Levels of Severity of Depressive Symptoms Among At-Risk Groups in the UK During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Iob, Eleonora; Frank, Philipp; Steptoe, Andrew; Fancourt, Daisy

doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.26064

Cited by 154 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…This is the case of age, gender, economic status, and being a student. These findings are congruent with recent studies showing that females, younger people, students, and those with lower economic status may be the most vulnerable to developing psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., Alonzi et al, 2020 ; Asmundson et al, 2020 ; Fitzpatrick et al, 2020 ; Iob et al, 2020 ; Kajdy et al, 2020 ; Luo et al, 2020 ; Pieh et al, 2020 ; Purtle, 2020 ; Vahedian-Azimi et al, 2020 ; Xiong et al, 2020 ). The results also demonstrated that people with mental disorder diagnosis showed higher levels of all aspects of emotional disturbance than their non-diagnosed counterparts.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…For example, during collective traumas, socially disadvantaged groups generally show worse psychological outcomes than their more advantaged counterparts (e.g., Reid, 2013 ). Several authors noted that mental health consequences due to the COVID-19 pandemic are more pronounced among vulnerable groups, such as females, younger people, people with low income levels, students, and those who are diagnosed with a mental health disorder or have a preexisting physical health condition (e.g., Alonzi et al, 2020 ; Asmundson et al, 2020 ; Fitzpatrick et al, 2020 ; Iob et al, 2020 ; Kajdy et al, 2020 ; Luo et al, 2020 ; Pieh et al, 2020 ; Purtle, 2020 ; Vahedian-Azimi et al, 2020 ; Xiong et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Meaning-Centered Coping in the Era of COVID-19: Direct and Moderating Effects on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

2021

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The COVID-19 pandemic has subjected most of the world’s population to unprecedented situations, like national lockdowns, health hazards, social isolation and economic harm. Such a scenario calls for urgent measures not only to palliate it but also, to better cope with it. According to existential positive psychology, well-being does not simply represent a lack of stress and negative emotions but highlights their importance by incorporating an adaptive relationship with them. Thus, suffering can be mitigated (and transformed into growth) by, among other factors, adopting an attitude of positive reframing, maintaining hope, existential courage, life appreciation, engagement in meaningful activities, and prosociality. The conglomerate of these elements has been recently denominated as meaning-centered coping. In this study, we evaluated the protective role of this type of coping on mental health. A sample of 12,243 participants from 30 countries across all continents completed measures of Meaning-Centered Coping Scale (MCCS), depression, stress, anxiety and stressful COVID-19 related conditions they experienced. Results indicated that meaning-centered coping was strongly associated with diminished symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Moreover, it moderated various relationships between vulnerability factors and markers of psychological distress, especially in the case of depression. These findings call for attention to meaning-centered coping approaches in the context of hardship, such as the current COVID-19 health crisis. In these difficult times, decision-makers and health organizations may integrate these approaches into their guidelines.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meaning-Centered Coping in the Era of COVID-19: Direct and Moderating Effects on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

2021

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“…Age was associated with psychological distress, χ 2 (18, N = 12,407) = 762.37, p < 0.001, see Table 3 . Levels of distress were least in the oldest (75+) group, with 33.8% having clinical significance and 8.0% being classified as “severe,” and greatest in the youngest group ( 16 – 24 ) with 76.6 and 36.2%, respectively. Calculation of odds ratios using the oldest group as the comparison shows that individuals with severe psychological distress are 6.50 times more likely to be in the youngest age group in comparison to the oldest age group.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Well-Being and Psychological Distress: Impact Upon a Single Country

et al. 2020

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The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have affected the psychological well-being and mental health of many people. Data on prevalence rates of mental health problems are needed for mental health service planning. Psychological well-being and prevalence of clinically significant mental distress were measured in a large sample from Wales 11–16 weeks into lockdown and compared to population-based data collected in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected using an online survey disseminated across Wales and open to adults (age 16+) from 9th June to 13th July 2020. Psychological well-being was indexed via the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, and psychological distress was indexed via the K10. Data from 12,989 people who took part in this study were compared to that from April 2018 - March 2019, gathered by the National Survey for Wales ( N = 11,922). Well-being showed a large decrease from 2019 levels. Clinically significant psychological distress was found in around 50% of the population (men = 47.4%, women = 58.6%), with around 20% showing “severe” effects (men = 17.0%, women = 20.9%): a 3–4-fold increase in prevalence. Most affected were young people, women, and those in deprived areas. By June-July 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic had dramatic effects on the mental health of people living in Wales (and by implication those in the UK and beyond). The effects are larger than previous reports. This probably reflects that the current data were taken deeper into the lockdown period than previous evaluations. Mental health services need to prepare for this wave of mental health problems with an emphasis on younger adults, women, and in areas of greater deprivation.

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“…Similar to pre-pandemic trends, adults with low household income or socioeconomic position reported more anxiety and depression than adults with higher household income or socioeconomic position Iob et al, 2020;Wright, J et al, 2020). Adults who were not in employment were more likely to report increasing levels of loneliness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…On the other hand, there is also evidence of higher mental distress among employed adults, as well as among adults with higher levels of education (Niedzwiedz et al, 2020 ; Pierce et al, 2020 ). The relationship between mental health, wellbeing and ethnicity is unclear with some studies reporting no significant association (Iob et al, 2020 ; Xu & Banks, 2020 ), while others suggest higher levels of mental distress among Asian than White British adults (Niedzwiedz et al, 2020 ; Pierce et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mental health impact of COVID-19 and lockdown-related stressors among adults in the UK

et al. 2020

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic in the UK and subsequent lockdown may have affected the mental health of the population. This study examines whether there was an increase in the prevalence and incidence of common mental disorders (CMD) in the UK adult population during the first months of lockdown and whether changes in CMD were associated with stressors related to the pandemic and lockdown. Methods Longitudinal data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study waves 10–11: 2019–2020 and waves 1–4 of the COVID-19 monthly surveys in April (n = 17 761) to July 2020 (n = 13 754), a representative sample of UK adult population, were analysed. CMD was measured using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) (cut-off >2). Changes in CMD were analysed in relation to COVID-19 and social stressors. Results Around 29% of adults without CMD less than a year earlier had a CMD in April 2020. However, by July 2020, monthly incidence of CMD had reduced to 9%. Most employment, financial and psychological ‘shocks’ were at their highest levels in April and reduced steadily in later months. Despite the lifting of some lockdown conditions by July, stressors related to loneliness, unemployment, financial problems and domestic work continued to influence CMD. Conclusion Some COVID-19 policy responses such as furloughing may have been effective in mitigating the increase in CMD for some groups of employees. Despite some reduction in levels of pandemic and lockdown-related stressors by the middle of 2020, loneliness and financial stressors remained key determinants of incidence in CMD among the UK adult population.

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Levels of Severity of Depressive Symptoms Among At-Risk Groups in the UK During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 154 publications

References 37 publications

Meaning-Centered Coping in the Era of COVID-19: Direct and Moderating Effects on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

Meaning-Centered Coping in the Era of COVID-19: Direct and Moderating Effects on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Well-Being and Psychological Distress: Impact Upon a Single Country

The mental health impact of COVID-19 and lockdown-related stressors among adults in the UK

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