Search

Abstract Researchers have mainly focused on aging risk factors and COVID-19 consequences. However, older adults have proved their ability to overcome adversities along their life. Resilience is a protective variable that dampens the impact of stress. Based on MacLeod’s et al. (2016) approach, we aimed to analyze the relationship between older adults’ resilience and COVID-19 related-stressors as well as their physical, mental, and social characteristics. Eight hundred eighty-nine people aged 60 and over participated in this study. Older participants, women, having better perceived health and not losing a loved one because of the virus were associated with more resilience. Moreover, higher levels of gratitude, personal growth, life purpose and lower levels of depression were associated with greater scores in resilience. This study offers a change of perspective in which aging is perceived from a positive viewpoint by focusing on easily accessible resources that may help older adults to cope with adverse situations.

Abstract Background The current COVID-19 pandemic is a unique stressor with potentially challenging and negative consequences on the experiences of pregnant and postpartum women. International literature highlights the pandemic’s negative impact on women’s perinatal experiences. This is the first study in the scientific literature reporting on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, on the perinatal experiences of a large sample of women living in Cyprus. Aim To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experiences, concerns and needs of pregnant and postpartum women in Cyprus. Method The cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2020 to January 2021. A total of 695 women, 355 pregnant and 340 postpartum women (with infants up to 6 months of age), residing in Cyprus were surveyed. Results The great majority of the participants (80.9%) perceived the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their life as negative. The greatest sources of stress were identified and quantified for their impact on the participants. Our findings indicate that 74.1% of the pregnant women were concerned about changes due to COVID-19 measures impacting the presence of their family at the time of delivery, 57.2% about their newborn’s health, and 43.1% about changes related to perinatal care. Postpartum women’s concerns were mainly related to the welfare and health of their child (70.3%), whilst half of them (49.1%) expressed concerns about how they were going to care for their baby because of pandemic-related changes. Qualitative data revealed emerging themes as the basis of the pregnant and postpartum women’s concerns and needs. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated imposed measures and restrictions had adverse effects on pregnant and postpartum women’s perinatal experiences in Cyprus. The women’s concerns emphasized the need for the development of specialized, evidenced-based support systems which are essential particularly in pandemic-like situations, when pregnant and postpartum women are more vulnerable to isolation.

This study aimed at comparing the prevalence and comorbidity differences of PTSD according to ICD-11 and DSM-5 definitions across two Chinese adolescent trauma-exposed samples. A total of 1,201 students exposed to earthquake and 559 students from vocational schools exposed to potentially traumatic events were included in this study. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 was used to measure PTSD symptoms. The MDD and GAD subscales of the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale were used to measure major depression disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms. No significant PTSD prevalence differences between ICD-11 and DSM-5 were found across the two samples. The differences regarding comorbidities between ICD-11 and DSM-5 definitions were not significant among these two samples. The results revealed that the ICD-11 and DSM-5 provided similar prevalence of PTSD and comorbidity rates with MDD and GAD in Chinese trauma-exposed adolescent samples. This study contributes to the current understanding of the similarities and differences using different PTSD criteria and informs the organization and application of these two globally applied PTSD criteria.

A longitudinal assessment of the prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and risk factors is indispensable for further prevention and/or treatment. The longitudinal web-based survey enrolled 1,164 college students in China. Measured at two time points (February and August 2020), PTSS, demographic information, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), resilience and self-compassion information were collected to explicate the prevalence and predictors of PTSS concurrently and over time. Results showed that although PTSS generally declined throughout the 6 months after the outbreak of COVID-19, the prevalence remained relatively high. Resilience and self-compassion negatively predicted PTSS concurrently and longitudinally. While subjective family socioeconomic status (SES) and ACEs at Wave 1 did not predict PTSS under COVID-19 at Wave 1, but both significantly predicted PTSS at Wave 2. Findings implicate potential targets for detecting and intervening on symptoms of trauma in this vulnerable population.

Abstract Background Internationally, acute homelessness is commonly associated with complex health and social care needs. While homelessness can be understood as an outcome of structural housing exclusion requiring housing led solutions, the health care issues faced by homeless people equally require attention. A substantive evidence base on the health needs of homeless people exists, but relatively little is known about what influences the self-rated health of homeless people. This article presents new evidence on whether drug use (alcohol consumption, ever having used drugs), health variables (visiting a hospital once in the last year, visiting the doctor in the last month, having a health card, sleeping difficulties, and having a disabling impairment) and sociodemographic characteristics are significantly associated with Self-Rated Health (SRH) among Spanish homeless people. Method The approach applies secondary analysis to cross-sectional data from a sample of 2437 homeless adults in Spain (83.8% were male). Multinomial logistic regression modelling was used to analyse the relationships between drug use, other health variables and SRH. Results Being male, an abstainer, having a health card and being in the youngest age groups were significant factors associated with perceived good health. On the other hand, ever having used drugs, having been a night in hospital, having gone to the doctor in the last month, having sleeping difficulties, having a disabling impairment and being in the older age group were all significant risk factors associated with perceived poor health. Conclusions These results help to improve understanding of the key factors that influence the SRH among homeless people. The findings can contribute to development and delivery of preventive policies, suggesting that interventions to reduce drug consumption and ensure access to a health card/health services, as well as enhancing services for older, female and disabled homeless people are all measures which could improve health and well-being for those who face homelessness. Effective housing interventions (e.g. Housing First or Permanent Supported Housing programmes) are equally important to underpin the effectiveness of measures to improve the self-rated health of homeless people.

Background: : In this study, we compared the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic across nationally representative samples of Irish adults. Methods: : Participants were sampled in February 2019 (N = 1,020), April 2020 (N = 1,041), May 2020 (N = 1,032), and December 2020 (N = 1,100) using the same self-report measures. Results: : The prevalence of PTSD significantly increased from 12.5% in 2019 to 18.0% in April 2020, to 22.0% in May, and returning to 17.6% in December 2020. PTSD increases were most consistently observed in males, those aged 18–34 years, those without a university qualification, and those living in the Leinster region of Ireland, where the capital city of Dublin is located. There were no significant changes in the prevalence of depression or GAD. Limitations: : The 2020 samples were not completely independent of one another and while the analysis took this into account, this bias cannot be completely removed. Conclusions: : These findings show an increase in PTSD during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period and suggest specificity in mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ObjectiveThe study is an explorative investigation aimed to assess the differences in acute stress response patterns of health workers facing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during Italy’s first lockdown.MethodsA cross-sectional investigation using convenience sampling method was conducted in Italy during April 2020. Eight hundred fifty-eight health workers participated in the research filling out self-report measures including Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R).ResultsModerate/severe depression was found in 28.9% (95% CI, 25.8–32.04), moderate/severe anxiety in 55.4% (95% CI, 51.9–58.8), insomnia in 15% (95% CI, 12.5–17.5), and distress in 52.5% (95% CI, 48.5%–56.6) of participants. The 3% of health workers reported frequent suicidal thoughts. Female sex, working for >15 h/week in a COVID-19 unit, and living apart from family were associated with a significantly higher risk of distress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and functional impairment. Four profiles were identified on the basis of psychopathological measures: Profile_0 included 44% (N = 270); Profile_1, 25.6% (N = 157); Profile_2, 19.1% (N = 117); and Profile_3, 11.3% (N = 69) of participants. Results showed a significant effect for Profiles X IES-R (η2 = 0.079; f = 0.29), indicating that in all profiles, except for Profile_0, avoidance scale is lower than hyperarousal and intrusion symptoms scales of the IES-R. This characteristic could be a probable index of the control exerted by the responders to not fly away from their job.ConclusionThe identification of specific profiles could help psychiatrists and emergency psychologists to build specific interventions in terms of both primary and secondary prevention to face future waves of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Background: There is a growing research literature on complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), yet studies that focused on Chinese populations are still limited. Accumulating evidence showed that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with a higher likelihood of CPTSD symptoms, but potential mediating roles of self-kindness and self-judgement on the ACEs-CPTSD relationship remain understudied. Objective: The purpose of this study was to first examine the relationship between ACEs and CPTSD among Chinese college students, and then to test the mediating role of self-kindness and self-judgement on the ACEs-CPTSD relationship. Method: The study included 1361 college students for an online survey in May 2020. Demographic variables (e.g. age, gender, having sibling[s] or not, residence, family structure, and subjective socioeconomic status), ACEs, self-compassion (self-kindness and self-judgement subscales), and CPTSD symptoms were assessed. After controlling for demographic variables, a series of structural equation models tested the mediation hypothesis: indirect effects of self-kindness and self-judgement on the relationship between ACEs and CPTSD symptom. Results: ACEs of College students were positively associated with more severe CPTSD symptoms (posttraumatic stress disorder and disturbances in self-organization symptoms). Furthermore, these direct pathways were mediated by decreased self-kindness and increased self-judgement. Conclusions: Findings have substantial theoretical and treatment implications, including the two critical targets (i.e. lowering self-judgement and raising self-kindness) when treating complex PTSD.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of air pollution on the development of adolescents and the mediating role of students’ emotional disorders. Participants came from a longitudinal sample group of adolescents (n = 1301) in Southern China from the years 2016 to 2018. They were assessed for the Positive Youth Development and emotional disorders, and air pollution was measured by the Air Quality Index. The results show that students’ higher degree of exposure to air pollution was negatively associated with their positive development. Three out of four emotional disorders (i.e., anxiety, neuroticism, and withdrawal) mediate this association. The results suggest that the physical environment can have a paramount influence on the emotional status and overall development of adolescents, calling for intervention programs by policymakers.

Family factors including parental emotion dysregulation and harsh parenting practices place children at high risk for malfunctioning in emotion regulation, depressive symptoms, and aggressive behaviors. This study investigated the associations among parental emotion dysregulation, harsh parenting practices (i.e., emotional abuse and corporal punishment), and child emotion regulation and child oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms and co-occurring depressive symptoms and aggressive behaviors. Participants included 239 parent–child dyads from 14 primary schools in Mainland China. All children were diagnosed with ODD. Parental emotion dysregulation, harsh parenting practices, and child emotion regulation were reported by parents; child ODD symptoms were reported by parents and teachers; child depressive symptoms were reported by children; and child aggressive behaviors were reported by teachers. Data indicated that parental emotion dysregulation was related to child ODD symptoms in the home and depressive symptoms indirectly through harsh parenting practices and child emotion regulation. Harsh parenting practices were related to child ODD symptoms in the home directly and indirectly through child emotion regulation. Moreover, emotional abuse was associated with child depressive symptoms directly and indirectly through child emotion regulation. Our findings highlighted the need for prevention and intervention targeting parent emotion dysregulation and harsh parenting practices among children with ODD.