Effect of cognitive behavioral therapy program on mental health status among medical student in Palestine during COVID pandemic

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Mediterranean diet adherence: A narrative systematic review

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic upended many aspects of daily life. For some individuals, this was an opportunity to re-evaluate their life and make better choices, while others were overwhelmed with stressors, leading to a deterioration in mental and physical health.

AIM

The aim of this narrative systematic review is to explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Mediterranean diet adherence.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was carried out on PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science electronic databases utilising the search terms 'Mediterranean diet' AND 'COVID-19'. This yielded 73 articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

The data suggests that a substantial proportion of individuals adhered less to the Mediterranean diet during the COVID-19 lockdown period. However, individuals receiving some form of lifestyle intervention had better adherence to the Mediterranean diet than their unassisted counterparts.

CONCLUSION

This emphasises the importance of professional support during times of crisis to avoid deterioration of a population's health.

Generalized anxiety disorder in Brazilian undergraduate dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

Explore the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and associated factors in undergraduate dental students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cross-sectional study. A semi-structured questionnaire addressing the variables of interest was shared with dental students between July 8 and 27 2020. The outcome was determined using the seven-item generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) scale. A 'positive' diagnosis was defined as a total of ≥10 points on the scale. Statistical analysis involved descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses, with the significance level set at 5%.

RESULTS

Among the 1050 students evaluated, 53.8% had a positive diagnosis for GAD. The multivariate analysis revealed that the prevalence of symptoms was higher among individuals who resided with more than three people, those enrolled at teaching institutions that suspended all clinical and laboratory activities, those who did not have an adequate home situation to maintain distance learning, those who had been diagnosed with COVID-19, those who felt anxious about having to see patients with a suspicion or diagnosis of COVID-19 and those who preferred to interrupt in-person academic activities until the population is vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of GAD was high. Aspects related to the composition and organization of the home, the suspension of academic activities, a history of COVID-19 contamination, feelings of anxiety in providing dental care to patients with symptoms/suspected of COVID-19 infection and the preference to interrupt in-person academic activities until the population is vaccinated for COVID-19 were factors predisposing the students to anxiety during the first wave of the pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 on Academic Burnout among Medical College Students in China: Findings from a Web-Based Survey

BACKGROUND Academic burnout can affect students' academic behavior and performance and especially damages the careers of medical college students. Medical education systems during the COVID-19 pandemic have met unprecedented challenges that have influenced medical students. This study aimed to explore the effects of psychological resilience, stress, and smartphone addiction on academic burnout among Chinese medical students. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study utilized a cross-sectional design, from March 13, 2022 to March 31, 2022, within the Wannan Medical College, where students completed a web-based survey. The Chinese version of the Academic Burnout Scale (ABS), the 10-item Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 10) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4) were used in this survey. Data entry and analysis were conducted using IBM SPSS ver. 22.0. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was used to examine the correlations between medical college students' academic burnout and smartphone addiction and mental health. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to evaluate the factors influencing academic burnout. RESULTS Of 3190 medical college students who completed the survey, 1521 (47.7%) had some degree of academic burnout. Gender, being a student leader, grades, perceived stress, and smartphone addiction were associated with the total score of academic burnout. Psychological resilience and adapting to online classes were protective factors against academic burnout. CONCLUSIONS Academic burnout is common among medical college students in China after the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is urgent to address this situation to improve the quality of medical education.

Efficacy of Virtual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on COVID-19 Pandemic Related Anxiety in a Middle Eastern Country: An Interventional Study

Introduction

Emotional stress and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic has gained a lot of attention. The capacity to withstand from the manipulated thinking and COVID-19 related stress and anxiety depends on the resilience level of an individual. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has patronizing benefits for people affected with altered mental health. Relieving COVID-19 related anxiety using CBT has beneficial impact on health and improves quality of life of people.

Objective

Aimed to relieve the anxiety of Omani population during COVID-19 pandemic using CBT.

Methods

This research utilized a pre-experimental one group pre-test post-test design. A non-probability convenient sampling technique was used to select 96 Omani people who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The pre-anxiety level was assessed using CAS (Corona virus Anxiety Scale). The participants who scored above nine in the scale were given three sessions of CBT. Post-anxiety level was assessed using CAS after three CBT sessions.

Results

The study revealed that the level of anxiety reduced during post-test (6.35) after intervention when compared to pre-test (13.22). The CBT intervention was effective in reducing the anxiety in the post-test at p ≤ .000.

Conclusion

CBT is effective in reducing COVID-19 related anxiety among the Omani population. Therefore, this strategy is highly recommended in people having mental health issues.

Remote Interventions to Support Students' Psychological Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review of Recent Approaches

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected students' mental health, and it is important to implement mental health management strategies. The purpose of this study was to present current findings on the implementation of remote mental health interventions in students during the pandemic. The PubMed and Web of Science electronic databases were searched and, from a total of 174 articles, 106 records were excluded according to the inclusion criteria and 23 were assessed as full texts. After the full-text screening, 12 studies were included in the review. The included publications were randomized clinical trials focused on remote mental support interventions among students from 10 countries, representing both genders, and were in the average age range of 17-55 years with an overall number of 892 participants. The included studies covered the effectiveness of strictly psychotherapeutic programs, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), as well as other techniques such as mindfulness, laughter therapy, the brain wave modulation technique (BWM-T), and physical activity-based interventions. This narrative review provides an overview of studies with a wide range of types of remote mental health support interventions. Each of the forms of intervention analyzed in this review resulted in positive changes in students' mental health, which indicates hope for widespread help via various forms of intervention implemented remotely.