(1998). Human cognitive abilities: A survey of factor analytic studies. Gifted and Talented International: Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 97-98.

Human cognitive abilities: A survey of factor analytic studies

Trajectories of anxiety and depressive symptoms during enforced isolation due to COVID-19 in England: a longitudinal observational study.

Background The unprecedented worldwide crisis caused by the rapid spread of COVID-19 and the restrictive public health measures enforced by some countries to slow down its transmission have severely threatened the physical and mental wellbeing of communities globally. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of anxiety in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two researchers independently searched for cross-sectional community-based studies published between December 1, 2019 and August 23, 2020, using PubMed, WoS, Embase, and other sources (e.g., grey literature, manual search). Results Of 3049 records retrieved, 43 studies were included. These studies yielded an estimated overall prevalence of anxiety of 25%, which varied significantly across the different tools used to measure anxiety. Consistently reported risk factors for the development of anxiety included initial or peak phase of the outbreak, female sex, younger age, marriage, social isolation, unemployment and student status, financial hardship, low educational level, insufficient knowledge of COVID-19, epidemiological or clinical risk of disease and some lifestyle and personality variables. Conclusions As the overall global prevalence of anxiety disorders is estimated to be 7.3% normally, our results suggest that rates of anxiety in the general population could be more than 3 times higher during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest a substantial impact on mental health that should be targeted by individual and population-level strategies.

Prevalence of anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic: An updated meta-analysis of community-based studies.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been devastating in all senses, particularly psychologically. Physical activity (PA) is known to aid psychological well-being, and it is worth investigating whether PA has been a coping strategy during this pandemic. The objective of this literature review is to analyze the extent to which engaging in PA during the COVID-19 pandemic impacts psychological health in the adult population. The literature was searched in all databases from the EBSCOhost Research Database-MEDLINE, APA PsycArticles, between others-published between 1 January 2019 and 15 July 2020. From 180 articles found, 15 were eligible. The reviewed articles showed an association between mental health distress-e.g., stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, social isolation, psychological distress-and PA. This research concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures caused psychological distress. Those studies that analyzed PA showed that, during quarantine, adults increased their sedentary time and reduced their PA levels, showing controversial psychological outcomes. This review discusses whether PA is an effective strategy to face the COVID-19 pandemic psychological effects contributing to a further putative increase in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders.

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Psychological Health and Physical Activity Levels during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.

Sleep problems during COVID-19 pandemic and its’ association to psychological distress: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The effect of age, gender, income, work, and physical activity on mental health during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in Austria.

OBJECTIVE: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic and related lockdown measures have raised important questions about the impact on mental health. This study evaluated several mental health and well-being indicators in a large sample from the United Kingdom (UK) during the COVID-19 lockdown where the death rate is currently the highest in Europe. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey with a study sample that mirrors general population norms according to sex, age, education, and region was launched four weeks after lockdown measures were implemented in the UK. Measures included mental health-related quality of life (WHO-QOL BREF psychological domain), well-being (WHO-5), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), perceived stress (PSS-10), and insomnia (ISI). ANOVAs, Bonferroni-corrected post-hoc tests, and t-tests were applied to examine mental health indicators across different sociodemographic groups (age, sex, employment, income, physical activity, relationship status). RESULTS: The sample comprised N=1,006 respondents (54% women) from all regions of the UK. Approximately 52% of respondents screened positive for a common mental disorder, and 28% screened positive for clinical insomnia. Mean scores and standard deviations were as follows: PHQ-9: M=9.0±7.7; GAD-7: M=8.0±6.5; ISI: M=10.4±7.0; PSS-10: M=17.7±7.9; WHO-QOL BREF: M=58.6±21.4; WHO-5 score M=13.0±6.0. Statistical analyses consistently indicated more severe mental health problems in adults under 35 years, women, people with no work, and low income (all p-values <.05). Mental health indices also varied across UK regions. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of depressive-, anxiety-, and insomnia symptoms is significantly higher in the UK, relative to pre-pandemic epidemiological data. Further studies are needed to clarify the causes for these high rates of mental health symptoms.

Mental health during COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.

Catastrophes are known to have an impact on relationships as well as on mental health. This study evaluated differences in several mental health and well-being measures according to relationship quality during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic and related lockdown measures. A cross-sectional online survey was launched four weeks after lockdown measures were implemented in Austria. Relationship quality was measured with the Quality of Marriage Index (QMI), and mental health measures included quality of life (WHO-QOL BREF psychological domain), well-being (WHO-5), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), stress (PSS-10), and sleep quality (ISI). ANOVAs with Bonferroni-corrected post-hoc tests and Chisquared tests were applied. In all mental health scales, individuals with good relationship quality (n = 543) scored better than individuals with poor relationship quality (n = 190) or without relationship (n = 272). The odds ratios (OR) between the poor and good relationship quality groups were 3.5 for the PHQ-9, 3.4 for the GAD-7, and 2.0 for the ISI. Additionally, individuals without no relationship scored better on all scales than individuals with poor relationship quality (all p-values < .05). Relationship quality was related to mental health during COVID-19. The prevalence of depressive symptoms increased according to relationship quality from 13% up to 35%. Relationship per se was not associated with better mental health, but the quality of the relationship was essential. Compared to no relationship, a good relationship quality was a protective factor whereas a poor relationship quality was a risk factor.

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Relationship quality and mental health during COVID-19 lockdown.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has repeatedly been reported to impair mental health. This longitudinal study evaluated mental health at the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic (t1) and 6 months later (t2) in Austria. Indicators of mental health were depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), sleep quality (ISI), perceived stress (PSS-10), as well as quality of life (WHO-QOL BREF) and well-being (WHO-5). In total, N = 437 individuals participated in both surveys (52.9% women). The number of participants with clinically relevant depressive, anxiety, or insomnia symptoms did not differ statistically significantly between t1 and t2 (p ≥ 0.48). The prevalence of moderate or severe (clinically relevant) (1) depressive symptoms changed from 18.3% to 19.7% (p = 0.48), (2) anxiety symptoms from 16.5 to 15.6% (p = 0.67), and insomnia from 14.6 to 15.6% (p = 0.69) from t1 to t2. Bonferroni-corrected t-tests showed that the stress level (PSS-10) decreased, and well-being (WHO-5) increased. However, effect sizes do not seem to be clinically relevant (Cohen's d < 0.2). Results suggest that detrimental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic persisted several months after its outbreak and the end of the lockdown measures, respectively. Regarding well-being and stress, there is a slight trend toward improvement.

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Sanja Budimir

Papers

The effect of age, gender, income, work, and physical activity on mental health during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in Austria.

Mental health during COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.

Relationship quality and mental health during COVID-19 lockdown.

Comparing Mental Health During the COVID-19 Lockdown and 6 Months After the Lockdown in Austria: A Longitudinal Study

A taxonomy of cyber-physical threats and impact in the smart home