scholarly journals Investigating the effect of COVID-19 dissemination on symptoms of anxiety and depression among university students

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Vigo ◽  
Laura Jones ◽  
Richard Munthali ◽  
Julia Pei ◽  
Jean Westenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Percentage Point Increase ◽  
University Of British Columbia ◽  
Point Increase ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

Background Evidence about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of specific subpopulations, such as university students, is needed as communities prepare for future waves. Aims To study the association of proximity of COVID-19 with symptoms of anxiety and depression in university students. Method This trend study analysed weekly cross-sectional surveys of probabilistic samples of students from the University of British Columbia for 13 weeks, through the first wave of COVID-19. The main variable assessed was propinquity of COVID-19, defined as ‘knowing someone who tested positive for COVID-19’, which was specified at different levels: knowing someone anywhere globally, in Canada, in Vancouver, in their course or at home. Proximity was included in multivariable linear regressions to assess its association with primary outcomes, including 30-day symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. Results Of 1388 respondents (adjusted response rate of 50%), 5.6% knew someone with COVID-19 in Vancouver, 0.8% in their course and 0.3% at home. Ten percent were overwhelmed and unable to access help. Knowing someone in Vancouver was associated with an 11-percentage-point increase in the probability of 30-day anxiety symptoms (s.e. 0.05, P ≤ 0.05), moderated by gender, with a significant interaction of the exposure and being female (coefficient −20, s.e. 0.09, P ≤ 0.05). No association was found with depressive symptoms. Conclusions Propinquity of COVID-19 cases may increase the likelihood of anxiety symptoms in students, particularly among men. Most students reported coping well, but additional support is needed for an emotionally overwhelmed minority who report being unable to access help.

scholarly journals Inflation Expectations and Readiness to Spend: Cross-Sectional Evidence

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rüdiger Bachmann ◽  
Tim O. Berg ◽  
Eric R. Sims
Keyword(s):  
Lower Bound ◽  
Inflation Expectations ◽  
Zero Lower Bound ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Percentage Point Increase ◽  
Expected Inflation ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Point Increase ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

There have been suggestions for monetary policy to engineer higher inflation expectations to stimulate spending. We examine the relationship between expected inflation and spending attitudes using the microdata from the Michigan Survey of Consumers. The impact of higher inflation expectations on the reported readiness to spend on durables is generally small, outside the zero lower bound, often statistically insignificant, and inside of it typically significantly negative. In our baseline specification, a one percentage point increase in expected inflation during the recent zero lower bound period reduces households' probability of having a positive attitude towards spending by about 0.5 percentage points. (JEL D12, D84, E21, E31, E52)

scholarly journals The impact of a personalized, community-based counselling and referral programme on modern contraceptive use in urban Ghana: a retrospective evaluation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth G Henry ◽  
Kristy M Hackett ◽  
Ayaga Bawah ◽  
Patrick O Asuming ◽  
Caesar Agula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Modern Contraceptive ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Percentage Point Increase ◽  
Point Increase ◽  
Intervention Area ◽  
Matched Comparison ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Community-based demand-generation family planning programmes have been associated with increased contraceptive use in rural areas of Ghana. However, rigorous evaluations of such programmes in urban contexts are lacking. We used a retrospective, cross-sectional with comparison group design to estimate the immediate and sustained impact of the Willows intervention on modern contraceptive use in Kumasi, Ghana. The Willows intervention is a home-based counselling and referral programme for women in low-income urban settlements. We analysed data from a cross-sectional representative survey of 1205 women of reproductive age in the intervention area and 1108 women in a matched comparison site. The main outcome was women’s reported contraceptive use at: (1) baseline (January 2013); (2) programme close (December 2016); and (3) follow-up (August to October 2018). We estimated the programme effect at the community level and for women who reported receiving a family planning counselling visit. We used coarsened exact matching to assess the impact of the intervention relative to outcomes for matched comparison women. Comparing those who reported a family planning visit in the intervention area with matched comparison area women who reported no visit, we estimated a 10.5 percentage point increase in use of modern contraceptives from baseline to close (95%CI : 6.2, 14.8; P < 0.001) and a 7.6 percentage point increase from baseline to follow-up (95%CI : 3.3, 11.9; P < 0.001). However, only 20.2% of women in the Willows intervention area reported a visit. The Willows intervention, therefore, did not achieve its aim to reach all reproductive-aged women in the community. At the community level, we found no significant effect of the intervention at either programme close or 2 years later. We recommend that similar community-based interventions strive for greater outreach and simultaneously launch robust prospective impact evaluations.

scholarly journals Personal Relative Deprivation and Mental Health Among University Students: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Evidence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather J. Smith ◽  
Desiree Ryan ◽  
Alexandria Jaurique ◽  
Elise Duffau
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Relative Deprivation ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Colleges and universities are a unique context in which students encounter similar aged peers from a wide range of economic backgrounds. As emerging adults coping with major life transitions, students may be especially sensitive to upward contrasts with other students who have advantages that they feel they deserve (personal relative deprivation or PRD). We surveyed a population of university students when they were second- and third-year students (N = 309), and two years later, when they were fourth- and fifth-year students (N = 400). Increased PRD predicted increased anxiety and depression – even after accounting for students’ access to social support, the degree to which they identified with the university, and their gender, family income, ethnic background and whether the student was a first-generation college student. For a third separate sample of students who completed both surveys (N = 168), PRD predicted students’ mental health two years later even after accounting for their earlier anxiety and depression. In all three samples, PRD mediated the relationship between self-reported family income and mental health. These data indicate that universities and colleges should consider a broad range of interventions and policies that can mitigate the impact of upward social contrasts.

scholarly journals Graduating from Medical School amid a Pandemic: A Study of Graduates’ Mental Health and Concerns

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Hend M. Alkwai
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact

The corona virus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has vastly impacted individuals worldwide. Millions have contracted the disease thus far; however, the ramifications of containment measures such as quarantine and lockdown have affected many more. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of self-reported anxiety and depression among a cohort of Saudi medical students, as well as graduating medical students’ concerns, during this pandemic. This cross-sectional study utilized an online survey that collected demographic data, scores on validated anxiety, and depression scales, as well as the graduates’ concerns. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) and the Public Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9) scales were used. Cutoff scores for anxiety symptoms were (GAD-7 ≥ 8) and for depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10). Out of 83 graduates, 55 completed the online survey. Anxiety symptoms were present in 34%, depression was present in 26%, and 19% had both depression and anxiety symptoms. Female graduates experienced higher anxiety symptoms (54 vs. 15%, p = 0.004 ). The highest-ranked concerns were the possible effect of the pandemic on the forthcoming internship year and on the impact on the current academic course. We found high levels of anxiety and depression symptoms during the pandemic among our cohort of medical students in their final year of study. Our findings suggest that medical students in their final years may be negatively affected by the pandemic, where high levels of depression and anxiety coincide with concerns about the effect of the pandemic on the next phase of their vocation.

The Effect of Taxation and Corruption on Firm Growth: An Empirical Investigation for Vietnam

2016 ◽  
pp. 5-29
Author(s):  
Bich Le Thi Ngoc
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Firm Growth ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Economic Management ◽  
Tax Rate ◽  
Percentage Point Increase ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Point Increase ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this study is to analyze empirically the impact of taxation and corruption on the growth of manufacturing firms in Vietnam. The study employed pooled OLS estimation and then instrument variables with fixed effect for the panel data of 1377 firms in Vietnam from 2005 to 2011. These data were obtained from the survey of the Central Institute for Economic Management and the Danish International Development Agency. The results show that both taxation and corruption are negatively associated with firm growth measured by firm sales adjusted according to the GDP deflator. A one-percentage point increase in the bribery rate is linked with a reduction of 16,883 percentage points in firm revenue, over four and a half times bigger than the effect of a one-percentage point increase in the tax rate. From the findings of this research, the author recommends the Vietnam government to lessen taxation on firms and that there should be an urgent revolution in anti-corruption policies as well as bureaucratic improvement in Vietnam.

scholarly journals Stress Perceived by University Health Sciences Students, 1 Year after COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5233
Author(s):  
Yolanda Marcén-Román ◽  
Angel Gasch-Gallen ◽  
Irene Isabel Vela Martín de la Mota ◽  
Estela Calatayud ◽  
Isabel Gómez-Soria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
University Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Occupational Therapy Students ◽  
Health Sciences Students ◽  
The Impact

Today’s COVID-19 situation can affect university Health Sciences students’ psychological health. This study aimed to analyze the stress caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Health Sciences students from the University of Zaragoza (Spain) almost 1 year after the pandemic began. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with a sample of 252 university students who completed a self-administered online questionnaire. It evaluated the impact of perceived stress with a modified scale (PSS-10-C), and assessed anxiety and depression on the Goldberg scale. Students presented stress (13.1%), anxiety (71.4%) and depression (81%). Females (81.7%) and the third-year Occupational Therapy students (p = 0.010) reported perceived stress. Nursing students perceived less stress (OR: 0.148; 95% CI: 0.026 to 0.842). University students developed stress and anxiety due to COVID-19 almost 1 year after the pandemic began. Psychological support measures for these groups should be prioritized.

scholarly journals Planning prompts to promote uptake of HIV services among men: a randomised trial in rural Uganda

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. e003390
Author(s):  
Nolan M Kavanagh ◽  
Elisabeth M Schaffer ◽  
Alex Ndyabakira ◽  
Kara Marson ◽  
Diane V Havlir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Health Campaign ◽  
Percentage Point Increase ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Point Increase ◽  
Cost Planning ◽  
Testing Uptake ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionInterventions informed by behavioural economics, such as planning prompts, have the potential to increase HIV testing at minimal or no cost. Planning prompts have not been previously evaluated for HIV testing uptake. We conducted a randomised clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of low-cost planning prompts to promote HIV testing among men.MethodsWe randomised adult men in rural Ugandan parishes to receive a calendar planning prompt that gave them the opportunity to make a plan to get tested for HIV at health campaigns held in their communities. Participants received either a calendar showing the dates when the community health campaign would be held (control group) or a calendar showing the dates and prompting them to select a date and time when they planned to attend (planning prompt group). Participants were not required to select a date and time or to share their selection with study staff. The primary outcome was HIV testing uptake at the community health campaign.ResultsAmong 2362 participants, 1796 (76%) participants tested for HIV. Men who received a planning prompt were 2.2 percentage points more likely to test than the control group, although the difference was not statistically significant (77.1% vs 74.9%; 95% CI –1.2 to 5.7 percentage points, p=0.20). The planning prompt was more effective among men enrolled ≤40 days before the campaigns (3.6 percentage-point increase in testing; 95% CI –2.9 to 10.1, p=0.27) than among men enrolled >40 days before the campaigns (1.8 percentage-point increase; 95% CI –2.3 to 5.8, p=0.39), although the effects within the subgroups were not significant.ConclusionThese findings suggest that planning prompts may be an effective behavioural intervention to promote HIV testing at minimal or no cost. Large-scale studies should further assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of such interventions.

Patient reported outcomes in patients with desmoid type fibromatosis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 11574-11574
Author(s):  
VIKAS GARG ◽  
Sameer Rastogi ◽  
Adarsh Barwad ◽  
Rambha Panday ◽  
Sandeep Kumar Bhoriwal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Reported Outcomes ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Benign Neoplasm ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Appendicular Skeleton ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Symptom Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
The Impact

11574 Background: Desmoid type fibromatosis (DTF) is a rare benign neoplasm with infiltrative growth and high local recurrences. Due to long disease course, unpredictable growth pattern, and low mortality, using only survival outcomes may be inappropriate. In this study we assessed the impact of DTF on health related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done in patients with DTF. The study participants were asked to fill the EORTC QLQ-C30, GAD-7 and PHQ- 9 q uestionnaires to assess HRQoL, anxiety and depression . Outcomes were also compared with healthy controls. Results: 204 subjects (102 DTF patients and 102 healthy controls) were recruited. Study parameters have been summarized in Table. Appendicular skeleton (limbs + girdle) was most commonly involved in 59 % patients and abdominal wall or mesentery was involved in 22.5 %. Patients have received median of 2 lines of therapy. 54 % patients were currently on sorafenib and 41 % were under active surveillance. Mean global health status in DTF patient 65.58 ± 22.64, was significantly lower than healthy controls. Similarly, DTF patients scored low on all functional scales except cognitive functioning. Symptom scale showed significantly higher symptom burden of fatigue, pain, insomnia and financial difficulties. Anxiety & depression was observed in 39.22 % and 50 % of DTF patients respectively. DTF patients had higher rates of mild, moderate and severe anxiety and depression compared to healthy controls. No difference was observed based on site of disease. Conclusions: DTF patients have significant symptom burden, poor functioning, and heightened anxiety and depression. Patient reported outcomes should be routinely used to assess treatment efficacy in DTF patients.[Table: see text]

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