First Access to Mental Health Services During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Study

Overview

Journal J Affect Disord Rep

Date 2022 Dec 12

PMID 36506487

Authors

Eleonora Petri

Cristina Nardoni

Erika Fui

Elisa Gulino

Lachheb Abdelghani

Raffaele Barone

Paolo Angelo Fulvio Miragoli

Giuseppe Cardamone

Agnese Ciberti

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is complex and affects a broad segment of the population. Several studies indicate that depressive, anxious and post-traumatic symptoms are common in people exposed to SARS-Cov2.

Methods: 458 subjects were recruited during their first consultation in outpatient psychiatric services between June 2020 and October 2021. Post-traumatic, depressive and anxious symptoms were assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Beck Depression Inventory Scale-second edition (BDI-II), and the Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). A specific set of questions was developed, with the aim of evaluating socio-demographic variables and work, environmental and personal characteristics related to the pandemic.

Results: Prevalence rates of clinically significant depressive, anxious and post-traumatic symptoms were 57.6%, 63.5% and 54.8%, respectively. Female gender, worsening of relationship status and financial consequences due to the pandemic were the conditions most strongly associated with the presence of psychopathology.

Limitation: The cross-sectional design of the study doesn't allow an evaluation over time of the sample. No assumption of causality can be made due to the lack of pre-pandemic assessments for the investigated variables.

Conclusions: The impact of the pandemic involves depressive, anxious and post-traumatic dimensions. The investigated psychopathology correlates with several variables expressing the personal and environmental changes that occurred in the population due to the COVID-19 emergency. The study is multicentric and the recruitment of participants was held in a clinical setting, providing a realistic picture of the consequences of the pandemic in clinical practice within mental health services.

References

Fleischmann E, Dalkner N, Fellendorf F, Reininghaus E . Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with serious mental disorders: A systematic review of the literature. World J Psychiatry. 2022; 11(12):1387-1406. PMC: 8717042. DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i12.1387. View

Codagnone C, Bogliacino F, Gomez C, Charris R, Montealegre F, Liva G . Assessing concerns for the economic consequence of the COVID-19 response and mental health problems associated with economic vulnerability and negative economic shock in Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. PLoS One. 2020; 15(10):e0240876. PMC: 7591048. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240876. View

Mazza M, Palladini M, De Lorenzo R, Magnaghi C, Poletti S, Furlan R . Persistent psychopathology and neurocognitive impairment in COVID-19 survivors: Effect of inflammatory biomarkers at three-month follow-up. Brain Behav Immun. 2021; 94:138-147. PMC: 7903920. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.02.021. View

Caldiroli A, Capuzzi E, Tringali A, Tagliabue I, Turco M, Fortunato A . The psychopathological impact of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic on subjects suffering from different mental disorders: An observational retrospective study. Psychiatry Res. 2021; 307:114334. PMC: 8664498. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114334. View

Holmes E, OConnor R, Perry V, Tracey I, Wessely S, Arseneault L . Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020; 7(6):547-560. PMC: 7159850. DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30168-1. View

ZUNG W . A rating instrument for anxiety disorders. Psychosomatics. 1971; 12(6):371-9. DOI: 10.1016/S0033-3182(71)71479-0. View

Manchia M, Gathier A, Yapici-Eser H, Schmidt M, de Quervain D, van Amelsvoort T . The impact of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic on stress resilience and mental health: A critical review across waves. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2021; 55:22-83. PMC: 8554139. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.10.864. View

Robinson E, Sutin A, Daly M, Jones A . A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies comparing mental health before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. J Affect Disord. 2021; 296:567-576. PMC: 8578001. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.09.098. View

Wang C, Pan R, Wan X, Tan Y, Xu L, Ho C . Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(5). PMC: 7084952. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17051729. View

10.

Kameoka V . Reliabilities and concurrent validities of popular self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and social desirability. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1986; 54(3):328-33. DOI: 10.1037//0022-006x.54.3.328. View

11.

Sultana M, Khan A, Hossain S, Islam T, Hasan M, Ahmed H . The Association Between Financial Hardship and Mental Health Difficulties Among Adult Wage Earners During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Analysis. Front Psychiatry. 2021; 12:635884. PMC: 8488168. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.635884. View

12.

Moccia L, Janiri D, Pepe M, Dattoli L, Molinaro M, De Martin V . Affective temperament, attachment style, and the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak: an early report on the Italian general population. Brain Behav Immun. 2020; 87:75-79. PMC: 7169930. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.048. View

13.

Alleaume C, Verger P, Peretti-Watel P . Psychological support in general population during the COVID-19 lockdown in France: Needs and access. PLoS One. 2021; 16(5):e0251707. PMC: 8136662. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251707. View

14.

Di Lorenzo R, Fiore G, Bruno A, Pinelli M, Bertani D, Falcone P . Urgent Psychiatric Consultations at Mental Health Center during COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Observational Study. Psychiatr Q. 2021; 92(4):1341-1359. PMC: 7997653. DOI: 10.1007/s11126-021-09907-w. View

15.

Capuzzi E, Di Brita C, Caldiroli A, Colmegna F, Nava R, Buoli M . Psychiatric emergency care during Coronavirus 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic lockdown: results from a Department of Mental Health and Addiction of northern Italy. Psychiatry Res. 2020; 293:113463. PMC: 7499069. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113463. View

16.

Cullen W, Gulati G, Kelly B . Mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic. QJM. 2020; 113(5):311-312. PMC: 7184387. DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcaa110. View

17.

Craparo G, Faraci P, Rotondo G, Gori A . The Impact of Event Scale - Revised: psychometric properties of the Italian version in a sample of flood victims. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2013; 9:1427-32. PMC: 3788700. DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S51793. View

18.

Arora T, Grey I, Ostlundh L, Lam K, Omar O, Arnone D . The prevalence of psychological consequences of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. J Health Psychol. 2020; 27(4):805-824. DOI: 10.1177/1359105320966639. View

19.

Salari N, Hosseinian-Far A, Jalali R, Vaisi-Raygani A, Rasoulpoor S, Mohammadi M . Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Global Health. 2020; 16(1):57. PMC: 7338126. DOI: 10.1186/s12992-020-00589-w. View

20.

Luo M, Guo L, Yu M, Jiang W, Wang H . The psychological and mental impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on medical staff and general public - A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res. 2020; 291:113190. PMC: 7276119. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113190. View