Investigating factors affecting the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression among citizens of Karaj city: A population-based cross-sectional study

Depressive symptoms and associated socioeconomic and clinic factors: Three different years data from Türkiye

BACKGROUND

Depression is one of the main diseases that cause disability. It is more common in various sociodemographic situations.

AIMS

This study investigated the risk factors associated with depressive symptoms and changes over the years based on data from a sample from the Republic of Türkiye. It was also intended to compare depressive symptoms and inflation rates by years.

METHOD

Data for 2016, 2019 and 2022 from the Turkish Health Survey performed by the Turkish Statistical Institute were used in the study. Data for age, sex, marital status, education level, employment status, accompanying chronic health problems, restrictions in daily activities associated with health problems and problems accessing psychological treatment due to difficulty in paying were evaluated in terms of depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

Higher depressive symptoms were determined in women, the widowed and divorced, individuals with a low level of education, the unemployed, individuals with chronic health problems, those with restrictions in daily activities associated with chronic health problems and those with problems accessing psychological treatment due to difficulty in paying. Although inflation rates increased over the years, the severity of depressive symptoms decreased. A moderate positive correlation was observed between depressive symptoms and basic activities of daily living.

CONCLUSIONS

Developing policies aimed at groups with high depressive symptoms may be important in combating depression.

Longitudinal Effects of Lifetime Caffeine Consumption on Levels of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: A Comprehensive Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Caffeine has high bioavailability and a purine-like alkaloid structure. It exerts wide-ranging physiological effects by binding to adenosine receptors throughout the human body. Through the activation of those receptors, it can regulate many physiological events in the body. The impact of caffeine consumption on depression, anxiety, stress, and human health remains unclear, constituting an important knowledge gap. This review was conducted to examine the effects of caffeine consumption on depression, anxiety, and stress levels and to offer some recommendations for its future use.

RECENT FINDINGS

We performed a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases for original articles published in recent years on "caffeine metabolism", "caffeine mechanism", "anxiety", "depression", "stress". Caffeine, which has an antagonistic effect on adenosine, can reduce the risk and symptoms of depression and improve general mental health by modulating the central nervous system and neurotransmitter systems. However, increases in anxiety and stress levels, which are often seen together with depression, are observed due to high-dose caffeine consumption. Caffeine's effects on depression, anxiety, and stress may vary depending on different factors, but the level of consumption is particularly important and attention should be paid to upper limits and reference values while evaluating consumption amounts.

Effect of play therapy and storytelling on the anxiety level of hospitalized children: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Children are anxious when hospitalized due to being away from home and undergoing treatment.This anxiety has an effect on their disease process, treatment, growth and development.Children's anxiety has an effect on parents' anxiety and can lead to lower level of cooperation among the children and their parents with the treatment team.the present study aimed to compare the effect of play therapy and storytelling on the anxiety of hospitalized children.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial study with a three-group design (play therapy, storytelling and control) was conducted in 75 children aged 3 to 10 years admitted to Imam Ali Alborz Hospital of Karaj, Iran between 2022-2023.The data before and after the intervention were collected by the Spence children's anxiety scale and the face tool for anxiety assessment and analyzed by the Mixed effect model statistical method.

RESULTS

There is a statistically significant difference between the anxiety score of the children for whom storytelling was used and control group. Also, among the two therapies of storytelling and play therapy, only storytelling therapy has a significant effect on reducing children's anxiety.Regarding the time of measuring the anxiety score(the first, second, third day after the intervention), it was found that as this time increases, the children's anxiety decreases significantly.morever, the children's gender, age, and history of hospitalization are influencing factors.

CONCLUSION

Play therapy and storytelling play an effective role in controlling the anxiety of hospitalized children, although storytelling had a greater role in reducing the anxiety of hospitalized children than play therapy. It is suggested to provide the necessary conditions and facilities for the implementation of these methods in children's inpatient departments.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/ ,IRCT20220704055367N1,13/7 /2022.

Mental health status and quality of life among Thai people after the COVID-19 outbreak: a cross-sectional study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impact on individuals' mental health and well-being worldwide. This study investigated the prevalences of and association between mental health and quality of life (QOL) in Thailand after the COVID-19 outbreak. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Thai individuals aged ≥ 20 years across all regions. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between mental health and QOL. A total of 1,133 participants (mean age: 35.1 ± 17.2 years) completed the survey. The prevalence of depression with PHQ-9 instrument was 19.4%. Depression was significantly associated with those who have had family members die from COVID-19 infection (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.13-4.52]). The percentages of depression, anxiety, and stress with DASS-21 instrument were 32.4%, 45.4%, and 24.1%, respectively. Smokers and alcohol consumption had approximately 1.5-time higher risk of stress compared with non-smokers and no alcohol consumption (AOR = 1.50, 95% CI [1.01-2.24], AOR = 1.48, 95% CI [1.09-2.02], respectively). An association was observed between socioeconomic factors such as job and income loss and mental health outcomes. Depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly negatively associated with QOL. This study demonstrates a strong association between mental health and QOL among Thai people after the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings underscore the need for interventions targeting lifestyles, including those addressing alcohol consumption and smoking, especially among those who have had family members die from COVID-19 infection and mental health support services that can address depression, anxiety, and stress to improve the overall well-being of the population.

Prevalence and associated factors of depression, anxiety and stress among clinical therapists in China in the context of early COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives

To study the socio-demographic characteristics and the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among clinical therapists in China during the early Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to identify associated factors.

Method

This cross-sectional study was part of a multicenter, nationally representative survey conducted through WeChat from January 2021 to March 2021. Data, including socio-demographics, health-related behaviors, and information on whether they participated in the frontline work of treating COVID-19, were collected anonymously. Respondents also completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21).

Results

In total, 396 clinical therapists in the selected hospitals completed the questionnaires, with a response rate of 89.0%. Respondents were predominantly female (77.3%). About 6.6% of the participants were current tobacco users, and 20.7% had participated in the frontline work of treating COVID-19. Overall, 22.0%, 17.9%, and 8.8% of participants were classified as having clinically meaningful depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively, based on DASS-21 scores. Multiple logistic regression in Model 1 and Model 2 showed that depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with regular physical activity and frequent insomnia (all, p < 0.05). In anxiety model 2, the associated factors for anxiety during the pandemic were identified as education (master's degree or more, OR=0.520; 95% CI=0.283-0.955), marital status (single, OR=2.064; 95% CI=1.022-4.168), tobacco use (OR=4.265; 95% CI=1.352-13.454), regular physical activity (OR=0.357; 95% CI=0.192-0.663), frequent insomnia (OR=6.298; 95% CI =2.522-15.729), and participation in the frontline work of treating COVID-19 (OR=3.179; 95% CI=1.697-5.954). The COVID-19 epidemic did not significantly increase the depression and stress levels among clinical therapists, but it did significantly increase anxiety levels.

Conclusion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, depression, anxiety and stress were relatively common among clinical therapists in China. Regular physical activity and good sleep were important protective factors against emotional problems. Therefore, encouraging regular physical activity and actively addressing clinical therapists' sleep problems is beneficial to improving the ability to cope with negative emotions. The COVID-19 epidemic significantly increased anxiety, and awareness and interventions should be recommended to reduce anxiety among clinical therapists during the COVID-19 pandemic.