Facebook, quality of life, and mental health outcomes in post-disaster urban environments: the l'aquila earthquake experience

Depression and life satisfaction after Kahramanmaraş earthquakes: The serial mediation roles of life meaning and coping with earthquake stress

This study aims to examine the meaning of life, and the mediating effect of strategies for coping with earthquake stress in the relationship between depression, and life satisfaction in survivors of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş centered earthquakes. The participants of this study were 472 adults (31.1% male, 68.9% female; Mage = 24.52) who were affected by earthquakes. The data of the study were tested with the bootstrapping-based PROCESS macro program (Model-81). The results showed that depression negatively predicted life satisfaction. Meaning of life mediated the relationship between depression and life satisfaction. However, problem solving and cognitive avoidance coping strategies reduced the effects of depression and the meaning of life on life satisfaction. These results can be a resource for mental health services for earthquake victims. At the same time, the study provides evidence that protecting personal resources in disaster situations positively affects life satisfaction in terms of conservation of resources theory (COR).

COVID-19 Vaccination in Italian Children: The Limits of Parental Rights

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaigns initially targeted the adult population. After the authorization of the main agencies, including the EMA (European Medicines Agency), the European Vaccination Plan now involves young people between the ages of 12-17 and 5-11. In assessing the child's "best interests", the refusal of vaccination by parents or guardians, in addition to the increased circulation of the virus, is responsible for the risk of social distancing. This reduction in social contacts, particularly during very sensitive ages such as adolescence, has been linked to the increased incidence of psychiatric illness, a significant reason for extending vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in these younger children. One may consider that government should issue a law that allows the child to decide on the vaccination plan, even without the consent of the parents or guardians, without the need for a judge's ruling. The availability of the child should be the point of reference, according to the National Bioethics Committee, for consent to vaccination. The authors investigate the subject in depth in order to counteract vaccination hesitation, and promote the dissemination of correct scientific information, using every different possible communication tool, as well as social networks and schools.

Quality of Life and Multilevel Contact Network Structures Among Healthy Adults in Taiwan: Online Participatory Cohort Study

Background

People’s quality of life diverges on their demographics, socioeconomic status, and social connections.

Objective

By taking both demographic and socioeconomic features into account, we investigated how quality of life varied on social networks using data from both longitudinal surveys and contact diaries in a year-long (2015-2016) study.

Methods

Our 4-wave, repeated measures of quality of life followed the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale (WHOQOL-BREF). In our regression analysis, we integrated these survey measures with key time-varying and multilevel network indices based on contact diaries.

Results

People’s quality of life may decrease if their daily contacts contain high proportions of weak ties. In addition, people tend to perceive a better quality of life when their daily contacts are face-to-face or initiated by others or when they contact someone who is in a good mood or someone with whom they can discuss important life issues.

Conclusions

Our findings imply that both functional and structural aspects of the social network play important but different roles in shaping people’s quality of life.

Social Media Use and Mental Health: A Global Analysis

Research indicates that excessive use of social media can be related to depression and anxiety. This study conducted a systematic review of social media and mental health, focusing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Based on inclusion criteria from the systematic review, a meta-analysis was conducted to explore and summarize studies from the empirical literature on the relationship between social media and mental health. Using PRISMA guidelines on PubMed and Google Scholar, a literature search from January 2010 to June 2020 was conducted to identify studies addressing the relationship between social media sites and mental health. Of the 39 studies identified, 20 were included in the meta-analysis. Results indicate that while social media can create a sense of community for the user, excessive and increased use of social media, particularly among those who are vulnerable, is correlated with depression and other mental health disorders.

Dispositional Optimism and Disaster Resilience: A natural experiment from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

OBJECTIVE

Dispositional optimism - the general belief that good things will happen - is considered a key asset for the preservation of mental health after a traumatic life event. However, it has been hypothesized that in extreme situations such as major disasters where positive expectations cannot overcome the grim reality on the ground, being optimistic might be a disadvantage. To test this mismatch hypothesis, this study explores whether higher pre-disaster dispositional optimism is associated with higher posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depressive symptoms among individuals who experienced the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

METHODS

Information on optimism was collected from community-dwelling residents aged ≥65 years seven months before the 2011 Earthquake/Tsunami in Iwanuma, a Japanese city located 80-km from the epicenter. Data on disaster-related personal experiences (e.g., loss of relatives or friends/housing damage), as well as depressive and PTS symptoms, were collected during a follow-up survey in 2013, 2.5 years after the earthquake and tsunami. Multiple logistic regression models were utilized to evaluate the associations between disaster experiences, optimism, and depressive/PTS symptoms among 962 participants.

RESULTS

Higher pre-disaster dispositional optimism was associated with lower odds of developing depressive symptoms (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.95) and PTS symptoms (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.69 to 0.99) after the earthquake. Contrary to the mismatch hypothesis, high dispositional optimism buffered the adverse impact of housing damage on depressive symptoms (interaction term coefficient = -0.63, p = 0.0431), but not on PTS symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast to the mismatch hypothesis, the results suggest that dispositional optimism is a resilience resource among survivors of a disaster.

Measuring mental health burden in humanitarian settings: a critical review of assessment tools

BACKGROUND

The effects of disasters and conflicts are widespread and heavily studied. While attention to disasters' impacts on mental health is growing, mental health effects are not well understood due to inconsistencies in measurement.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to review mental health assessment tools and their use in populations affected by disasters and conflicts.

METHOD

Tools that assess posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, substance use disorder, and general mental health were examined. This review began with a search for assessment tools in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Next, validation studies for the tools were obtained through snowball sampling. A final search was conducted for scientific studies using the selected tools in humanitarian settings to collect the data for analysis. The benefits and limitations described for each tool were compiled into a complete table.

RESULTS

Twelve assessment tools were included, with 88 studies using them. The primary findings indicate that half of the studies used the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. The most common limitation discussed is that self-report tools inaccurately estimate the prevalence of mental health problems. This inaccuracy is further exacerbated by a lack of cultural appropriateness of the tools, as many are developed for Western contexts.

CONCLUSION

It is recommended that researchers and humanitarian workers reflect on the effectiveness of the mental health assessment tool they use to accurately represent the populations under study in emergency settings. In addition, mental health assessment should be coupled with action.

The Impact of Quarantine and Physical Distancing Following COVID-19 on Mental Health: Study Protocol of a Multicentric Italian Population Trial

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related containment measures-mainly physical distancing and isolation-are having detrimental consequences on the mental health of the general population worldwide. In particular, frustration, loneliness, and worries about the future are common reactions and represent well-known risk factors for several mental disorders, including anxiety, affective, and post-traumatic stress disorders. The vast majority of available studies have been conducted in China, where the pandemic started. Italy has been severely hit by the pandemic, and the socio-cultural context is completely different from Eastern countries. Therefore, there is the need for methodologically rigorous studies aiming to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 and quarantine measures on the mental health of the Italian population. In fact, our results will help us to develop appropriate interventions for managing the psychosocial consequences of pandemic. The "COVID-IT-mental health trial" is a no-profit, not-funded, national, multicentric, cross-sectional population-based trial which has the following aims: a) to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures on mental health of the Italian population; b) to identify the main areas to be targeted by supportive long-term interventions for the different categories of people exposed to the pandemic. Data will be collected through a web-platform using validated assessment tools. Participants will be subdivided into four groups: a) Group 1-COVID-19 quarantine group. This group includes the general population which are quarantined but not isolated, i.e., those not directly exposed to contagion nor in contact with COVID-19+ individuals; b) Group 2-COVID-19+ group, which includes isolated people directly/indirectly exposed to the virus; c) Group 3-COVID-19 healthcare staff group, which includes first- and second-line healthcare professionals; d) Group 4-COVID-19 mental health, which includes users of mental health services and all those who had already been diagnosed with a mental disorder. Mental health services worldwide are not prepared yet to manage the short- and long-term consequences of the pandemic. It is necessary to have a clear picture of the impact that this new stressor will have on mental health and well-being in order to develop and disseminate appropriate interventions for the general population and for the other at-risk groups.

Neighborhood Ties Reduced Depressive Symptoms in Older Disaster Survivors: Iwanuma Study, a Natural Experiment

Objective: As most studies relating to mental health and disasters have employed cross-sectional or follow-up assessments about psychological health with post-disaster information, the association between changes in social ties and mental health remains unclear. We examined the relationship between the changes in survivor neighborhood ties and depressive symptoms before and after a natural disaster. Methods: Participants were 3567 individuals aged ≥65 years living in Iwanuma city who had responded to questionnaires by the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study both predating the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and 2.5 years afterward. Changes in the depressive symptoms were assessed using the geriatric depression scale (GDS) at the baseline and follow-up survey. Changes in the neighborhood ties were assessed by asking the participants about their interactions with people in their neighborhood. Possible confounders were adjusted in a linear regression model. Results: Among the 3111 participants in this analysis, 1073 (34.5%) had increased GDS score after the disaster. There were 336 (10.8%) individuals who had neighborhood ties before the disaster, but had no ties afterward; their mean GDS score increased from 2.93 points in 2010 to 3.19 points in 2013. Among those who had not had ties before and after the disaster the mean GDS score remained almost stable, from 2.19 points in 2010 to 2.12 points in 2013. The participants with post-disaster ties were significantly less likely to have an increased GDS score compared with those who had not had ties before and after the disaster (β = −0.39; 95% confidence interval: −0.72, −0.06). Conclusions: Increased neighborhood ties after the disaster reduced the risk of depressive symptoms even when survivors suffered disaster damages. The study reinforces the importance of social capital in disaster recovery and suggests to local governments and local communities that fostering horizontal, neighborhood ties may improve disaster preparedness and mental health resilience.

Association of Postdisaster Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With Mortality Among Older Disaster Survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

IMPORTANCE

Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) represent 2 common mental health sequelae of natural disasters. However, to date, no studies have examined whether postdisaster depression and PTSD are associated with increased risk of mortality among community-dwelling survivors of natural disasters.

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether postdisaster depression and PTSD were associated with mortality in older disaster survivors.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

In this cohort study, prospective data were retrieved from older Japanese adults in Iwanuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, which was directly affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The baseline was established 7 months before the disaster (August 2010), and follow-up surveys were conducted approximately 2.5 years afterward (October 1, 2013, to January 31, 2014). Invitations were mailed to every citizen 65 years or older in Iwanuma City. Mortality data were obtained through March 4, 2017. Data analysis was performed from December 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019.

EXPOSURES

Postdisaster depression (Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form score ≥5) and PTSD (Screening Questionnaire for Disaster Mental Health PTSD subscale score ≥4) were measured in 2013.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Mortality data were obtained by linkage to the national long-term care insurance database. Cox proportional hazards regression models were adjusted for predisaster sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, social cohesion, predisaster depression, and disaster experiences.

RESULTS

The response rate for the baseline survey was 59.0% (5058 of 8567 individuals), and the follow-up rate was 82.1% (3594 of 4380 eligible respondents). A total of 2965 individuals (mean [SD] age, 73.4 [6.2] years; 1621 [54.7%] female) participated in the study. The mean (SD) follow-up since the 2013 survey was 3.3 (0.5) years. Overall, 974 (32.8%) reported postdisaster depression and 747 (25.2%) reported PTSD. In adjusted models, depression was associated with more than double the risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.54-3.42); PTSD was not associated with increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.73-1.64). When evaluating the association of the 4-category comorbid depression and PTSD variable with mortality, survivors with depression only (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.43-3.49) as well as those with comorbid depression and PTSD (HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.50-4.27) were at increased risk of death during the follow-up period compared with those with neither depression nor PTSD.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Depression, but not PTSD, was associated with mortality during 3.3 years of follow-up among older disaster survivors. These findings suggest that long-term mental health consequences of natural disasters may exist and that treating depression in older survivors of disasters may be beneficial.

Evaluation of the All Right? Campaign’s Facebook intervention post-disaster in Canterbury, New Zealand

The All Right? campaign was developed as a mental health promotion campaign following the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquakes. One aspect of the overall campaign was the utilisation of social media as a means of promoting wellbeing messages. This research evaluates the use of the All Right? Facebook page as a means of promoting wellbeing after a major natural disaster. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to gather data about the social media component of the All Right? campaign. Findings indicate that the All Right? Facebook page has become a valued source of consistent wellbeing tips and advice -‘the place that I go’. Wellbeing reminders posted on the page were especially valued following earthquake aftershocks. High proportions of respondents to a survey (n = 212) linked from the All Right? Facebook page agreed that the page was helpful (98%), gave people ideas of things that they can do to help themselves (96%), and made people think about their wellbeing (93%). Over four fifths (85%) of respondents had done activities as a result of what they saw on the All Right? Facebook page. Success factors for the Facebook page often mirrored those for the campaign itself, including: local research to inform the use of appropriate language for translating evidence-based wellbeing messages into a local setting; not being marketed as a government message; and effectively combining public health and communications expertise. Success factors specific to the Facebook page included: regular posts with a focus on issues that affect everyone in Canterbury post-disaster; timely posts, especially immediately following aftershocks; a consistent tone for the All Right? Facebook page; and balancing wellbeing facts and tips with other content that was relevant to the Canterbury population. The overall success of the All Right? Facebook page was reliant on being part of a trusted population-wide mental health promotion campaign.

The mental health needs of women in natural disasters: A qualitative study with a preventive approach

Context:

Considering the importance of psychological issues during disasters and the key role of women in the family and society, a preventive approach toward mental health improvement in women is of great importance.

Aims:

This study aimed to identify the mental health needs of women in natural disasters through a preventive approach.

Settings and Design:

The present qualitative study was conducted through content analysis method and semi-structured interviews with 40 specialists and seven women who had experienced natural disasters. The study participants were selected through snowball and purposive sampling.

Subjects and Methods:

A heterogeneous sample was selected. To ensure the reliability and verifiability of data, the texts of the interviews were approved by each interviewee.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Thematic analysis was used to report findings.

Results:

In this study, two themes, seven main categories, and 21 subcategories and secondary codes were extracted. The themes were internal physical (biological) and external environmental (social, political and legal measures, cultural and spiritual measures, psychology, and lifestyle) factors.

Conclusions:

The dimensions related to the mental health of women are multifactorial and beyond only psychological variables. The improvement of the mental health of women can be achieved through aggregation of perspectives in different organizational, governmental, and political areas in collaboration within the society with a healthy gender perspective free of discrimination, inequality, and injustice.