Latest Publications from RESPOND Collaborators

Several RESPOND collaborators have been involved in new publications that are relevant to the project:

Informing the response to COVID-19 in Spain: priorities for mental health research

From the perspective of clinicians and researchers involved in the health response to the pandemic in Spain, the authors of this article have identified research gaps and the following set of priorities to guide the future response to the pandemic:

1. Short-term and long-term mental health problems derived from the COVID-19 pandemic need to be identified. Studies covering changes in mental health in representative Spanish samples from before the pandemic to the present are needed. The unintended consequences of the pandemic-control decisions also need to be more clearly identified. In addition, there is a need for an improvement in the reporting of completed suicide in Spain and to enable prompt access to mortality data.
2. The mental health system response to epidemics needs to be improved in order to prevent health systems from being overburdened.
3. The neuropsychiatric consequences after recovery of acute COVID need to be systematically studied. In particular, the exact percentage of individuals that develop long-lasting neuropsychiatric complications needs to be known.
4. Given that mental health problems are predicted to increase due to the pandemic, mental health interventions need to be developed and assessed. They also need to be scalable and need to use resources efficiently. Currently in Spain, interventions rely on previous resources and are not scalable. The effectiveness of digital interventions also needs to be assessed.

Ayuso-Mateos, J.L., Mediavilla, R., McGreevy, K.R. & Bravo-Ortiz, M.F. (2021). Informing the response to COVID-19 in Spain: priorities for mental health research. Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, 14(2), 79-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpsm.2021.04.001

Changes in Health Behaviors, Mental and Physical Health among Older Adults under Severe Lockdown Restrictions during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain

During the first wave of the pandemic, Spain had one of the most restrictive lockdowns in Europe. This study explores the changes in mental and physical health, as well as health behaviours among older adults during the first lockdown in Spain.

Significantly, mental health was affected, especially among those living alone, experiencing loneliness, with mobility limitations, and lower cognitive function.

The restrictions were however not associated with lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, or diet, although physical activity was decreased during the lockdown (and then reversed once the restrictions were lifted).

The authors recommend that, in future lockdowns, the needs of older males, those with greater social isolation, sub-optimal housing conditions, and chronic morbidities (due to the movement restrictions) be especially addressed.

García-Esquinas, E.; Ortolá, R.; Gine-Vázquez, I.; Carnicero, J.A.; Mañas, A.; Lara, E.; Alvarez-Bustos, A.; Vicente-Rodriguez, G.; Sotos-Prieto, M.; Olaya, B.; Garcia-Garcia, F.J.; Gusi, N.; Banegas, J.R.; Rodríguez-Gómez, I.; Struijk, E.A.; Martínez-Gómez, D.; Lana, A.; Haro, J.M.; Ayuso-Mateos, J.L.; Rodríguez-Mañas, L.; Ara, I.; Miret, M.; Rodríguez-Artalejo, F. (2021). Changes in Health Behaviors, Mental and Physical Health among Older Adults under Severe Lockdown Restrictions during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 7067. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137067

Social and mental health risks faced by undocumented migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from three surveys in France

This study analysed the results from three surveys given to undocumented migrants in France. During the first wave of the pandemic, undocumented migrants had a higher probability of depression, increased food insecurity, and of losing their job.

The authors also highlight the fact that there is currently not enough quantitative data on the social and mental health risks that the pandemic has posed to undocumented migrants. In addition, undocumented migrants are a hard-to-reach group and are at risk of not being included in surveys.

From a policy perspective, the results show that interventions are needed to improve the employment and housing situation of undocumented migrants, as well as programmes to increase access to healthcare.

Gosselin, A., Longchamps, C., Oulahal, R., Derluyn, I., Ducarroz, S., Skovdal, M., … & Melchior, M. (2021). Social and mental health risks faced by undocumented migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from three surveys in France. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.14.21264999

Depression during the COVID-19 pandemic amongst residents of homeless shelters in France

This study investigated factors associated with depression among homeless people living in shelters in France during the first wave of the pandemic. Almost a third of the people in this group had moderate or severe levels of depression, with the following groups at the greatest risk: women, young people, those without stable partners, and those who were chronically unwell or food insecure.

The authors call for more attention and mental health support to be given to homeless individuals, which would increase the likelihood of them progressing to stable housing.

Honor, S., Davisse-Paturet, C., Longchamps, C., El Aarbaoui, T., Allaire, C., Colleville, A., Convence-Arulthas, M., Crouzet, L., Ducarroz, S., Melchior, M. (2021). Depression during the COVID-19 pandemic amongst residents of homeless shelters in France. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 2021, 100243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100243

Association between perceived discrimination and mental health outcomes among health workers during the initial COVID-19 outbreak

A link was found between feelings of discrimination and poor mental health outcomes during the first wave of the pandemic in a large sample of healthcare workers in Spain. The authors found that feelings of discrimination among healthcare workers were frequent, with 1 in 3 respondents feeling stigmatised and/or discriminated against. There was also an increase in experiences of discrimination, such as verbal and physical assaults against healthcare workers in the first half of 2020.

The authors call for mass media, legislators, and healthcare institutions to put in place prevention and restoration strategies to help healthcare workers to experience less discrimination and thus reduce its mental health impact.

Mediavilla, R., Fernández-Jiménez, E., Andreo, J., Morán-Sánchez, I., Muñoz-Sanjosé, A., Moreno-Küstner, B., Mascayano, F., Ayuso-Mateos, J.L., Bravo-Ortiz, M. & Martínez-Alés, G. (2021). Association between perceived discrimination and mental health outcomes among health workers during the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpsm.2021.06.001

Role of access to personal protective equipment, treatment prioritization decisions, and changes in job functions on health workers’ mental health outcomes during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic

This study explored the extent to which organisational changes during the first wave of the pandemic impacted the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers in Spain. It was found that three work-related stressors (access to personal protective equipment, changes in job functions, and patient prioritisation decisions) were directly associated with depressive symptoms, psychological distress, and death wishes.

The article also suggests the following prevention strategies:

1. Adequate access to personal protective equipment during pandemic peaks should be guaranteed.
2. Changes in job functions should be kept to a minimum.
3. The implementation of publicly available criteria for patient triage and on-call bioethics committees should be favoured (if imbalances between needs and availability of clinical resources arise).

Mediavilla, R., Fernández-Jiménez, E., Martínez-Alés, G., Moreno-Küstner, B., Martínez-Morata, I., Jaramillo, F., Morán-Sánchez, I., Minué, S., Torres-Cantero, A., Alvarado, R., Ayuso-Mateos, J.L., Mascayano, F., Susser, E., Bravo-Ortiz, M. (2021). Role of access to personal protective equipment, treatment prioritization decisions, and changes in job functions on health workers’ mental health outcomes during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Affective Disorders, 295, 405-409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.059