scholarly journals Low Zinc, Copper, and Manganese Intake is Associated with Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in the Japanese Working Population: Findings from the Eating Habit and Well-Being Study

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mieko Nakamura ◽  
Ayako Miura ◽  
Tomomi Nagahata ◽  
Yosuke Shibata ◽  
Eisaku Okada ◽  
...  

Epidemiological studies have suggested that there is an association between diet and mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the intake of six minerals and mental disorders in a cross-sectional study. We used data from the Eating Habit and Well-being study in Japanese workers. Kessler’s six-item psychological distress scale was used to detect mental disorders, with a cut-off score of 12/13, and a validated food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate dietary mineral intake. A total of 2089 participants with no history of depression were included. The prevalence of mental disorders was 6.9%. The lowest quartiles of zinc, copper, and manganese intakes were associated with mental disorders, whereas the lowest quartiles of calcium, magnesium, and iron intake were not associated with mental disorders. Combination analysis of high (≥median) or low (<median) intake of zinc, copper, and manganese showed that low zinc and low copper intake, even with low or high manganese intake (odds ratio (OR), 2.71, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.29–5.73, and OR, 3.06, 95% CI, 1.41–6.61, respectively) showed a higher OR than that of high zinc, high copper, and high manganese intake. Further studies are required to investigate the impact of dietary mineral intake on mental health.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yessica Abigail Tronco Hernández ◽  
Fabio Parente ◽  
Mark A Faghy ◽  
Clare M P Roscoe ◽  
Frances A Maratos

BACKGROUND Lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the living and working habits of millions of people, with potentially important implications for their physical, mental, and social well-being. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on remote workers who were not directly affected by COVID-19. METHODS This was a correlational cross-sectional study (with an additional qualitative component) of 184 remote workers surveyed during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom. Standard measures of mental health (Kessler-6 Distress Scale), productivity (Brief Instrument to Assess Workers’ Productivity During a Working Day), and physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) were used, and respondents were further surveyed on changes to their dietary, exercise, smoking, drinking, and socialization habits to produce a well-being change index. RESULTS The results revealed associations between sedentary behavior and poorer mental health (<i>τ</i><sub>b</sub>=0.14) and between poorer mental health and low work productivity (<i>τ</i><sub>b</sub>=–0.39). However, both positive and negative lifestyle changes were reported; a self-reported increase in well-being (with respect to diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, and socialization) since the start of the pandemic was associated with both better mental health (<i>τ</i><sub>b</sub>=–0.14) and better work productivity (<i>τ</i><sub>b</sub>=0.14). Of note, among respondents without a mental health diagnosis (137/184, 74.4%), we observed rates of moderate (76/137, 55.5%) and severe (17/137, 12.4%) psychological distress, which were markedly higher than those reported in large prepandemic studies; moreover, 70.1% (129/184) of our respondents reported more sedentary behavior, 41% (69/168) increased their alcohol consumption, and 38.6% (71/184) increased their overall food intake. However, 46% (75/163), 44.8% (39/87) and 51.8% (57/110) of respondents reported spending more time walking and engaging in more moderate and vigorous exercise, respectively. Qualitative analysis revealed many positive adaptations to lockdowns (eg, decreased commuting expenses, flexibility) but also a number of structural obstacles to remote working (eg, lack of support and high expectations from employers, childcare duties). CONCLUSIONS These findings may be of practical importance for policy makers and employers in a world in which work involves long-term remote or hybrid employment arrangements; strategies to promote more sustainable remote working are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (28) ◽  
pp. 7290-7295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noreen Goldman ◽  
Dana A. Glei ◽  
Maxine Weinstein

Although there is little dispute about the impact of the US opioid epidemic on recent mortality, there is less consensus about whether trends reflect increasing despair among American adults. The issue is complicated by the absence of established scales or definitions of despair as well as a paucity of studies examining changes in psychological health, especially well-being, since the 1990s. We contribute evidence using two cross-sectional waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study to assess changes in measures of psychological distress and well-being. These measures capture negative emotions such as sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness, and positive emotions such as happiness, fulfillment, and life satisfaction. Most of the measures reveal increasing distress and decreasing well-being across the age span for those of low relative socioeconomic position, in contrast to little decline or modest improvement for persons of high relative position.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Stratton ◽  
Michael J. Player ◽  
Ariane Dahlheimer ◽  
Isabella Choi ◽  
Nicholas Glozier

PurposeDiscrimination and bullying contribute to mental ill-health in the workplace. At face value, they would seem linked but are often dealt with by different legislations. Workplace studies generally focus on bullying and population studies on discrimination. The authors aimed to evaluate the prevalence and relationship of discrimination and bullying in a male-dominated workforce, associated factors and relative impact on mental ill-health.Design/methodology/approachAn online cohort survey was conducted amongst employees of an Australian mining company, measuring discrimination, bullying, demographics and workplace and health factors over two months. Cross-sectional and prospective analyses assessed the prevalence of each, their association and their effects on depression and anxiety.FindingsA total of 580 employees (82% male) participated. There was no association between workplace bullying (n = 56, 9.7%) and discrimination (n = 160, 27.6%). Discrimination, but not bullying, was associated with higher depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation and lower well-being and resilience. After controlling for demographic, workplace and health and well-being factors, depression had the main effect on discrimination ß = 0.39, p = 0.003. Discrimination predicted an increase in depression scores at follow-up F (1, 129) = 4.88, p = 0.029.Originality/valueIn this male-dominated industry, discrimination was more prevalent than bullying. Discrimination, but not bullying, was associated with poorer mental health both cross sectionally and prospectively. Supporting the need to assess and manage discrimination and bullying in the workplace independently and the need for interventions to reduce a broader range of adverse interpersonal behaviours.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e027289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Mizen ◽  
Jiao Song ◽  
Richard Fry ◽  
Ashley Akbari ◽  
Damon Berridge ◽  
...  

IntroductionStudies suggest that access and exposure to green-blue spaces (GBS) have beneficial impacts on mental health. However, the evidence base is limited with respect to longitudinal studies. The main aim of this longitudinal, population-wide, record-linked natural experiment, is to model the daily lived experience by linking GBS accessibility indices, residential GBS exposure and health data; to enable quantification of the impact of GBS on well-being and common mental health disorders, for a national population.Methods and analysisThis research will estimate the impact of neighbourhood GBS access, GBS exposure and visits to GBS on the risk of common mental health conditions and the opportunity for promoting subjective well-being (SWB); both key priorities for public health. We will use a Geographic Information System (GIS) to create quarterly household GBS accessibility indices and GBS exposure using digital map and satellite data for 1.4 million homes in Wales, UK (2008–2018). We will link the GBS accessibility indices and GBS exposures to individual-level mental health outcomes for 1.7 million people with general practitioner (GP) data and data from the National Survey for Wales (n=~12 000) on well-being in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. We will examine if these associations are modified by multiple sociophysical variables, migration and socioeconomic disadvantage. Subgroup analyses will examine associations by different types of GBS. This longitudinal study will be augmented by cross-sectional research using survey data on self-reported visits to GBS and SWB.Ethics and disseminationAll data will be anonymised and linked within the privacy protecting SAIL Databank. We will be using anonymised data and therefore we are exempt from National Research Ethics Committee (NREC). An Information Governance Review Panel (IGRP) application (Project ID: 0562) to link these data has been approved.The research programme will be undertaken in close collaboration with public/patient involvement groups. A multistrategy programme of dissemination is planned with the academic community, policy-makers, practitioners and the public.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roohollah Farhadloo ◽  
Sarallah Shojaei ◽  
Hamid Torabian ◽  
Mostafa Vahedian ◽  
Masoumeh Zakerimoghadam ◽  
...  

Background: Improving lifestyle, increasing lifespan and life expectancy have led to the phenomenon of aging in societies. The increasing population of older adults is one of the most important economic, social, and health challenges in the current century. Objectives: This study was conducted to measure the mental health of older adults in Qom City and its relationship with socioeconomic factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study on 400 older adults over 60 years in the urban areas of Qom in 2018. A multi-stage sampling method was used for this study. The research tools were a demographic questionnaire, the Kessler Psychological Distress scale (K6), and a standard psychological well-being scale. Data were analyzed by Stata 12 software using the t-test. The significance level was considered less than 0.05. Results: Considering the mental health status, based on the K6, 55% of the elderly showed signs of low depression anxiety, 34% moderate, and 11% showed severe anxiety symptoms. Regarding the status of well-being, 49.50% were in good condition (11.3 ± 3.3), 27.75% were in moderate condition (13.8 ± 2.9), and 22.75% were in poor condition (7.3 ± 2.6). Anxiety and depression had significant relationships with gender, having an illness, marital status, having a caregiver, and income. Conclusions: The results showed that about half of the elderly in Qom had moderate anxiety and depression disorders, as well as moderate mental well-being, which indicates the moderate level of anxiety and mental disorders in the elderly in Qom.


Author(s):  
Shiva Raj Acharya ◽  
Deog Hwan Moon ◽  
Jin Ho Chun ◽  
Yong Chul Shin

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has affected various facets of health. While mental health became a major concern during the COVID-19 outbreak, the impact on the migrants’ mental health has still been neglected. The purpose of this study was to examine the COVID-19 outbreak's impact on the mental health of immigrants in South Korea. Methods A total number of 386 immigrants in South Korea participated in this quantitative cross-sectional study. The standardized e-questionnaire, including the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, was used to measure the anxiety level. Logistic regression analysis was performed to find out the determinants of anxiety disorders among immigrants. Results The prevalence of severe anxiety among immigrants was found to be 47.2%. Female immigrants (28.6%) had a lower anxiety disorder than males (71.4%). Immigrants who were married, living alone, had a low income, had a history of health problems were suffered from moderate to severe anxiety. Immigrants who were unemployed (OR 2.302, 95% CI = 1.353–3.917) and lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 outbreak (OR 2.197, 95% CI = 1.312–3.678) have a higher anxiety disorder. Immigrants aged over 30 years were found to suffer from a high level of anxiety (OR 2.285, 95% CI = 1.184–4.410). Relief support from the government was significantly associated with anxiety disorder among immigrants (p < 0.01, OR = 3.151, 95% CI = 1.962–5.061). Conclusion With very limited studies on immigrants’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper provides scientific research evidence of the COVID-19 outbreak's impact on the mental health of migrants. Our study has consequences for implementing integrated psychological interventions and health promotion strategies for the well-being of immigrants’ mental health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Argyropoulos ◽  
Konstantinos Krikonis ◽  
Eleni Jelastopulu

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown has brought a serious impact on physical and mental health.Objective: The purpose of the present study was to estimate the impact of the first lockdown in Greece, on both quality of life and anxiety levels in different occupational groups.Methods: A cross-sectional on- line survey was conducted from 20th of April to 4th of May 2020. A 24-item anonymous questionnaire was administered to collect basic demographic and socioeconomic data. The 5-item WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5, 0-100%, cut-off 52%) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) tools were used to assess well-being and anxiety, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS for Windows v.24.0 Statistical Package.Results: A total of 575 participated in the study, 62.8% females, 48.5% aged between 40 to 59 years. 32.5% were employed in education sector, 32.5% in health sector and 20.3% as season workers in tourism sector. Males showed slightly higher levels of wellbeing (52.1 vs. 47.3, p=0.023) and lower levels of anxiety (7.1 vs. 8.2, p=0.023) compared to females. Factors associated with higher wellbeing and lower anxiety were higher education and income level, optimism, taking less protection measures, and being seasonal worker. Furthermore, participants with comorbidities and symptoms like headache, musculoskeletal pain, as well as feeling depressed or stressed revealed lower wellbeing and higher anxiety scores.Conclusion: Our study revealed an overall poor wellbeing and mild to moderate levels of anxiety during the lockdown. Actions should be taken to address and to prevent its serious impact on mental health.


Author(s):  
Ester Yeoh ◽  
Sooon Guan Tan ◽  
Yingshan Lee ◽  
Ying Yee Low ◽  
Su Chi Lim ◽  
...  

Background The impact of lockdown measures can be widespread, affecting both clinical and psychosocial aspects of health. This study aims to assess changes in health services access, diabetes self-care, behavioral and psychological impact of COVID-19 and partial lockdown in Singapore. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey amongst people with diabetes with the Diabetes Health Profile-18 (DHP-18). Hierarchical regression analyses were performed for each DHP-18 subscale (Psychological Distress, Disinhibited Eating and Barriers to Activity) as dependent variables in separate models. Results Among 301 respondents, 45.2% were women, majority were ethnic Chinese (67.1%), aged 40 to 49 years (24.2%), have Type 2 diabetes (68.4%) and on oral medications (42.2%). During the lockdown, nearly all respondents were able to obtain their medications, supplies (94%) and contact their doctors (97%) when needed. Respondents reported less physical activity (38%), checking of blood pressure (29%) and blood glucose (22%). Previous diagnosis of mental health conditions (β=11.44, p= 0.017), diabetes-related comorbidities (β= 3.98, p= 0.001) and Indian ethnicity (β= 7.73, p= 0.018) were significantly associated with higher psychological distress. Comorbidities were associated with higher disinhibited eating (β= 2.71, p= 0.007) while mental health condition was associated with greater barriers to activities (β= 9.63, p= 0.033). Conclusion Health services access were minimally affected but COVID-19 and lockdown had mixed impact on self-care and management behaviors. Greater clinical care and attention should be provided to people with diabetes with greater number of comorbidities and previous mental health disorders during the pandemic and lockdown.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110002
Author(s):  
Igor Portoghese ◽  
Federico Meloni ◽  
Maura Galletta ◽  
Ilenia Piras ◽  
Ernesto D’Aloja ◽  
...  

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are among the professionals at serious risk for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental health. In this sense, the next public health challenge globally will be to preserving healthy HCWs during this pandemic. Aim: The present study has the aim of investigating the relationship among concerns, perceived impact, preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic and the mental health of Italian physicians. Methods: From March 29th to April 15th 2020, we conducted an online survey using snowball sampling techniques through Limesurvey platform. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple binary logistic regressions. Results: Multivariate analysis showed that the risk factors for perceived job stress were concerns about catching COVID-19 (OR = 3.18 [95% CI = 2.00-5.05] P < .001), perceived impact on job demands (OR = 1.63 [95% CI = 1.05-2.52] P < .05), perceived impact on job role (OR = 2.50 [95% CI = 1.60-3.90] P < .001), and non-working concerns (OR = 1.86 [95% CI = 1.15-3.03] P < .05). With respect to the risk factors for rumination about the pandemic emerged concerns about catching COVID-19 (OR 1.74, [95% CI = 1.12-2.71] P < .05), perceived impact on job role (OR = 1.68 [95% CI = 1.12-2.52] P < .05), and impact on personal life (OR = 2.04 [95% CI = 1.08-3.86] P < .05). Finally, the risk factors for crying at work were perceived impact on job role (OR = 2.47, [95% CI = 1.20-5.09] P < .05), rumination about the pandemic (OR = 3.027 [95% CI = 1.27-7.19] P < .01), watching colleagues crying at work (OR = 3.82 [95% CI = 1.88-7.77] P < .01), and perceived job stress (OR = 3.53 [95% CI = 1.24-10.07] P < .05). Conclusion: In general, our results highlighted that being concerned about being infected/infecting other people, carrying out new and unusual tasks, and witnessing colleagues crying at work were important risk factors for physicians’ well-being. Additional data are necessary to advance understanding of these risk factors in a long-term perspective.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Cheikh Ismail ◽  
Maysm N. Mohamad ◽  
Mo'ath F. Bataineh ◽  
Abir Ajab ◽  
Amina M. Al-Marzouqi ◽  
...  

United Arab Emirates (UAE) has taken unprecedented precautionary measures including complete lockdowns against COVID-19 to control its spread and ensure the well-being of individuals. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 and societal lockdown measures on the mental health of adults in the UAE. A cross-sectional study was conducted using an English and Arabic online questionnaire between May and June 2020. The psychological impact was assessed by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and the social and family support impact was evaluated using questions from the Perceived Support Scale (PSS). A total of 4,426 participants (3,325 females and 1,101 males) completed the questionnaire. The mean IES-R score was 28.0 ± 14.6, reflecting a mild stressful impact with 27.3% reporting severe psychological impact. Over 36% reported increased stress from work, home and financial matters. Also, 43–63% of the participants felt horrified, apprehensive or helpless due to COVID-19. Females, younger participants, part-timers, and college or University graduates were more likely to have a high IES-R score (p &lt; 0.05). The majority of participants reported receiving increased support from family members, paying more attention to their mental health, and spending more time to rest and relax. The results of this study demonstrate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among the UAE residents and highlight the need to adopt culturally appropriate interventions for the general population and vulnerable groups, such as females and younger adults.


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