Cross-cultural investigation of COVID-19 related acute stress: A network analysis

Dynamic structure of posttraumatic growth among victims of the 2021 Henan floods: A 6-month, three-wave longitudinal study

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) following traumatic events is a dynamic and transformational process. However, its dynamic structure is currently unknown. The study aimed to estimate the dynamic structure of PTG at the nuance level based on PTG measurement items using network analysis. A three-wave longitudinal study was conducted from July 20, 2021, to January 30, 2022, among the victims experiencing the 2021 Henan floods. The final sample (n = 297) completed reports of PTG after 0, 3, and 6 months of the disaster. We employed the graphical vector autoregressive model approach to estimate extended network models. Contemporaneous network results revealed strong positive associations between domains of PTG in the same measurement window, especially between new possibilities and personal strength. Moreover, temporal network results-the internal interplays among PTG items across measurement windows-revealed that the domain of relating to others plays a central role in the dynamics of PTG. Although other domains predicted an increase in relating to others, relating to others inhibited the development of other domains, especially new possibilities and personal strength. Our study identifies the culture-specific process of PTG and provides empirical evidence on the explanatory models of PTG and the Janus-Face model of PTG.

Psychiatric emergency department visits during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic

Background

Previous research has demonstrated the negative impact of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on mental health.

Aims

To examine changes in the Chinese psychiatric emergency department (PED) visits for mental health crises that occurred during the pandemic.

Methods

Before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, PED visit counts from the largest psychiatric hospital in China between 2018 and 2020 were investigated. Electronic medical records of 2020 PED visits were extracted during the COVID-19 pandemic period and compared for the same period of 2018 and 2019.

Results

Overall, PED visits per year increased from 1,767 in 2018 to 2210 (an increase of 25.1%) in 2019 and 2,648 (an increase of 49.9%) in 2020. Compared with 2 years before the epidemic, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of PED visits among patients with stress disorders, sleep disorders, and anxiety disorders increased significantly. In terms of the distribution of demographic characteristics, age shows a younger trend, while the gender difference is not significant.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that PED care-seeking increases during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need to integrate mental health services for patients with stress, sleep, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders during public health crises.

Increased anxiety and stress-related visits to the Shanghai psychiatric emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 compared to 2018-2019

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant and far-reaching impact on mental health. The psychiatric emergency department (PED) is pivotal in the management of acute and severe mental illnesses, especially anxiety-and stress-related disorders.

Aims

This study aimed to evaluate whether changes in the frequency or patients' demographics of visiting the PED occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals with anxiety and stress-related disorders.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used data on PED visit counts from the largest psychiatric hospital in China between 2018 and 2020 (before and during the COVID-19 pandemic). Data from 2020, representing the COVID-19 pandemic period, were extracted from electronic medical records and compared using descriptive statistics for the same periods in 2018 and 2019.

Results

The number of PED visits related to anxiety and stress disorders per year increased from 83 in 2018 to 136 (63.9% increase) in 2019 and 239 (188.0% increase) in 2020. Compared to that in 2018 and 2019, the proportion of PED visits in 2020 among patients with anxiety and stress disorders increased significantly. Patients with anxiety-and stress-related disorders during PED visits in 2020 were younger than those in 2018 and 2019 (three-year groups: F = 9.124, df = 2, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Despite the epidemic-policy barriers against PED visits, PED care seeking has increased, thereby underscoring the need for crisis prevention services for patients with stress and anxiety disorders.

Psychiatric reactions among the non-exposed population who viewed disaster-related short videos: Evidence from the 2021 Henan floods

Media-triggered mental disorders are common when people experience traumatic events. However, few studies have examined the underlying mechanism of how viewing disaster-related short videos triggers psychiatric reactions among non-exposed populations in the context of today's media ecology. Moreover, limited studies have employed psychological network analysis to comprehensively disentangle the associations between diverse forms of media exposure and psychological symptoms. To fill these research gaps, we conducted a survey on a non-exposed population (N = 516) during the 2021 Henan floods to test the effects of short video exposure on its mental status. Short video exposure behaviors were measured under 12 different scenarios, and the participants' mental status (i.e., depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) was measured using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, and PTSD Check List-Civilian version (PCL-C). We employed both correlation and psychological network analyses to make estimations. The descriptive results revealed that short video exposure behaviors among almost all scenarios were positively associated with the scores of PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PCL-C. The network analysis revealed that both depression and anxiety were associated with the "Support (SVP)" scenario, whereas PTSD was directly linked to the "Help Seeking (SVP)" scenario. Among the three networks, "Help Seeking (SVP)" was the most central among the 12 scenarios of short video exposure. The central symptoms for depression, anxiety, and PTSD were "Concentration," "Relax," and "Reliving Trauma," respectively. The shortest paths between the central short video exposure item and central symptom among the three networks consisted of only two or three steps. This study's findings could assist researchers and policymakers in undertaking novel disaster-related practical activities worldwide.