Dataset Information

COVID-19 pandemic impact on mental health in a large representative sample of older adults from the Lombardy region, Italy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

We aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, hopelessness and insomnia in the older adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic identifying subgroups at higher risk of mental distress.

Methods

Within the Lost in Lombardy project, a web-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative sample of 4400 older adults aged 65 years or more from the Lombardy region recruited between November 17th and 30th 2020.

Results

The prevalence of depressive symptoms increased by +112 % during the pandemic, anxiety symptoms by +136 %, insufficient sleep by +12 %, unsatisfactory sleep by +15 %. Feelings of hopelessness were more frequent among women compared to men and increased with increasing age. A worsening in each of the four specific mental health outcomes was more frequently observed in women (OR = 1.50, depression; OR = 1.31, anxiety; OR = 1.57, sleep quality; OR = 1.38, sleep quantity), in subjects who decreased their physical activity during the pandemic (OR = 1.64, depression; OR = 1.48, anxiety; OR = 2.05, sleep quality; OR = 1.28, sleep quantity), and with increasing number of pre-existing chronic diseases. The use of at least one psychotropic drug - mostly antidepressants/anxiolytics - increased by +26 % compared to pre-pandemic.

Limitations

Pre-pandemic symptoms were retrospectively reported during the Covid pandemic. Potential information and recall bias should not be ruled out.

Conclusions

If confirmed by future longitudinal studies, our findings could support evidence-based health and welfare policies on responding to this pandemic and on how to promote mental health and wellbeing, should future waves of infection emerge.

SUBMITTER: Amerio A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9824954 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

COVID-19 pandemic impact on mental health in a large representative sample of older adults from the Lombardy region, Italy.

Amerio Andrea A Stival Chiara C Lugo Alessandra A Fanucchi Tiziana T d'Oro Luca Cavalieri LC Iacoviello Licia L Odone Anna A Stuckler David D Zucchi Alberto A Serafini Gianluca G Gallus Silvano S

Journal of affective disorders 20230107

<h4>Background</h4>We aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, hopelessness and insomnia in the older adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic identifying subgroups at higher risk of mental distress.<h4>Methods</h4>Within the Lost in Lombardy project, a web-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative sample of 4400 older adults aged 65 years or more from the Lombardy region recruited between November 17th and 30th 2020.<h4>Results</h4>The prevale ...[more]

PMID: 36627059

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Project description:BackgroundThe Italian Lombardy region has been the epicenter of COVID-19 since February 2020. This study analyses the epidemiology of pediatric type 1 diabetes (T1D) onset during the first two pandemic waves and three previous years.MethodsAll the 13 pediatric diabetes centers in Lombardy prospectively evaluated charts of children at T1D onset (0-17 years), during year 2020. After calculating the annual incidence, the data were compared with those of the 3 previous years, using generalized linear models, adjusted for age and sex. Monthly T1D new onsets and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) were investigated yearly from 2017 to 2020. Data were extracted from outpatients charts of the pediatric diabetes centers and from the database of the national institute of statistics.FindingsThe estimated incidence proportion of T1D was 16/100·000 in 2020, compared to 14, 11 and 12 in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. When adjusting for age and gender, the incidence was significantly lower in 2018 and 2017 compared to 2020 (adjusted incidence ratio: 0.73 and 0.77 respectively, with 95% CI: 0.63 to 0.84, and 0.67 to 0.83; p = 0·002 and p = 0·01), but no difference was found between the years 2020 and 2019. A reduction trend in the percentage of T1D diagnosis during the first wave (March-April) over the total year diagnoses was observed compared to previous years (11·7% in 2020, 17·7% in 2019, 14·1% in 2018 and 14·4% 2017). No difference was observed during the second wave (October-December) (32·8% in 2020, 33·8% in 2019, 34% in 2018, 30·7% in 2017). The proportion of DKA over the total T1D diagnoses during the second wave had higher trend than the first one (41·7% vs 33·3%), while severe DKA over the total DKA appeared higher during the first wave (60% vs 37·1%).InterpretationThe study suggests an increase in the incidence of pediatric T1D in Lombardy throughout the past five years. Pandemic waves may have affected the clinical presentation at onset.FundingNone.

Dataset Information

COVID-19 pandemic impact on mental health in a large representative sample of older adults from the Lombardy region, Italy.

Background

Methods

Results

Limitations

Conclusions

Publications

COVID-19 pandemic impact on mental health in a large representative sample of older adults from the Lombardy region, Italy.

Similar Datasets

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