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de Sá Couto-Pereira N, Nexha A, Boff Borges R, Amando GR, Francisco AP, Amaral FG, Frey BN, Calcagnotto ME, Hidalgo MP, Pilz LK. Routine regularity during a global pandemic: Impact on mental health outcomes and influence of chronotype. Chronobiol Int 2024; 41:456-472. [PMID: 38380627 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2024.2314216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Among the public health recommendations for supporting mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, many strategies had an impact on biological rhythms, like sleep hygiene, physical exercise and healthy eating habits. Considering the known relationship between circadian organization and mental health, our aim was to test the association between behavioral regularity and mental health, and its interaction with chronotype, in a large sample surveyed in Brazil. We collected longitudinal data using online questionnaires that assessed sociodemographic characteristics, behavioral routines, mental health (PHQ-9, GAD-7, WHO-5 scales), and chronotype estimation based on midpoint of sleep on free days - MSF (μMCTQ), in a sample of 1390 participants (81% females). We computed a Routine Regularity Score (RRS) that reflects regularity across four behaviors: sleep, eating, working, exercising. There was a strong negative association between RRS and the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms (GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores), which was weaker among participants with late MSF, and a strong positive association with well-being (WHO-5 scores). RRS was a mediator of the MSF-mental health association and a predictor of mental health states. This study provides empirical evidence that maintaining behavioral routines during times of hardship may serve as tools to alleviate the negative impact on mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natividade de Sá Couto-Pereira
- Neurophysiology and Neurochemistry of Neuronal Excitability and Synaptic Plasticity Laboratory (NNNESP Lab.), Department of Biochemistry, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Psychological Neuroscience Laboratory, Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Adile Nexha
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rogério Boff Borges
- Unidade de Bioestatística - Diretoria de Pesquisa (DIPE), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Statistics, Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Rodriguez Amando
- Laboratório de Cronobiologia e Sono, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre/Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Francisco
- Laboratório de Cronobiologia e Sono, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre/Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Fernanda G Amaral
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Pineal, Department of Physiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Benicio N Frey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Mood Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Women's Health Concerns Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Maria Elisa Calcagnotto
- Neurophysiology and Neurochemistry of Neuronal Excitability and Synaptic Plasticity Laboratory (NNNESP Lab.), Department of Biochemistry, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Maria Paz Hidalgo
- Laboratório de Cronobiologia e Sono, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre/Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Luísa K Pilz
- Laboratório de Cronobiologia e Sono, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre/Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine CCM / CVK, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- ECRC Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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