Hans Oh1, Caitlin Marinovich2, Ravi Rajkumar3, Megan Besecker2, Sasha Zhou4, Louis Jacob5, Ai Koyanagi6, Lee Smith7. 1. Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, United States. Electronic address: hansoh@usc.edu. 2. Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, United States. 3. Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India. 4. Department of Public Health, Wayne State University, United States. 5. Research and Development Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Spain; Faculty of Medicine, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. 6. Research and Development Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Spain; ICREA, Spain. 7. Physical Activity and Public Health, Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about tremendous social and economic turmoil, which has been associated with increased levels of depression and anxiety. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Healthy Minds Study (Fall Semester Cohort 2020), a non-probability sample of students across multiple colleges who completed an online survey between September - December 2020. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined the associations between COVID-19 dimensions (concern, racial/ethnic discrimination, financial distress, infection, illness of loved one, death of loved one, caregiving) and mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety), adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and international student status. RESULTS: Nearly a fifth of the sample reported moderately severe or severe depression, and nearly a third reported moderately severe or severe anxiety over the past two weeks. When accounting for all COVID-19 dimensions in the same model, COVID-19 concern, racial/ethnic discrimination, financial distress, and infection were significantly associated with moderately severe or severe depression; COVID-19 concern, financial distress, and infection were significantly associated with moderately severe or severe anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic may have shaped mental health through a range of potential social and environmental dimensions. Interventions are required that consider multiple dimensions of COVID-19 to improve mental health during and after the pandemic.
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about tremendous social and economic turmoil, which has been associated with increased levels of depression and anxiety. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Healthy Minds Study (Fall Semester Cohort 2020), a non-probability sample of students across multiple colleges who completed an online survey between September - December 2020. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined the associations between COVID-19 dimensions (concern, racial/ethnic discrimination, financial distress, infection, illness of loved one, death of loved one, caregiving) and mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety), adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and international student status. RESULTS: Nearly a fifth of the sample reported moderately severe or severe depression, and nearly a third reported moderately severe or severe anxiety over the past two weeks. When accounting for all COVID-19 dimensions in the same model, COVID-19 concern, racial/ethnic discrimination, financial distress, and infection were significantly associated with moderately severe or severe depression; COVID-19 concern, financial distress, and infection were significantly associated with moderately severe or severe anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic may have shaped mental health through a range of potential social and environmental dimensions. Interventions are required that consider multiple dimensions of COVID-19 to improve mental health during and after the pandemic.
Authors: Mayuri Gogoi; Adam Webb; Manish Pareek; Christopher D Bayliss; Lieve Gies Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-07-30 Impact factor: 4.614