The first wave of COVID-19 and concurrent social restrictions were not associated with a negative impact on mental health and psychiatric well-being

Þorvarður Jón Löve; Inga Dröfn Wessman; Gauti Kjartan Gislason; Sæmundur Rögnvaldsson; Sigrún Þorsteinsdóttir; Gudrun Asta Sigurdardottir; Asdis Rosa Thordardottir; Elías Eyþórsson; Tinna Laufey Ásgeirsdóttir; Thor Aspelund; Andri Steinþór Björnsson; Sigurður Yngvi Kristinsson

doi:10.1111/joim.13461

The first wave of COVID-19 and concurrent social restrictions were not associated with a negative impact on mental health and psychiatric well-being

Þorvarður Jón Löve, Inga Dröfn Wessman, Gauti Kjartan Gislason, Sæmundur Rögnvaldsson, Sigrún Þorsteinsdóttir, Gudrun Asta Sigurdardottir, Asdis Rosa Thordardottir, Elías Eyþórsson, Tinna Laufey Ásgeirsdóttir, Thor Aspelund, Andri Steinþór Björnsson, Sigurður Yngvi Kristinsson

University of Iceland

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain it have substantially affected the daily lives of most of the world's population.

OBJECTIVE: We describe the impact of the first COVID-19 wave and associated social restrictions on the mental health of a large adult population.

METHODS: We performed a cohort study nested in a prospective randomized clinical trial, comparing responses during the first COVID-19 wave to previous responses. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) of the population moving up one severity category on validated instruments used to measure stress (PSS-10), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Responses were linked to inpatient and outpatient ICD-10 codes from registries. Models were adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, and pre-existing diagnoses of mental illness.

RESULTS: Of 63,848 invited participants, 42,253 (66%) responded. The median age was 60 (inter-quartile range 53-68) and 19,032 (45%) were male. Responses during the first wave of COVID-19 did not suggest increased stress (OR 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-1.01; p = 0.28) or anxiety (OR 1.01; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.05; p = 0.61), but were associated with decreased depression (OR 0.89; 95% CI, 0.85-0.93, p < 0.0001) and increased satisfaction with life (OR 1.12; 95% CI, 1.08-1.16, p < 0.0001). A secondary analysis of repeated measures data showed similar results.

CONCLUSIONS: Social restrictions were sufficient to contain the pandemic but did not negatively impact validated measures of mental illness or psychiatric well-being. However, responses to individual questions showed signs of fear and stress. This may represent a normal, rather than pathological, population response to a stressful situation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	837-848
Number of pages	12
Journal	Journal of internal medicine
Volume	291
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/joim.13461
Publication status	Published - Jun 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information: The iStopMM project has been funded by grants from the following foundations based on submitted applications for competitive grants. No grants or other funding were received specifically for the nested study presented here. No support was sought or received from the industry. Funders had no influence on the design, presentation, or decision to publish this study: The Black Swan/International Myeloma Foundation; The European Union Horizon 2020 research framework; The Icelandic Centre for Research; The University of Iceland Research Fund; The Landspitali University Hospital Research Fund. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine

Other keywords

Adult
Anxiety/epidemiology
COVID-19
COVID-19/epidemiology
Cohort Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression/epidemiology
Female
Humans
Male
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Prospective Studies
mental health
pandemics

Access to Document

10.1111/joim.13461

MGUS screening RCT: Screening for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: A population-based randomized clinical trial
Kristinsson, S. Y. (PI)
1/02/17 → 31/01/22
Project: Research
MGUS screening RCT: Screening for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: A population-based randomized clinical trial
Kristinsson, S. Y. (PI)
1/02/17 → 31/01/22
University of Iceland
Project: Research

Cite this

Löve, Þ. J., Wessman, I. D., Gislason, G. K., Rögnvaldsson, S., Þorsteinsdóttir, S., Sigurdardottir, G. A., Thordardottir, A. R., Eyþórsson, E., Ásgeirsdóttir, T. L., Aspelund, T., Björnsson, A. S., & Kristinsson, S. Y. (2022). The first wave of COVID-19 and concurrent social restrictions were not associated with a negative impact on mental health and psychiatric well-being. Journal of internal medicine, 291(6), 837-848. https://doi.org/10.1111/joim.13461

@article{91a3edc2cf374b6e804644d9fa2a42b8,

title = "The first wave of COVID-19 and concurrent social restrictions were not associated with a negative impact on mental health and psychiatric well-being",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain it have substantially affected the daily lives of most of the world's population.OBJECTIVE: We describe the impact of the first COVID-19 wave and associated social restrictions on the mental health of a large adult population.METHODS: We performed a cohort study nested in a prospective randomized clinical trial, comparing responses during the first COVID-19 wave to previous responses. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) of the population moving up one severity category on validated instruments used to measure stress (PSS-10), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Responses were linked to inpatient and outpatient ICD-10 codes from registries. Models were adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, and pre-existing diagnoses of mental illness.RESULTS: Of 63,848 invited participants, 42,253 (66\%) responded. The median age was 60 (inter-quartile range 53-68) and 19,032 (45\%) were male. Responses during the first wave of COVID-19 did not suggest increased stress (OR 0.97; 95\% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-1.01; p = 0.28) or anxiety (OR 1.01; 95\% CI, 0.96 to 1.05; p = 0.61), but were associated with decreased depression (OR 0.89; 95\% CI, 0.85-0.93, p < 0.0001) and increased satisfaction with life (OR 1.12; 95\% CI, 1.08-1.16, p < 0.0001). A secondary analysis of repeated measures data showed similar results.CONCLUSIONS: Social restrictions were sufficient to contain the pandemic but did not negatively impact validated measures of mental illness or psychiatric well-being. However, responses to individual questions showed signs of fear and stress. This may represent a normal, rather than pathological, population response to a stressful situation.",

keywords = "Adult, Anxiety/epidemiology, COVID-19, COVID-19/epidemiology, Cohort Studies, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression/epidemiology, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, mental health, pandemics",

author = "L{\"o}ve, \{{\TH}orvar{\dh}ur J{\'o}n\} and Wessman, \{Inga Dr{\"o}fn\} and Gislason, \{Gauti Kjartan\} and S{\ae}mundur R{\"o}gnvaldsson and Sigr{\'u}n {\TH}orsteinsd{\'o}ttir and Sigurdardottir, \{Gudrun Asta\} and Thordardottir, \{Asdis Rosa\} and El{\'i}as Ey{\th}{\'o}rsson and {\'A}sgeirsd{\'o}ttir, \{Tinna Laufey\} and Thor Aspelund and Bj{\"o}rnsson, \{Andri Stein{\th}{\'o}r\} and Kristinsson, \{Sigur{\dh}ur Yngvi\}",

note = "Funding Information: The iStopMM project has been funded by grants from the following foundations based on submitted applications for competitive grants. No grants or other funding were received specifically for the nested study presented here. No support was sought or received from the industry. Funders had no influence on the design, presentation, or decision to publish this study: The Black Swan/International Myeloma Foundation; The European Union Horizon 2020 research framework; The Icelandic Centre for Research; The University of Iceland Research Fund; The Landspitali University Hospital Research Fund. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine",

year = "2022",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1111/joim.13461",

language = "English",

volume = "291",

pages = "837--848",

journal = "Journal of internal medicine",

issn = "0954-6820",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

number = "6",

}

Löve, ÞJ, Wessman, ID, Gislason, GK, Rögnvaldsson, S , Þorsteinsdóttir, S, Sigurdardottir, GA, Thordardottir, AR, Eyþórsson, E, Ásgeirsdóttir, TL , Aspelund, T , Björnsson, AS & Kristinsson, SY 2022, 'The first wave of COVID-19 and concurrent social restrictions were not associated with a negative impact on mental health and psychiatric well-being', Journal of internal medicine, vol. 291, no. 6, pp. 837-848. https://doi.org/10.1111/joim.13461

TY - JOUR

T1 - The first wave of COVID-19 and concurrent social restrictions were not associated with a negative impact on mental health and psychiatric well-being

AU - Löve, Þorvarður Jón

AU - Wessman, Inga Dröfn

AU - Gislason, Gauti Kjartan

AU - Rögnvaldsson, Sæmundur

AU - Þorsteinsdóttir, Sigrún

AU - Sigurdardottir, Gudrun Asta

AU - Thordardottir, Asdis Rosa

AU - Eyþórsson, Elías

AU - Ásgeirsdóttir, Tinna Laufey

AU - Aspelund, Thor

AU - Björnsson, Andri Steinþór

AU - Kristinsson, Sigurður Yngvi

N1 - Funding Information: The iStopMM project has been funded by grants from the following foundations based on submitted applications for competitive grants. No grants or other funding were received specifically for the nested study presented here. No support was sought or received from the industry. Funders had no influence on the design, presentation, or decision to publish this study: The Black Swan/International Myeloma Foundation; The European Union Horizon 2020 research framework; The Icelandic Centre for Research; The University of Iceland Research Fund; The Landspitali University Hospital Research Fund. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine

PY - 2022/6

Y1 - 2022/6

N2 - BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain it have substantially affected the daily lives of most of the world's population.OBJECTIVE: We describe the impact of the first COVID-19 wave and associated social restrictions on the mental health of a large adult population.METHODS: We performed a cohort study nested in a prospective randomized clinical trial, comparing responses during the first COVID-19 wave to previous responses. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) of the population moving up one severity category on validated instruments used to measure stress (PSS-10), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Responses were linked to inpatient and outpatient ICD-10 codes from registries. Models were adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, and pre-existing diagnoses of mental illness.RESULTS: Of 63,848 invited participants, 42,253 (66%) responded. The median age was 60 (inter-quartile range 53-68) and 19,032 (45%) were male. Responses during the first wave of COVID-19 did not suggest increased stress (OR 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-1.01; p = 0.28) or anxiety (OR 1.01; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.05; p = 0.61), but were associated with decreased depression (OR 0.89; 95% CI, 0.85-0.93, p < 0.0001) and increased satisfaction with life (OR 1.12; 95% CI, 1.08-1.16, p < 0.0001). A secondary analysis of repeated measures data showed similar results.CONCLUSIONS: Social restrictions were sufficient to contain the pandemic but did not negatively impact validated measures of mental illness or psychiatric well-being. However, responses to individual questions showed signs of fear and stress. This may represent a normal, rather than pathological, population response to a stressful situation.

AB - BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain it have substantially affected the daily lives of most of the world's population.OBJECTIVE: We describe the impact of the first COVID-19 wave and associated social restrictions on the mental health of a large adult population.METHODS: We performed a cohort study nested in a prospective randomized clinical trial, comparing responses during the first COVID-19 wave to previous responses. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) of the population moving up one severity category on validated instruments used to measure stress (PSS-10), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Responses were linked to inpatient and outpatient ICD-10 codes from registries. Models were adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, and pre-existing diagnoses of mental illness.RESULTS: Of 63,848 invited participants, 42,253 (66%) responded. The median age was 60 (inter-quartile range 53-68) and 19,032 (45%) were male. Responses during the first wave of COVID-19 did not suggest increased stress (OR 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-1.01; p = 0.28) or anxiety (OR 1.01; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.05; p = 0.61), but were associated with decreased depression (OR 0.89; 95% CI, 0.85-0.93, p < 0.0001) and increased satisfaction with life (OR 1.12; 95% CI, 1.08-1.16, p < 0.0001). A secondary analysis of repeated measures data showed similar results.CONCLUSIONS: Social restrictions were sufficient to contain the pandemic but did not negatively impact validated measures of mental illness or psychiatric well-being. However, responses to individual questions showed signs of fear and stress. This may represent a normal, rather than pathological, population response to a stressful situation.

KW - Adult

KW - Anxiety/epidemiology

KW - COVID-19

KW - COVID-19/epidemiology

KW - Cohort Studies

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Depression/epidemiology

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Mental Health

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Prospective Studies

KW - mental health

KW - pandemics

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DO - 10.1111/joim.13461

M3 - Article

C2 - 35112416

SN - 0954-6820

VL - 291

SP - 837

EP - 848

JO - Journal of internal medicine

JF - Journal of internal medicine

IS - 6

ER -

The first wave of COVID-19 and concurrent social restrictions were not associated with a negative impact on mental health and psychiatric well-being

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Other keywords

Access to Document

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Projects

MGUS screening RCT: Screening for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: A population-based randomized clinical trial

MGUS screening RCT: Screening for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: A population-based randomized clinical trial

Cite this