The Evolution of Young People’s Mental Health during COVID-19: Evidence from four Low-and-Middle-Income-Countries (original) (raw)
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BMJ Open, 2021
ObjectiveTo provide evidence on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young people who grew up in poverty in low/middle-income countries (LMICs).DesignA phone survey administered between August and October 2020 to participants of a population-based longitudinal cohort study established in 2002 comprising two cohorts born in 1994–1995 and 2001–2002 in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Peru and Vietnam. We use logistic regressions to examine associations between mental health and pandemic-related stressors, structural factors (gender, age), and lifelong protective/risk factors (parent and peer relationship, wealth, long-term health problems, past emotional problems, subjective well-being) measured at younger ages.SettingA geographically diverse, poverty-focused sample, also reaching those without mobile phones or internet access.Participants10 496 individuals were approached; 9730 participated. Overall, 8988 individuals were included in this study; ...
The European Journal of Development Research
Across diverse contexts, emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing levels of anxiety and stress. In calling for greater attention to people’s psychosocial and emotional well-being, global actors have paid insufficient attention to the realities of the pandemic in low- and middle-income countries, where millions of people are already exposed to intersecting vulnerabilities. Chronic poverty, protracted violence, conflict and displacement, coupled with weak health, education and protection systems, provide the backdrop of many adolescents’ lives. Drawing on qualitative in-country telephone interviews with over 500 adolescents in Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire and Lebanon, this article unpacks the age and gendered dimensions of COVID-19 and its response. We conclude by discussing the implications for COVID-19 recovery efforts, arguing that embedding adolescent-centred, inclusive approaches in education, community-based health and social protection responses, has the p...
COVID-19 and mental health in 8 low- and middle-income countries: A prospective cohort study
PLOS Medicine
Background The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated mitigation policies created a global economic and health crisis of unprecedented depth and scale, raising the estimated prevalence of depression by more than a quarter in high-income countries. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) suffered the negative effects on living standards the most severely. However, the consequences of the pandemic for mental health in LMICs have received less attention. Therefore, this study assesses the association between the COVID-19 crisis and mental health in 8 LMICs. Methods and findings We conducted a prospective cohort study to examine the correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health in 10 populations from 8 LMICs in Asia, Africa, and South America. The analysis included 21,162 individuals (mean age 38.01 years, 64% female) who were interviewed at least once pre- as well as post-pandemic. The total number of survey waves ranged from 2 to 17 (mean 7.1). Our ...
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health in Low and Middle Income Countries
We track the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in eight Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) in Asia, Africa, and South America utilizing repeated surveys of 21,162 individuals. Many respondents were interviewed over multiple rounds pre- and post-pandemic, allowing us to control for time trends and within-year seasonal variation in mental health. We demonstrate how mental health fluctuates with agricultural crop cycles, deteriorating during pre-harvest "lean" periods. Ignoring this seasonal variation leads to unreliable inferences about the effects of the pandemic. Controlling for seasonality, we document a large, significant, negative impact of the pandemic on mental health, especially during the early months of lockdown. In a random effects aggregation across samples, depression symptoms increased by around 0.3 standard deviations in the four months following the onset of the pandemic. The pandemic could leave a lasting legacy of depression. Absent po...
Psychological distress, low-income, and socio-economic vulnerability in the COVID-19 pandemic
Public Health, 2021
Objectives: Although literature broadly reports the impact of COVID-19 on global mental health, little is known about the extent of its deleterious impact on the most vulnerable individuals. The present study aimed to evaluate the level of psychological distress of adult's residents of two urban shantytown communities located in São Paulo city, Brazil. Study design: This was a cross-sectional study. Methods: An online questionnaire was divided into four sections: (1) informed consent, (2) socioeconomic data, (3) 12-item general health questionnaire, and (4) Brazilian food insecurity scale was applied. Results: Of the 495 family headship (448 females and 47 males), the mean age was 36.1 years, 85% have an indication of psychological distress, 61.4% had a monthly income less than or equal to $70, and the incidence of households experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity was 40%. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that respondents who experienced moderate or severe food insecurity (odds ratio [OR] ¼ 2.701, confidence interval [CI] 95% ¼ 1.265e5.769; P ¼ 0.010) and lower monthly income (OR ¼ 2.031, CI 95% ¼ 1.056e3.908; P ¼ 0.034) had a higher risk of psychological distress. On the other hand, having an employment is a protective factor against the stressful situations caused by COVID-19 pandemic (P ¼ 0.029). Conclusion: The present study identified low-income younger women residents of urban slums who suffer from food insecurity as high-risk groups to have psychological distress. Our findings are of particular importance because they showed the intersection of vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The world is coming to an end! COVID-19, depression, and anxiety among adolescents in Malawi
Frontiers in Psychiatry
IntroductionThis paper assessed the effects of Covid-19 on adolescent mental health in Malawi. There is minimal research on adolescent mental health in Africa, Malawi in particular. The study shows a link between the pandemic and mental health. Some factors that may have contributed to this link include; Covid-19 preventive measures, media exposure and the increase in unemployment.MethodsThe study used a mixed methods approach, quantitative and qualitative methods. It was conducted in Malawi's four districts (Blantyre, Mangochi, Lilongwe and Karonga).ResultsOverall 22%, 21%, and 23% of the respondents had depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, respectively. The Chi-square test showed that significantly more adolescents with secondary education (28%) had anxiety than those with primary education (14%). Further, regression analysis revealed that adolescents with anxiety were 18 [95%CI: 9.34, 35.8] times more likely to have depression compared to those who did not ...
Science Progress and Research, 2021
In view of the latest COVID-19 pandemic's unprecedented major global health crisis, it is extremely vital to consider the mental effect of this rising and formidable threat on the life of humanity, which has significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Previous research indicates that people affected by COVID-19 can have a high burden of issues with mental health, including depression, anxiety disorders, stress, sleep disorders, emotional illness, signs of post-traumatic stress, and suicidal behavior. In the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the outbreak entails a large-scale change in behavior and further, creates major psychological burdens on individuals, there is a growing concern to resolve the mental health issues of the general population. This review article attempts to highlight different mental health challenges faced during COVID-19 by multiple individuals. In certain settings, virtual mental health systems should be set up, and social media should be used to ...