Mental Health Changes in Older Adults in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study in Mexico

Background. Updated information is required on studies conducted in Mexico on the mental health consequences of COVID-19. Objective. In comparison with previous efforts, we increased the timeframe of the literature search to February 2023 and used a larger list of potential mental health outcomes. Method. We used common international literature databases and more local databases, such as SciELO, and the Biblioteca Virtual en Salud (BVS). We focussed on the methodological issues of these studies, their prevalence estimates and suspected risk factors. Results. We reported on ninety-five studies that included Mexican data on symptoms of alcohol use, anxiety, depression, gaming, sleep problems and suicidal thoughts and behaviours. In most cases, we found a cross-sectional survey with self-reported information on mental health symptoms usually although not always with validated screening instruments and scales. These studies were implemented on websites, and sometimes over the phone, on self-selected volunteers. We found a small subset of fourteen longitudinal datasets (for alcohol use, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts and behaviours) that suggested a more cautious interpretation of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Mexicans. Discussion and conclusion. Although the initial rapid studies during the early phases of the pandemic yielded warning signs, they did not necessarily follow standard epidemiological principles. Methodological improvements are required for future studies on the mental health consequences of natural, man-made disasters and epidemic contingencies.

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The evolution of research on depression during COVID-19: A visual analysis using Co-Occurrence and VOSviewer

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to public health problems, including depression. There has been a significant increase in research on depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little attention has been paid to the overall trend in this field based on bibliometric analyses.MethodsCo-Occurrence (COOC) and VOSviewer bibliometric methods were utilized to analyze depression in COVID-19 literature in the core collection of the Web of Science (WOS). The overall characteristics of depression during COVID-19 were summarized by analyzing the number of published studies, keywords, institutions, and countries.ResultsA total of 9,694 English original research articles and reviews on depression during COVID-19 were included in this study. The United States, China, and the United Kingdom were the countries with the largest number of publications and had close cooperation with each other. Research institutions in each country were dominated by universities, with the University of Toronto being the most productive institution in the world. The most frequently published author was Ligang Zhang. Visualization analysis showed that influencing factors, adverse effects, and coping strategies were hotspots for research.ConclusionThe results shed light on the burgeoning research on depression during COVID-19, particularly the relationship between depression and public health. In addition, future research on depression during COVID-19 should focus more on special groups and those at potential risk of depression in the general population, use more quantitative and qualitative studies combined with more attention to scale updates, and conduct longitudinal follow-ups of the outcomes of interventions. In conclusion, this study contributes to a more comprehensive view of the development of depression during COVID-19 and suggests a theoretical basis for future research on public health.

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Mental Health Changes in Older Adults in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study in Mexico

Cited by 3 publications

References 37 publications

Features and measures of depression in the elderly and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: Linking in preexisting mental health

Features and measures of depression in the elderly and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: Linking in preexisting mental health

Epidemiological Studies on COVID-19 and Mental Health in Mexico: Better Methodology for Better results: a Literature Review

The evolution of research on depression during COVID-19: A visual analysis using Co-Occurrence and VOSviewer

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