Lifestyle and Mental Health Disruptions During Covid-19

Giuntella, Osea; Hyde, Kelly; Saccardo, Silvia; Sadoff, Sally

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3669498

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 3 publications

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“…In those times of relative stability, research had additionally demonstrated the higher prevalence of mental health issues amongst the PhD student population across research disciplines, as compared to other students within academia [ 9 ] and the general population [ 9 , 11 , 12 ]. In the period since Covid-19 disrupted our social and economic lives, depression levels in the general population have been exacerbated globally [ 13 , 14 ]. These trends suggested that the already high prevalence of poor mental health in PhD students is likely to be further exacerbated during the pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research disruption during PhD studies and its impact on mental health: Implications for research and university policy

Aristeidou,

Aristidou

2023

PLoS ONE

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Research policy observers are increasingly concerned about the impact of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic on university research. Yet we know little about the effect of this disruption, specifically on PhD students, their mental health, and their research progress. This study drew from survey responses of UK PhD students during the Covid-19 pandemic. We explored evidence of depression and coping behaviour (N = 1780), and assessed factors relating to demographics, PhD characteristics, Covid-19-associated personal circumstances, and significant life events that could explain PhD student depression during the research disruption (N = 1433). The majority of the study population (86%) reported a negative effect on their research progress during the pandemic. Results based on eight mental health symptoms (PHQ-8) showed that three in four PhD students experienced significant depression. Live-in children and lack of funding were among the most significant factors associated with developing depression. Engaging in approach coping behaviours (i.e., those alleviating the problem directly) related to lower levels of depression. By assessing the impact of research disruption on the UK PhD researcher community, our findings indicate policies to manage short-term risks but also build resilience in academic communities against current and future disruptions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research disruption during PhD studies and its impact on mental health: Implications for research and university policy

Aristeidou,

Aristidou

2023

PLoS ONE

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A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies comparing mental health before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020

Robinson

Sutin

Daly

et al. 2022

Journal of Affective Disorders

764

676

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Background Increases in mental health problems have been observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives were to examine the extent to which mental health symptoms changed during the pandemic in 2020, whether changes were persistent or short lived, and if changes were symptom specific. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies examining changes in mental health among the same group of participants before vs. during the pandemic in 2020. Results Sixty-five studies were included. Compared to pre-pandemic outbreak, there was an overall increase in mental health symptoms observed during March-April 2020 (SMC = .102 [95% CI: .026 to .192]) that significantly declined over time and became non-significant (May-July SMC = .067 [95% CI: -.022 to .157]. Compared to measures of anxiety (SMC = 0.13, p = 0.02) and general mental health (SMC = -.03, p = 0.65), increases in depression and mood disorder symptoms tended to be larger and remained significantly elevated in May-July [0.20, 95% CI: .099 to .302]. In primary analyses increases were most pronounced among samples with physical health conditions and there was no evidence of any change in symptoms among samples with a pre-existing mental health condition. Limitations There was a high degree of unexplained heterogeneity observed (I 2 s > 90%), indicating that change in mental health was highly variable across samples. Conclusions There was a small increase in mental health symptoms soon after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that decreased and was comparable to pre-pandemic levels by mid-2020 among most population sub-groups and symptom types.

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Lifestyle and Mental Health Disruptions During Covid-19

Cited by 2 publications

References 3 publications

Research disruption during PhD studies and its impact on mental health: Implications for research and university policy

Research disruption during PhD studies and its impact on mental health: Implications for research and university policy

A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies comparing mental health before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020

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