Mapping population mental health concerns related to COVID-19 and the consequences of physical distancing: a Google trends analysis

A Worldwide Bibliometric Analysis of Published Literature Assessing Fear of COVID-19

Many people experience intense fear of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive visual overview of the published literature from 2020 to 2022 assessing fear of COVID-19. From 2020 to 2022, we employed the Scopus database to conduct a bibliometric analysis. We used the VOSviewer program to perform the author co-citation analysis, Mapchart to produce a worldwide map, and Wordart to make a word cloud image. From the 1769 records examined, 1654 (93.50%) were articles, with English being the most common language (96.31%). From 2020 to 2022, annual citations experienced significant growth (R2 = 99.91%; p = 0.0195). The Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM, France) and China led in terms of publication output (n = 36; n = 255). M. D. Griffiths authored the highest number of articles (n = 21). The most active journal was the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (n = 146), and the most prevalent keyword was "human/s" (11.51%). This bibliometric analysis evaluates the quality of the research on fear of the pandemic and the crisis management of COVID-19, which can provide managers and researchers with crucial insights for future decision making.

A Qualitative Study of Preschool Children's Perspectives on an Oral Health Promotion Program in New South Wales, Australia

In Australia, dental caries are observed in almost half of children starting school. Oral health promotion programs are being implemented in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings to promote oral health. This study examined children's perceptions of one such program, the Bright Smiles Bright Futures (BSBF) program in ECEC settings in New South Wales, Australia. Data were collected using focus group discussions from 15 children aged 3-5 years, transcribed verbatim, and analysed through inductive thematic analysis. Three themes were identified as follows: (i) oral health knowledge of children, (ii) oral hygiene practices routine and skills development, and (iii) evaluation of the oral health promotion kit and opportunities for improvement. Children's perspectives highlight the BSBF program's success in communicating key messages to promote oral health. The integration of family-centric approaches, acknowledgement of children's preferences, and the use of interactive tools collectively enhance the overall effectiveness of the oral health promotion program.

PTSD prevalence and factors in intern nursing students after COVID-19 full liberalization in China: a cross-sectional study

Objective

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its influencing factors among intern nursing students after the full liberalization of the COVID-19 prevention and control policy in China.

Methods

Participants completed the online survey from January 14 to January 19, 2023. A demographic questionnaire, COVID-19 and internship-related questionnaire, the Fear of COVID-19 scale, the Primary Care PTSD Screen, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale were used to conduct the online survey.

Results

Of 438 participants, 88.4% tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 6 months. The prevalence of fear, resilience, and PTSD was 16.9, 15.5, and 11.2%, respectively. Direct care of COVID patients in hospital (OR = 2.084, 95%CI 1.034 ~ 4.202), the experience of occupational exposure (OR = 2.856, 95%CI 1.436 ~ 5.681), working with an experienced team (OR = 2.120, 95%CI 1.070 ~ 4.198), and fear COVID-19 (OR = 8.269, 95%CI 4.150 ~ 16.479) were significantly and positively associated with PTSD in nursing internship students.

Conclusion

After COVID-19 full liberalization in China, intern nursing students still experienced pandemic-related mental distress, which can bring PTSD. Adequate support and counseling should be provided, as needed, to intern nursing students who are about to enter the workforce and have experienced severe PTSD symptoms related to COVID-19. Our findings indicated that should understand the importance of screening, formulate intervention strategies and preventive measures to address psychosocial problems, and provide coping skills training to intern nursing students.

Mental health effects of COVID-19 lockdowns: A Twitter-based analysis

We use a distinctive methodology that leverages a fixed population of Twitter users located in France to gauge the mental health effects of repeated lockdown orders. To do so, we derive from our population a mental health indicator that measures the frequency of words expressing anger, anxiety and sadness. Our indicator did not reveal a statistically significant mental health response during the first lockdown, while the second lockdown triggered a sharp and persistent deterioration in all three emotions. Our estimates also show a more severe deterioration in mental health among women and younger users during the second lockdown. These results suggest that successive stay-at-home orders significantly worsen mental health across a large segment of the population. We also show that individuals who are closer to their social network were partially protected by this network during the first lockdown, but were no longer protected during the second, demonstrating the gravity of successive lockdowns for mental health.

"Self-care is being attentive to yourself": using assemblages to examine discursive-material practices of self-care among Filipino university students

PURPOSE

Researchers have observed a rise in mental health issues among university students over the course of the pandemic, in part due to the closure of schools and public spaces for wellness. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore how students creatively reassemble their self-care practices through different objects and spaces within their homes to care for their mental health.

METHODS

Photo-elicitation interviews were conducted with ten (10) female university students from the Philippines. Photographs and interview transcripts were analysed through map-making practices and an iterative process of crafting assemblages and their cofunctionings.

RESULTS

The work-home assemblage was identified as the site of self-care, delineated by boundary-making and place-making practices and the creation of time spaces. The two major cofunctionings of the work-home assemblage were (a) caring for the self as fostering different relationalities with the self, and (b) caring for the self as copresencing with human and nonhuman others.

CONCLUSION

Findings demonstrate the importance of material and spatial relationalities in facilitating caring relational encounters with the self. Theoretical and practical implications include attuning to the existing material and spatial resources in one's environment and integrating them into one's practices of caring for the self.

Impact of Mental Health Legislation on Public Interest and Awareness of Common Mental Disorders: Insights From an Infodemiological Study of Search Volumes From 2004 to 2021 in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

This study explored online public interest using search volumes for various mental disorders using an infodemiological design. Google Trends search volumes for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and substance abuse from January 2004 to December 2021 in the Philippines were described and compared. In addition, interrupted time series and mean comparisons were done to determine the impact of the Philippine Mental Health Act. Findings show that public interest was highest for major depressive disorder, followed by anxiety disorder, substance abuse, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Among them, public interest in schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse improved following the Act's legislation. The uneven stigma of mental disorders and the incomplete implementation and unequal focus of Philippine mental health promotion programs can explain these findings. Thus, mental disorders with low public interest should be given attention in mental health awareness activities.

The relationship between mental health and public attention to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings and confirmation

RATIONALE

Researchers have rarely considered how public attention surrounding political events influences mental health. Specifically, in a politically polarized nation like the United States, it is possible that these events have a public mental health effect.

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the mental health effects associated with the 2018 U.S. Senate hearing and confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh using public survey data.

METHODS

We use the interview date included in CDC data from the 2014-2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to identify the effects of increased public attention on the Kavanaugh hearings and confirmation on the mental health of individuals who identify as female. We employ a triple difference model to control for possible confounding effects and target causality.

RESULTS

We find meaningful increases in both the number of "not good" mental health days reported and the probability of reporting any "not good" mental health days. On average, females reported 0.24 more poor mental health days during the one-month period surrounding the Kavanaugh confirmation and hearings than women did in the same 1-month period in 2014. This change represents a nearly 10% increase in mental health burden. The results are robust to the inclusion of a range of covariates as well as alternate specifications. In addition, we derive estimates of the societal costs associated with the increased mental health burden linked to Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that the Kavanaugh confirmation and hearings were associated with a notable rise in mental health challenges, especially among women. These results extend beyond personal experience and illustrate the societal costs linked to the resulting increased mental health burden. Further research on similar events is warranted.

COVID-19 pandemic and mental health in Spain: An analysis of their relationship using Google Trends

INTRODUCTION

This study aims to examine the public interest that exists on Internet regarding various mental health topics and its relationship with evolution of COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Google Trends was used to explore relative search volume (RSV) for the following terms related with mental health (TRMH): "anxiety", "depression", "stress", "insomnia" and "suicide"; between January and December 2020. The cross-correlation function was performed to assess association between new COVID-19 cases and RSV levels for TRMH. Finally, Mann-Whitney test was used to examine differences between RSV values for TRMH before and after of state of alarm declarations on March and October 2020.

RESULTS

The "anxiety" term showed the highest RSV indices. A significant correlation was found between new COVID-19 cases and RSV for "anxiety" with a time-lag of +1 week (r=0.49; p<.05). Was found an increase of SRV for "anxiety" (U=0.00; p=.01) and a decrease of SRV for "depression" (U=1.00; p=.04) between 4-week period before and after state of alarm of March 2020. Regarding the state of alarm of October 2020, a higher RSV for "anxiety" (U=0.50; p=.02) was found in the four weeks after it compared with a similar previous period.

CONCLUSIONS

Anxiety is the mental health topic of greatest public interest on Internet in context of COVID-19 pandemic. Public concern about anxiety rises one week after the increase in COVID-19 cases and is greater after introduction of control measures that entail any type of mobility restriction or activity limitation. There is a greater general need for information on anxiety at specific times in the pandemic evolution.

Google Trends as a predictive tool in the era of COVID-19: a scoping review

Google Trends has been extensively used in different sectors from finance to tourism, the economy, fashion, the fun industry, the oil trade, and healthcare. This scoping review aims to summarize the role of Google Trends as a monitoring and a predicting tool in the COVID-19 pandemic. Inclusion criteria for this scoping review were original English-language peer-reviewed research articles on the COVID-19 pandemic conducted in 2020 using Google Trends as a search tool. Articles that were in a language other than English, were only in abstract form, or did not discuss the role of Google Trends during the COVID-19 pandemic were excluded. According to these criteria, a total of 81 studies were included to cover the period of the first year after the emergence of the crisis. Google Trends can potentially help health authorities to plan and control pandemics earlier and to decrease the risk of infection among people.

Non-COVID-19 deaths in times of pandemic

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-COVID-19 deaths in Mexico.

METHODS

This study analyzes monthly administrative data on 15 different causes of death in Mexico from 2017 to 2020. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-COVID-19 deaths are conducted using a difference-in-differences methodology and an event study.

RESULTS

The evidence shows mixed results. There is an increase in six causes of death: diabetes (36.8%), hypertension (25.8%), heart attacks (40.9%), bronchitis- asthma (24.2%), anemia (28.6%) and prostate cancer (21.4%). There is a decrease in two causes of death: traffic accidents (8.8%) and HIV (13.8%). There are null effects for seven causes of death: breast cancer, cerebrovascular disease, malnutrition, alcohol-related liver disease, renal insufficiency, homicides and suicides.

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic affected non-COVID-19 deaths caused by diseases that require intensive healthcare services. Conversely, this pandemic reduced social interactions, which contributed to a decrease on deaths such as traffic accidents.

Mediating effect of resilience and fear of COVID-19 on the relationship between social support and post-traumatic stress disorder among campus-quarantined nursing students: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The emergency of Omicron variants, spreading in China and worldwide, has sparked a new wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The high infectivity and persistence of the pandemic may trigger some degrees of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for nursing students experiencing indirect trauma exposure to the epidemic, which hinders the role transition from students to qualified nurses and exacerbates the health workforce shortage. Thus, it's well worth an exploration to understand PTSD and its underlying mechanism. Specifically, PTSD, social support, resilience, and fear of COVID-19 were selected after widely literature review. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social support and PTSD among nursing students during COVID-19, to address the mediating role of resilience and fear of COVID-19 between social support and PTSD, and to provide practical guidance for nursing students' psychological intervention.

METHODS

From April 26 to April 30, 2022, 966 nursing students from Wannan Medical College were selected by the multistage sampling method to fill the Primary Care PTSD Screen for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), Brief Resilience Scale, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Oslo 3 Items Social Support Scale. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, spearman's correlation analysis, regression analysis, and path analysis.

RESULTS

15.42% of nursing students had PTSD. There were significant correlations between social support, resilience, fear of COVID-19, and PTSD (r =-0.291 ~ 0.353, P <0.001). Social support had a direct negative effect on PTSD (β =-0.216; 95% confidence interval, CI: -0.309~-0.117), accounting for 72.48% of the total effect. Analysis of mediating effects revealed that social support influenced PTSD through three indirect pathways: the mediated effect of resilience was statistically significant (β =-0.053; 95% CI: -0.077~-0.031), accounting for 17.79% of the total effect; the mediated effect of fear of COVID-19 was statistically significant (β =-0.016; 95% CI: -0.031~-0.003), accounting for 5.37% of the total effect; the chain mediating effect of resilience and fear of COVID-19 was statistically significant (β =-0.013; 95% CI: -0.022~-0.006), accounting for 4.36% of the total effect.

CONCLUSION

The social support of nursing students not only directly affects PTSD, but also indirectly affects PTSD through the separate and chain mediating effect of resilience and fear of COVID-19. The compound strategies targeted at boosting perceived social support, fostering resilience, and controlling fear of COVID-19 are warranted for reducing PTSD.

Domestic Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 outbreak and the followed confinement measures have raised concerns to specialists worldwide regarding the imminent increase in domestic violence cases. The present systematic review aims to identify the international trends in domestic violence during the COVID-19 epidemic and to examine the possible differences among all population groups and different geographic areas worldwide.

METHOD

The following databases were accessed: DOAJ, ERIC, Google Scholar, ProQuest, Pubmed, PsycNet, and SCOPUS, up to July 22, 2020.

RESULTS

A total of 32 studies were considered eligible. Data from North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific Area, Africa, and worldwide researches were retrieved. COVID-19 has caused an increase in domestic violence cases, especially during the first week of the COVID-19 lockdown in each country. In children, however, although the specialists' estimations suggested an increase in child maltreatment and abuse cases, the rate of police and social services' reports has declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures that isolated students at home seemed to have contributed to this decrease.

CONCLUSIONS

Domestic violence has been a considerable issue imposed by the COVID-19 epidemic to a worldwide context. The home confinement led to constant contact between perpetrators and victims, resulting in increased violence and decreased reports. In order to minimize such issues, prevention measures and supporting programs are necessary.

The Worldwide Utilization of Online Information about Dementia from 2004 to 2022: An Infodemiological Study of Google and Wikipedia

With the advent of Infodemics about health conditions, including dementia, nurses can engage in infodemiological studies to inform public health services and policies. This infodemiological study described the worldwide utilization of online information for dementia using Google Trends and Wikipedia page views. It found that the utilization of online information about dementia increased and will further increase using Google in succeeding years. Thus, the Internet is an increasingly important medium for dementia information in this age of misinformation and disinformation. Nurse informaticists can perform national infodemiological studies to inform and contextualize online dementia information. Likewise, public health, geriatric, and mental health nurses can collaborate with their communities and patients to address online disinformation and create culturally-appropriate information about dementia.

Depression and Anxiety on Twitter During the COVID-19 Stay-At-Home Period in 7 Major U.S. Cities

Introduction

Although surveys are a well-established instrument to capture the population prevalence of mental health at a moment in time, public Twitter is a continuously available data source that can provide a broader window into population mental health. We characterized the relationship between COVID-19 case counts, stay-at-home orders because of COVID-19, and anxiety and depression in 7 major U.S. cities utilizing Twitter data.

Methods

We collected 18 million Tweets from January to September 2019 (baseline) and 2020 from 7 U.S. cities with large populations and varied COVID-19 response protocols: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Phoenix. We applied machine learning‒based language prediction models for depression and anxiety validated in previous work with Twitter data. As an alternative public big data source, we explored Google Trends data using search query frequencies. A qualitative evaluation of trends is presented.

Results

Twitter depression and anxiety scores were consistently elevated above their 2019 baselines across all the 7 locations. Twitter depression scores increased during the early phase of the pandemic, with a peak in early summer and a subsequent decline in late summer. The pattern of depression trends was aligned with national COVID-19 case trends rather than with trends in individual states. Anxiety was consistently and steadily elevated throughout the pandemic. Google search trends data showed noisy and inconsistent results.

Conclusions

Our study shows the feasibility of using Twitter to capture trends of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 public health crisis and suggests that social media data can supplement survey data to monitor long-term mental health trends.

Decreasing public interest in social psychiatry: An infodemiological study of worldwide Google search volumes from 2004 to 2021

BACKGROUND

While mental disorder is an 'intrinsically social phenomenon', social psychiatry has been reportedly declining. Addressing public interests in social psychiatry was among the suggestions to address this decline. In recent years, public interest in social psychiatry can be explored using Google Trends, an increasingly important infodemiological tool.

OBJECTIVE

This study determined changes in global online public interest in social psychiatry from January 2004 to December 2021 using Google search volumes.

METHODS

Search query using this keyword, 'Social Psychiatry (Topic)', was made using the Explore feature of Google Trends. The Region and Time Filters were set to 'Worldwide' and January 2004 to December 2021, respectively. Afterward, the search volumes, country ranking, queries, and topics returned by the Google Trends system was described and compared.

RESULTS

There was a generally decreasing trend in search volumes for social psychiatry where it decreased almost 10 times between 2004 and 2021. Only 11 countries were listed in Google Trends' ranking with the top countries including Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Search-related topics and queries were about social psychiatry related concepts, related academic discipline, human resources, social interventions, and education activities.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that there is a decreasing public interest in social psychiatry. To improve this, social psychiatry can address public expectation through improving its connection with allied social sciences, increasing its educational activities, and expanding its social intervention services.

Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown and Its Evolution: A Case Study Based on Internet Searching Data during the Lockdown of Wuhan 2020 and Shanghai 2022

It has been three years since the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, which incurred huge damage both physically and psychologically on human's normal life. As a prevention measure, the lockdown was first adopted by Wuhan, then by a long list of Chinese cities and many other major cities around the world. Lockdown is the most restrictive social distancing strategy, turning out effective in mitigating the spreading of COVID-19 on the community level, which, however, cuts off all social interactions and isolates healthy people from each other. The isolated nature of the lockdown could induce severe mental health issues, forming one major source of depression and domestic violence. Given the potential side effect, a comprehensive investigation based on reliable data sources is needed to evaluate the real psychological impact of COVID-19 lockdown and its evolution over time, particularly in the time when the Omicron variant, known for its low death risk, dominates the pandemic. Based on the Baidu Searching Index data collected for Wuhan and Shanghai, two major cities in China that suffered from long-lasting (over two months) lockdowns in 2020 and 2022, respectively, it is found that the major psychological issue during the lockdown period is not induced by the spreading of COVID-19, but by the execution of lockdown. With the deepening of knowledge about COVID-19 and the decrease in the death risk, the psychological impact of lockdown keeps increasing, while the impact of virus spreading becomes less important and even irrelevant to depression and domestic violence issues. The findings reveal that from the psychological perspective, the negative effect of lockdown already overweighs the positive one, which is especially true for the Omicron variant provided its almost ignorable death risk. Therefore, it is necessary to re-evaluate the yield and cost of lockdown for those countries where the COVID-19 pandemic has not yet come to an end.

Experience of COVID-19 disease and fear of the SARS-CoV-2 virus among Polish students

Background

The SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic has significantly affected individuals and entire societies. It has caused a number of adverse consequences for public health. It has contributed to lower average life expectancy and significantly reduced the sense of health security. It has affected not only physical but also mental health. COVID-19 infections have become so common in many countries, including Poland, that almost every member of society has either experienced it themselves or has a family member or friend who have been affected by the disease. The investigations undertaken in the article concern the fear of COVID-19 infection among Polish university students, determined by the experience of the disease -whether direct or among loved ones.

Methods

An online survey was conducted with 851 students. It took place between 1 and 15 March 2021, a year after detection of the first case of infection with the virus in Poland. The aim of the study was to find out about the relationship between the experience of COVID-19 disease (whether direct or among people close to the respondent) and fear of this disease among university students in Poland. The analysis used intergroup comparison tests (Mann-Whitney U Test and t-test).

Results

The results indicate that the level of fear of COVID-19 among Polish university students was low (M = 1.98; SD = .49), with women (M = 2.04; SD = .75) presenting statistically higher (t (620.46) = 3.05; p = .002) fear than men (M = 1.87; SD = .74). The situation of the respondent having had a close person fall ill with COVID-19 or die as a result of coronavirus infection was found to be significant for the level of experienced fear of COVID-19 in the studied group (t (469.46) = -2.98; p = .003).

Conclusions

The significantly higher level of fear in the group of young people who knew someone close with severe (fatal) COVID-19 disease indicates that psychological support may be more significant for such people than for individuals who have not experienced such a situation. A similar conclusion can be formulated taking into account the gender criterion, as the results make it possible to predict that women expect more support in a pandemic situation.

COVID-19 and Subjective Well-Being in Urban Pakistan in the Beginning of the Pandemic: A Socio-Economic Analysis

This study contributes to the existing literature on happiness studies by analyzing the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on subjective well-being (SWB) in a developing country, focusing specifically on satisfaction with socio-economic status. Drawing on survey data for urban Pakistan from before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, we find that during the early days of the pandemic and the related social distancing and potential lockdowns, SWB declined, particularly among unemployed, married couples, males and older people. Unexpectedly, we also observed that households having a higher income suffered more from the pandemic in terms of satisfaction with their socio-economic status compared to their poorer counterparts. We explain this finding by increased fear for falling into poverty due to lockdowns and inflation.

What's hot and what's not in lay psychology: Wikipedia's most-viewed articles

We studied views of articles about psychology on 10 language editions of Wikipedia from July 1, 2015, to January 6, 2021. We were most interested in what psychology topics Wikipedia users wanted to read, and how the frequency of views changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. Our results show that the topics of interest to people seeking psychological knowledge changed during the pandemic. In addition, the interests differ noticeably among the languages. We made two important observations. The first was that during the pandemic, people in most countries looked for new ways to manage their stress without resorting to external help. This is understandable, given the increased stress of lockdown and the limited amount of professional help available. We also found that academic topics, typically covered in university classes, experienced a substantial drop in traffic, which could be indicative of issues with remote teaching.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03826-0.

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the Chinese version of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale in depressive symptoms sample during COVID-19 closure: An exploratory structural equation modeling approach

The COVID-19 Phobia Scale is an instrument for measuring the phobia of coronavirus. It has a stable four-factor structure and good reliability and validity in other countries and regions. In order to expand related research, this study aims to test the reliability and validity of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale in Chinese adolescents with depressive symptoms. The C19P-SC was translated into Chinese by the method of forward and back translation and tested in 1933 Chinese adolescents with depressive symptoms. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) were used to test and compare the four-factor model of the C19P-SC. Then we tested the measurement invariance of the C19P-SC across gender and time. Finally, the reliability was measured with the McDonald's omega coefficients. Consistent with previous studies, the C19P-SC showed a stable four-factor structure. The results showed that ESEM was better than CFA and more reasonable. In addition, the results of multi-group ESEM showed that the C19P-SC met the strict invariance at male and female and partial longitudinal strict invariance. The Mcdonald's omega coefficients of the C19P-SC total scale and each subscale reached the expected acceptable level. In short, the reliability and validity index of C19P-SC has reached an acceptable level, and the measurement invariance of different genders and different time points was established, but the cross-factor phenomenon of individual items was abnormal, and a further revision and testing are still needed.

[Effects of Fear of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Social Distancing on Women's Suicidal Ideation: Mediating Effect of Depression]

PURPOSE

This study aimed to identify the mediating effects of depression amid the influence of fear and social distancing arising from Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Korean women's suicidal ideation.

METHODS

A descriptive correlation study was conducted. Study participants, recruited by Hankook Research from March 2 to March 5, 2021, included 300 women aged 19 to 49 living in South Korea, and 100 people were randomly allocated and enlisted for each age group out of 700,000 Hankook Research Panels recruited in advance from 17 cities and provinces nationwide. Data were collected through a self-reported questionnaire and analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and Hayes' Process Macro Model 4 with 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval via SPSS statistics 27.0.

RESULTS

Suicidal ideation was significantly correlated with fear of COVID-19 (r = .16, p = .006) and depression (r = .65, p < .001). The mediation effect of depression in the relationship between the fear of COVID-19 and suicidal ideation was found to be significant (B = 0.40, boot 95% CI: 0.21~0.61). However, social distancing did not significantly affect suicidal ideation via depression (B = -0.79, boot 95% CI: -1.94~0.26).

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to develop and apply interventions to prevent depression and suicidal behaviors by continuously observing and reducing the negative psychological responses caused by COVID-19.

Pandemic impact on higher education faculty self‐care, burnout, and compassion satisfaction

This correlational study examined the relationship between self‐care, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress among higher education faculty members during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The results inform higher education faculty members about the effects of self‐care and suggest strategies to reduce burnout, compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress.

Googling "mental health" after mental health legislation and during the COVID-19 pandemic: an infodemiological study of public interest in mental health in the Philippines

BACKGROUND

Public interest in mental health in the Philippines can change after the Mental Health (MH) act approval and during the COVID-19 pandemic. To determine these changes, online searches in Google can be analyzed as an alternative measure.

AIMS

To determine the trends of public interest in mental health before and after the MH act approval and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHOD

Aggregated search volumes for mental health using the keyword, "Mental Health (Topic)" were gathered from Google Trends. Search volume indices (SVIs), and related queries were analyzed. SVIs from the different periods were compared using means, t test, ANOVA, and ARIMA.

RESULTS

Public interest in mental health increased after the MH Act approval and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The top and rising related queries revolved around mental health definitions, translations, factors, services, policy, adverse mental state, and its context during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

These increased public interests may stem from aspirations for mental health after legislation and higher mental health needs during the pandemic. Related queries may indicate that the public may be using online information to search for mental health services and concepts. Thus, there is a need to improve reliable and trustworthy online mental health information and services.

Trends of Internet Search Volumes for Major Depressive Disorder Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis

BACKGROUND

The effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on public mental health has been increasing. Additionally, the underlying psychological stressors remain unexplored, and few studies have been conducted nationally on the social distancing measures. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the psychological impacts of the implementation of social distancing measures by analyzing the Internet search trends of major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms.

METHODS

Using Naver^® Trends' relative search volumes (RSVs), we analyzed the average search volumes and trend changes of 16 terms, adopted from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 criteria for diagnosing MDD. An interrupted time-series analysis was performed using the data from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020. Furthermore, changes in RSVs, according to the intensity of the social distancing measures implemented from January 1 to December 31, 2020, were determined using Wilcoxon rank sum tests.

RESULTS

Of the 16 terms, the search trends of 'feeling guilty' (P < 0.001) and 'wanting to die' (P = 0.002) showed a significant increase as of February 29, 2020, when the social distancing measures were officially implemented. Additionally, the average search volumes for 'hopelessness' (P = 0.003), 'sexual desire' (P < 0.001), 'insomnia' (P = 0.002), 'hypersomnia' (P < 0.001), 'restlessness' (P < 0.001), and 'feeling lethargic' (P < 0.001) increased significantly. Moreover, gender analysis showed that the average search volume of 'depressed mood' (P = 0.033) and the trend of 'impaired concentration' (P < 0.001) increased in males only. However, the average search volume of 'feeling lethargic' (P = 0.001) and the trend of 'feeling guilty' (P = 0.001) increased in females only. The average search volumes for 'depressed mood' (P < 0.001), 'impaired concentration' (P = 0.038), and 'indecisiveness' (P < 0.001) were significantly higher during the enforcement of level 2 or higher social distancing measures.

CONCLUSION

Our results reported the negative effect of COVID-19 preventive measures on public mental health in South Korea, especially for MDD symptoms. Moreover, the findings suggested the utility of Naver Trends as a feasible big data source to assess future mental health crises.

Risks of mental health outcomes in people with covid-19: cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the risks of incident mental health disorders in survivors of the acute phase of covid-19.

DESIGN

Cohort study.

SETTING

US Department of Veterans Affairs.

PARTICIPANTS

Cohort comprising 153 848 people who survived the first 30 days of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and two control groups: a contemporary group (n=5 637 840) with no evidence of SARS-CoV-2, and a historical control group (n=5 859 251) that predated the covid-19 pandemic.

MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES

Risks of prespecified incident mental health outcomes, calculated as hazard ratio and absolute risk difference per 1000 people at one year, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Predefined covariates and algorithmically selected high dimensional covariates were used to balance the covid-19 and control groups through inverse weighting.

RESULTS

The covid-19 group showed an increased risk of incident anxiety disorders (hazard ratio 1.35 (95% confidence interval 1.30 to 1.39); risk difference 11.06 (95% confidence interval 9.64 to 12.53) per 1000 people at one year), depressive disorders (1.39 (1.34 to 1.43); 15.12 (13.38 to 16.91) per 1000 people at one year), stress and adjustment disorders (1.38 (1.34 to 1.43); 13.29 (11.71 to 14.92) per 1000 people at one year), and use of antidepressants (1.55 (1.50 to 1.60); 21.59 (19.63 to 23.60) per 1000 people at one year) and benzodiazepines (1.65 (1.58 to 1.72); 10.46 (9.37 to 11.61) per 1000 people at one year). The risk of incident opioid prescriptions also increased (1.76 (1.71 to 1.81); 35.90 (33.61 to 38.25) per 1000 people at one year), opioid use disorders (1.34 (1.21 to 1.48); 0.96 (0.59 to 1.37) per 1000 people at one year), and other (non-opioid) substance use disorders (1.20 (1.15 to 1.26); 4.34 (3.22 to 5.51) per 1000 people at one year). The covid-19 group also showed an increased risk of incident neurocognitive decline (1.80 (1.72 to 1.89); 10.75 (9.65 to 11.91) per 1000 people at one year) and sleep disorders (1.41 (1.38 to 1.45); 23.80 (21.65 to 26.00) per 1000 people at one year). The risk of any incident mental health diagnosis or prescription was increased (1.60 (1.55 to 1.66); 64.38 (58.90 to 70.01) per 1000 people at one year). The risks of examined outcomes were increased even among people who were not admitted to hospital and were highest among those who were admitted to hospital during the acute phase of covid-19. Results were consistent with those in the historical control group. The risk of incident mental health disorders was consistently higher in the covid-19 group in comparisons of people with covid-19 not admitted to hospital versus those not admitted to hospital for seasonal influenza, admitted to hospital with covid-19 versus admitted to hospital with seasonal influenza, and admitted to hospital with covid-19 versus admitted to hospital for any other cause.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that people who survive the acute phase of covid-19 are at increased risk of an array of incident mental health disorders. Tackling mental health disorders among survivors of covid-19 should be a priority.

Using absolutist word frequency from online searches to measure population mental health dynamics

The assessment of population mental health relies on survey data from representative samples, which come with considerable costs. Drawing on research which established that absolutist words (e.g. never) are semantic markers for depression, we propose a new measure of population mental health based on the frequency of absolutist words in online search data (absolute thinking index; ATI). Our aims were to first validate the ATI, and to use it to model public mental health dynamics in France and the UK during the current COVID-19 pandemic. To do so, we extracted time series for a validated dictionary of 19 absolutist words, from which the ATI was computed (weekly averages, 2019-2020, n = 208) using Google Trends. We then tested the relationship between ATI and longitudinal survey data of population mental health in the UK (n = 36,520) and France (n = 32,000). After assessing the relationship between ATI and survey measures of depression and anxiety in both populations, and dynamic similarities between ATI and survey measures (France), we tested the ATI's construct validity by showing how it was affected by the pandemic and how it can be predicted by COVID-19-related indicators. A final step consisted in replicating ATI's construct validity tests in Japan, thereby providing evidence for the ATI's cross-cultural generalizability. ATI was linked with survey depression scores in the UK, r = 0.68, 95%CI[0.34,0.86], β = 0.23, 95%CI[0.09,0.37] in France and displayed similar trends. We finally assessed the pandemic's impact on ATI using Bayesian structural time-series models. These revealed that the pandemic increased ATI by 3.2%, 95%CI[2.1,4.2] in France and 3.7%, 95%CI[2.9,4.4] in the UK. Mixed-effects models showed that ATI was related to COVID-19 new deaths in both countries β = 0.14, 95%CI[0.14,0.21]. These patterns were replicated in Japan, with a pandemic impact of 4.9%, 95%CI[3.1,6.7] and an influence of COVID-19 death of β = 0.90, 95%CI[0.36,1.44]. Our results demonstrate the validity of the ATI as a measure of population mental health (depression) in France, the UK and to some extent in Japan. We propose that researchers use it as cost-effective public mental health "thermometer" for applied and research purposes.

Associations between COVID-19 mobility restrictions and economic, mental health, and suicide-related concerns in the US using cellular phone GPS and Google search volume data

During the COVID-19 pandemic, US populations have experienced elevated rates of financial and psychological distress that could lead to increases in suicide rates. Rapid ongoing mental health monitoring is critical for early intervention, especially in regions most affected by the pandemic, yet traditional surveillance data are available only after long lags. Novel information on real-time population isolation and concerns stemming from the pandemic's social and economic impacts, via cellular mobility tracking and online search data, are potentially important interim surveillance resources. Using these measures, we employed transfer function model time-series analyses to estimate associations between daily mobility indicators (proportion of cellular devices completely at home and time spent at home) and Google Health Trends search volumes for terms pertaining to economic stress, mental health, and suicide during 2020 and 2021 both nationally and in New York City. During the first pandemic wave in early-spring 2020, over 50% of devices remained completely at home and searches for economic stressors exceeded 60,000 per 10 million. We found large concurrent associations across analyses between declining mobility and increasing searches for economic stressor terms (national proportion of devices at home: cross-correlation coefficient (CC) = 0.6 (p-value <0.001)). Nationally, we also found strong associations between declining mobility and increasing mental health and suicide-related searches (time at home: mood/anxiety CC = 0.53 (<0.001), social stressor CC = 0.51 (<0.001), suicide seeking CC = 0.37 (0.006)). Our findings suggest that pandemic-related isolation coincided with acute economic distress and may be a risk factor for poor mental health and suicidal behavior. These emergent relationships warrant ongoing attention and causal assessment given the potential for long-term psychological impact and suicide death. As US populations continue to face stress, Google search data can be used to identify possible warning signs from real-time changes in distributions of population thought patterns.

COVID-19 Fear Among Pakistanis: Psychometric Evaluation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale Using Item Response Theory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) assesses the fear of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and has been translated and validated into over 20 languages. The present study conducted confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) analyses on the FCV-19S among a sample of 937 Pakistani adults (mean [SD] age of 25.83 [11.80] years; 537 [57.3%] females). The CFA and IRT confirmed the unidimensionality of the FCV-19S. The Likert-type scale used in the FCV-19S was supported by the proper threshold orderings. Additionally, no DIF contrast had an absolute value larger than 0.5 regarding the participants' characteristics of gender, age, living status, and education in the IRT findings. The FCV-19S was found to be valid and reliable with strong psychometric properties among the Pakistani adult population.

Mental Health Interest and Its Prediction during the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Google Trends

This study aimed to analyze and predict interest in mental health-related queries created in Google Trends (GT) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Google Trends tool collected data on the Google search engine interest and provided real-time surveillance. Five key phrases: “depression”, “insomnia”, ”loneliness”, “psychologist”, and “psychiatrist”, were studied for the period from 25 September 2016 to 19 September 2021. The predictions for the upcoming trend were carried out for the period from September 2021 to September 2023 and were estimated by a hybrid five-component model. The results show a decrease of interest in the search queries “depression” and “loneliness” by 15.3% and 7.2%, respectively. Compared to the period under review, an increase of 5.2% in “insomnia” expression and 8.4% in the “psychiatrist” phrase were predicted. The expression “psychologist” is expected to show an almost unchanged interest. The upcoming changes in the expressions connected with mental health might be explained by vaccination and the gradual removal of social distancing rules. Finally, the analysis of GT can provide a timely insight into the mental health interest of a population and give a forecast for a short period trend.

Is Google Trends a useful tool for tracking mental and social distress during a public health emergency? A time-series analysis

BACKGROUND

Google Trends data are increasingly used by researchers as an indicator of population mental health, but few studies have investigated the validity of this approach during a public health emergency.

METHODS

Relative search volumes (RSV) for the topics depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicide, suicidal ideation, loneliness, and abuse were obtained from Google Trends. We used graphical and time-series approaches to compare daily trends in searches for these topics against population measures of these outcomes recorded using validated self-report scales (PHQ-9; GAD-7; UCLA-3) in a weekly survey (n = ~70,000) of the impact COVID-19 on psychological and social experiences in the UK population (21/03/2020 to 21/08/ 2020).

RESULTS

Self-reported levels of depression, anxiety, self-harm/suicidal ideation, self-harm, loneliness and abuse decreased during the period studied. There was no evidence of an association between self-reported anxiety, self-harm, abuse and RSV on Google Trends. Trends in Google topic RSV for depression and suicidal ideation were inversely associated with self-reports of these outcomes (p = 0.03 and p = 0.04, respectively). However, there was statistical and graphical evidence that self-report and Google searches for loneliness (p < 0.001) tracked one another.

LIMITATIONS

No age/sex breakdown of Google Trends data available. Survey respondents were not representative of the UK population and no pre-pandemic data were available.

CONCLUSION

Google Trends data do not appear to be a useful indicator of changing levels of population mental health during a public health emergency, but may have some value as an indicator of loneliness.

Kidney Outcomes in Long COVID

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 is associated with increased risk of post-acute sequelae involving pulmonary and extrapulmonary organ systems-referred to as long COVID. However, a detailed assessment of kidney outcomes in long COVID is not yet available.

METHODS

We built a cohort of 1,726,683 US Veterans identified from March 1, 2020 to March 15, 2021, including 89,216 patients who were 30-day survivors of COVID-19 and 1,637,467 non-infected controls. We examined risks of AKI, eGFR decline, ESKD, and major adverse kidney events (MAKE). MAKE was defined as eGFR decline ≥50%, ESKD, or all-cause mortality. We used inverse probability-weighted survival regression, adjusting for predefined demographic and health characteristics, and algorithmically selected high-dimensional covariates, including diagnoses, medications, and laboratory tests. Linear mixed models characterized intra-individual eGFR trajectory.

RESULTS

Beyond the acute illness, 30-day survivors of COVID-19 exhibited a higher risk of AKI (aHR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.86 to 2.04), eGFR decline ≥30% (aHR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.37), eGFR decline ≥40% (aHR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.37 to 1.51), eGFR decline ≥50% (aHR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.51 to 1.74), ESKD (aHR, 2.96; 95% CI, 2.49 to 3.51), and MAKE (aHR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.58 to 1.74). Increase in risks of post-acute kidney outcomes was graded according to the severity of the acute infection (whether patients were non-hospitalized, hospitalized, or admitted to intensive care). Compared with non-infected controls, 30-day survivors of COVID-19 exhibited excess eGFR decline (95% CI) of -3.26 (-3.58 to -2.94), -5.20 (-6.24 to -4.16), and -7.69 (-8.27 to -7.12) ml/min per 1.73 m² per year, respectively, in non-hospitalized, hospitalized, and those admitted to intensive care during the acute phase of COVID-19 infection.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who survived COVID-19 exhibited increased risk of kidney outcomes in the post-acute phase of the disease. Post-acute COVID-19 care should include attention to kidney disease.

“Stay at home with bakery products” can be public motto of quarantine days in the early period of COVID-19 outbreak: A nutritional infodemiology study

Aims

The aim of this retrospective infodemiological study is to investigate the public interest to the bakery products in the early period of coronavirus outbreak through Google Trends and open access data banks.

Methods

The category and regions were selected “food and drink”, Turkey, Italy and Sweden, respectively. Keywords were searched in Turkish, Italian and Swedish language by Google Trends. Search spectrums were “1 February 2011-1 September 2020” and “1 February-1 September 2020” to determine the monthly and daily search queries, successively. Sweden was included into study as a control group because there was no strict implementation in the pandemic. Daily case number of coronavirus, stringency index, stay at home requirements value and relative search volume (RSV) scores about selected foods and coronavirus were synthesized.

Results

Search queries of “flour”, “yeast”, “dough” and “bread” were too higher in Turkey and Italy within the outbreak period, corresponding to previous years. The RSV score of bread was higher than vegetable, fruit, fish and meat in all countries, but search profiles were different. It has been determined the potential relationship between RSV scores about some bakery products and stringency index in Turkey and Italy. In addition, daily new case number of coronavirus and RSV score of coronavirus can be related to public interests to bakery products in Italy. Bakery products related top queries were usually about finding a recipe.

Conclusion

Quarantine enforcement can cause the increased web-based search volume of the bakery products in the early period of COVID-19 outbreak. Understanding of search queries about food choices will help to effectively combat against coronavirus. According to followed data, the public should be informed about the outcomes of dietary habits in the quarantine regions.

The relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to get vaccinated. The serial mediation roles of existential anxiety and conspiracy beliefs

Today, we witness the progress toward global COVID-19 vaccinations organized by countries worldwide. Experts say a mass vaccination plan is the only effective antidote against the spread of SARS-COV-2. However, a part of the world population refuses vaccination. The present study aimed to understand the impact of some individual variables on the intention to get vaccinated. Through a serial mediation model, we tested the influence of fear of COVID-19 on the intention to get vaccinated and the serial mediating effect of existential anxiety and conspiracy beliefs. Via a cross-sectional design this research was conducted with the participation of 223 French adults (Female: 69.5%; Male: 30.5%; M_age = 30.26, SD = 13.24; range: 18–75 years) who responded to an online survey. The results showed a positive relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to get vaccinated; however, when this fear was associated with high levels of existential anxiety through conspiracy beliefs, the intention to get vaccinated decreased. Our findings were in line with Terror Management Health Model, which states that, in facing health threats, humans may strive to reduce their own perceived vulnerability not only by engaging in healthy behaviors but also denying or avoiding death anxiety, as anti-vaxxers do.

Celebrity drug use reporting in Indian media and its impact on drug-related online search behavior: An infodemiology study

AIM

We aimed to examine and interpret the changes in internet search volumes for keywords representing different drug use-related themes before and after the drug use started being discussed in the Indian news media during recent celebrity drug trials.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data were extracted using Google Trends framework in health-related research. Search keywords were prepared under four broad themes: General interest in cannabis use, drug use being a criminal/unlawful act, help seeking for cannabis use, and help-seeking for drug-related problems. The mean relative search volume was analyzed and compared pre- and post-media discussion about celebrity drug use using SPSS V23.0.

RESULTS

A significant increase was noted in online search interest for keywords related to themes of general interest in cannabis use and drug use being a criminal/unlawful act once the media discussion on the celebrity drug use started. However, no corresponding increase was noted in online search interest for themes of help seeking for drug-related problems in general and cannabis use in particular.

CONCLUSION

Media discussions on celebrity drug use may impact the online search behavior of the general public adversely. There is an need to develop and adhere to drug use reporting guidelines by media professionals.

Fear and depressive symptoms amid COVID-19: A cross-sectional pilot study among adult population in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

Fear is a primary emotional reaction to the deadly coronavirus disease which might be an associated factor for developing depressive symptoms. This study aimed to assess the level and associated factors of fear and depression amid the COVID-19 pandemic among the adult population of Bangladesh.

METHODS

After providing informed consent, 1050 participants completed the cross-sectional online survey tool. Depressive symptoms and fear were assessed through the PHQ-9 and validated fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S), respectively. Linear regression analysis was performed to predict potential factors of fear and depression.

RESULTS

The study finds that females had higher scores for fear of COVID-19 scale (β1' = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.15 to 2.47) and Patient Health Questionnaire (β2' = 1.92; 95% CI: 0.95 to 2.88) than their male counterpart. Respondents considering the virus to be extremely dangerous had higher scores for FCV-19S (β1' = 1.55; 95% CI: 0.66 to 2.44) and PHQ-9 (β2 = 1.59; 95% CI: 0.25 to 2.92). Similarly, respondents considering themselves unsafe and very worried about the virus had increased scores for both FCV-19S and PHQ-9. On other hand, people those were reluctant to use masks (β1' = -1.58; 95% CI: -3.12 to -0.04) or seek doctors' advice (β1' = -0.93; 95% CI: -1.83 to -0.02) if COVID-19 symptoms appear, had comparatively lower scores for FCV-19S.

CONCLUSIONS

Fear of COVID-19 and depression were found to be associated with some specific knowledge, attitude & preparedness towards COVID-19 which should be adequately addressed in public health strategies to prevent the virus.

Psychometric Properties of the Arabic Version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) Among Jordanian Adults

There is an urgent need to assess the impacts of the Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) outbreak on mental health among the general population such as the Fear of COVID-19. The current study aimed to provide further validation of the Arabic version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) for use among Jordanian adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted using an anonymous online survey between 1 and 12 May 2020. The forward-backward translation method was adopted to translate the FCV-19S into Arabic. The study sample included 725 Jordanian adults. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) was 0.91 indicating excellent internal consistency. As for convergent validity, a significant positive correlation was found between the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and the three subscales of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), with the highest correlation being between the FCV-19S and the anxiety subscale (r = 0.54, p < .05), followed by the stress subscale (r = 0.51, p < .05), and lastly, the depression subscale (r = 0.46, p < .05). Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and item response theory (IRT). The unidimensional factor structure of the FCV-19S was confirmed on the study sample. The Arabic version of the FCV-19S is a reliable and valid instrument with good psychometric properties. The use of this scale for assessing the severity of fear related to the COVID-19 pandemic among Arabic-speaking populations is recommended. The findings may guide future COVID-19-related research and further validation testing.

Interests, Motives, and Psychological Burdens in Times of Crisis and Lockdown: Google Trends Analysis to Inform Policy Makers

BACKGROUND

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the German government and the 16 German federal states implemented a variety of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to decelerate the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and thus prevent a collapse of the health care system. These measures comprised, among others, social distancing, the temporary closure of shops and schools, and a ban of large public gatherings and meetings with people not living in the same household.

OBJECTIVE

It is fair to assume that the issued NPIs have heavily affected social life and psychological functioning. We therefore aimed to examine possible effects of this lockdown in conjunction with daily new infections and the state of the national economy on people's interests, motives, and other psychological states.

METHODS

We derived 249 keywords from the Google Trends database, tapping into 27 empirically and rationally selected psychological domains. To overcome issues with reliability and specificity of individual indicator variables, broad factors were derived by means of time series factor analysis. All domains were subjected to a change point analysis and time series regression analysis with infection rates, NPIs, and the state of the economy as predictors. All keywords and analyses were preregistered prior to analysis.

RESULTS

With the pandemic arriving in Germany, significant increases in people's search interests were observed in virtually all domains. Although most of the changes were short-lasting, each had a distinguishable onset during the lockdown period. Regression analysis of the Google Trends data confirmed pronounced autoregressive effects for the investigated variables, while forecasting by means of the tested predictors (ie, daily new infections, NPIs, and the state of economy) was moderate at best.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that people's interests, motives, and psychological states are heavily affected in times of crisis and lockdown. Specifically, disease- and virus-related domains (eg, pandemic disease, symptoms) peaked early, whereas personal health strategies (eg, masks, homeschooling) peaked later during the lockdown. Domains addressing social life and psychosocial functioning showed long-term increases in public interest. Renovation was the only domain to show a decrease in search interest with the onset of the lockdown. As changes in search behavior are consistent over multiple domains, a Google Trends analysis may provide information for policy makers on how to adapt and develop intervention, information, and prevention strategies, especially when NPIs are in effect.

Effectiveness of containment strategies and local cognition to control vehicular traffic volume in Dhaka, Bangladesh during COVID-19 pandemic: Use of Google Map based real-time traffic data

Background

To prevent the viral transmission from higher infected to lower infected area, controlling the vehicular traffic, consequently public movement on roads is crucial. Containment strategies and local cognition regarding pandemic might be helpful to control vehicular movement. This study aimed to ascertain the effectiveness of containment strategies and local cognition for controlling traffic volume during COVID-19 pandemic in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Method

Six containment strategies were considered to explore their influence on traffic condition, including declaration of general holiday, closure of educational institution, deployment of force, restriction on religious gathering, closure of commercial activities, and closure of garments factories. Newspaper coverage and public concern about COVID-19 were considered as local cognition in this research. The month of Ramadan as a potential event was also taken into account considering it might have an impact on the overall situation. Average daily journey speed (ADJS) was calculated from real-time traffic data of Google Map to understand the vehicular traffic scenario of Dhaka. A multiple linear regression method was developed to comprehend the findings.

Results

The results showed that among the containment strategies, declaration of general holiday and closure of educational institutions could increase the ADJS significantly, thereby referring to less traffic movement. Besides, local cognition could not significantly affect the traffic condition, although the month of Ramadan could increase the ADJS significantly.

Conclusion

It is expected that these findings would provide new insights into decision-making and help to take appropriate strategies to tackle the future pandemic situation.

COVID-19 blues: Lockdowns and mental health-related google searches in Latin America

RATIONALE

Stress process theory considers that actual and perceived isolation, caused by mobility restrictions from attempted containment of the COVID-19 pandemic, deteriorates mental health.

OBJECTIVE

We examine the relationship between the COVID-19 lockdowns and mental health-related Google searches in 11 Latin American countries. We include the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. We also explore how changes in search patterns relate to income support policies and to COVID-19 death rates.

METHOD

Using Google Trends data and an event-study design, as well as a difference-in-differences analysis, we investigate the association between country specific stay-at-home orders and internet searches including the following words: insomnia, stress, anxiety, sadness, depression, and suicide.

RESULTS

We find three main patterns. First, searches for insomnia peak but then decline. Second, searches for stress, anxiety, and sadness increase and remain high throughout the lockdown. Third, there is no substantial change in depression-related or suicide-related searches after the lockdown. In terms of potential mechanisms, our results suggest that searches declined for suicide and insomnia following the passage of each country's income support, while in countries with higher COVID-19-related death rates, searches for insomnia, stress, and anxiety increased by more.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that, in Latin America, Google searches for words associated with mild mental health disorders increased during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Nonetheless, these conclusions should not be construed as a general population mental health deterioration, as we cannot verify that search indicators are accurately related to the users' current feelings and behaviors, and as internet users may not be representative of the population in this region.

Suicide, self-harm and thoughts of suicide or self-harm in infectious disease epidemics: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS

Suicide accounts for 2.2% of all years of life lost worldwide. We aimed to establish whether infectious epidemics are associated with any changes in the incidence of suicide or the period prevalence of self-harm, or thoughts of suicide or self-harm, with a secondary objective of establishing the frequency of these outcomes.

METHODS

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and AMED were searched from inception to 9 September 2020. Studies of infectious epidemics reporting outcomes of (a) death by suicide, (b) self-harm or (c) thoughts of suicide or self-harm were identified. A random-effects model meta-analysis for the period prevalence of thoughts of suicide or self-harm was conducted.

RESULTS

In total, 1354 studies were screened with 57 meeting eligibility criteria, of which 7 described death by suicide, 9 by self-harm, and 45 thoughts of suicide or self-harm. The observation period ranged from 1910 to 2020 and included epidemics of Spanish Flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome, human monkeypox, Ebola virus disease and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Regarding death by suicide, data with a clear longitudinal comparison group were available for only two epidemics: SARS in Hong Kong, finding an increase in suicides among the elderly, and COVID-19 in Japan, finding no change in suicides among children and adolescents. In terms of self-harm, five studies examined emergency department attendances in epidemic and non-epidemic periods, of which four found no difference and one showed a reduction during the epidemic. In studies of thoughts of suicide or self-harm, one large survey showed a substantial increase in period prevalence compared to non-epidemic periods, but smaller studies showed no difference. As a secondary objective, a meta-analysis of thoughts of suicide and self-harm found that the pooled prevalence was 8.0% overall (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2-12.0%; 14 820 of 99 238 cases in 24 studies) over a time period of between seven days and six months. The quality assessment found 42 studies were of high quality, nine of moderate quality and six of high quality.

CONCLUSIONS

There is little robust evidence on the association of infectious epidemics with suicide, self-harm and thoughts of suicide or self-harm. There was an increase in suicides among the elderly in Hong Kong during SARS and no change in suicides among young people in Japan during COVID-19, but it is unclear how far these findings may be generalised. The development of up-to-date self-harm and suicide statistics to monitor the effect of the current pandemic is an urgent priority.

Trends in suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in a major German city

AIMS

It remains unclear whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having an impact on suicide rates (SR). Economic insecurity and mental disorders are risk factors for suicide, which may increase during the pandemic.

METHODS

Data on suicide events in a major city in Germany, and the corresponding life years (LY) were provided by the local authorities. For the year 2020, periods without restrictions on freedom of movement and social contact were compared with periods of moderate and severe COVID-19 restrictions. To avoid distortions due to seasonal fluctuations and linear time trends, suicide risk during the COVID-19 pandemic was compared with data from 2010 to 2019 using an interrupted time series analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 643 suicides were registered and 6 032 690 LY were spent between 2010 and 2020. Of these, 53 suicides and 450 429 LY accounted for the year 2020.In 2020, SR (suicides per 100 000 LY) were lower in periods with severe COVID-19 restrictions (SR = 7.2, χ2 = 4.033, p = 0.045) compared with periods without restrictions (SR = 16.8). A comparison with previous years showed that this difference was caused by unusually high SR before the imposition of restrictions, while SR during the pandemic were within the trend corridor of previous years (expected suicides = 32.3, observed suicides = 35; IRR = 1.084, p = 0.682).

CONCLUSIONS

SR during COVID-19 pandemic are in line with the trend in previous years. Careful monitoring of SR in the further course of the COVID-19 crisis is urgently needed. The findings have regional reference and should not be over-generalised.

Validity and Reliability of the Spanish Version of Fear of COVID-19 Scale in Colombian Physicians

The Fear COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) is a tool that assesses fears related to COVID-19. The objective was to know the validity and reliability of the FCV-19S in Colombian physicians. Five hundred thirty-one physicians aged between 21 and 69 years participated (M = 30.0, SD = 9.4). Internal consistency was estimated with Kuder-Richardson and McDonald’s omega coefficients. The one-dimensional structure was corroborated with confirmatory factor analysis and goodness of fit coefficients. The FCV-19S showed Kuder-Richardson’s coefficient of 0.16 and McDonald’s omega of 0.42. The five-item version (FCV-19S-5), without items 3 and 7, showed Kuder-Richardson’s coefficient of 0.67 and McDonald’s omega of 0.68. In conclusion, the FCV-19S presented a poor psychometric performance in Colombian doctors, and the FCV-19S-5 showed acceptable internal consistency and dimensionality.

'The dual pandemic' of suicide and COVID-19: A biopsychosocial narrative of risks and prevention

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a new global health threat. By increasing the risk of isolation, fear, stigma, abuse and economic fallout, COVID-19 has led to increase in risk of psychiatric disorders, chronic trauma and stress, which eventually increase suicidality and suicidal behavior. There is limited data on association of pandemics and suicides. Cases of suicides have been rising since COVID-19 first emerged in China. The association between suicides and pandemics can possibly be explained through various models like Durkheim's theory, Joiner's interpersonal theory, social stress theory, biological theories, etc. The frontline workers, elderly, migrants, homeless, socio-economically impoverished classes as well as those with pre-existing mental disorders, substance abuse and family history of suicides are at higher risk. Suicides are preventable and need early detection, awareness and socio-culturally tailored interventions. This narrative review draws global perspectives on the association of suicidality and pandemics, the theories and risk factors related to same based on the available evidence. It also hypothesizes neuroimmunity and immune based risk factors as possible links between the psychosocial vulnerabilities and suicide during outbreaks like COVID-19. Proposed strategies of suicide-prevention, as an integral part of public health response to the pandemic are subsequently discussed.

The Aftermath: Post-pandemic Psychiatric Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic, a South Korean Perspective

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted our everyday life. Along with the fear of getting infected or of having loved ones infected, the lifestyle changes and the socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic have profound impact on mental health of the general population. While numerous studies on immediate psychological responses to COVID-19 are being published, there is a lack of discussion on its possible long-term sequelae. In this study, we systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed longitudinal studies that examined mental health of the general population prior to and during the pandemic. Furthermore, we explored the long-term psychiatric implications of the pandemic with data from South Korea. Our analysis showed that the number of suicidal deaths during the pandemic was lower than the previous years in many countries, which is in contrast with the increased depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in the general population in South Korea as well as in other countries. To explain this phenomenon, we propose a possibility of delayed impacts. The post-traumatic stress, long-term consequences of social restrictions, and maladaptive response to the "new normal" are discussed in the paper. COVID-19 being an unprecedented global crisis, more research and international collaboration are needed to understand, to treat, and to prevent its long-term effects on our mental health.