Prevalence of Mood and Anxiety Disorders Among Adults Seeking Care in Primary Healthcare Centers in Cordoba, Argentina

The Prevalence of Mood Disorders Among Health and Non-health Undergraduate Students in King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Mood disorders (MDs) are among the most common of all mental health diagnoses, with increasing prevalence and a devastating impact on individuals, families, and the community. This study aimed to estimate the frequency of MDs among health and non-health profession students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 391 students to estimate the self-reported prevalence of different MDs and to screen for bipolar disorder (BD) using the mood disorder questionnaire (MDQ) and for depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale - 21 items (DASS-21).

RESULTS

MDs were reported by 24.9% (n=50) of health profession students and 22.8% (n=31) of non-health profession students. For BD, it affected 35.3% of students in the health profession and 47.4% (n=46) of students without the health profession, although the difference was not statistically significant. The most reported MDs among health and non-health profession students were major depression (4.9% vs. 4.2%), seasonal affective disorder (SAD) (3.3% vs. 2.1%), dysthymia (2.4% vs. 2.8), and BD (2% vs. 2.8%), respectively. None of the observed differences between the two groups were statistically significant. According to DASS-21 scores for health and non-health profession students, severe depressive and severe anxiety symptoms were more common among non-health students (45.1% and 59.3%, respectively) than among health profession students (41.4% and 51.1%, respectively). However, stress was higher among health-related than non-health-related students (19.4% and 18.1%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

MDs constitute a high burden among university students regardless of their field of study, creating an increased urgency to incorporate ways to promote the mental well-being of students and to manage those with an MD. Further research is needed to identify effective preventive strategies for depression in the future.

Demographic characteristics and anxiety in the educational setting during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: A cross-sectional study

Background and Aims

This study aims to analyze the relationship between gender, age, occupation, residence, and anxiety in the education environment during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods

This study used a descriptive-analytic cross-sectional design to determine anxiety using the DASS 42 questionnaire given to 181 respondents. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling, and the data analysis used was the Chi-square test and multivariate analysis.

Results

It was found that 66.7% of teenagers experienced anxiety, while 33.3% of adults experienced anxiety. In addition, the school-age community (86.2%) experienced higher anxiety compared with the working-age community (13.8%) who experienced anxiety. Women experienced more significant anxiety (66.7%) compared with men (33.3%). People living on the island of Java (74.7%) have a greater incidence of anxiety compared with people living outside Java (25.3%).

Conclusion

There is a significant relationship between the type of occupation and the incidence of anxiety with p < 0.05 (OR = 0.341). A significant correlation was found between age with the incidence of anxiety with p < 0.05 (OR = 0.489). The demographic factors altogether had significant relationships with the anxiety in the educational environment during the COVID-19 pandemic with a p value < 0.05 and R Square of 0.069. There is a strong relationship between the demographic factors and the incidence of anxiety in the community's educational environment during the COVID-19 pandemic with p < 0.05. It is suggested that women, school-age communities, or the un-employment community need to be supported to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on anxiety through several programs.

Reliability and validity of the Mental Health Self-management Questionnaire among Chinese patients with mood and anxiety disorders

BACKGROUND

Self-management plays an important role in promoting and restoring mental health for individuals with mental health issues. However, there is no valid and reliable Chinese tool assessing the self-management behaviors of people with mood and anxiety disorders. This study aimed to develop a Chinese version of the Mental Health Self-management Questionnaire (MHSQ-C) and to verify its psychometric properties.

METHODS

A total of 440 potential participants were recruited by convenience sampling from June to August 2020. Item analysis and analyses of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, construct validity and criterion validity were performed.

RESULTS

Data from 326 participants were used. Three factors obtained via principal component analysis and varimax rotation explained 53.68% of the total variance. The average content validity index was 0.99. The Cronbach's α coefficient (total: 0.874, clinical: 0.706, empowerment: 0.818, vitality: 0.830) and test-retest reliability (ICC: total: 0.783, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.616, 0.882], clinical: 0.525, 95% CI [0.240, 0.725], empowerment: 0.786, 95% CI [0.622, 0.884], vitality: 0.748, 95% CI [0.564, 0.862]) were good. The MHSQ-C was well correlated with the Partners in Health scale and showed no floor or ceiling effect.

DISCUSSION

The MHSQ-C is a reliable and valid tool to evaluate the self-management strategies of patients with mood and anxiety disorders.