Psychospiritual impact of COVID-19: Africentric Perspectives

This study sought to find out the psychospiritual impact of COVID-D as a result of the imposition of preventive measures. The study was carried out in the Mezam Division of the North West Region of Cameroon. A mixed research approach was used for the study with the aid of a questionnaire and an interview guide. A convenient sampling technique was chosen for the study based on the availability of the 50 respondents chosen for the study, using the snowball technique. The results of the study reveal that the most acceptable preventive measures that people complied to were personal hygiene (100%), taking of African traditional concoction treatments (100%) and prayers to God (100%). Psychologically, 60% of the respondents expressed symptoms of anxiety, while 30% expressed symptoms for stress and 20% expressed symptoms of depression. Spiritually, all 50 respondents (100%) indicated that their spiritual activities have been disrupted by the pandemic, which poses a real problem for an African oriented society where religion and spiritual activities are common. In conclusions, it was evident that psychospiritual dissonance including mixed and faulty beliefs on those claiming to provide solutions complicated peoples’ understanding of the realities of the situations.

Associations Between Symptoms of Depression and Air Pollutant Exposure Among Older Adults: Results From the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (TLSA)

Background: Little epidemiological research has investigated the associations of air pollutant exposure over various time windows with older adults' symptoms of depression. This study aimed to analyze the relationships of long- and short-term ambient air pollution exposure (to coarse particulate matter, O3, SO2, CO, and NOx) with depressive symptoms in a sample of community-dwelling older adults.Methods: A sample of older adults (n = 1,956) was recruited from a nationally representative multiple-wave study (Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging). Between 1996 and 2007, four waves of surveys investigated depressive symptoms by using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression questionnaire. We approximated air pollutant concentrations from 1995 to 2007 by using daily concentration data for five air pollutants at air quality monitoring stations in the administrative zone of participants' residences. after adjusting for covariates, we applied generalized linear mixed models to analyze associations for different exposure windows (7-, 14-, 21-, 30-, 60-, 90-, and 180-day and 1-year moving averages).Results: In a one-pollutant model, long- and short-term exposure to CO and NOx was associated with heightened risks of depressive symptoms; the odds ratio and corresponding 95% confidence interval for each interquartile range (IQR) increment in CO at 7-, 14-, 21-, 30-, 60-, 90-, and 180-day and 1-year moving averages were 1.232 (1.116, 1.361), 1.237 (1.136, 1.348), 1.216 (1.128, 1.311), 1.231 (1.133, 1.338), 1.224 (1.124, 1.332), 1.192 (1.106, 1.285), 1.228 (1.122, 1.344), and 1.180 (1.102, 1.265), respectively. Those for each IQR increment in NOx were 1.312 (1.158, 1.488), 1.274 (1.162, 1.398), 1.295 (1.178, 1.432), 1.310 (1.186, 1.447), 1.345 (1.209, 1.496), 1.348 (1.210, 1.501), 1.324 (1.192, 1.471), and 1.219 (1.130, 1.314), respectively. The exposure to PM10, O3, and SO2 over various windows were not significant. In the two-pollutant model, only the associations of NOx exposure with depressive symptoms remained robust after adjustment for any other pollutant.Conclusions: Exposure to traffic-associated air pollutants could increase depression risks among older adults.

The Brain–Skin Axis in Psoriasis—Psychological, Psychiatric, Hormonal, and Dermatological Aspects

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with systemic manifestation, in which psychological factors play an important role. The etiology of psoriasis is complex and multifactorial, including genetic background and environmental factors such as emotional or physical stress. Psychological stress may also play a role in exacerbation of psoriasis, by dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, sympathetic–adrenal–medullary axis, peripheral nervous system, and immune system. Skin cells also express various neuropeptides and hormones in response to stress, including the fully functional analog of the HPA axis. The deterioration of psoriatic lesions is accompanied by increased production of inflammatory mediators, which could contribute to the imbalance of neurotransmitters and the development of symptoms of depression and anxiety. Therefore, deregulation of the crosstalk between endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine stress signaling pathways contributes to clinical manifestations of psoriasis, which requires multidisciplinary approaches.

The profile of quality of life and mental health of university students in the healthcare field

Objective: to present the profile of quality of life and symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress in university students in the healthcare area. Method: a descriptive study with a quantitative approach to data, carried out with university students in the healthcare field of three Federal Institutions of Higher Education in Minas Gerais. Variables such as sociodemographic, lifestyle, presence of depression symptoms, anxiety and stress, and quality of life (QoL) were measured. The QoL was assessed using the WHOQUOL-bref scale and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress using the DASS-21 scale. A descriptive data analysis was performed. Results: 321 students participated in the study, mostly female (71.0%). More than 50% of the students had symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, regardless of the level of severity, while severe/very severe symptoms were present in more than 20% of them, presenting a higher proportion in the nursing course. The psychological domain had the lowest overall QoL score (58.33), and the best was observed in the social relationships domain (66.67). Nursing students had the lowest scores while physical education students had the best scores in most domains. Medical students had the best score in the environment domain (68.75). Conclusion: Suggest the planning of policies and strategies that promote the physical and mental well-being of students, as well as screening and monitoring of most vulnerable ones, as well as those with mental health problems; such strategies can positively impact QoL.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associated Lockdown Measures on the Management, Health and Behaviour of the Cystic Fibrosis Population in France During 2020 (MUCONFIN)

BackgroundMost of the studies on cystic fibrosis (CF) focused on SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and suggested a low incidence of infection in this population We aimed to assess in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients the impact on healthcare access, health, and behaviour of the pandemic and associated lockdown measures implemented in May 2020 in response to the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection.MethodsA national questionnaire opened online from May 10th, 2020 to June 11th, 2020 was completed by 751 CF-patients, aged 14 years and over. It comprised questions about access to healthcare, anxiety and depression, smoking, alcohol, drug and psychotropic drug consumption, adherence to CF treatment, and constraints. A semi-structured comprehensive interview was performed no later than one month after the end of the lockdown in 15 CF-patients.ResultsThe mean age of the population was 28 [IQR 20-37] years old. More than 75% of in-person consultations scheduled during the lockdown were cancelled and 27% were postponed, but telehealth consultations were proposed and accepted in almost 40% of cases. More than 75% of the scheduled physiotherapy sessions were cancelled and replaced mainly by self-drainage. Annual follow-up clinic visits were consistently postponed whereas required hospitalizations at CF centres for exacerbation were maintained in most cases. While 43% CF-patients had signs of anxiety, 51% presented symptoms of depression, both associated with increased use of psychotic medications and inversely correlated to COVID-19 prevalence. Among the lower and lower middle classes, very little medical information was obtained or requested by the patient, participation to sports or other activities was low, while excessive home confinement and isolation were more frequent. In contrast, in the upper middle and upper classes, individuals solicitated help to their CF centre, had more physical activities, and maintained contact with friends or families.ConclusionThe first lockdown in France had only minimal impact on the management care of CF-patients but was associated with increased symptoms of anxiety and depression, together with behavioural changes that varied with social class

Symptoms of depression in children part of the “snowflake” generation and their input for the functioning of the whole family. Narrative research of modern families

In the article I analyze the problem of mental health about children of the generation of "snowflakes". The subject of the article is the problem of child depression affecting the whole family system. The main symptoms of this disease are presented. They are discussed in detail with their impact on family relationships. The main functions of the family were recalled, as they gave the structure for the analysis of narrative tests. A lot of attention was paid to the description of the impact of depression on the life of the whole family, including marriage, contact with children, social contacts, changes in the family's activity and material situation, as well as emotional reactions of family members. The analysis of narrative tests shows the family's reactions to the child's disease.

Beliefs in Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories About COVID- 19: a Triangular Relationship Between Analytic Thinking, Depressive States, and Misperception

Beliefs about misinformation and conspiracy theories are often associated with a state of mind. With the spread of the pandemic there has been an outbreak of depression cases among the population. In this paper, we attempt to test the relationship between affective states and beliefs in misinformation about COVID-19 during the early phase of the pandemic. We do this through a survey carried out on a random and representative sample of the Italian population that allows us to go and verify the co-evolution of many factors: i.e., beliefs in misinformation, symptoms of depression, perceptions and misperceptions about COVID-19, ways in which citizens got informed about the pandemic, and sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, education). The results show that the relationship between affective state and beliefs in misinformation exists but is more complex than hypothesized.

A web-based survey on factors for unvaccination and adverse reactions of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in Chinese postoperative patients with breast cancer

Background Vaccination against SARS-COV-2 has been the most important strategy for preventing infection of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women, but there is a lack of research on the pandemics in postoperative patients with breast cancer. Objective To investigate the rate and factors for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and adverse reactions after vaccination in postoperative patients with breast cancer. Methods A web-based questionnaire survey on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in postoperative patients with breast cancer among women. Results A total of 947 online questionnaires were collected. Of these, 341 accepted SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, while 606 were not vaccinated. There were significant differences in age, current treatment, the time since surgery, and the symptoms of anxiety and depression between the two groups. We identified current treatment (OR=0.51 for endocrine therapy; 95% CI: 0.29-0.89), the time since surgery (OR=22.49 for 1-2 years; 95% CI: 12.31-41.10; OR=8.49 for 2-5 years ; 95% CI: 4.98-14.46; OR=1.79 for >5 years ; 95% CI: 1.11-2.89), and the symptoms of depression (OR=2.48; 95% CI: 1.19-5.15) as significant factors for unvaccination. The overall incidence of adverse reactions was 43.1%. The most common local and systemic adverse reactions were pain at the injection site (28.4%) and fatigue (8.8%), respectively. Conclusion Postoperative patients with breast cancer have a relatively lower rate of vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 than the general population. Receiving treatment, a shorter time since surgery and symptom of depression were associated with unvaccination. More importantly, a favorable safety profile of the vaccines is indicated.