Publication Date

12-1-2024

Journal

Psychiatry Research

DOI

10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115972

PMID

39305825

Abstract

International studies measuring wellbeing/multidimensional mental health before/ during the COVID-19 pandemic, including representative samples for >2 years, identifying risk groups and coping strategies are lacking. COH-FIT is an online, international, anonymous survey measuring changes in well-being (WHO-5) and a composite psychopathology P-score, and their associations with COVID-19 deaths/restrictions, 12 a-priori defined risk individual/cumulative factors, and coping strategies during COVID-19 pandemic (26/04/2020-26/06/2022) in 30 languages (representative, weighted non-representative, adults). T-test, χ2, penalized cubic splines, linear regression, correlation analyses were conducted. Analyzing 121,066/142,364 initiated surveys, WHO-5/P-score worsened intra-pandemic by 11.1±21.1/13.2±17.9 points (effect size d=0.50/0.60) (comparable results in representative/weighted non-probability samples). Persons with WHO-5 scores indicative of depression screening (< 50, 13% to 32%) and major depression (< 29, 3% to 12%) significantly increased. WHO-5 worsened from those with mental disorders, female sex, COVID-19-related loss, low-income country location, physical disorders, healthcare worker occupations, large city location, COVID-19 infection, unemployment, first-generation immigration, to age=18-29 with a cumulative effect. Similar findings emerged for P-score. Changes were significantly but minimally related to COVID-19 deaths, returning to near-pre-pandemic values after >2 years. The most subjectively effective coping strategies were exercise and walking, internet use, social contacts. Identified risk groups, coping strategies and outcome trajectories can inform global public health strategies.

Keywords

Humans, COVID-19, Female, Male, Adult, Middle Aged, Mental Health, Adaptation, Psychological, Young Adult, Aged, Adolescent, Surveys and Questionnaires, Depression, Risk Factors, SARS-CoV-2, Covid-19, Mental health, P-factor, Pandemic, Psychiatry, Psychopathology, Survey, WHO-5, Well-being

Published Open-Access

yes

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