The trajectories of depressive symptoms among working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the InHamilton COVID-19 study
Abstract Background Longitudinal studies examining the impact of changes in COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors and experiences, and coping styles on the mental health trajectory of employed individuals during the lockdown are limited. The study examined the mental health trajectories of a sample of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-10-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11900-8 |
| _version_ | 1819259789893435392 |
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| author | Divya Joshi Andrea Gonzalez Lauren Griffith Laura Duncan Harriet MacMillan Melissa Kimber Brenda Vrkljan James MacKillop Marla Beauchamp Nick Kates Parminder Raina |
| author_facet | Divya Joshi Andrea Gonzalez Lauren Griffith Laura Duncan Harriet MacMillan Melissa Kimber Brenda Vrkljan James MacKillop Marla Beauchamp Nick Kates Parminder Raina |
| author_sort | Divya Joshi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Longitudinal studies examining the impact of changes in COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors and experiences, and coping styles on the mental health trajectory of employed individuals during the lockdown are limited. The study examined the mental health trajectories of a sample of employed adults in Hamilton, Ontario during the initial lockdown and after the re-opening following the first wave in Canada. Further, this study also identified the pandemic-related stressors and coping strategies associated with changes in depressive symptoms in employed adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The InHamilton COVID-19 longitudinal study involved 579 employees aged 22–88 years from a large public university in an urban area of Hamilton, Ontario at baseline (April 2020). Participants were followed monthly with 6 waves of data collected between April and November 2020. A growth mixture modeling approach was used to identify distinct groups of adults who followed a similar pattern of depressive symptoms over time and to describe the longitudinal change in the outcome within and among the identified sub-groups. Results Our results showed two distinct trajectories of change with 66.2% of participants displaying low-consistent patterns of depressive symptoms, and 33.8% of participants displaying high-increasing depressive symptom patterns. COVID-19 pandemic-related experiences including health concerns, caregiving burden, and lack of access to resources were associated with worsening of the depressive symptom trajectories. Frequent use of dysfunctional coping strategies and less frequent use of emotion-focused coping strategies were associated with the high and increasing depressive symptom pattern. Conclusions The negative mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are specific to subgroups within the population and stressors may persist and worsen over time. Providing access to evidence-informed approaches that foster adaptive coping, alleviate the depressive symptoms, and promote the mental health of working adults is critical. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T19:15:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-69849ca333d946f8b71350fc302078eb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T19:15:36Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-69849ca333d946f8b71350fc302078eb2022-12-21T17:34:19ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582021-10-0121111010.1186/s12889-021-11900-8The trajectories of depressive symptoms among working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the InHamilton COVID-19 studyDivya Joshi0Andrea Gonzalez1Lauren Griffith2Laura Duncan3Harriet MacMillan4Melissa Kimber5Brenda Vrkljan6James MacKillop7Marla Beauchamp8Nick Kates9Parminder Raina10Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster UniversityLabarge Centre for Mobility in Aging, McMaster UniversityDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster UniversityLabarge Centre for Mobility in Aging, McMaster UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster UniversityLabarge Centre for Mobility in Aging, McMaster UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster UniversityDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster UniversityAbstract Background Longitudinal studies examining the impact of changes in COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors and experiences, and coping styles on the mental health trajectory of employed individuals during the lockdown are limited. The study examined the mental health trajectories of a sample of employed adults in Hamilton, Ontario during the initial lockdown and after the re-opening following the first wave in Canada. Further, this study also identified the pandemic-related stressors and coping strategies associated with changes in depressive symptoms in employed adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The InHamilton COVID-19 longitudinal study involved 579 employees aged 22–88 years from a large public university in an urban area of Hamilton, Ontario at baseline (April 2020). Participants were followed monthly with 6 waves of data collected between April and November 2020. A growth mixture modeling approach was used to identify distinct groups of adults who followed a similar pattern of depressive symptoms over time and to describe the longitudinal change in the outcome within and among the identified sub-groups. Results Our results showed two distinct trajectories of change with 66.2% of participants displaying low-consistent patterns of depressive symptoms, and 33.8% of participants displaying high-increasing depressive symptom patterns. COVID-19 pandemic-related experiences including health concerns, caregiving burden, and lack of access to resources were associated with worsening of the depressive symptom trajectories. Frequent use of dysfunctional coping strategies and less frequent use of emotion-focused coping strategies were associated with the high and increasing depressive symptom pattern. Conclusions The negative mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are specific to subgroups within the population and stressors may persist and worsen over time. Providing access to evidence-informed approaches that foster adaptive coping, alleviate the depressive symptoms, and promote the mental health of working adults is critical.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11900-8Depressive symptomsMental healthCOVID-19CaregivingCoping strategiesEmployed adults |
| spellingShingle | Divya Joshi Andrea Gonzalez Lauren Griffith Laura Duncan Harriet MacMillan Melissa Kimber Brenda Vrkljan James MacKillop Marla Beauchamp Nick Kates Parminder Raina The trajectories of depressive symptoms among working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the InHamilton COVID-19 study BMC Public Health Depressive symptoms Mental health COVID-19 Caregiving Coping strategies Employed adults |
| title | The trajectories of depressive symptoms among working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the InHamilton COVID-19 study |
| title_full | The trajectories of depressive symptoms among working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the InHamilton COVID-19 study |
| title_fullStr | The trajectories of depressive symptoms among working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the InHamilton COVID-19 study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The trajectories of depressive symptoms among working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the InHamilton COVID-19 study |
| title_short | The trajectories of depressive symptoms among working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of the InHamilton COVID-19 study |
| title_sort | trajectories of depressive symptoms among working adults during the covid 19 pandemic a longitudinal analysis of the inhamilton covid 19 study |
| topic | Depressive symptoms Mental health COVID-19 Caregiving Coping strategies Employed adults |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11900-8 |
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