Perceived mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic: The roles of social support and social engagement for working age adults in the United States

Association between occupational burnout and psychological symptoms among Chinese medical staff: moderating role of social support

This study aimed to examine the association between occupational burnout and psychological symptoms among Chinese medical staff, assuming social support to play a moderating role in the aforementioned relationship. The survey was conducted online from May 1 to June 28, 2022, and the questionnaires were distributed and retrieved through a web-based platform. The final sample was comprised of 1461 Chinese medical staff in this cross-sectional study. Several multiple linear regressions were performed to analyze the data. After controlling for potential confounding factors, all three dimensions of occupational burnout were associated with poorer psychological symptoms. Emotional exhaustion (β = 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.018, 1.479) had the strongest association with psychological symptoms, followed by depersonalization and diminished personal accomplishment. Moreover, medical staff with higher levels of friend support (β =  -0.11; 95% CI, -4.063, -0.573) and significant other support (β =  -0.10; 95% CI, -3.965, -0.168) were less likely to suffer from psychological symptoms when faced with occupational burnout. The results suggested that interventions aimed at lessening occupational burnout and boosting social support can be an effective way to promote the psychological health of medical staff.

Prevalence of depression, stress and suicide tendency among individuals with long COVID and determinants: a protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

It is well known that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on mental health, especially among individuals with long COVID. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to investigate the prevalence of depression, stress and suicide tendencies among individuals with long COVID, as well as to explore the factors that contribute to these conditions.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A comprehensive review of literature will be conducted in various databases of including PubMed, including Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane Library. The studies to be included in this review will be published in the English language, and the time frame of included studies will be from the date of inception of COVID-19 until 30 December 2023. Two independent reviewers will identify studies for inclusion based on a screening questionnaire, and the JBI standardised critical appraisal checklist for studies reporting prevalence data will be used to assess the methodological quality. The strength of the body of evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. To analyse the data, a robust Bayesian approach will be applied using the STATA software package (V.14; STATA) and JASP software. The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis will provide valuable insights into the prevalence of depression, stress and suicide tendencies among individuals with long COVID, as well as the factors that contribute to these conditions.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

There is no research ethics board approval required. The dissemination plan is to publish results in a peer-reviewed academic journal.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022346858.

Social isolation and risk of disability in older adults: Effect modification of metabolic syndrome

PURPOSE

Delaying the onset of disabilities is a social challenge, especially in an aging society. Social isolation (SI) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) can coexist and pose the risks of disability onset. However, their interaction is not proven in older adults. Therefore, this study investigated whether SI combined with MetS exacerbates disability onset in older adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 3,738 community-dwelling older adults underwent a health check-up. After baseline assessments, we followed them up to assess disability incidence for five years. SI was defined as a condition in which two or more of the following measures were met: domestic isolation, less social contact, and social disengagement. MetS was defined according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. We used Cox proportional hazard regression used to identify the interaction effect of SI and MetS on the risk of disability onset after adjusting for potential confounding factors.

RESULTS

Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression showed a significant interaction effect of SI and MetS on disability onset. In the subgroup analysis stratified by MetS status, SI was identified as a risk factor for disability onset only in the MetS group, but not in the non-MetS group.

CONCLUSIONS

This five-year longitudinal study showed that the co-occurrence of SI and MetS increased the risk of disability onset in older adults. This indicates that the assessment of MetS in socially isolated older adults is important for healthcare providers to delay the onset of disabilities.

Latent class analysis of healthcare workers' perceptions of workers' job demands in mobile cabin hospitals in China

BACKGROUND

Owing to the outbreak of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Shanghai, China, partitioned dynamic closure and control management plans were implemented on March 28, 2022. This created huge emergency pressure on Shanghai's medical and healthcare systems. However, the perceptions of job demands of healthcare workers (HCWs) and classification of frontline HCWs in mobile cabin hospitals are unknown.

METHODS

In this study, we investigated the job demands of 1223 frontline HCWs working in mobile cabin hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic April 2022 to May 2022. We performed latent class analysis to identify classification features of job demands. A binary multivariate logistic regression model was used to explore the influencing factors of latent class.

RESULTS

The total mean job demand score was 132.26 (SD = 9.53), indicating a high level of job demand. A two-class model provided the best fit. The two classes were titled "middle-demand group" (17.66%) and "high-demand group" (82.34%). A regression analysis suggested that female HCWs, HCWs satisfied with the doctor/nurse-patient relationship, HCWs who believed that the risk of working in mobile cabin hospitals was high, and HCWs without physical discomfort during the pandemic were more likely to be in the "high-demand group".

CONCLUSION

Characteristics of the "high-demand group" subtype suggest that attention should be paid to the physical condition of frontline HCWs and the job demands of female HCWs. Managers should strengthen the training of HCWs in terms of their communication skills as well as their knowledge and technical skills to aid epidemic prevention and control.

Temporal association of pre-pandemic perceived social support with psychological resilience and mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic among people with a history of injection drug use

BACKGROUND

There are limited data on whether modifiable social factors foster psychological resilience and mental well-being among people who use drugs following Big Events. We examined the temporal association of pre-pandemic perceived social support with psychological resilience and negative mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among people with a history of injection drug use.

METHODS

Between June and September 2020, we conducted a telephone survey among 545 participants in the AIDS Linked to the IntraVenous Experience (ALIVE) study: a community-based cohort of adults with a history of injection drug use. Leveraging data from study visits in 2018-early 2020, associations of pre-pandemic perceived social support with psychological resilience scores (range=1-5) and the probability of negative mental health symptoms during the pandemic were assessed using multivariable linear and modified Poisson regression models, respectively.

RESULTS

Participants' median age was 58 years, 38.2% were female, 83.3% identified as Black, and 30.3% were living with HIV. During the pandemic, 14.5% had low (<3) resilience scores, 36.1% experienced anxiety, and 35.8% reported increased loneliness. Compared to participants in the lowest tertile of pre-pandemic social support, participants in the highest tertile had higher mean resilience scores (β = 0.27 [95% CI = 0.12, 0.43]), a lower probability of anxiety (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.71 [95% CI = 0.52, 0.96]), and a lower probability of increased loneliness (PR = 0.62 [95% CI = 0.45, 0.84]).

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-pandemic perceived social support was associated with greater psychological resilience and generally better mental well-being during the pandemic. Interventions that improve social support may foster psychological resilience and protect the mental well-being of people who use drugs, especially during periods of social disruption.