COVID‐19‐related anxiety predicts somatic symptoms in the UK population

Shevlin, Mark; Nolan, Emma; Owczarek, Marcin; McBride, Orla; Murphy, Jamie; Miller, Jilly Gibson; Hartman, Todd K.; Levita, Liat; Mason, Liam; Martinez, Anton Philipp; McKay, Ryan; Stocks, Thomas V A; Bennett, Kate; Hyland, Philip; Bentall, Richard P.

doi:10.1111/bjhp.12430

Cited by 182 publications

(187 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Consistent with past studies [ 6 , 26 ], age was found to be a predictor of mental health problems for the general population in Malaysia. This is also consistent with studies of healthcare workers, where older healthcare workers were less likely to have mental health problems [ 27 , 28 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Distress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia are relevant mental health disorders due to their prevalence during severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and COVID-19 outbreaks [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. A number of studies have predicted mental health by means of demographic variables [ 2 , 3 , 6 ], but little research has predicted mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic based on adults’ health-related variables. This study aims to examine individuals’ perception of health conditions and of test availability as predictors of insomnia, anxiety, depression, and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perception of Health Conditions and Test Availability as Predictors of Adults’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey Study of Adults in Malaysia

Dai

Zhang

Looi

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Research identifying adults’ mental health during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic relies solely on demographic predictors without examining adults’ health condition as a potential predictor. This study aims to examine individuals’ perception of health conditions and test availability as potential predictors of mental health—insomnia, anxiety, depression, and distress—during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey of 669 adults in Malaysia was conducted during 2–8 May 2020, six weeks after the Movement Control Order (MCO) was issued. We found adults’ perception of health conditions had curvilinear relationships (horizontally reversed J-shaped) with insomnia, anxiety, depression, and distress. Perceived test availability for COVID-19 also had curvilinear relationships (horizontally reversed J-shaped) with anxiety and depression. Younger adults reported worse mental health, but people from various religions and ethnic groups did not differ significantly in reported mental health. The results indicated that adults with worse health conditions had more mental health problems, and the worse degree deepened for unhealthy people. Perceived test availability negatively predicted anxiety and depression, especially for adults perceiving COVID-19 test unavailability. The significant predictions of perceived health condition and perceived COVID-19 test availability suggest a new direction for the literature to identify the psychiatric risk factors directly from health-related variables during a pandemic.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of Health Conditions and Test Availability as Predictors of Adults’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey Study of Adults in Malaysia

Dai

Zhang

Looi

et al. 2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…As such, COVID-19 can lead to the emergence of various sorts of psychosocial distress ( Lima et al, 2020 ; Torales, O’Higgins, Castaldelli-Maia, & Ventriglio, 2020 ; Zheng, 2020 ), presumably reflecting the “second tsunami” of the COVID-19 pandemic ( Dutheil, Mondillon, & Navel, 2020 ). Indeed, emerging initial findings are documenting the psychosocial toll of the pandemic, reflected in elevated levels of fear ( Lee, Mathis, Jobe, & Pappalardo, 2020 ), stress ( Lai et al, 2020 ), general anxiety ( Hyland et al, 2020 ; Shevlin et al, 2020 ), as well as health-related and economic anxiety ( Bareket-Bojmel, Shahar, & Margalit, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19-related fear and stress among individuals who experienced child abuse: The mediating effect of complex posttraumatic stress disorder

Tsur

Abu‐Raiya

2020

Child Abuse & Neglect

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic exposes individuals not only to health-related risks, but also to psychosocial fear and acute stress. Previous studies reveal that individuals who experienced child abuse (CA), especially those who suffer from complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), are at a higher risk of reacting with fear and stress when faced with stressful life-events. Objective To test whether exposure to CA is implicated in a higher risk of COVID-19-related fear and acute stress, and whether CPTSD intervenes in such processes. Participants and settings A convenience sample of 837 adults participated in the study during the first peak of COVID-19 in Israel. Methods Participants completed self-report questionnaires, assessing child physical, sexual and emotional abuse, CPTSD (ITQ), COVID-19-related acute stress disorder (COVID-19 ASD; ASDS) and fear of COVID-19. Results Bivariate analyses showed that participants who experienced CA were higher than participants who did not experience CA in COVID-19 ASD ( p = .032), but not in fear of COVID-19 ( p = .65). Mediation analyses demonstrated two significant paths: in the first, CA was associated with elevated fear of COVID-19 (effect = .061, .059; p < 0.05) and COVID-19 ASD (effect = .14, .084; p < 0.05) through the mediation of CPTSD; in the second path, when controlling for the mediation of CPTSD, CA was associated with reduced fear of COVID-19 (effect = −.15; p = 0.001), and COVID-19 ASD (effect = −.12; p = 0.024). Conclusions The findings reveal a complex pattern, indicating that CPTSD may be a risk factor for elevated levels of COVID-19 distress among individuals who experienced CA. However, some CA survivors may express reduced COVID-19 distress.

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“…infection and cancer prognosis are recommended [13,15] which postpones routine follow-up in the absence of symptoms. However, high COVID-19-related anxiety is associated with reporting more somatic symptoms [33], and so women with high cancer-related anxiety due to missed screening may report more symptoms, leading to unnecessary healthcare contacts and exposure to COVID-19. Similarly, the recommendation to defer surgery in favour of hormone therapy (HT) [13][14] could have negative effects beyond cancer-related anxiety as a small proportion of this sample reported worsening HT side-effects and difficulty accessing medication which can adversely affect adherence [34][35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hughes et al. (2020) 'I feel cancer patients have been neglected'.

Hughes¹,

Zuchowski²,

Boshell³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Purpose This study aimed to explore the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic including Government-enforced restrictions, on women diagnosed with oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer in the UK using a mixed-methods approach. MethodsDepression (PHQ-2), anxiety (GAD-7), optimism (LOT-R) and perceived risk of recurrence (IPQ-BCS) were measured pre-COVID-19 outbreak and perceived vulnerability, severity and impact of COVID-19 were measured during the UK lockdown period of 23rd March-13th May 2020. Free text responses provided qualitative data. Descriptive statistics regarding COVID-19-specific behaviours and correlations between pre-COVID-19 psychosocial factors and COVID-19 outcomes were conducted. Thematic analysis was conducted on qualitative responses. Quantitative and qualitative data are presented together.Results253 responses were received during the UK lockdown period. Twenty-six percent of the sample were shielding and 15% felt at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Higher pre-COVID-19 depression and anxiety and lower optimism were associated with higher perceived vulnerability to and severity of COVID-19 and lower confidence in protecting oneself. There were positive and negative effects of lockdown on exercise and relationships and 42% reported negative impacts on anxiety. Participants reported fear of COVID-19, difficulties with adapting to isolation and using technology, and anxiety about the impact of delayed cancer treatment on their cancer recovery and recurrence. ConclusionsNegative effects of lockdown, particularly for delayed cancer treatment should be considered to manage ongoing anxiety. Screening of state depression and anxiety is suggested for intervention prioritisation, but more longitudinal research is needed to understand the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer survivors.

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COVID‐19‐related anxiety predicts somatic symptoms in the UK population

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 182 publications

References 13 publications

Perception of Health Conditions and Test Availability as Predictors of Adults’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey Study of Adults in Malaysia

Perception of Health Conditions and Test Availability as Predictors of Adults’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey Study of Adults in Malaysia

COVID-19-related fear and stress among individuals who experienced child abuse: The mediating effect of complex posttraumatic stress disorder

Hughes et al. (2020) 'I feel cancer patients have been neglected'.

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