•Twenty-three studies with 57,927 children and adolescents were included in the review.•Prevalence of depression and anxiety were 29% and 26%, respectively.•Prevalence of sleep disorders and ...posttraumatic stress symptoms were 44% and 48%.•Adolescents exhibited higher prevalence of depression and anxiety than children.•Females reported higher prevalence of depression and anxiety than males.
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the prevalence of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and posttraumatic stress symptoms among children and adolescents during global COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 to 2020, and the potential modifying effects of age and gender.
A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and two Chinese academic databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang) for studies published from December 2019 to September 2020 that reported the prevalence of above mental health problems among children and adolescents. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to estimate the pooled prevalence.
Twenty-three studies (21 cross-sectional studies and 2 longitudinal studies) from two countries (i.e., China and Turkey) with 57,927 children and adolescents were identified. Depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and posttraumatic stress symptoms were assessed in 12, 13, 2, and 2 studies, respectively. Meta-analysis of results from these studies showed that the pooled prevalence of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and posttraumatic stress symptoms were 29% (95%CI: 17%, 40%), 26% (95%CI: 16%, 35%), 44% (95%CI: 21%, 68%), and 48% (95%CI: -0.25, 1.21), respectively. The subgroup meta-analysis revealed that adolescents and females exhibited higher prevalence of depression and anxiety compared to children and males, respectively.
All studies in meta-analysis were from China limited the generalizability of our findings.
Early evidence highlights the high prevalence of mental health problems among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among female and adolescents. Studies investigating the mental health of children and adolescents from countries other than China are urgently needed.
•The self-esteem of college students monotonically decreased over the four years.•Self-esteem and depression of students were significantly negatively correlated.•The vulnerability model was ...evidenced, with heterogeneous associations by gender.•The prospective impacts were similar for males, but developmental for females.•Colleges should be aware of the gender differences and take targeted measures.
This longitudinal study examined gender differences in the relationship between self-esteem and depression among Chinese college students during the four academic years. Results showed that (1) the self-esteem levels of college students on average monotonically declined over years; (2) there were significant negative correlations between self-esteem and depression for college students; (3) the vulnerability model was empirically evidenced, with heterogeneous associations by gender. The negative prospective impacts of low self-esteem on depression were similar for males across college, but developmental for females over years. The study suggests that colleges should be aware of the gender differences in the association between self-esteem and depression, and take more targeted measures to boost students’ self-esteem in order to prevent possible depressive disorders.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted mental health, but the global evolution of mental health problems during the pandemic is unknown. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal ...studies to evaluate the global evolution of mental health problems during the pandemic.
To conduct this systematic review, we searched for published articles from APA PsycInfo (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Embase (Ovid), MEDLINE (Ovid), and Web of Science. Longitudinal (at least 2 waves during the COVID-19 pandemic) and peer-reviewed articles on mental health problems conducted as from 2020 and after were included in the current study. Of 394 eligible full texts, 64 articles were included in the analysis. We computed random effects, standardized mean differences, and log odds ratio (LOR) with 95 % CIs. The meta-analysis protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021273624).
Results showed that anxiety (LOR = −0.33; 95 % CI, −0.54, −0.12) and depression symptoms (LOR = −0.12; 95 % CI, −0.21, −0.04) decreased from baseline to follow up. However, other mental health problems showed no change. Higher prevalence rates (40.9 %; 95 % CI, 16.1 %–65.8 %) of psychological distress were found in months after July 2020, respectively, while there were no significant month differences for the prevalence of other mental health problems. Higher means of anxiety (d = 3.63, 95 % CI, 1.66, 5.61), depression (d = 3.93; 95 % CI, 1.68, 6.17), and loneliness (d = 5.96; 95 % CI, 3.22, 8.70) were observed in May 2020. Higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, and PTSD and higher means of anxiety, depression and loneliness were observed in North America. The prevalence of psychological distress and insomnia was higher in Latin America and Europe, respectively.
There is a lack of longitudinal studies in some parts of the world, such as Africa, the Caribbean, India, the Middle East, in Latin America, and Asia.
Results indicated that anxiety and depression symptoms decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic while other mental health problems showed no statistical change. The findings reveal that mental health problems peaked in April and May 2020. Prevalence of mental health problems remains high during the pandemic and mental health prevention, promotion and intervention programs should be implemented to mitigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global population.
•This meta-analysis found a decrease in anxiety and depression from baseline to last follow-up during the COVID-19 pandemic.•PTSD, psychological distress, suicidal ideations, loneliness, and substance use did not change from baseline to last follow-up.•Participants developed significantly more anxiety, depression symptoms and loneliness in May 2020 compared to other months.•Prevalence of clinically significant symptoms remains high since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.•Higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, and PTSD and higher means of anxiety, depression and loneliness were observed in North America compared to Europe, Asia, Latin America, and others.•The prevalence of psychological distress and insomnia was higher in Latin America and Europe, respectively.
The adverse effects of loneliness and of poor perceived social support on physical health and mortality are established, but no systematic synthesis is available of their relationship with the ...outcomes of mental health problems over time. In this systematic review, we aim to examine the evidence on whether loneliness and closely related concepts predict poor outcomes among adults with mental health problems.
We searched six databases and reference lists for longitudinal quantitative studies that examined the relationship between baseline measures of loneliness and poor perceived social support and outcomes at follow up. Thirty-four eligible papers were retrieved. Due to heterogeneity among included studies in clinical populations, predictor measures and outcomes, a narrative synthesis was conducted.
We found substantial evidence from prospective studies that people with depression who perceive their social support as poorer have worse outcomes in terms of symptoms, recovery and social functioning. Loneliness has been investigated much less than perceived social support, but there is some evidence that greater loneliness predicts poorer depression outcome. There is also some preliminary evidence of associations between perceived social support and outcomes in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders.
Loneliness and quality of social support in depression are potential targets for development and testing of interventions, while for other conditions further evidence is needed regarding relationships with outcomes.
Although impressive progress has been made toward developing empirically‐supported psychological treatments, the reality remains that a significant proportion of people with mental health problems do ...not receive these treatments. Finding ways to reduce this treatment gap is crucial. Since app‐supported smartphone interventions are touted as a possible solution, access to up‐to‐date guidance around the evidence base and clinical utility of these interventions is needed. We conducted a meta‐analysis of 66 randomized controlled trials of app‐supported smartphone interventions for mental health problems. Smartphone interventions significantly outperformed control conditions in improving depressive (g=0.28, n=54) and generalized anxiety (g=0.30, n=39) symptoms, stress levels (g=0.35, n=27), quality of life (g=0.35, n=43), general psychiatric distress (g=0.40, n=12), social anxiety symptoms (g=0.58, n=6), and positive affect (g=0.44, n=6), with most effects being robust even after adjusting for various possible biasing factors (type of control condition, risk of bias rating). Smartphone interventions conferred no significant benefit over control conditions on panic symptoms (g=–0.05, n=3), post‐traumatic stress symptoms (g=0.18, n=4), and negative affect (g=–0.08, n=5). Studies that delivered a cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)‐based app and offered professional guidance and reminders to engage produced larger effects on multiple outcomes. Smartphone interventions did not differ significantly from active interventions (face‐to‐face, computerized treatment), although the number of studies was low (n≤13). The efficacy of app‐supported smartphone interventions for common mental health problems was thus confirmed. Although mental health apps are not intended to replace professional clinical services, the present findings highlight the potential of apps to serve as a cost‐effective, easily accessible, and low intensity intervention for those who cannot receive standard psychological treatment.
Background: Various sources of help are available for mental health issues among the common public, such as faith healers, family physicians, religious heads, registered medical practitioners, ...private medical practitioners, or alternative medicine practitioners. Psychiatrists are usually the last resort and are least preferred due to stigma. This study was carried out to know the various help-seeking behaviors used by mentally ill subjects before visiting a mental hospital. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the help-seeking behavior among psychiatric subjects visiting a mental hospital. Study Setting and Design: This was a cross-sectional study. 100 new subjects visiting the psychiatric out patient service at a tertiary care hospital in Hyderabad were interviewed on a semi-structured questionnaire for the various services utilized by them for their mental health problems. Materials and Methods: Institutional Ethics Committee approval was obtained for conducting this study. Participants who fulfilled the assessment criteria were taken up for the study and explained about the procedure and written informed consent was obtained. Intake pro forma was administered to record the sociodemographic details. Socioeconomic status was recorded using the modified Kuppuswamy scale. Results: Psychiatrists were the first choice in 47% of the cases, followed by nonpsychiatric physicians and religious faith healers. Important reasons to seek help from different sources included easy accessibility, belief in the system or particular healer, and good reputation. The mean expenditure per visit to service was the highest for the nonpsychiatric physician and the lowest for alternative system practitioners. Conclusions: In the present study, it was found that subjects sought help from a psychiatrist initially. Through this study, it was found that the maximum expenditure was incurred when initial contact was with a nonpsychiatric physician, and the least when initial contact was with a psychiatrist. The level of education among caregivers has a direct impact on choosing a psychiatrist for professional help above others as a first resort.
Abstract Background The pandemic and the associated consequences have been ongoing stressors with severe impacts on the population and particularly on families. Research focusing on groups dealing ...well with the challenges of the pandemic is scarce. Here, we aimed to identify groups being well-adjusted during the pandemic and associated predictors. Methods A representative sample of the German population ( N = 2,515, 51.6% women, 50.09 years), and a subsample of persons with children or adolescents under the age of 18 ( N = 453, 60.3% women, 40.08 years) was assessed from July to October 2021. As huge differences in coping with the pandemic are seen, cluster analysis was performed. Results Persons in the “well-adjusted cluster” were characterized by higher quality of life, better coping with the pandemic and lower burden of the pandemic. The family subsample well-adjusted cluster was characterized by lower pandemic-associated burden, lower parental stress compared to before the pandemic and a better relationship with the child. Fewer mental health symptoms and less pandemic-associated negative impact on career predicted membership of the well-adjusted cluster in both samples. An interaction between mental health symptoms and the negative impact of COVID-19 on the career was found. Conclusions Our results underscore the importance of mental health and work-related factors for coping with the pandemic.
We investigated lifetime suicide exposures and bereavement among a representative sample of American adults from the 2016 General Social Survey.
Questions on lifetime suicide exposures, bereavement ...and mental health status were administered to 1432 respondents. Suicide exposed and bereaved respondents were compared to non-exposed respondents on three different measures of mental health functioning with cross tabulations and means comparison tests.
51% of respondents had exposures to one suicide or more during their lifetimes, and 35% were deemed bereaved by suicide, having experienced moderate to severe emotional distress from their losses. Findings suggested more exposures and bereavements were associated with greater numbers of bad mental health days and more expectations of “having nervous breakdowns” but with no clear associations with CES-D scores.
These findings suggest suicide exposures and bereavement are far more pervasive than commonly thought, with more than half of the population exposed and a third bereaved. Health professionals need to more actively assess for suicide exposures and bereavements, and be vigilant for significant impacts of suicide even when the suicide decedent is not a first degree family relative, helping to reduce the mental health distress presently associated with these experiences.
•Based on 1,432 2016 GSS respondents we found 51% acquainted with one or more persons dying by suicide.•35% of these people experienced moderate to extreme emotional distress from these deaths.•On average these bereaved were 14 years past their losses.•Yet, they still showed signs of mental health problems compared to the non-suicide-bereaved.•These findings suggest that suicide bereavement is far more widespread that commonly thought.
The aim of the present study was to examine parental experiences of homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic in families with or without a child with a mental health condition across Europe. The ...study included 6720 parents recruited through schools, patient organizations and social media platforms (2002 parents with a child with a mental health condition and 4718 without) from seven European countries: the UK (
n
= 508), Sweden (
n
= 1436), Spain (
n
= 1491), Belgium (
n
= 508), the Netherlands (
n
= 324), Germany (
n
= 1662) and Italy (
n
= 794). Many parents reported negative effects of homeschooling for themselves and their child, and many found homeschooling to be of poor quality, with insufficient support from schools. In most countries, contact with teachers was limited, leaving parents with primary responsibility for managing homeschooling. Parents also reported increased levels of stress, worry, social isolation, and domestic conflict. A small number of parents reported increased parental alcohol/drug use. Some differences were found between countries and some negative experiences were more common in families with a child with a mental health condition. However, differences between countries and between families with and without a mental health condition were generally small, indicating that many parents across countries reported negative experiences. Some parents also reported positive experiences of homeschooling. The adverse effects of homeschooling will likely have a long-term impact and contribute to increased inequalities. Given that school closures may be less effective than other interventions, policymakers need to carefully consider the negative consequences of homeschooling during additional waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics.
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