Joep van Agteren1,2,3, Jonathan Bartholomaeus4,5, Dan Fassnacht2,3, Matthew Iasiello4,6, Kathina Ali2,3, Laura Lo4, Mike Kyrios2,3. 1. Wellbeing and Resilience Centre, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, North TerraceSAHMRI, Adelaide, AU. 2. College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, AU. 3. Orama Institute for Mental Health, Wellbeing, and Neuroscience, Adelaide, AU. 4. Wellbeing and Resilience Centre, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, AU. 5. School of Psychology, the University of Adelaide, Adelaide, AU. 6. College of Nursing and Health Science, Flinders University, Adelaide, AU.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is expected to have widespread and pervasive implications for mental health in terms of deteriorating outcomes and increased health service utilization, leading to calls for empirical research on mental health during the pandemic. Internet-based psychological measurement can play an important role in collecting imperative data, assisting to guide evidence-based decision making in practice and policy, and subsequently facilitating immediate reporting of measurement results to participants. OBJECTIVE: To use an internet-based mental health measurement platform to compare the mental health profile of community members during COVID-19 with community members assessed before the pandemic. METHODS: This study used an Internet-based self-assessment tool to collect data on psychological distress, mental wellbeing, and resilience in community cohorts during (n=673), and prior to the pandemic (two cohorts, n=1264 and n=340). RESULTS: Results demonstrated significantly worst outcomes on all mental health measures for participants measured during COVID-19 compared to those measured before, P<.001 for all outcomes, effect sizes ranging between d=0.32 to d=0.81. Participants who demonstrated problematic scores for at least one of the mental health outcomes increased from 58% before COVID-19 to 79% during COVID-19, leading to only 21% of measured participants displaying good mental health during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The results clearly demonstrate a deterioration in mental health outcomes during COVID-19. While further research is needed, findings support the serious mental health implications of the pandemic and highlights the utility of internet-based data collection tools in providing evidence to innovate and strengthen practice and policy during and after the pandemic. CLINICALTRIAL: N.a.
BACKGROUND:COVID-19 is expected to have widespread and pervasive implications for mental health in terms of deteriorating outcomes and increased health service utilization, leading to calls for empirical research on mental health during the pandemic. Internet-based psychological measurement can play an important role in collecting imperative data, assisting to guide evidence-based decision making in practice and policy, and subsequently facilitating immediate reporting of measurement results to participants. OBJECTIVE: To use an internet-based mental health measurement platform to compare the mental health profile of community members during COVID-19 with community members assessed before the pandemic. METHODS: This study used an Internet-based self-assessment tool to collect data on psychological distress, mental wellbeing, and resilience in community cohorts during (n=673), and prior to the pandemic (two cohorts, n=1264 and n=340). RESULTS: Results demonstrated significantly worst outcomes on all mental health measures for participants measured during COVID-19 compared to those measured before, P<.001 for all outcomes, effect sizes ranging between d=0.32 to d=0.81. Participants who demonstrated problematic scores for at least one of the mental health outcomes increased from 58% before COVID-19 to 79% during COVID-19, leading to only 21% of measured participants displaying good mental health during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The results clearly demonstrate a deterioration in mental health outcomes during COVID-19. While further research is needed, findings support the serious mental health implications of the pandemic and highlights the utility of internet-based data collection tools in providing evidence to innovate and strengthen practice and policy during and after the pandemic. CLINICALTRIAL: N.a.
Authors: Xi Chen; Stephen X Zhang; Asghar Afshar Jahanshahi; Aldo Alvarez-Risco; Huiyang Dai; Jizhen Li; Verónica García Ibarra Journal: JMIR Public Health Surveill Date: 2020-07-21
Authors: Alessio Matiz; Franco Fabbro; Andrea Paschetto; Damiano Cantone; Anselmo Roberto Paolone; Cristiano Crescentini Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-09-04 Impact factor: 3.390