Coping, Social Support and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Effect on Depression and Anxiety: Patients’ Experiences in Community Mental Health Centers in Norway
<i>Background:</i> Little is known about psychiatric patients’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations of coping strategies, social support and loneliness with mental health symptoms among these patients. <i>Methods</i&...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/5/875 |
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| author | Zhanna Kan Erik Ganesh Iyer Søegaard Johan Siqveland Ajmal Hussain Ketil Hanssen-Bauer Pia Jensen Kristin Sverdvik Heiervang Petter Andreas Ringen Øivind Ekeberg Erlend Hem Trond Heir Suraj Bahadur Thapa |
| author_facet | Zhanna Kan Erik Ganesh Iyer Søegaard Johan Siqveland Ajmal Hussain Ketil Hanssen-Bauer Pia Jensen Kristin Sverdvik Heiervang Petter Andreas Ringen Øivind Ekeberg Erlend Hem Trond Heir Suraj Bahadur Thapa |
| author_sort | Zhanna Kan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Background:</i> Little is known about psychiatric patients’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations of coping strategies, social support and loneliness with mental health symptoms among these patients. <i>Methods</i>: We recruited 164 patients from Community Mental Health Centers in June–July 2020. Participants responded to an online questionnaire on corona-related questions, Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experience, Crisis Support Scale, a 3-item Loneliness Scale, and Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25. We used linear regression models to investigate associations between these and symptoms of depression and anxiety. <i>Results</i>: Almost 51% were aged 31–50 years and 77% were females. Forty-six (28%) participants reported worsened overall mental health due to the pandemic. The reported rates of clinical depression and anxiety were 84% and 76%, respectively. Maladaptive coping was independently associated with both depression and anxiety symptoms. Loneliness was independently associated with depression symptoms. <i>Conclusions</i>: Patients in Community Mental Health Centers in Norway reported high rates of depression and anxiety symptoms. Many of them reported worsening of their mental health due to the pandemic, even at a time when COVID-19 infections and restrictive measures were relatively low. Maladaptive coping strategies and loneliness may be possible explanations for more distress. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:48:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a07151b398fb494792e33fa4abd38e2a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:48:31Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-a07151b398fb494792e33fa4abd38e2a2023-11-23T11:14:26ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322022-05-0110587510.3390/healthcare10050875Coping, Social Support and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Effect on Depression and Anxiety: Patients’ Experiences in Community Mental Health Centers in NorwayZhanna Kan0Erik Ganesh Iyer Søegaard1Johan Siqveland2Ajmal Hussain3Ketil Hanssen-Bauer4Pia Jensen5Kristin Sverdvik Heiervang6Petter Andreas Ringen7Øivind Ekeberg8Erlend Hem9Trond Heir10Suraj Bahadur Thapa11Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, NorwayDivision of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, NorwayDivision of Mental Health Services, Akershus University Hospital, 1478 Lørenskog, NorwayDivision of Mental Health Services, Akershus University Hospital, 1478 Lørenskog, NorwayDivision of Mental Health Services, Akershus University Hospital, 1478 Lørenskog, NorwayDivision of Mental Health Services, Akershus University Hospital, 1478 Lørenskog, NorwayDivision of Mental Health Services, Akershus University Hospital, 1478 Lørenskog, NorwayDivision of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, NorwayDivision of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Behavioral Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, NorwayDivision of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0315 Oslo, NorwayDivision of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway<i>Background:</i> Little is known about psychiatric patients’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations of coping strategies, social support and loneliness with mental health symptoms among these patients. <i>Methods</i>: We recruited 164 patients from Community Mental Health Centers in June–July 2020. Participants responded to an online questionnaire on corona-related questions, Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experience, Crisis Support Scale, a 3-item Loneliness Scale, and Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25. We used linear regression models to investigate associations between these and symptoms of depression and anxiety. <i>Results</i>: Almost 51% were aged 31–50 years and 77% were females. Forty-six (28%) participants reported worsened overall mental health due to the pandemic. The reported rates of clinical depression and anxiety were 84% and 76%, respectively. Maladaptive coping was independently associated with both depression and anxiety symptoms. Loneliness was independently associated with depression symptoms. <i>Conclusions</i>: Patients in Community Mental Health Centers in Norway reported high rates of depression and anxiety symptoms. Many of them reported worsening of their mental health due to the pandemic, even at a time when COVID-19 infections and restrictive measures were relatively low. Maladaptive coping strategies and loneliness may be possible explanations for more distress.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/5/875anxietydepressionCOVID-19copingCommunity Mental Health Centersloneliness |
| spellingShingle | Zhanna Kan Erik Ganesh Iyer Søegaard Johan Siqveland Ajmal Hussain Ketil Hanssen-Bauer Pia Jensen Kristin Sverdvik Heiervang Petter Andreas Ringen Øivind Ekeberg Erlend Hem Trond Heir Suraj Bahadur Thapa Coping, Social Support and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Effect on Depression and Anxiety: Patients’ Experiences in Community Mental Health Centers in Norway Healthcare anxiety depression COVID-19 coping Community Mental Health Centers loneliness |
| title | Coping, Social Support and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Effect on Depression and Anxiety: Patients’ Experiences in Community Mental Health Centers in Norway |
| title_full | Coping, Social Support and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Effect on Depression and Anxiety: Patients’ Experiences in Community Mental Health Centers in Norway |
| title_fullStr | Coping, Social Support and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Effect on Depression and Anxiety: Patients’ Experiences in Community Mental Health Centers in Norway |
| title_full_unstemmed | Coping, Social Support and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Effect on Depression and Anxiety: Patients’ Experiences in Community Mental Health Centers in Norway |
| title_short | Coping, Social Support and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Effect on Depression and Anxiety: Patients’ Experiences in Community Mental Health Centers in Norway |
| title_sort | coping social support and loneliness during the covid 19 pandemic and their effect on depression and anxiety patients experiences in community mental health centers in norway |
| topic | anxiety depression COVID-19 coping Community Mental Health Centers loneliness |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/10/5/875 |
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