Effects of the COVID-19 confinement on mental health among higher education students in ChileBackground: Chilean higher education students have faced highly stressful events in 2020, including confinement and remote education. This population is particularly susceptible to mental health problems, such as high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Aim: To evaluate possible negative impacts of confinement by COVID-19 on Chilean higher education students' mental health. Material and Methods: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) Scale and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) were applied to 315 students during 2016 and to 301 students during 2020. Results: In 2020, depression mean scores for men (24.1) and women (29.7) exceeded the cutoff point, therefore suggesting the presence of depressive disorder. Women had higher depressive and anxious symptoms in both years, however, in 2020 a significant increase was observed for depression, indicating interaction between the year of assessment and gender (β = 6.74; p <.001). In both samples, first-year students had significantly higher depression scores (β = -1,909; p = 0.05). Conclusions: An increase in depression was observed in 2020. Confinement by COVID-19 had a high impact on mental health in female students. Women and first-year students appear to be high risk groups for developing depressive symptoms.
Evolution and prognostic factors associated with mortality in older adults hospitalized for COVID-19Background: SARS-CoV-2 affects all age groups, but higher mortality rates are recorded in older people, men and with comorbidities, mainly hypertension, diabetes and obesity. Aim: To describe the main clinical characteristics, evolution and prognostic factors for death in older patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of 128 patients aged 73 years, 66% men, hospitalized at a clinical hospital, with a diagnosis of COVID-19, admitted from May 1 to August 1, 2020. Data were collected from the clinical records, a description of the study population was made, and a univariate analysis and logistic regression were performed. Results: Seventy-two percent of patients had two or more comorbidities, mainly arterial hypertension in 66%, diabetes mellitus in 34% and cardiovascular disease in 19%. Forty-one percent were admitted to intensive care and 31% were connected to mechanical ventilation. In-hospital mortality was 26.6%. A multivariate analysis was performed in two blocks, finding in the first that arterial hypertension and older age significantly predict mortality. However, when previous institutionalization and immunosuppression were included as variables in the second block, age ceased to be a significant predictor. Conclusions: Prognostic factors associated with death in this age group are arterial hypertension and previous institutionalization.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.