondary stressors, and particularly to the status of mental health before the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings reveal mechanisms underlying the surge in mental health difficulties during the COVID-19 waves, with direct implications for strategies promoting mental health during pandemics.

Socio-demographic and mental health correlates of internet addiction amongst Hong Kong university students under COVID-19

Introduction

Regarding the problem of Internet addiction (IA) amongst university students under the pandemic, there are several research gaps. Firstly, few studies have examined IA of university students in Hong Kong, which is a Chinese society heavily influenced by Western values. In addition, findings on the socio-demographic correlates and psychological well-being predictors of IA in university students are unclear. Finally, researchers have not systematically examined the interaction effects of socio-demographic factors (particularly gender and personal infection of COVID-19) and psychological morbidity on IA. This pioneer study aimed to investigate the predictive role of socio-demographic factors and psychological morbidity in IA, and the moderating effects of gender and personal infection of COVID-19 on the relationship between psychological morbidity and IA.

Methods

We conducted an online survey (N = 1,020 university students) during the ending phase of Wave 5 of the pandemic in Hong Kong (late 2022 to early 2023). Socio-demographic correlates included age, gender, living status, personal and family financial situation, student status, personal and family infection of COVID-19. Participants responded to validated measures of psychological morbidity, including depression, suicidal behavior, and hopelessness. Hierarchical regression and simple slope analyses were used to examine the predictive role of socio-demographic variables and psychological morbidity in IA and the interactive effect of gender and personal infection of COVID-19 with psychological morbidity on IA.

Results

Personal financial difficulty was a significant socio-demographic predictor of IA. Depression, suicidal behavior, and hopelessness positively predicted IA. We also found a significant interaction effect of gender and psychological morbidity on IA. While the predictive relationship between depression and IA was stronger in males than in females, hopelessness was more strongly related to IA in females than in males. Finally, there was a significant interaction effect of personal infection of COVID-19 and suicidal behavior on IA.

Conclusion

Personal financial difficulty was a socio-economic correlate of IA. Psychological morbidity also predicted IA. Gender and personal infection of COVID-19 moderated the linkage between psychological morbidity and IA. The findings of the study enhance our understanding of individual differences in IA in university students during the pandemic, particularly concerning different ecological risk factors.

Depression, anxiety, stress, and fear of COVID-19 among Bangladeshi medical students during the first wave of the pandemic: a mixed-methods study

Aim

This study aims to investigate depression, anxiety, stress, and fear of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated risk factors among Bangladeshi medical students. It also explored qualitative insights on mental health from medical students during the first wave of the pandemic.

Methods

This mixed-methods study was conducted online in Bangladesh from June 2020 to September 2020. Participants were Bangladeshi medical students from the first year to the final year. The quantitative part included a structured online survey. One focus group discussion (FGD) was organized using the Zoom platform to collect qualitative insights from the students. To determine levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, the Bangla-validated version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) was used. A 7-item and Bangla-validated Fear of COVID-19 Scale, also known as FCV-19S, was used to explore the COVID-19-specific fear of the students. A semi-structured topic guide was used for exploring the qualitative insights of medical students' perceptions of fear of COVID-19, mental health impacts during COVID-19, overall recommendations to support students, and the impact of the pandemic on the future of the medical curriculum.

Results

The study reported that 51.20%, 59.40%, and 64% of the 406 respondents had moderate to severe stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, respectively, according to the DASS-21. The mean fear score for the COVID-19 scale was 19.4 (SD 6.4). Respondents with family members aged 50 years or older (B = 2.1; CI: 0.3-3.9) and those who had infected family members (B = 1.9; 95% CI: 0.1-3.7) exhibited a higher level of fear of COVID-19. Moreover, depression was associated with a history of having cancer among family members (AOR = 2.9, CI: 1.1-7.5), anxiety was strongly associated with having symptoms of COVID-19 (AOR = 2, CI: 1.3-3.2), and stress was associated with having symptoms of COVID-19 infection among family members (AOR = 1.9, CI: 1.3-3). Altered sleep was a potential risk factor for developing stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Manual thematic analysis of qualitative data generated four major themes, including the perception of fear of COVID-19, the perception of mental health impacts during COVID-19, the change in the medical curriculum along with the pandemic, and recommendations from the medical students to support the mental health concerns of medical students during public health crises like this pandemic. Qualitative findings showed that the participants experienced fear of their parents becoming infected by COVID-19, and this fear was more prominent in those who had their loved ones hospitalized. They were also stressed and anxious, with thoughts of death. Their fear also extended to their thoughts on academic progress and the effectiveness of online classes.

Conclusion

A substantial proportion of medical students experienced mental health difficulties in Bangladesh. Appropriate interventions should be designed, and adequate support should be provided to the medical students to protect their mental health and wellbeing, considering their potential impact on the future health system in a low-resource setting like Bangladesh.

Impact of family functioning on mental health problems of college students in China during COVID-19 pandemic and moderating role of coping style: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 pandemic, college students were required to stay at home and maintain social distance for the entire spring semester of 2020. There is little research on how family functioning influenced mental health problems and how coping styles moderated the relationship between family functioning and mental health problems among college students during their stay-at-home period.

METHODS

A total of 13,462 college students (age = 16-29 years) completed four online surveys between February and October 2020, namely the outbreak phase, remission phase, online study phase, and school reopening phase in Guangdong Province, China. Family functioning was assessed by the Family APGAR; coping styles were assessed by the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), depression symptoms and anxiety symptoms were evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) respectively. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess associations between variables, the logit link function was used to estimate the odds ratio of different subgroups, the Newton-Raphson method was used to estimate parameters, and the Wald test was used to test the main effect and the interaction effect.

RESULTS

The incidence rates of depression increased during the stay-at-home period from 33.87%, 95% CI (29.88%, 38.10%) to 40.08% 95% CI (35.76%, 44.55%) after schools reopened, χ² = 193.68, p < 0.001. The incidence rates of anxiety increased from 17.45%, 95% CI (14.59%, 20.73%) to 26.53%, 95% CI (16.94%, 23.67%) over the entire period, χ² = 195.74, p < 0.001. The percentages of students with highly functional, moderately dysfunctional and severely dysfunctional family functioning were 48.23%, 43.91 and 7.86% at T1 and 46.20%, 45.28%, and 8.52 at T4, respectively. The percentage of subjects with active coping style was 23.9%, negative coping style was 17.4%, strong response coping was 26.9%, and weak response coping was 31.7%. The incidence rate of depression and anxiety for different family functioning groups varied at different time points, and the interaction effect was significant (χ2 = 52.97, p < 0.001 and χ2 = 51.25, p < 0.001, respectively). The incidence rate of depression and anxiety for different family functioning groups with different coping styles also varied at different time points, the interaction effect was likewise significant (χ2 = 862.09, p < 0.001 and χ2 = 583.29, p < 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Having a severely dysfunctional family and a negative coping style increase the incidence rates of depression and anxiety. These findings highlight the importance of paying special attention to college students' family functioning and promoting appropriate coping strategies during and after COVID-19.

Emotional disturbance and risk factors among COVID-19 confirmed cases in isolation hotels

Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been isolated in hospital-managed isolation hotels under a policy of the Taiwan government. Centrally isolation patients are more likely to experience psychological symptoms. The purpose of the study was to investigate emotional disturbance during their isolation period and then pinpoint the factors during their isolation period associated with the emotional disturbance. We retrospectively analysed the medical charts of the patients confined to a Banqiao isolation hotel between May 28 and July 3, 2021. The 5-item brief symptom rating scale (BSRS-5) was used to evaluate emotional disturbance levels. Descriptive and logistic regression was used for the data analysis. In total, 197 complete medical records were reviewed, and of these 84 (42.6%) showed emotional disturbance. The majority of them reported only minor disturbance (n = 49, 58.3%). After controlling for confounding factors, being satisfied about medical information was the only protective factor associated with emotional disturbance (OR = 0.2, P = 0.018). Being a male patient (OR = 3.0, P = 0.005), worrying about stigmatization (OR = 2.2, P = 0.041) and being unable to contact family members (OR = 2.9, P = 0.018) increased the risk of experiencing emotional disturbance. Patients with clinical symptoms, namely sore throat (OR = 3.4, P = 0.013) and muscle aches (OR = 6.3, P = 0.005), were also found to be more likely to report emotional disturbance. Mental disturbance commonly occurs among patient with COVID-19 who are isolated in a hospital-managed hotel. Being a male patient, having symptoms, namely a sore throat and muscle pain, being unable to contact family and/or a failure to receive sufficient medical information were found to be associated with emotional disturbance. In order to help isolated patients, government officials should provide a clear rationale for isolation and recognize the patients' efforts to follow the government's policy, which will help to minimize social stigma.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sleep of undergraduate students: A systematic literature review

The 2019 coronavirus pandemic forced the shift to distance education aggravating mental and physical vulnerabilities of undergraduate students, including sleep. This review aims to describe sleep problem rates and prevalence, sleep pattern disruption, sleep duration, sleep quality, insomnia symptoms, psychological and socio-economic factors affecting sleep of undergraduates in 22 countries. A systematic search for articles published from 2020 to 2021 using 'COVID-19,' 'Coronavirus,' 'Pandemic,' 'Sleep,' 'Mental Health,' and 'Students' from PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane yielded 2550 articles, where 72 were included. Selection criteria were: English full-text available articles, undergraduates and not postgraduates, reported sleep outcomes, and participants not from allied health courses. Risk of bias was assessed using various Joanna Briggs Institute checklists and outcomes were descriptively synthesized. Prevalence of sleep problems was notable, while longitudinal studies showed increased rates. There was significantly increased sleep duration, and sleep pattern disruption during lockdowns. Several psychological, behavioural, environmental, demographic, and socio-economic factors were found to be associated with sleep changes. These highlight the pandemic's impact on sleep of undergraduate students and reveal opportunities for institutions to intervene with policies and programs to promote the well-being of undergraduates. Limitations include recall bias and underrepresentation of other countries. This study is self-funded with registration number RGAO-2021-0071.

Maternal mental health during COVID-19 pandemic outbreak: A cross-sectional comparative study

Background

As COVID-19 spread in several countries, social distancing measures was implemented around the world, affecting the quality of lives for millions of people. The impact was more pronounced on vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, who are at even more risk due to their suppressed immune system. Moreover, mental health disorders are more common among pregnant women compared to non-pregnant. This study aims to assess the influence of social isolation measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of women in their third trimester and postpartum.

Material and methods

This is a cross-sectional survey-based study conducted in Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between the months of April to May 2021, to explore depression and anxiety levels in females who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to background demographic data, the survey included Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) were utilized to detect symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively.

Results

A total of 283 women were included in this study, almost half of them were ante-natal (n-141) and the rest were post-natal (n = 124). 62.3% were in the age groups of 25-35 years. Based on the PHQ-9 scoring, 65% of the study sample had depression (ranging from mild to severe). Moreover, based on GAD-7 scoring, 49.1% had anxiety (ranging from mild to severe). No association was found between PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores and different sociodemographic and obstetric factors. Additionally, the mean scores of women infected with COVID-19 vs. women who has never been diagnosed with COVID-19 were closely comparable.

Conclusions

We reported a high prevalence of depression and anxiety among pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers and health care providers are advised to implement targeted preventive measures for pregnant women to improve mental health in times of epidemics.

The challenges and experiences of academics supporting psychological capital among students at the emergence of COVID-19: A qualitative investigation of award-winning educators at a British university

BACKGROUND

Studies show that student mental health has continued to deteriorate over the years. Developing strengths-based approaches could aid educators in the development of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and positive protective factors in students to support their mental well-being and aid in their success; however, little is known of the subject experience of educators who attempt this.

AIMS

This study aims to understand the experience of award-winning educators; both in their attempts to cultivate positive protective factors in students and in challenges to the pursuit of that goal during the shifting academic landscape at the emergence of COVID-19.

SAMPLE

Six award-winning educators from a British university.

METHODS

Participants were interviewed over video calls in this research design using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

RESULTS & DISCUSSION

The results showed two major themes; pressures for academics and strength-based approached to cultivating PsyCap. These themes reflected that educators saw an urgent need for students to develop resilience as they struggle to handle subjective failure and that students struggle with imposter syndrome. The educators identified the challenges as feeling taken for granted, having unmanageable workloads along high expectations placed on them.

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 has added significantly to the workloads of educators and demonstrated students' need for resilience. This research identifies the experiences of educators trying to improve strengths-based practice while identifying the challenges of pursuing that goal in the changing pedagogy post-COVID-19.

Prevalence and correlates of diabetes distress and depressive symptoms among individuals with type-2 diabetes mellitus during Ramadan fasting: A cross-sectional study in Bangladesh amid the COVID-19

AIMS

Psychological concerns relating to "diabetes distress" (DD) and depressive symptoms (DS) in individuals with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may negatively impact adherence to medical treatments and overall mental health. Thus, this study was undertaken to investigate DS and DD in relation to fasting during the month of Ramadan.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 735 patients with T2DM in 2021. DD and DS were measured by the Problem Areas in Diabetes scale and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, respectively. Logistic regression and correlation analyses were executed.

RESULTS

More than one-third of the participants (41.2%) had DD and DS (36.9%). DS was significantly higher in participants who did not fast (p = 0.027). Participants who had higher dietary diversity were less likely to have DD (p = 0.004) and DS (p = 0.001). Females (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.25-2.85) and those who lived alone (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.25-2.85) were more likely to have DS. Participants with diabetes-related complications were more likely to experience DS (AOR = 2.17; 95% CI: 1.5-3.13) and DD (AOR = 3.46; 95% CI: 2.42-4.95). DD was also associated with being younger (p = 0.003), having hypertension (p = 0.030), having heart disease (p = 0.012), and taking insulin (p = 0.010).

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals with T2DM who were not fasting experienced more mental health concerns. Psychosocial support and other interventions from health professionals should be examined and empirical interventions should be implemented to promote the mental health and well-being of individuals with T2DM.