Investigating the relationship of COVID-19 related stress and media consumption with schizotypy, depression, and anxiety in cross-sectional surveys repeated throughout the pandemic in Germany and the UK

Daimer, Sarah; Mihatsch, Lorenz; Neufeld, Sharon; Murray, Graham; Knolle, Franziska

doi:10.7554/elife.75893

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…Furthermore, excessive media consumption during the pandemic was not covered by the intervention content and was mentioned as missing by some participants. Studies found the higher use of media during the COVID‐19 pandemic to be related to greater mental health issues (Bendau et al, 2021; Daimer et al, 2022). Therefore, dealing with media consumption could have been a helpful addition to bounce.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering resilience during the COVID‐19 pandemic via a digital mental health intervention—A pilot study

Kulke,

Nacke,

Jacobi

2023

Mental Health Science

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During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, mental health burden of university members sharply increased. Specific interventions to address pandemic‐related psychological distress did not yet exist. Current studies show that digital interventions reduce this burden, the investigation of changes in resilience as an outcome is lacking in these studies though. We therefore developed and evaluated the internet‐ and mobile‐based intervention “bounce” to foster resilience, reduce perceived stress, and psychological symptom burden among university members during the pandemic. The 8‐week, unguided internet‐ and mobile‐based intervention consists of one mandatory module promoting resilience and six optional modules on pandemic‐related topics. The study was designed as a one‐arm, longitudinal pilot study with a baseline and postintervention assessment and self‐reported resilience, perceived stress, and psychological symptom burden as outcome measures. The use and acceptance of the intervention modules were recorded and analyzed. A total of 798 individuals were given access to the intervention (n = 70 employees, n = 728 students, M = 26.05 years, 71.8% women). Of these, 273 participants (34%) completed the postassessment. On average, participants logged on to the intervention platform four times and completed an average of 1.90 (SD = 1.64) modules. The intervention as a whole and all modules were well accepted by participants. Intention‐to‐treat analyses showed a significant increase in resilience (t = −4.69, p < 0.001, d = 0.23) and a significant reduction in perceived stress (t = 6.50, p < 0.001, d = 0.32), and psychological symptom burden (t = 3.59, p < 0.001, d = 0.18) from baseline to postintervention. This study demonstrates that digital interventions can be easily developed and used as means to reduce mental health burden in large populations during a pandemic. The need for randomized controlled trials with follow‐up assessments to examine longer‐term effects and revisions of the intervention to increase effectiveness and use are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering resilience during the COVID‐19 pandemic via a digital mental health intervention—A pilot study

Kulke,

Nacke,

Jacobi

2023

Mental Health Science

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“…Another variable that increased the chance of being in the category of "poor mental health" was spending five or more hours online. Spending an excessive amount of time online and excessive media consumption were found to be associated to depressive and anxiety-related symptoms, and negatively associated to overall well-being [ 18 , 51 ]. The univariate logistic regressions also showed that attending university increased the possibilities of being in the category "good mental health" when compared to scientific lyceum and grammar schools, and with technical institutes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk and protective factors associated with mental health status in an Italian sample of students during the fourth wave of COVID-19 pandemic

Lanfredi,

Dagani,

Geviti

et al. 2023

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

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Background It is well known that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global health crisis, especially for young people. However, most studies were conducted during the first waves of the pandemic. Few Italian studies specifically attempted to broadly assess young people’s mental health status during the fourth wave of the pandemic. Methods This study aimed at evaluating the mental health status among a group of Italian adolescents and young adults during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. 11,839 high school students and 15,000 university students (age range 14–25) were asked to complete a multidimensional online survey, of which 7,146 (26,6%) agreed to participate. The survey also included standardized measures for depression, anxiety, anger, somatic symptoms, resilience, loneliness and post-traumatic growth. Two separate clusters were identified through cluster analysis. Random forest, classification tree and logistic regressions analyses were applied to identify factors associated to a good or a poor level of mental health and, thus, to define students’ mental health profiles. Results Overall, the students in our sample showed high levels of psychopathology. The clustering methods performed identified two separate clusters reflecting groups of students with different psychological features, that we further defined as "poor mental health" and "good mental health". The random forest and the logistic regressions found that the most discriminating variables among those two groups were: UCLA Loneliness Scale score, self-harm behaviors, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 score, satisfaction with family relationships, Fear of COVID-19 Scale score, gender and binge eating behaviors. The classification tree analysis identified students’ profiles, showing that, globally, poor mental health was defined by higher scores of loneliness and self-harm, followed by being of female gender, presenting binge eating behaviors and, finally, having unsatisfying family relationships. Conclusions The results of this study confirmed the major psychological distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in a large sample of Italian students, and provided further insights regarding those factors associated with a good or poor mental health status. Our findings suggest the importance of implementing programs targeting aspects that have been found to be associated to a good mental health.

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“…• COVID-19-related stress is associated with depressive symptoms, [189][190][191][192][193] and individuals with higher levels of COVID-19-related stress are more likely to screen positive for depression or major depressive disorder. 192,194,195 • Exposure to a higher number of COVID-19-related stressors is associated with a greater risk of depression.…”

Section: Box 1 Effects Of the Covid-19 Pandemic On Global Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Targeting the Arginine Vasopressin V1b Receptor System and Stress Response in Depression and Other Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Kanes¹,

Dennie²,

Perera³

2023

NDT

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A healthy stress response is critical for good mental and overall health and promotes neuronal growth and adaptation, but the intricately balanced biological mechanisms that facilitate a stress response can also result in predisposition to disease when that equilibrium is disrupted. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis neuroendocrine system plays a critical role in the body’s response and adaptation to stress, and vasopressinergic regulation of the HPA axis is critical to maintaining system responsiveness during chronic stress. However, exposure to repeated or excessive physical or emotional stress or trauma can shift the body’s stress response equilibrium to a “new normal” underpinned by enduring changes in HPA axis function. Exposure to early life stress due to adverse childhood experiences can also lead to lasting neurobiological changes, including in HPA axis function. HPA axis impairment in patients with depression is considered among the most reliable findings in biological psychiatry, and chronic stress has been shown to play a major role in the pathogenesis and onset of depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Modulating HPA axis activity, for example via targeted antagonism of the vasopressin V 1b receptor, is a promising approach for patients with depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders associated with HPA axis impairment. Despite favorable preclinical indications in animal models, demonstration of clinical efficacy for the treatment of depressive disorders by targeting HPA axis dysfunction has been challenging, possibly due to the heterogeneity and syndromal nature of depressive disorders. Measures of HPA axis function, such as elevated cortisol levels, may be useful biomarkers for identifying patients who may benefit from treatments that modulate HPA axis activity. Utilizing clinical biomarkers to identify subsets of patients with impaired HPA axis function who may benefit is a promising next step in fine-tuning HPA axis activity via targeted antagonism of the V 1b receptor.

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Investigating the relationship of COVID-19 related stress and media consumption with schizotypy, depression, and anxiety in cross-sectional surveys repeated throughout the pandemic in Germany and the UK

Cited by 8 publications

References 110 publications

Fostering resilience during the COVID‐19 pandemic via a digital mental health intervention—A pilot study

Fostering resilience during the COVID‐19 pandemic via a digital mental health intervention—A pilot study

Risk and protective factors associated with mental health status in an Italian sample of students during the fourth wave of COVID-19 pandemic

Targeting the Arginine Vasopressin V1b Receptor System and Stress Response in Depression and Other Neuropsychiatric Disorders

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