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Halpin A, Tallman M, Boeve A, MacAulay RK. Now or Later? Examining Social and Financial Decision Making in Middle-to-Older Aged Adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2024; 79:gbae070. [PMID: 38685760 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbae070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Contextually driven decision making is multidimensional, as individuals need to contend with prioritizing both competing and complementary demands. However, data is limited as to whether temporal discounting rates vary as a function of framing (gains vs loss) and domain (monetary vs social) in middle-to-older aged adults. It is also unclear whether socioaffective characteristics like social isolation and loneliness are associated with temporal discounting. METHODS Temporal discounting rates were examined across monetary gain, monetary loss, social gain, and social loss conditions in 140 adults aged 50-90 during the Omicron stage of the pandemic. Self-report measures assessed loneliness and social isolation levels. RESULTS Results found evidence of steeper temporal discounting rates for gains as compared to losses in both domains. Social outcomes were also more steeply discounted than monetary outcomes, without evidence of an interaction with the framing condition. Socioeconomic and socioaffective factors were unexpectedly not associated with temporal discounting rates. DISCUSSION Community-dwelling middle-to-older aged adults showed a preference for immediate rewards and devalued social outcomes more than monetary outcomes. These findings have implications for tailoring social and financial incentive programs for middle to later adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Halpin
- Department of Psychology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
| | - Morgan Tallman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
| | - Angelica Boeve
- Department of Psychology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
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2
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Chen MY, Chen P, An FR, Sha S, Feng Y, Su Z, Cheung T, Ungvari GS, Ng CH, Zhang L, Xiang YT. Depression, anxiety and suicidality among Chinese mental health professionals immediately after China's dynamic zero-COVID policy: A network perspective. J Affect Disord 2024; 352:153-162. [PMID: 38316260 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Using network analysis, the interactions between mental health problems at the symptom level can be explored in depth. This study examined the network structure of depressive and anxiety symptoms and suicidality among mental health professionals after the end of China's Dynamic Zero-COVID Policy. METHODS A total of 10,647 mental health professionals were recruited nationwide from January to February 2023. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), respectively, while suicidality was defined by a 'yes' response to any of the standard questions regarding suicidal ideation (SI), suicide plan (SP) and suicide attempt (SA). Expected Influence (EI) and Bridge Expected Influence (bEI) were used as centrality indices in the symptom network to characterize the structure of the symptoms. RESULTS The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and suicidality were 45.99 %, 28.40 %, and 7.71 %, respectively. The network analysis identified GAD5 ("Restlessness") as the most central symptom, followed by PHQ4 ("Fatigue") and GAD7 ("Feeling afraid"). Additionally, PHQ6 ("Guilt"), GAD5 ("Restlessness"), and PHQ8 ("Motor disturbance") were bridge nodes linking depressive and anxiety symptoms with suicidality. The flow network indicated that the strongest connections of S ("Suicidality") was with PHQ6 ("Guilt"), GAD7 ("Feeling afraid"), and PHQ2 ("Sad mood"). CONCLUSIONS Depression, anxiety, and suicidality among mental health professionals were highly prevalent after China's Dynamic Zero-COVID Policy ended. Effective measures should target central and bridge symptoms identified in this network model to address the mental health problems in those at-risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Yi Chen
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Public Health and Medicinal Administration, & Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
| | - Pan Chen
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Public Health and Medicinal Administration, & Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
| | - Feng-Rong An
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Sha Sha
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Feng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhaohui Su
- School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Teris Cheung
- School of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Gabor S Ungvari
- Psychiatry Section, University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Australia; Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Chee H Ng
- Department of Psychiatry, The Melbourne Clinic and St Vincent's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Richmond, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Ling Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
| | - Yu-Tao Xiang
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Public Health and Medicinal Administration, & Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China.
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3
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Carmassi C, Tosato S, Pedrinelli V, Bertelloni CA, Abbate-Daga G, Albert U, Castellini G, Luciano M, Menchetti M, Pompili M, Sampogna G, Signorelli M, Massimetti G, Fiorillo A. Longitudinal trajectories of anxiety and depression in subjects with different mental disorders after one year in the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Res 2024; 334:115680. [PMID: 38368843 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the development and trajectories of anxiety and depressive symptoms among subjects with different mental disorders, during the 3rd wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (T0, March-April 2021) while strict containment measures were applied in Italy, and after 3 months (T1, June-July 2021), with reduced restrictive measures. A sample of 527 subjects, with different DSM-5 diagnoses, was enrolled at nine Italian psychiatric outpatient services. Assessments at T0 and T1 included the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7) for anxiety symptoms, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms. Differences in anxiety and depressive symptoms rates emerged across different mental disorders and a general improvement at T1 was detected for all of them in both the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores, except for Psychosis and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Patients with Feeding and Eating Disorders (FED) reported statistically significantly higher: GAD-7 scores than those with Bipolar Disorder (BD), at both times, and Anxiety Disorders at baseline; PHQ-9 scores than all other diagnostic categories, at both times. Unemployment, no COVID-19 infection, OCD were predictive variables related to GAD-7 scores at T1, while being unmarried, BD or FED related to PHQ-9 scores at T1. Subjects with mental disorders reported anxiety and depressive symptoms during the third pandemic wave and most of patients showed an improvement over a 3-month follow-up, despite differences emerged among diagnostic categories and for the variables involved. Further studies are needed to deepen knowledge on pandemic impact on patients with mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Carmassi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Sarah Tosato
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Virginia Pedrinelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Carlo A Bertelloni
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giovanni Abbate-Daga
- Department of Neurosciences "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Umberto Albert
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste and Department of Mental Health, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina - ASUGI, Trieste, Italy
| | - Giovanni Castellini
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - Mario Luciano
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Menchetti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maurizio Pompili
- Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sense Organs, University of Roma "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy
| | - Gaia Sampogna
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Signorelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Psychiatry Unit, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Gabriele Massimetti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Fiorillo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
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Fiorenzato E, Bisiacchi P, Cona G. Gender differences in the effects of emotion induction on intertemporal decision-making. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299591. [PMID: 38507356 PMCID: PMC10954116 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
'Good things come to those who wait' is a popular saying, which goes along with numerous daily life decisions requiring trade-offs between immediate-small and later-larger rewards; however, some individuals have a tendency to prefer sooner rewards while discounting the value of delayed rewards, known as delay discounting. The extant literature indicates that emotions and gender can modulate intertemporal choices, but their interplay remains hitherto poorly investigated. Here, 308 participants were randomized to different conditions, inducing distinct emotions-fear, joy, a neutral state-through standardized movie clips, and then completed a computerized delay discounting task for hypothetical money rewards. Following the induction of fear, women discount the future steeper than men, thus preferring immediate-smaller rewards rather than larger-delayed ones. Also, women were more prone to choose immediate rewards when in a fearful condition than when in a positive state of joy/happiness. By contrast, men were unaffected by their emotional state when deciding on monetary rewards. Our findings provide evidence that fear can trigger different intertemporal choices according to gender, possibly reflecting the adoption of different evolutionary strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Fiorenzato
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Giorgia Cona
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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5
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Vicentin S, Cantarella G, Cona G, Bisiacchi P. Thinking about it: the impact of COVID-19-related stimuli on prospective memory. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16389. [PMID: 38025740 PMCID: PMC10657566 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Since 2020, information regarding COVID-19 has been a constant presence in the news, in our conversations and thoughts. Continuous exposure to this type of stimuli could have an impact on cognitive processes essential for our everyday activities, such as prospective memory (PM). PM is the ability to remember to perform an intention at a specific point in the future, like remembering to take prescribed medicines at a specific time or to turn off the stove after cooking. Do COVID-related stimuli affect our ability to perform a PM task? Methods To answer this question, we proposed a novel version of the classical paradigm used to investigate PM. Namely, this paradigm includes a baseline condition, in which an ongoing task is presented alone, and a PM condition in which the same task is proposed again together with a second (prospective) task. In this study, a short video clip was presented between the baseline and the PM condition. The video clip displayed either neutral, negative, or COVID-related content. Additionally, participants were asked to respond to two questionnaires and a series of questions regarding their well-being and experience with the pandemic. Namely, the DASS-21 scale (evaluating depression, anxiety, and stress), and the COVID-19-PTSD questionnaire (a questionnaire evaluating post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms related to the pandemic experience) were administered. Participants' performance and responses were analyzed using a linear mixed effect (LME) model approach, and correlation analyses were run to highlight possible correlations between participants' scores in the DASS-21, the COVID-19-PTSD, and the additional questions on their personal experience with the pandemic. Results The LME models revealed significant effects of the displayed video on performance: in line with previous studies, the clip displaying standard negative contents led to impaired accuracy in the ongoing task in the PM condition, compared to the Baseline. In contrast, participants who saw the COVID-related clip showed improved accuracy in the ongoing task compared to the other participants, selectively in the block performed after the video clip was displayed (PM condition). Furthermore, the explanatory power of the LME model calculated on accuracy to the ongoing trials was enhanced by the inclusion of the scores in the anxiety subscale of the DASS-21, suggesting a detrimental role of anxiety. Altogether, these results indicate a different effect of the exposure to classical negative contents (associated with a cost in terms of accuracy in the ongoing task between the baseline and the PM condition) and the pandemic-related one, which was instead characterized by a higher accuracy to ongoing trials compared to the other video clips. This counterintuitive finding seems to suggest that COVID-related stimuli are processed as "acute stressors" rather than negative stimuli, thus inducing a state of increased alertness and responsivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Vicentin
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Giorgia Cona
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Patrizia Bisiacchi
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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Zhang X, Wu Z, He Q. A mini-review on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected intertemporal choice. PSYCHORADIOLOGY 2023; 3:kkad021. [PMID: 38666127 PMCID: PMC10917382 DOI: 10.1093/psyrad/kkad021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has extremely harmful effects on individual lifestyles, and at present, people must make financial or survival decisions under the profound changes frequently. Although it has been reported that COVID-19 changed decision-making patterns, the underlying mechanisms remained unclear. This mini-review focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intertemporal choice, and potential psychological, biological, and social factors that mediate this relationship. A search of the Web of Science electronic database yielded 23 studies. The results showed that under the COVID-19 pandemic, people tended to choose immediate and smaller rewards, and became less patient. In particular, people with negative emotions, in a worse condition of physical health, or who did not comply with their government restriction rules tended to become more "short-sighted" in behavioral terms. Future studies should examine more longitudinal and cross-cultural research to give a broad view about the decision-making change under the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinwen Zhang
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, CN400715,Chongqing, China
| | - Ziyun Wu
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, CN400715,Chongqing, China
| | - Qinghua He
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, CN400715,Chongqing, China
- Southwest University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, CN400715, Chongqing, China
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7
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Gustafson CR, Brooks KR, Meerza SIA, Yiannaka A. Emotional responses to COVID-19 stressors increase information avoidance about an important unrelated health threat. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286712. [PMID: 37708142 PMCID: PMC10501669 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, like other crises, has had direct and indirect impacts on individuals, many of which have been negative. While a large body of research has examined the impacts of COVID-19 on people's lives, there is little evidence about how COVID-19 affects decision-making broadly. Emotional responses to COVID-19-related stressors, such as illness and income loss, provide a pathway for these stressors to affect decision-making. In this study, we examine linkages between exposure to COVID-19-related stressors-focusing on temporally specific local case counts and loss of income due to the pandemic-and decisions to access information about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), another critically important health issue. COVID-19 constitutes a natural experiment in that people's exposure to stressors does not result from those individuals' current decisions. Using a nationally representative survey with 1223 respondents in December 2020, we linked the temporally specific COVID-19 cases and income loss experienced by participants to an increased likelihood of feeling hopeless. Higher feelings of hopelessness led to a higher probability of avoiding information about AMR. A mediation analysis confirms that emotional responses to COVID-19 stressors significantly increase information avoidance about an unrelated, but important health issue. Our results suggest that large-scale crises, like COVID-19 and climate change, may diminish action on other important health issues facing humanity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R. Gustafson
- Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Kathleen R. Brooks
- Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Syed Imran Ali Meerza
- Department of Agriculture, Arkansas Tech University, Russellville, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Amalia Yiannaka
- Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
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Jaud J, Görig T, Konkel T, Diehl K. Loneliness in University Students during Two Transitions: A Mixed Methods Approach Including Biographical Mapping. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:3334. [PMID: 36834028 PMCID: PMC9966872 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Several studies have shown that loneliness is prevalent in university students. However, up to now, it is less clear how transitions during this life stage are associated with loneliness. Therefore, we aimed to explore the association of loneliness with the transition from high school to university and the transition into the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty students were interviewed in qualitative interviews based on a semi-structured guide that also included biographical mapping. In addition, the participants reported social and emotional loneliness based on the six-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale for three points in time: (1) at the time of the interview, (2) at the beginning of their studies at the university and (3) at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualitative data were analyzed using a structuring content analysis following Mayring. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. We found that emotional loneliness increased both during high school graduation and at the start of study at the university, as well as at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social loneliness was higher during university studies than during the last years at high school and increased at the beginning of the pandemic. The results indicate that both transitions played an important role for perceived social and emotional loneliness. Further quantitative studies in larger samples will be relevant in the future to better target the responses to loneliness during transitions. Universities can actively counteract loneliness, especially during the transition from high school to university, by organizing events and meeting places where new students can network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna Jaud
- Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Professorship of Epidemiology and Public Health, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology—IBE, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Tatiana Görig
- Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Professorship of Epidemiology and Public Health, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Tobias Konkel
- Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Professorship of Epidemiology and Public Health, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Katharina Diehl
- Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Professorship of Epidemiology and Public Health, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
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Carmassi C, Tosato S, Bertelloni CA, Pedrinelli V, Cappelli A, Abbate-Daga G, Albert U, Castellini G, Luciano M, Menchetti M, Pompili M, Sampogna G, Signorelli MS, Massimetti G, Fiorillo A. PTSD trajectories across different mental disorders in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: a naturalistic, longitudinal, multicenter study. Int Rev Psychiatry 2022; 34:797-808. [PMID: 36546718 DOI: 10.1080/09540261.2022.2145184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The potentially traumatic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in subjects with pre-existing mental disorders is still unclear, especially regarding its long-term consequences. The aim of this study was to prospectively assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in patients with mental disorders, during the 3rd wave of the infection (T0, March-April 2021) while strict containment measures were applied in Italy, and after 3 months (T1, June-July 2021), with reduced restrictive measures. A total sample of 527 subjects, with different DSM-5 diagnoses, was consecutively enrolled at nine Italian psychiatric outpatient services. Assessments at T0 included: the Trauma and Loss Spectrum-Self Report (TALS-SR), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS). These two latter were repeated at T1. Results showed that at T0, 43.6% of the sample reported symptoms of PTSD, with females (p = .004), younger subjects (p = .011), unemployed/students (p = .011), and living with their parental families (p = .017), resulting more affected. Differences in PTSD rates emerged across diagnostic groups ranging from 10% in patients with psychoses up to 59% in those with feeding and eating disorders. An improvement at T1 emerged in all diagnostic groups for the IES-R scores, while WSAS scores improved only in subjects with mood disorders. In conclusions, subjects with mental disorders presented relevant rates of PTSD and PTSS at 1-year into the pandemic. Further long-term studies are needed to follow-up the course of pandemic traumatic burden especially in patients with severe mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Carmassi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Sarah Tosato
- Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Virginia Pedrinelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Cappelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giovanni Abbate-Daga
- Department of Neurosciences "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Umberto Albert
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste and Department of Mental Health, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina - ASUGI, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Mario Luciano
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Menchetti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maurizio Pompili
- Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sense Organs, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
| | - Gaia Sampogna
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Salvina Signorelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Psychiatry Unit, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Gabriele Massimetti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Fiorillo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Naples, Italy
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