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Background: Psychiatric patients are susceptible to adverse mental health outcome during COVID-19 pandemic, but its associated factors are understudied. This observational cross-sectional study aimed to comprehensively examine prevalence and correlates of psychological distress, in terms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms, among Chinese adult psychiatric outpatients amidst the peak of fifth COVID-19 wave in Hong-Kong., Methods: A total of 415 patients (comprising 246 patients with common-mental-disorders [CMD] and 169 with severe-mental-disorders [SMD]) and 399 demographically-matched controls without mental disorders were assessed with self-rated questionnaires between 28-March and 8-April-2022, encompassing illness profile, mental health symptoms, psychosocial measures (loneliness, resilience, coping styles) and COVID-19 related factors. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine variables associated with moderate-to-severe depressive, anxiety and PTSD-like symptoms among psychiatric patients., Results: Our results showed that CMD patients had the greatest psychological distress relative to SMD patients and controls. Approximately 40-55% CMD patients and 25% SMD patients exhibited moderate-to-severe depression, anxiety and PTSD-like symptoms. Multivariable regression analyses revealed that female gender, lower educational attainment, single marital status, being housewife, more severe insomnia, psychotic-like symptoms and cognitive complaints, self-harm behavior, lower resilience, avoidance coping, never contracting COVID-19 infection, greater fear of contagion, and longer exposure to pandemic-related information were independently associated with depression, anxiety and/or PTSD-like symptoms in psychiatric patients., Conclusions: Our results affirm increased vulnerability of psychiatric patients toward psychological distress during pandemic. An array of identified correlates facilitates early detection of high-risk psychiatric patients for targeted strategies to minimize pandemic-related negative psychological impact., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Psychiatric patients are susceptible to adverse mental health impacts during COVID-19, but complex interplays between psychopathology and pandemic-related variables remain elusive. This study aimed to investigate concomitant associations between psychopathological symptoms, psychological measures and COVID-19 related variables in Chinese psychiatric patients during the peak of fifth pandemic wave in Hong Kong., Methods: We employed network analysis to investigate inter-relationships among psychopathological symptoms (including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder-like [PTSD-like] symptoms, insomnia, psychotic symptoms), cognitive complaints, health-related quality of life, loneliness, resilience and selected pandemic-related factors in 415 psychiatric outpatients between 28 March and 8 April, 2022. Network comparisons between genders, diagnosis (common mental disorders [CMD] vs. severe mental disorders [SMD]), and history of contracting COVID-19 at fifth wave were performed as exploratory analyses., Results: Our results showed that anxiety represented the most central node in the network, as indicated by its highest node strength and expected influence, followed by depression and quality of life. Three comparatively strong connections between COVID-19 and psychopathological variables were observed including: fear of contagion and PTSD-like symptoms, COVID-19 stressor burden and PTSD-like symptoms, and COVID-19 stressor burden and insomnia. Network comparison tests revealed significant network structural difference between participants with history of contracting COVID-19 and those without, but showed no significant difference between genders as well as between CMD and SMD patients., Conclusions: Our findings suggest the pivotal role of anxiety in psychopathology network of psychiatric patients amidst COVID-19. Pandemic-related variables are critically associated with trauma/stress and insomnia symptoms. Future research is required to elucidate potential network structural changes between pandemic and post-COVID periods., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

People with mental disorders have increased risk of psychological distress during COVID-19. However, there is limited research comprehensively examining factors associated with suicidal ideation, the strongest predictor of suicidal behavior, among psychiatric patients amidst pandemic. We investigated prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation in 407 Chinese psychiatric outpatients (diagnosed with mood, anxiety or schizophrenia-spectrum disorders) aged 18-64 years during the peak of fifth COVID-19 wave in Hong Kong between 28 March and 8 April, 2022, based on a comprehensive array of variables encompassing socio-demographics, illness profile, psychopathological symptoms, psychological measures and pandemic-related factors. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine correlates of suicidal ideation. Results showed that 128 (31.4%) participants exhibited suicidal ideation. Univariate analyses revealed that being unemployed or full-time student, more severe depressive, anxiety, PTSD-like, insomnia and psychotic symptoms, higher levels of loneliness, avoidant-coping, greater pandemic-related stress burden and distress by social-distancing measures were related to suicidal ideation. Conversely, participants with higher monthly household-income, better quality-of-life, and greater resilience were less likely to have suicidal ideation. Notably, only depressive symptom severity was retained in final multivariate model as a factor significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Hence, we observed that approximately one-third of Chinese psychiatric patients experienced suicidal ideation during fifth pandemic wave. Our findings underscore the influence of depressive symptoms being above and beyond that of other psychopathological symptoms, psychological and pandemic-related variables on suicidal ideation. Longitudinal research is required to clarify suicidal ideation trajectories and predictors of persistent suicidal ideation across pandemic and post-pandemic periods., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Various cutaneous manifestations have been reported as symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which may facilitate early clinical diagnosis and management. This study explored the incidence of cutaneous manifestations among hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and investigated its relationships with viral load, co-morbidities, and outcomes., Methods: This retrospective study included adult patients admitted to a tertiary hospital for COVID-19 from July to September 2020. Clinical information, co-morbidities, viral load (cycle threshold [Ct] value), and outcomes were analysed., Results: In total, 219 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were included. Twenty patients presented with new onset of rash. The incidence of new rash was 9.1% (95% confidence interval=6.25%-14.4%). The most common manifestations were maculopapular exanthem (n=6, 42.9%, median Ct value: 24.8), followed by livedo reticularis (n=4, 28.6%, median Ct value: 21.3), varicella-like lesions (n=2, 14.3%, median Ct value: 19.3), urticaria (n=1, 7.1%, median Ct value: 14.4), and acral chilblain and petechiae (n=1, 7.1%, median Ct value: 33.1). The median Ct values for patients with and without rash were 22.9 and 24.1, respectively (P=0.58). There were no significant differences in mortality or hospital stay between patients with and without rash. Patients with rash were more likely to display fever on admission (P<0.01). Regardless of cutaneous manifestations, patients with older age, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease stage ≥3 had significantly higher viral load and mortality (P<0.05)., Conclusion: This study revealed no associations between cutaneous manifestation and viral load or clinical outcomes. Older patients with multiple co-morbidities have risks of high viral load and mortality; they should be closely monitored., Competing Interests: All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased depression prevalence in general population. However, the relationship between persistent dysfunctional thinking associated with COVID-19 (perseverative-cognition) and depression, and its potential moderators are understudied. We aimed to examine the association between COVID-19 perseverative-cognition and depression, and the moderating effect of potential risk and protective factors on this association in general public during the peak of fifth COVID-19 wave in Hong Kong., Methods: This survey recruited 14,269 community-dwelling adults between March 15-April 3, 2022 to investigate association between COVID-19 perseverative-cognition and depression, and the moderating effect of resilience, loneliness and three coping strategies (including emotion-focused, problem-focused and avoidant coping) on this association, using hierarchical regression models and simple slope analyses. COVID-19 perseverative cognition was assessed by the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS) and depressive symptoms were measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)., Results: Perseverative-cognition was positively associated with depression severity. Resilience, loneliness and three coping strategies moderated the association between perseverative-cognition and depression. Specifically, greater resilience and emotion-focused coping ameliorated the association between perseverative-cognition and depression, while higher levels of loneliness, avoidant and problem-focused coping accentuated such association., Limitations: Cross-sectional design precluded establishing causality among variables., Conclusion: This study affirms that COVID-19 perseverative-cognition is significantly related to depression. Our findings indicate the potential critical role of enhanced personal resilience and social support, and adoption of emotion-focused coping in mitigating negative effect of COVID-19 related maladaptive thinking on depression severity, thereby facilitating development of targeted strategies to reduce psychological distress amidst the prolonged pandemic., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Young people are most vulnerable to suicidal behaviours but least likely to seek help. A more elaborate study of the intrinsic and extrinsic correlates of suicidal ideation and behaviours particularly amid ongoing population-level stressors and the identification of less stigmatising markers in representative youth populations is essential., Methods: Participants ( n = 2540, aged 15-25) were consecutively recruited from an ongoing large-scale household-based epidemiological youth mental health study in Hong Kong between September 2019 and 2021. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt were assessed, alongside suicide-related rumination, hopelessness and neuroticism, personal and population-level stressors, family functioning, cognitive ability, lifetime non-suicidal self-harm, 12-month major depressive disorder (MDD), and alcohol use., Results: The 12-month prevalence of suicidal ideation, ideation-only (no plan or attempt), plan, and attempt was 20.0, 15.4, 4.6, and 1.3%, respectively. Importantly, multivariable logistic regression findings revealed that suicide-related rumination was the only factor associated with all four suicidal outcomes (all p < 0.01). Among those with suicidal ideation (two-stage approach), intrinsic factors, including suicide-related rumination, poorer cognitive ability, and 12-month MDE, were specifically associated with suicide plan, while extrinsic factors, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) stressors, poorer family functioning, and personal life stressors, as well as non-suicidal self-harm, were specifically associated with suicide attempt., Conclusions: Suicide-related rumination, population-level COVID-19 stressors, and poorer family functioning may be important less-stigmatising markers for youth suicidal risks. The respective roles played by not only intrinsic but also extrinsic factors in suicide plan and attempt using a two-stage approach should be considered in future preventative intervention work.

Objectives: The co-occurrence of different classes of population-level stressors, such as social unrest and public health crises, is common in contemporary societies. Yet, few studies explored their combined mental health impact. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of repeated exposure to social unrest-related traumatic events (TEs), coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-related events (PEs), and stressful life events (SLEs) on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms, and the potential mediating role of event-based rumination (rumination of TEs-related anger, injustice, guilt, and insecurity) between TEs and PTSD symptoms., Methods: Community members in Hong Kong who had utilized a screening tool for PTSD and depressive symptoms were invited to complete a survey on exposure to stressful events and event-based rumination., Results: A total of 10,110 individuals completed the survey. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that rumination, TEs, and SLEs were among the significant predictors for PTSD symptoms (all P < 0.001), accounting for 32% of the variance. For depression, rumination, SLEs, and PEs were among the significant predictors (all P < 0.001), explaining 24.9% of the variance. Two-way analysis of variance of different recent and prior TEs showed significant dose-effect relationships. The effect of recent TEs on PTSD symptoms was potentiated by prior TEs ( P = 0.005). COVID-19 PEs and prior TEs additively contributed to PTSD symptoms, with no significant interaction ( P = 0.94). Meanwhile, recent TEs were also potentiated by SLEs ( P = 0.002). The effects of TEs on PTSD symptoms were mediated by rumination (β = 0.38, standard error = 0.01, 95% confidence interval: 0.36 to 0.41), with 40.4% of the total effect explained. All 4 rumination subtypes were significant mediators., Conclusions: Prior and ongoing TEs, PEs, and SLEs cumulatively exacerbated PTSD and depressive symptoms. The role of event-based rumination and their interventions should be prioritized for future research.