The investigation of alcohol use and its correlates during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is of utmost importance.

This study aimed to examine alcohol use during COVID-19 pandemic, while nationwide lockdowns were in effect in Greece, and its relationship with demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors.

The study included 378 individuals (225 women) with a mean age of 30.22 years who completed an online questionnaire during the third wave of the pandemic while restriction measures were in effect (March to April 2021). Participants completed Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-COPE) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS).

According to the results, alcohol use was negatively associated with COVID-19 fear (p = 0.011), and positively associated with anxiety (p = 0.024), depression (p<0.001) and avoidance-focused coping strategies (p = 0.003). Furthermore, perceived social support emerged as a significant protective factor against alcohol use. Men presented higher alcohol use levels compared to women (p = 0.002). Additionally, individuals identified as problematic users, based on AUDIT scores, displayed increased levels of anxiety (p = 0.028) and depression (p = 0.017) and used avoidance-focused coping strategies to a greater extent (p<0.001). Of note, higher alcohol use was observed in participants who lived alone (p<0.001) and in those whose work status had changed during the pandemic (p = 0.004).

Our findings highlight the importance of identifying individuals with problematic alcohol use, as well as recognizing crucial psychosocial factors related to alcohol use especially during the pandemic.

None Declared

There is accumulating evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection, apart from physical complications, can cause a variety of symptoms related to mental health, either during the acute phase of the infection or following the resolution of acute COVID-19 (i.e., long-COVID).

To investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of a sample of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Data were collected from 1 January 2021 to 31 May 2022. In particular, clinical and demographic characteristics of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at the “Attikon” University General Hospital and who were referred for assessment to the Consultation Liaison Psychiatry unit were collected and analyzed.

During the study period, 107 patients, 66 men (62%) and 41 women (38%) with a mean age of 63 years, with COVID-19 were referred to the Consultation Liaison Psychiatry unit for evaluation. Among them, 58 (54.6%) had a previous psychiatric history, while 49 (45.4%) were assessed for the first time by a mental health professional. The most frequent psychiatric manifestations included anxiety manifestations [38 patients (36%)], delirium [37 patients (35%)] and depressive manifestations [15 patients (14%)].

The description of demographic and clinical characteristics of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with concurrent psychiatric manifestations highlights the importance of early clinical detection of psychiatric comorbidity by physicians with a view to ensuring that patients’ needs are supported in an integrated, holistic and patient-centric manner.

None Declared

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for the global health system. In this context, we have suggested as a research hypothesis that during this global health crisis, people with mental disorders, due to the phenomenon of “under medicalization”, would be more affected by Covid infection and would have less chance to be vaccinated.

To calculate the infection rate and vaccination rate for COVID-19 in patients with mental disorders.

This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study that took place over a period of one month (from March 2, 2022 to April 2, 2022) and involved patients attending the outpatient department of psychiatry at the Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital in Monastir.

It was conducted using a predeveloped survey with 15 questions exploring sociodemographic characteristics, history of Covid infection (personal infection, hospitalization, infection in the family, death in the family…) and vaccination for Covid-19 and its modalities.

The medium age of our sample was 44.9 ±13.7 years. The average duration of illness was 12.5 years and the average number of hospitalizations was 1.65.

Psychotic disorders were the most represented, 57.1%, compared to mood disorders and anxiety disorders.

Twenty-one percent (21%) of patients reported infection with COVID 19 and 3.1% required hospitalization.

Forty-six percent (46%) had an infected family member and 2.5% had a death in the family caused by COVID-19.

The rate of access to vaccination among our patients was 73.0%. The majority received 2 doses (60.0%), and they were vaccinated on their own initiative (68.0%) and by appointment (71.4%).

The disability presented by mental disorders, particularly psychotic disorders, can expose patients to marginalization. Indeed, patients with severe mental disorders could constitute a vulnerable population to COVID-19 infection because of their difficulty in accessing care, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, hence the recommendations.

Particular attention must always be paid to patients with mental health disorders, regarding their access to care and the promotion of health for this population.

None Declared

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of deaths worldwide. However, unlike a natural disaster, it has also affected end-of-life care and funeral rites through social restrictions.

Understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the grieving process.

A PubMed literature search for all relevant studies was conducted used terms such as “prolonged gried disorder”, “grief”, “mourning”, “bereavement” and “COVID-19”. The articles were selected after two different analysis, a first one based on their titles and abstracts and a second one based on their full texts.

Based on the evidence extracted from these articles, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an important effect on the bereaved population. More specifically, several articles found there to be an increase in the prevalence of severe grief symptoms caused by deaths that occur during the pandemic period, regardless of cause of death (Eisma and Tamminga 2020, Tang and Xiang 2021, Breen, Mancini et al. 2022, Downar, Parsons et al. 2022, Gang, Falzarano et al. 2022). These results were explained by the disruption the grieving cycle due to social restriction which occurred during the pandemic period. These restrictions prevented the bereaved person from saying goodbye and being present at the time of death, holding mourning ceremonies, as well as having the needed social support during the mourning period (Goveas and Shear 2020, Kokou-Kpolou, Fernández-Alcántara et al. 2020, Mortazavi, Assari et al. 2020, Tang and Xiang 2021, Downar, Parsons et al. 2022). Regarding causes of death, the result were inconsistent, namely one study found to be higher grief levels associated with COVID-19 deaths when compared to natural causes, but not when compared to unnatural deaths, such as accidents and homicides (Gang, Falzarano et al. 2022). While another study found COVID-19 deaths caused are severe grief reactions when compared to natural deaths (Eisma and Tamminga 2022).

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of severe grief symptoms and therefore it is important for the scientific community to be sensitized to this effect. However, there is still a lack of studies concerning this theme, which are essential to define a course of action.

None Declared

The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted mental health outcomes of healthcare workers (HWs). In spite of the large literature reporting on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, only a few studies focused on potential positive aspects that may follow the exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic, namely post-traumatic growth (PTG) among HWs.

In a large sample of Italian HWs, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of PTSD, its correlates and whether PTG dimensions independently affect the risk of PTSD during the first COVID-19 wave.

An online self-report survey was submitted to HWs throughout physicians’ and nurses’ associations, social networks and researchers’ direct contacts, between April 4th and May 13th, 2020. Sociodemographic data, information about possible COVID-19 related stressful events, Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and PTG Inventory-Short Form (PTGI-SF) scores were collected. IES-R and PTGI-SF scores were compared between subjects based on main sociodemographic, work- and COVID-19-related variables using the Student T-test or the one-way ANOVA where appropriate. Post-hoc comparisons were conducted using the Tukey test. Participants with total IES-R score >32 were assigned a provisional PTSD diagnosis and binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the contribution of each variable to the provisional PTSD diagnosis.

Out of 930 respondents, 256 (27,1%) reported a provisional PTSD diagnosis. Female sex (p<.001), separation from cohabiting family (p<.001), family members infected with (p<.05) or deceased due to (p<.05) COVID-19, increased workload (p<.05), relocation to a different work unit (p<.05) and unusual exposure to sufferance (p<.001) were significantly associated with higher IES-R mean scores. The median PTGI-SF score was 24. Factors associated with greater mean PTGI-SF scores were female gender (p<.001), being a nurse (p<.05), being older than 40 years (p<.05), and increased workload (p<.05). The logistic regression model showed that previous mental disorders (OR=1.65; 95% CI= 1.06-2.57) working in medical (OR=2.20; 95% CI=1.02-4.75), or service units (OR=2.34; 95% CI=1.10-4.98) (compared to frontline unit), relocation to a COVID-19 unit (OR=1.90; 95% CI=1.06-3.36), unusual exposure to sufferance (OR=2.83; 95% CI=1.79-4.48) and exposure to a traumatic event implying threat to self (compared to other work-related events) (OR=2.07; 95% CI=1.10, 3.89) significantly increase the risk of receiving a provisional diagnosis of PTSD, while the availability of personal protective equipment (OR=.61; 95% CI=.40-.94) and moderate or greater scores on PTGI-SF, particularly in the spiritual change domain (OR=.552; 95% CI=.35-.85), were found to be protective factors in relation to the PTSD diagnosis.

Our results shed light on possible protective factors against PTSD symptoms in HWs facing COVID-19 pandemic.

None Declared

The COVID-19 emergency have imposed a great burden on the Italian health and social health system. In this context, healthcare workers (HCWs) have been exposed to high levels of stress. While many studies addressed the consequences of COVID-19 on hospital workers, little interest has been devoted to the employees of nursing homes.

To evaluate levels of depressive, anxious and post-traumatic symptoms in a population of nursing homes workers in Italy one year after the begin of the pandemic.

The research involved 177 nursing homes, to evaluate the Mental Health outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic 12 months after the first lockdown on a large sample of workers. Participants answered a self-assessment tools aimed to assess the level of trauma experienced, the level of anxiety and depression, the quality of professional life and social and work adjustment.

A consistent level of psychological suffering in the HCWs 12 months after the first lock-down and after the third wave of Covid-19 is highlighted, in accordance with what has been observed in similar research. It turns out that about 30% of subjects, more often women, have elements suggestive of symptoms related to PTSD, with moderate levels of anxiety. On the other hand, 15% of the sample presents moderate levels of depressive symptoms and a severe impact on social and occupational functioning. Of these about 40% of staff has significant interference and just over 15% has a severe impact (see figure 1).

Image:

Interventions tailored to support mental health are needed not only for HCWs from hospital units but also for those working in nursing homes and long-term care units.

None Declared

The worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic affected all major sectors, including higher education. The measures to contain this deadly disease led to the closure of universities across the globe, introducing several changes in students’ academic and social experience. During the last two years, self-isolation together with the difficulties linked to online teaching and learning, have amplified psychological burden and mental health vulnerability of students.

We aimed to explore in depth students’ feelings and perspectives regarding the impact of the COVID-19 on their mental health and to compare these data among students from Italy and the UK.

Data were resulting from the qualitative arm of “the CAMPUS study”, a large ongoing project to longitudinally assess the mental health of university students enrolled at the University of Milano-Bicocca (Unimib, Italy) and the University of Surrey (UoS, Guildford, UK). We conducted in-depth interviews through the Microsoft Teams online platform between September 2021 and April 2022, and thematically analysed the transcripts.

A total of 33 students (15 for Unimib and 18 for UoS), with a wide range of sociodemographic characteristics, were interviewed. Four themes were identified: i) impact of COVID-19 on students’ mental health; ii) causes of poor mental health; iii) most vulnerable subgroups; vi) coping strategies.

Anxiety symptoms, social anxiety, and stress were frequently reported as negative effects of the pandemic, while the main sources of poor mental health were identified in loneliness, exceeding time online, unhealthy management of space and time, bad organization/communication with university, low motivation and uncertainty about the future. Freshers, international or off-campus students, as well as both extremely extroverted and introverted subjects, represented the most vulnerable populations, because of their extensive exposure to loneliness. Among coping strategies, the opportunity to take time for yourself, family support, and mental health support were common in the sample.

Some differences were found comparing students from Italy and the UK. While at Unimib the impact of COVID-19 on mental health was mainly described in relation to academic worries and the inadequate organization of the university system, UoS students, familiar to the conviviality of campus life, explained these effects as a result of the drastic loss of social connectedness.

The current study highlights the key role of mental health support for university students, mainly during crisis times, and calls for measures to improve communication between students and the educational institution, as well as to encourage social connectedness.

None Declared

Studies reported an initial decrease in the number of presentations and incidence of self-harm in young people during the pandemic. As the pandemic progressed young people may have experienced increased levels of distress, contributing to worsened mental health. There is a need for mental health services to evaluate the presentations of young people presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) so that services can meet the needs of young people.

To examine the mental health presentations of young people (aged 16-25) to the ED and how this may have changed since the start of the pandemic.

This study reviewed all 16–25-year-olds presenting to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) who were triaged with a mental health issue in a 2 month period (September-October) over three years – 2019 (Period A), 2020 (Period B), 2021 (Period C). Approval for this service evaluation was granted by the Clinical Audit and Effectiveness Committee at the MMUH.

Of 232 presentations across all periods, there was no significant difference in the number of presentations in each study period - Period A (n=76), Period B (n=79) and Period C (n=77). In all three periods, most presentations occurred out of hours (A: 57.9% [n=44]; B: 74.7% [n=59]; C: 68.8% [n=53]) statistically significant (p=0.034) from before (A) to during the pandemic (B and C). Out of hours arrival by ambulance was most common in in Periods A and B (45.5% and 55.9%). Over all three periods discharge home was the most frequent outcome of assessment (A: 69.7% [n=53]; B: 70.9% [n=56]; C: 76.6% [n=59]). Overall, there was a decrease in self-harm presentations over the period (A: 47.4% [n=36]; B: 41.8% [n=33]; C: 40.3% [n=31]). The percentage of presentations with self-laceration increased during the pandemic (A: 33.3% [n=12]; B: 39.4% [n=13]; C: 48.4% [n=15]). There was a significant increase in attendees who were already taking psychotropic medications (p<0.001).

The findings suggest that the majority of 16–25-year-olds present out of hours and do not require admission. Although the number of presentations remained similar, the increase in out of hours presentations and arrivals by ambulance in Period B may reflect increased distress in the initial stages of the pandemic, and restricted access to services. The higher rates of medication prescribing suggests that these young people are already receiving health care, but that their needs are not being fully met. Mental health services should be designed to provide access to mental health care out of hours when young people are most likely to require them.

None Declared

The locus of control is associated with a variety of psychological concepts, theories and researches, including learned helplessness, which is explained in way that person has learned to act helpless even when they actually have control over their situation or the ability to change a circumstance or outcome. In this scientific work, the aim is to examine the corelation between the locus of control and stress coping strategies in a group of health care workers. A sample is 110 respondents, of different age, gender, ages and educational degrees.

In this research, the aim is to examine the connection between locus of control and coping strategies among healthcare workers during the Covid-19 epidemic. The research results showed that there are no statistically significant differences in the relationship between stress coping strategies and locus of control in relation to men and women and age. Also, there is a statistically significant difference in the stress coping strategy focused on avoidance in relation to the locus of control, i.e. it turned out that the coping strategy focused on avoidance is more pronounced in respondents with an internal locus of control than in those with an external locus of control.

The research was conducted at the Clinical Center of Montenegro, in Podgorica, in March 2022, through an online program, due to the epidemiological situation. The sample consists of 110 respondents, of both sexes and aged from 20 to 65 years old, who were chosen by the method of random selection. The CISS and RI-E scales were used.

The research showed that there is a connection between the locus of control and strategies for overcoming stress, but that there are no statistically significant differences in the connection between strategies for overcoming stress and locus of control in relation to men and women and their age, as well as that there is a statistically significant difference in the strategy coping with stress focused on avoidance in relation to locus of control, i.e. it was shown that the coping strategy focused on avoidance is more pronounced in respondents with an internal locus of control than in those with an external locus of control.

Image:

Image 2:

Image 3:

This research actually confirmed the importance of individuality and various factors that can affect a person, and because of this, it was very likely that not all hypotheses could be answered in the way the author expected before the research began. With this, it can be assumed that the personality of a person can hardly be related to broad styles of coping with stress, and that generalizations regarding gender, age, education and work experience cannot be made, because there are predominantly individual differences in the development of an individual.

None Declared

Healthcare workers are exposed to increased risks of insomnia and aggression during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence rate of insomnia and aggression and identify associated risk factors among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

A total of 264 healthcare workers participated in the study. The study was conducted with the diagnostic survey method, using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Athens Insomnia Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and a questionnaire of our authorship.

The vast majority of the respondents (81.06%) suffered from insomnia and had poor sleep quality (78.03%). Education (p=0.038), marital (p=0.043) and parental status (p=0.004), and contact with patients suffering from COVID-19 (p=0.024) were statistically significant contributors to insomnia. Working time was found to significantly correlate with insomnia (r=0.124 p=0.044) and a physical aggression (r=0.168 p=0.006), anger (r=0.121 p=0.05), a verbal aggression (r=-0.132 p=0.032). Age was found to significantly correlate with total aggression (r=-0.133 p=0.031), verbal aggression (r=-0.138 p=0.025), anger (r=-0.151 p=0.014). Sex was found to be statistically significantly related to physical aggression (p=0.017), anger (p=0.032), and hostility (p=0.002).

A considerable proportion of HCWs experienced sleep disorders during the pandemic, emphasizing the need to establish ways to reduce long-term adverse outcomes associated with chronic insomnia and adjust interventions under pandemic conditions. Our findings confirm that insomnia and poor sleep quality are consistently associated with aggression.

None Declared

The prison environment and health of people who experience incarceration increase the risks of contracting COVID-19. Aside from the risks of infection and transmission, one should also examine the impact on their mental health state and identify their needs, since prison inmates experience already disadvantages and inequalities to a large extent.

The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of inmates with the pandemic and the restrictions, their insights into the pandemic and the impact of social distancing in prison on their emotional status and management.

We used in-depth interviews with 5 inmates and 6 prison employees of a state prison in Athens, to produce an analysis of the challenges that the inmates faced during the pandemic. The study took part from February till June 2022. Each participant was asked semi-structured questions and a thematic content analysis was performed.

The results of the interviews revealed several key themes, that have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges that the participants faced were in relation to communication, feelings of heightened isolation and detachment from family, friends, and the normal rhythms of life in and out of prison. Furthermore, our study has shown that COVID-19 pandemic resulted in higher levels of anxiety, lack of positive stimuli, of work and education, of day-to-day interaction, and of information.

This study highlights the dramatic reduction in opportunities for prisoners to rehabilitate themselves and build productive and meaningful lives. A decline in the emotional, psychological and physical well-being of the prisoners as well as resignation with their situation can be expected due to the lack in purpose. There is a need to improve the information and communication and support them with continuous psychological care, especially when prison services are confronted with additional health or other crises.

None Declared

A pandemic can have significant effects on people’s emotional wellbeing. Infection control measures such as social distancing can lead people to feel isolated and to increased feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness. Recent research showed a worrying increase in depression and anxiety disorders, general distress, and sleep disorders. People who already suffer from a mental illness may be more vulnerable to stress caused by the pandemic and may experience a deterioration of already preexisting symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The purpose of the present study was to assess the pandemic’s psychological impact on people with preexisting mental illness, to investigate their COVID-19-related fear, anxiety, and depression in association with various variables and to explore their behavioral responses regarding the measures against the pandemic.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2022 in the outpatient mental health clinic of a provincial hospital in Greece. Participants were patients, who were not fully disorganized and have been diagnosed with a mental illness before the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the 50 adult patients, 11 lived in assisted living facilities. The study included sociodemographic questions, questions about fear of COVID-19, negative feelings, safety measures and behaviors, disease progression, and compliance with their therapists. DASS-21 scale was used to measure the 3 subscales of emotional states.

Sadness was reported as the most unpleasant emotion of the lockdown, following by hopelessness and denial. Several participants (36%) reported high levels of COVID-19-related fear, mainly patients living in the community and not in assisted facilities (40.1% vs 18.2%) and males compared to females (42.1% vs 32.3%). The majority (70%) declared high compliance with the therapy. A moderate to severe deterioration in disease progression during the pandemic was observed in 28%, mainly in females compared to males (38.7% vs 10.6%). Based on DASS-21 the mean scores ranged from moderate to severe symptoms in depression (16.2/42), anxiety (14.3/42), and stress (18.4/42) without a statistically significant correlation with age, gender, and living situation. However, 34%, 22% and 56% screened positive for severe and extreme severe depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively.

The study revealed a substantial proportion of patients with mental disorders to experience unpleasant emotions and increased levels of psychological distress and highlights the need for supportive mental health services to address the increased mental health symptoms in people with pre-existing mental illnesses during a pandemic.

None Declared

Patients hospitalized in the case of COVID19 have had to face a complex and potentially very stressful situation. In this context a screening program for psychological distress in patients with COVID19 is necessary.

To screen for post-traumatic stress disorder post COVID19 and to identify the epidemiological and clinical factors correlated with this disorder in post COVID19 patients.

A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study that took place during the period from 1st March to 15th May 2021 with 154 patients who were hospitalized at the COVID19 unit at Hedi Chaker Hospital Sfax.

We used a pre-established form to record sociodemographic, clinical and therapeutic data. The post-traumatic stress disorder was assessed by the “Impact of Event Scale-Revised”.

The mean age was 66.62 ± 13.34 years with a male predominance of 60.4%. In our sample, 77.9% of the patients had a somatic history, of which hypertension was the most frequent pathology (46.1%). The average length of hospitalization was 9.5 days ± 6.3. The form was considered severe in 27.9 cases.

According to the IES-R scale, twenty-one patients (13.6%) had post-traumatic stress disorder, with a predominance of women (57.1%).

A significant association was found between marital status and post-traumatic stress disorder. Thus, married or widowed patients are more likely to develop PTSD.

In the present study, we did not find statistically significant associations between the clinical characteristics of the disease (severity of the disease, length of hospitalization, functional signs) and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Psychological support interventions in surviving patients of COVID 19 is necessary aiming to increase resilience, manage coping strategies and decrease the deleterious impact of the pandemic on mental health.

None Declared

It was stated in other studies that the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and anger increased among the general German population throughout the pandemic (Beutel et al., 2021; Rossi et al., 2020; Smith et al., 2021). Besides, there has been an increase in mental problems among individuals with psychiatric disorders and the immigrant population in society. Migrants are considered a vulnerable group during the outbreak due to low socio-economic status, job losses, and language difficulties.

This paper aimed to investigate changes in the psychological health of Turkish immigrants living in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, sociodemographic differences as a key factor were analysed in this study. Individuals with lower incomes were expected to suffer more from mental health problems.

The participants of this research were mainly first and second-generation Turkish immigrants. They were pre-screened for a previous history of mental disorders and screening was performed with SCL-90-R. Of all 177 participants who completed the questionnaire between October 7, 2019, and February 2020, they were recruited again between August 10, 2020, and December 10, 2020, during the pandemic.

According to the findings, a significant difference was found for depression (t=-5.36, p<.001), anxiety (t=-3.01, p<.001), and hostility (t=-3.70, p<.001) between the mean scores of the participants before and during COVID-19 pandemic. It was found that the increase in depression and anxiety symptoms during the coronavirus pandemic was higher among participants with low-income levels (p<.001).

The mental health of our study participants worsened during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Turkish immigrants reported having higher depression, anxiety, and hostility scores in comparison with previous test scores conducted before the outbreak. Participants with low income were at the highest risk for COVID-19-related depression and anxiety.

None Declared

We have already noted in our studies (Pervichko et. al., 2020, 2021) that collective representations about Covid-19 disease, based on its totality, the catholicity of its impact on all spheres of people’s lives, are socially and culturally conditioned: they have their own specifics in different countries, associated with many social, economic, political factors. Moreover, these perceptions change over time.

To identify the differences in the Covid-19 representations in residents of different countries and at different stages of the pandemic.

Modified questionnaire of the internal picture of the disease (Broadbent, 2006), consisting of 8 questions about COVID-19 pandemic. All the items were rated using a 0-to-10 response scale. 1-5 items assess cognitive illness representations. Items 6 and 8 assess emotional representations. Item 7 assesses illness comprehensibility.

To test of the research hypothesis, we used the data accumulated on our platform since April 2020. We selected subsamples: Russian respondents who took the survey in April-May 2020 (1st wave) (1), June-September 2020 (decline) (2), October - December 2020 (3) (2nd wave), 1st half of 2021 (4). At the same time as sample 4, respondents from Azerbaijan (5) and Uzbekistan (6) were surveyed. Finally, there was another sample of Uzbekistan respondents surveyed in the 1st half of 2022 (7). Respondents of both sexes and different ages participated in each sample, with a total of 2908 people. The table 1 shows the sample means for all items in all samples.

In all seven samples, women are characterized by responses indicating their greater tension, stress, and psychological fatigue caused by life in a pandemic. In almost all samples, younger respondents demonstrate greater involvement in the disease and its experiences. Perhaps this is due to the fact that social restrictions affected young respondents to a greater extent.

It was shown that with each new wave, the indicators for the 2, 5, 8 grow, and 3, 4, 7 decreases. At the same time, since no one canceled the pandemic, this year, along with a decrease in indicators for all items corresponding to stress and anxiety, ideas about the possible duration of the pandemic are growing.

Image:

We can say that people have adapted to coexist with this disease and are ready for its continued presence in the world. The average indicators of Azerbaijani respondents indicate a more tense attitude towards the pandemic compared to Russia and Uzbekistan. It can be assumed that this is due to longer and more extensive state anti-epidemiological measures in Azerbaijan.

None Declared

Berscheid (1999), taken from Lacunza & Contini (2016), indicated that social relations were the foundation of the human condition. From positive psychology, Park et al. (2013) point out good relationships as a factor that contributes to a good psychological life, since they provide emotional and instrumental support in times of stress and challenge, indicating, in turn, normal evolutionary development and the avoidance of psychopathological problems.

To establish the relationship between positive relationships and the presence of stressors in adolescents.

A cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study was carried out in 109 (N= 109) adolescents. The SISCO Inventory was used to study academic stress as well as the Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale.

A negative magnitude correlation was found between positive relationships and stressors. ( Table 1).

As a secondary result, 60.6% of the evaluated adolescents presented life purpos as the factor with the highest score in the psychological well-being variable. This points to authors such as Erikson (1988, p. 96), who define adolescence as a space characterized by feelings of creativity, productivity, new ideas, and a period of cognitive and social maturation, which leads to a definitive commitment to life itself. (Graph 1).

Image:

Image 2:

Positive relationships in adolescents decrease the presence of stimuli considered stressors.

None Declared

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures to control the pandemic adversely affected the mental health of children and adolescents; however, studies examining the effects of the pandemic on child and adolescent mental health services are scarce

Our study aims to show how this unexpected pandemic affecting all humanity and the accompanying restrictions affect the admissions to the child psychiatry service.

In this study, the diagnoses, the treatments used, and the length of hospital stay of inpatient child and adolescent psychiatry patients were obtained and compared between the normal period and the pandemic period. Patients who received inpatient treatment between March 2020 and March 2022 and 154 patients who were hospitalized in the year before the pandemic were compared. The effect of the pandemic on the clinical profile of inpatients in the psychiatry ward was measured. For the psychiatric evaluation of the patients, Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia was used.

When the drugs used by the patients in the ward were compared, there was a difference between the groups in terms of antipsychotic use. While there was a difference in the use of risperidone and aripiprazole(p<0.05); there was no difference in the use of paliperidone, quetiapine, olanzapine, and clozapine (p>0.05). There was a difference between the groups in terms of antidepressant use. While there was a difference in fluoxetine use; there was no difference between the use of sertraline citalopram and escitalopram(p<0.05). No difference was observed between the use of other drugs, methylphenidate and atomoxetine, anxiolytic use, and the use of mood stabilizers lithium valproate lamotrigine (p>0.05). It is observed that there is an increase in the need for antidepressants and antipsychotics used in the child and adolescent psychiatry service during the Covid 19 pandemic.

These results can help inform and develop strategies and interventions related to the pandemic in children and adolescents. Future research should continue to evaluate the psychological consequences of COVID-19 on adolescents. The treatment patterns that were used seemed to change indicating the pandemic had a significant effects on these patients. However, this statement requires to be backed up by other studies to get a conclusion, especially the ones with higher numbers of subjects and longer durations of follow-ups.

None Declared

Various psychiatric disorders were reported during the long COVID. The most frequently cited by physicians included the insomnia, the anxio-depressive disorders and the post-traumatic stress disorder. These symptoms would have a negative impact on the quality of life as well as on the socio-professional and economic efficiency.

The aim of this study was to determine the associated factors to anxio-depressive disorders during long COVID.

A cross sectional analytic study was conducted at Taher Sfar university hospital of Mahdia over a period of one year (from March 2020 to March 2021). It included patients consulting within at least 1 month after a COVID-19 documented infection. We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD) to screen for anxio-depressive disorders.

We recruited 137 patients in the study. The median age was situated at 60 years, ranging from 17 to 82 years. The sex ratio M/F was 0.073. The median HAD score was 19 [8, 33]. Anxio-depressive disorders were present in 61% of cases. There was no statistically significant association between anxio-depressive disorders and post COVID symptoms except arthralgia and myalgia (38.6% vs 13.5; p=0,006 and 26.8% vs 5.4%; p=0.007, respectively). After the multivariate analysis, only arthralgia during long COVID was associated with the anxio-depressive disorders (95% CI 1.489 to 30.25, p=0.01).

Arthralgia is a frequent symptom sometimes underestimated and in others overtreated. As it seems to be significantly associated with anxio-depressive disorders in the post covid period, physicians should pay attention to the history of a viral documented or probable infection and to psychiatric symptoms’ screening. Our results should however be confirmed by multicenter studies with larger sample size.

None Declared

Long COVID is a condition characterized by long-term health problems persisting or appearing after the typical recovery period of COVID-19. Physical symptoms such as respiratory, neurological and musculoskeletal complaints were initially described in the foreground. A little after, psychological disorders have been widely reported.

The aim of this study was to screen for somatic and anxio-depressive disorders of Long COVID.

A cross sectional descriptive study included the patients consulting within a minimum of 1 month after a COVID-19 infection. It was conducted at Taher Sfar university hospital of Mahdia over a period of one year from March 2020 to March 2021. A questionnaire and physical examination were used to look for physical symptoms and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD) was used to screen for anxio-depressive disorders.

We recruited 137 patients. The median age was of 60 years with a sex ratio M/F at 0.073. Obesity was the most frequent comorbidity (36%) followed by diabetes (35%) and hypertension (32%). More than a quarter of patients was hospitalized (30%) during the acute phase, while the others (70%) were confined at home. The median stay duration at home or hospital was of 10 days with extremes ranging from 0 to 21 days. The most frequent post-COVID symptoms were dyspnea, mood disorders, myalgia, arthralgia, dry cough, sleep disorders and anorexia in 45%, 30%, 30%, 20%, 16%, 15% and 14% of cases, respectively. Pulmonary auscultation was normal in 86% of our patients, for the others we noted crackles, ronchi and wheezing among 9%, 1% and 1% of patients. The median oxygen saturation was 97% with a range from 93 to 99%. The majority of our patients (120) had saturation more than 95% in ambient air. The median HAD score was situated at 19 [8, 33]. Anxio-depressive disorders were present 61% of cases. A severe depression was noted among 24% of patients. and a severe anxiety among 28% of them.

Our study highlighted a high prevalence of anxio-depressive disorders (62%) which exeeds the prevalence described in the literature. The systematic use of the HAD scale among consultants could be the explanation. Thus, psychological screening and support should be considered when managing patients having a history of COVID-19 infection. Citizens should comply with the relevant legal provisions making vaccination compulsory as it was found that COVID-19 vaccination reduced long COVID risk.

None Declared

COVID-19 had a significant impact on the mental health of the affected population. Such multifactorial risk for a deterioration of mental health suggests the need to identify groups of patients with psychiatric vulnerability and to establish strategies of intervention based on scientific evidence.

The aim of the study was to identify psychiatric outcomes one year after recovery and possible associations between these and the clinical, anamnestic, and sociodemographic variables.

The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was employed to assess current and lifetime mental illness in a cohort of 100 patients discharged between March and April 2020 from COVID-19 wards of the San Paolo Hospital in Milan, Italy. The Kendall rank correlation coefficient was administered to measure the ordinal association between clinical-demographic variables and the psychiatric diagnoses of patients. Bivariate correlation was used to explore the association between psychiatric outcomes and the sample characteristics.

Almost one third of subjects screened positive for a diagnosis of a new psychiatric disorder, and a novel onset of psychiatric morbidity did not differ significantly in patients with and without a positive history of mental illness (42 and 58%). New psychiatric disorders were grouped into stress reactions, anxiety-group disorders and mood disorders. Concerning demographic characteristics, advanced age represented a protective factor against the onset of new psychiatric disorders (rτ = -0,203, p =0,008). Despite a lower risk of contracting the infection, women in our cohort were more vulnerable to psychiatric post-Covid symptoms (rτ =0,190, p =0,029). The correlation between the onset of new psychiatric disorders and some pre-admission vulnerability factors, such as an overweight condition (rτ =0,185, p =0,026) and a positive medical history for cigarette smoking (rτ =0,203, p =0,026), were statistically significant. Moreover, subjects who reported taking a therapy to control the infection prior to hospitalization were more likely to receive a new psychiatric diagnose (rτ =0,269, p =0,005). Of note, variables related to the severity of hospitalization such as oxygenation intensity, days of hospitalization, or requirement of intensive car were not associated with new psychiatric diagnoses.

The onset of psychiatric disorders shows a relevant frequency in patients hospitalized for COVID-19, suggesting that mental health services should structure adequate screening and diagnosis methods. Three levels of intervention can also be expected to reduce the overall risk and burden of psychiatric morbidity: increasing awareness regarding modifiable risk factors; guaranteeing a minimal level of mental health support to patients hospitalized for COVID-19; providing personalized interventions with respect to gender and age groups.

None Declared