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Worry content reported by older adults with and without generalized anxiety disorder
- Authors:
- DIEFENBACH G.J., STANLEY M.A., BECK J.G.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 5(3), August 2001, pp.269-274.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study investigated worry content in older adults with and without generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). This is an important topic of research, where findings may promote improved recognition and treatment of this disorder in late-life, as well as provide information about the nature of worry across the lifespan. Worry content was compared for 44 older adults diagnosed with GAD and 44 normal control (NC) volunteers matched for age, gender, and ethnicity. Results indicated that older adults with GAD reported a wider variety of worry topics than did NC participants. However, there were no differences in worry content patterns between older adults with and without GAD. These results suggest that pathological worry in later life is not uniquely defined by content, and implications of these findings for assessment and treatment of GAD in older adults are discussed. Worry content reported by older adults also was compared with previously published younger adult worry content data. Age differences in worry content were found in both the clinical and non-clinical groups in patterns that were generally consistent with common age-related developmental changes. Directions for future research of worry across the lifespan are proposed.
Mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in two longitudinal UK population cohorts
- Authors:
- KWONG Alex S. F., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 218(6), 2021, pp.334-343.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation measures are likely to have a marked effect on mental health. It is important to use longitudinal data to improve inferences. Aims: To quantify the prevalence of depression, anxiety and mental well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, to identify groups at risk of depression and/or anxiety during the pandemic. Method: Data were from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) index generation (n = 2850, mean age 28 years) and parent generation (n = 3720, mean age 59 years), and Generation Scotland (n = 4233, mean age 59 years). Depression was measured with the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire in ALSPAC and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 in Generation Scotland. Anxiety and mental well-being were measured with the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment-7 and the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Results: Depression during the pandemic was similar to pre-pandemic levels in the ALSPAC index generation, but those experiencing anxiety had almost doubled, at 24% (95% CI 23–26%) compared with a pre-pandemic level of 13% (95% CI 12–14%). In both studies, anxiety and depression during the pandemic was greater in younger members, women, those with pre-existing mental/physical health conditions and individuals in socioeconomic adversity, even when controlling for pre-pandemic anxiety and depression. Conclusions: These results provide evidence for increased anxiety in young people that is coincident with the pandemic. Specific groups are at elevated risk of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is important for planning current mental health provisions and for long-term impact beyond this pandemic. (Edited publisher abstract)
Mental health in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional analyses from a community cohort study
- Authors:
- JIA Ru, et al
- Journal article citation:
- BMJ Open, 10(9), 2020, p.e040620. Online only
- Publisher:
- BMJ Publishing Group
Objectives Previous pandemics have resulted in significant consequences for mental health. Here, we report the mental health sequelae of the COVID-19 pandemic in a UK cohort and examine modifiable and non-modifiable explanatory factors associated with mental health outcomes. We focus on the first wave of data collection, which examined short-term consequences for mental health, as reported during the first 4–6 weeks of social distancing measures being introduced. Design Cross-sectional online survey. Setting Community cohort study. Participants N=3097 adults aged ≥18 years were recruited through a mainstream and social media campaign between 3 April 2020 and 30 April 2020. The cohort was predominantly female (n=2618); mean age 44 years; 10% (n=296) from minority ethnic groups; 50% (n=1559) described themselves as key workers and 20% (n=649) identified as having clinical risk factors putting them at increased risk of COVID-19. Main outcome measures Depression, anxiety and stress scores. Results Mean scores for depression (Embedded Image =7.69, SD=6.0), stress (Embedded Image =6.48, SD=3.3) and anxiety (Embedded Image = 6.48, SD=3.3) significantly exceeded population norms (all p<0.0001). Analysis of non-modifiable factors hypothesised to be associated with mental health outcomes indicated that being younger, female and in a recognised COVID-19 risk group were associated with increased stress, anxiety and depression, with the final multivariable models accounting for 7%–14% of variance. When adding modifiable factors, significant independent effects emerged for positive mood, perceived loneliness and worry about getting COVID-19 for all outcomes, with the final multivariable models accounting for 54%–57% of total variance. Conclusions Increased psychological morbidity was evident in this UK sample and found to be more common in younger people, women and in individuals who identified as being in recognised COVID-19 risk groups. Public health and mental health interventions able to ameliorate perceptions of risk of COVID-19, worry about COVID-19 loneliness and boost positive mood may be effective. (Edited publisher abstract)
Psychological functioning of people living with chronic pain: a meta-analytic review
- Authors:
- BURKE Anne L.J., MATHIAS Jane L., DENSON Linley A.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 54(3), 2015, pp.345-360.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Objectives: This meta-analysis synthesised the literature from a general chronic pain (CP) perspective to systematically identify and compare the psychological problems most commonly associated with CP. Methods: Four databases were searched from inception to December 2013 (PsychINFO, The Cochrane Library, Scopus, and PubMed) for studies comparing the psychological functioning of adults with CP to healthy controls. Data from 110 studies were meta-analysed and Cohen's d effect sizes calculated. Results: The CP group reported experiencing significant problems in a range of psychological domains (depression, anxiety, somatisation, anger/hostility, self-efficacy, self-esteem and general emotional functioning), with the largest effects observed for pain anxiety/concern and somatisation; followed by anxiety and self-efficacy; and then depression, anger/hostility, self-esteem and general emotional functioning. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that individuals with CP are more likely to experience physically focussed psychological problems than other psychological problems and that, unlike self-efficacy, fear of pain is intrinsically tied to the CP experience. This challenges the prevailing view that, for individuals with CP, problems with depression are either equal to, or greater than, problems with anxiety, thereby providing important information to guide therapeutic targets. (Edited publisher abstract)
Does music therapy improve mental health in adults? A review
- Authors:
- LEE Jungup, THYER Bruce A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 23(5), 2013, pp.591-603.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The current review provides a summarized synthesis and evaluation of studies addressing the effects of music therapy (MT) alone or MT added to standard care on mental health among adults. Potential studies were identified through electronic bibliographic databases and manual searches. Studies were included for review if (1) the study methodology involved a randomized control trial, (2) the study outcome included a measure of mental health, (3) the study sample included adults ages 18 and older, and (4) the study was published in an English language peer-reviewed journal since 2006. Applying these criteria, the search yielded 593 studies, 9 of which were ultimately retained for review. These studies generally found MT to be more effective than no treatment or than standard care alone. Long-term studies were few, and results suggest no meaningful differences over time. (Publisher abstract)
Investigating the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first COVID‐19 lockdown in the United Kingdom: systematic review and meta‐analyses
- Authors:
- DETTMANN Luca Marie, ADAMS Sally, TAYLOR Gemma
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Clinical Psychology, early cite February 2022,
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health. Specifically, the stringent lockdown restrictions have heightened anxiety and depression. Therefore, monitoring and supporting the mental health of the population during these unprecedented times is an immediate priority. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analyses, articles that explored the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom were included. We searched the databases Embase, Medline (PubMed), Web of Science, and PsycINFO for cross-sectional studies. We conducted meta-analyses of prevalence rates using a random-effects model, and the heterogeneity of studies was examined using the I2 index. Results: Fourteen studies involving 46,158 participants were included in the review. The studies use clinical cut-off scores on anxiety and depression measures to define cases. While the prevalence of anxiety was 31.00% (95% CI = 26.00 to 35.00), the prevalence of depression was 32.00% (95% CI = 29.00 to 35.00). The prevalence of anxiety pre-pandemic was 4.65%, indicating a 26.35% increase. Whereas the prevalence of depression pre-pandemic was 4.12%, indicating a 27.88% increase. Moreover, participants experienced a slightly greater prevalence of depression than anxiety by 1.00%. Conclusions: To conclude, the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom increased the prevalence of anxiety and depression among the general population, compared to pre-pandemic data. Hence, it is vital that policymakers and mental health services maximize their efforts to monitor mental health and provide interventions to support those in need. (Edited publisher abstract)
The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on older adults' mental health: contributing factors, coping strategies, and opportunities for improvement
- Authors:
- WEBB Lauren M., CHEN Christina Y.
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 37(1), 2022,
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Commentary on the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on older adults' mental health. Key points include: rates of anxiety and depression have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in older adults; younger generations have reported higher rates of anxiety and depression during the pandemic compared to older adults; factors influencing the risk of mental illness in older adults during the pandemic include sex, age group, location, living situation, socioeconomic status, and medical and psychiatric comorbidities; and strategies for older adults, caregivers, and health-care providers may mitigate the effects of social isolation on the older adult population. (Edited publisher abstract)
How has Covid-19 and the associated lockdown measures affected mental health and wellbeing in the UK?
- Authors:
- HARDOON D., BRADBURY A., FANCOURT D.
- Publisher:
- What Works Centre for Wellbeing
- Publication year:
- 2020
- Pagination:
- 6
- Place of publication:
- London
This briefing provides insights into how mental health conditions have changed as a result of Covid-19 and what the risk factors are that need to be recognised when supporting people’s mental health. It draws on data of more than 70,000 people as part of the COVID-19 Social Study, which is run by University College London. Key messages include: anxiety and depression increased in the UK as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, with people’s mental health affected by both adverse experiences regarding their health, jobs and finances as well as worries about what might happen in the future – anxiety and depression have fallen since the highs seen at the start of lockdown but remain above pre-pandemic levels; anxiety and depression have been highest among young adults, those living alone, those living in urban areas, and people with lower household income, with children, and with a diagnosed mental illness; outdoor exercise and gardening can improve our mental health, while spending too much time following the news can be harmful. (Edited publisher abstract)
The courage to talk: Childline annual review 2017/18
- Author:
- NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN
- Publisher:
- NSPCC
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 43
- Place of publication:
- London
Annual review providing key statistics on the numbers of children and young people contacting Childline in 2017/18, the reasons for contacting the service, the numbers of children referred from Childline to external agencies and the reasons for referral. It reports that Childline provided 278,440 counselling sessions to children and young people during 2017/18, a slight reduction compared to the previous year. The top three concerns young people were counselled about were mental and emotional health; family relationships; and suicidal thoughts and feelings. The report also looks briefly at the other top issues that children and young people contacted Childline about: family relationships, bullying and sex and relationships. The report includes quotations from young people who describe how the service has helped them. (Edited publisher abstract)
Effect of anxiety on memory for emotional information in older adults
- Authors:
- HERRERA Sara, MONTORIO Ignacio, CABRERA Isabel
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 21(4), 2017, pp.362-368.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Background: Several studies have shown that anxiety is associated with a better memory of negative events. However, this anxiety-related memory bias has not been studied in the elderly, in which there is a preferential processing of positive information. Objectives: To study the effect of anxiety in a recognition task and an autobiographical memory task in 102 older adults with high and low levels of trait anxiety. Method: Negative, positive and neutral pictures were used in the recognition task. In the autobiographical memory task, memories of the participants’ lives were recorded, how they felt when thinking about them, and the personal relevance of these memories. Results: In the recognition task, no anxiety-related bias was found toward negative information. Individuals with high trait anxiety were found to remember less positive pictures than those with low trait anxiety. In the autobiographical memory task, both groups remembered negative and positive events equally. However, people with high trait anxiety remembered life experiences with more negative emotions, especially when remembering negative events. Individuals with low trait anxiety tended to feel more positive emotions when remembering their life experiences and most of these referred to feeling positive emotions when remembering negative events. Conclusions: Older adults with anxiety tend to recognise less positive information and to present more negative emotions when remembering life events; while individuals without anxiety have a more positive experience of negative memories. (Edited publisher abstract)