The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms and their associations with quality of life among clinically stable older patients with psychiatric disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinically stable older patients with psychiatric disorders is unclear. This study examined the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, and their associations with quality of life (QOL) in clinically stable older patients with psychiatric disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a multicenter, cross-sectional study. Depressive and anxiety symptoms, insomnia, pain, and QOL were assessed with standardized instruments. A total of 1063 patients were included. The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, and combined depressive and anxiety symptoms were 62.3% (95%CI = 59.4–65.2%), 52.4% (95%CI = 49.3–55.4%), and 45.9% (95%CI = 42.9–48.9%), respectively. Patients with depressive and anxiety symptoms had significantly lower QOL than those without (P < 0.01). Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that having depressive symptoms was positively associated with more severe insomnia (OR = 1.29, P < 0.01) and pain (OR = 1.14, P < 0.01), and was negatively associated with other psychiatric diagnoses (except for major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and organic mental disorder; OR = 0.50, P < 0.01), while having anxiety symptoms was positively associated with severe physical diseases (OR = 1.57, P = 0.02), poor adherence to treatment (OR = 1.50, P < 0.01), and more severe insomnia (OR = 1.15, P < 0.01) and pain (OR = 1.11, P < 0.01). Having combined depression and anxiety symptoms was positively associated with poor adherence to treatment (OR = 1.42, P = 0.02) and more severe insomnia (OR = 1.19, P < 0.01) and pain (OR = 1.15, P < 0.01), and was negatively associated with the diagnosis of schizophrenia (OR = 0.50, P = 0.04) and others (OR = 0.53, P < 0.01). Depressive and anxiety symptoms were common in clinically stable older patients with psychiatric disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the negative impact of these symptoms on QOL, regular screening and appropriate treatment are recommended for this population.

The mediating role of individual-level social capital among worries, mental health and subjective well-being among adults in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Similarly, another study also revealed a negative association between worries of COVID-19 and SWB, which was mediated through future anxiety (Paredes et al, 2021 ). In China, a recent study demonstrated that during the pandemic, the symptoms of depression and anxiety were negatively associated with quality of life (Li et al, 2021 ). While it was argued that the Asian countries was generally outperforming the Western world in controlling the pandemic (Landoni et al, 2020 ), the stringent lockdown and social distancing measures implemented in these Asian regions also exerted a great adverse impact on the economic situation and psychosocial well-being of individuals, especially for the vulnerable groups (Marmot & Allen, 2020 ).…”

Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Quality of Sleep

“…Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) is a respiratory illness that resulted in an outbreak in December 2019 and progressed to pose a global pandemic. This virus is one of the six species under a family of enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses known as the Coronaviridae [1].…”

The impact of COVID-19-related distress on levels of depression, anxiety and quality of life in psychogeriatric patients

“…Prior research regarding specifically the mental health outcome of psychogeriatric patients has provided contradictory results. One study of older adults with pre-existing depression did not report an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety within this group [ 13 ] whereas Li et al noted that among clinically stable psychogeriatric patients prevalence of depression and anxiety during the pandemic were higher than in other age groups [ 14 ].…”