Gender differences in the mental health impact of the COVID-19 lockdown: Longitudinal evidence from the Netherlands

Vloo, A.; Alessie, Rob; Mierau, Jochen O.; Boezen, Marike; Franke, Lude; Dekens, Jackie; Deelen, Patrick; Lanting, Pauline; Vonk, Judith M.; Nolte, Ilja M.; Ori, Anil P.S.; Claringbould, Annique; Boulogne, Floranne; Dijkema, Marjolein X. L.; Wiersma, Harmen; Warmerdam, Robert; Jankipersadsing, Soesma A

doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100878

Cited by 69 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Our study found that female medical students reported experiencing significantly more depressive symptoms than male students, comparable with earlier epidemiological studies (10,23). Research on the disparity between women and men during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that female students had higher COVID-19 pandemic risk perceptions than male students (23,24). That research also estimated higher conscientiousness, neuroticism, tolerance to experiences, and tension to be higher in female university students (23).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…The global summation of the nine issues delineated the level of the severity of depression. Recommended cut off PHQ-9 scores for level of depression severity (12): minimal (score 0-4), mild (score 5-9), moderate (score 10-14), moderately severe (score [15][16][17][18][19], severe (score [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. Patient Health Questionnaires had good internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.77), adequate split-half reliability (r = 0.80) in our data.…”

Section: Depressive Symptoms Measurementioning

confidence: 61%

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The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depressive Symptoms Among Medical Students in Bangladesh During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Biswas

Hasan

Samir

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundWhilst very limited studies have demonstrated a correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and depressive symptoms amongst Bangladeshi medical students, the prevalence and associated factors of depressive symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) remains widely unknown.ObjectiveThe study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with depression symptoms among Bangladeshi medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period.MethodIn this web-based cross-sectional pilot study, medical students' data was collected using the Google Forms web survey platform after obtaining electronic informed consent. A total of 425 medical students were selected using a systematic sampling technique to accumulate depression symptoms and demographic and pandemic-related information. Depression was measured by a self-administered, validated English version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) tool. The descriptive analysis utilized frequency and percentages, while the stepwise binary logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors associated with depressive symptoms.ResultAmong 425 medical students, 62.3% were female, 97.4% unmarried. Almost 80.2% of medical students had mild to severe levels of depressive symptoms as characterized by PHQ-9. A significantly higher probability of depression was found amongst female students (adjusted OR = 1.8), those who struggled to stay away from social media (adjusted OR = 1.8), those who tried to be optimistic for maintaining better psychology (adjusted OR = 11.1), and those who always had a sleeping difficulty in the last 4 weeks (adjusted OR = 8.9).ConclusionA very high prevalence of depression symptoms among Bangladeshi medical students was found across the majority of socio-demographic variables. The alarming prevalence and associated factors of depression suggests the need for follow-intensity psychosocial interventions designed for medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Depressive Symptoms Measurementioning

confidence: 61%

The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depressive Symptoms Among Medical Students in Bangladesh During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Biswas

Hasan

Samir

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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“…Mental health problems in postgraduate students are more serious during the pandemic than before the pandemic. We believe that the pandemic and lockdown measures have exacerbated the negative feelings of anxiety, depression and social anxiety among postgraduate students, as can be seen in longitudinal studies in other countries [ 41 , 42 , 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese Postgraduate Students’ Mental Health

Liang

Kang

Zhang

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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To understand the mental health status of Chinese postgraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic, we used three online questionnaires: self-rating anxiety (SAS) scale, self-rating depression (SDS) scale, and social avoidance and distress (SAD) scale. A total of 3137 postgraduate students from different regions of China participated in our study. We explored the relationship between participant characteristics and mental health using an analysis of variance (ANOVA). We found that the proportions of respondents with severe, mild, and moderate depression were 1.4%, 10.48%, and 21.99%, respectively, and the corresponding proportions of respondents with anxiety were 1.56%, 4.65%, and 14.69%, respectively. A one-way ANOVA revealed that the mental health statuses of the participants were different between the subgroups based on majors, classes, degree types, and the method of communication with advisors and students. A two-way ANOVA revealed significant effects on interaction and the method of communication with advisors and peers. These findings suggest that the mental health of postgraduate students should be monitored during the pandemic, especially when they are unable to communicate directly with their advisors or peers, and targeted psychological counselling must be focused on anxiety and depression.

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“…Considering the mental health impact due the pandemic, it was also observed that females experienced more depression symptoms after lockdown while males experienced more anxiety symptoms [ 34 ], but after a few weeks the gender-differences disappeared and both groups experienced resilience feelings [ 35 ]. The mental impact of the pandemic in LMICs varied from immediate distress and discrimination experienced mainly by healthcare workers to long-term side effects such as higher prevalence of depression and other mood disorders as a result of social isolation, job insecurity, unemployment and economic distress [ 36 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Men are the main COVID-19 transmitters: behavior or biology?

et al. 2022

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Background COVID-19 has affected millions of people worldwide. Clinical manifestations range from severe cases with lethal outcome to mild or asymptomatic cases. Although the proportion of infected individuals does not differ between sexes, men are more susceptible to severe COVID-19, with a higher risk of death than women. Also, men are pointed out as more lax regarding protective measures, mask wearing and vaccination. Thus, we questioned whether sex-bias may be explained by biological pathways and/or behavioral aspects or both. Methods Between July 2020 and July 2021, we performed an epidemiological survey including 1744 unvaccinated adult Brazilian couples, with there was at least one infected symptomatic member, who were living together during the COVID-19 infection without protective measures. Presence or absence of infection was confirmed by RT-PCR and/or serology results. Couples were divided into two groups: (1) both partners were infected (concordant couples) and (2) one partner was infected and the spouse remained asymptomatic despite the close contact with the COVID-19 symptomatic partner (discordant couples). Statistical analysis of the collected data was performed aiming to verify a differential transmission potential between genders in couples keeping contact without protective measures. Results The combination of our collected data showed that the man is the first (or the only) affected member in most cases when compared to women and that this difference may be explained by biological and behavioral factors. Conclusions The present study confirmed the existence of gender differences not only for susceptibility to infection and resistance to COVID-19 but also in its transmission rate.

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Gender differences in the mental health impact of the COVID-19 lockdown: Longitudinal evidence from the Netherlands

Cited by 69 publications

References 44 publications

The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depressive Symptoms Among Medical Students in Bangladesh During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depressive Symptoms Among Medical Students in Bangladesh During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese Postgraduate Students’ Mental Health

Men are the main COVID-19 transmitters: behavior or biology?

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