Obesity is a risk factor for anxiety and depression. Obesity is also a risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease and therefore may have contributed to adverse mental health outcomes in this vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic. We compare the trajectory of mental health outcomes of people with obesity with normal-weight people before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using nationally representative individual-level longitudinal data from the National Health Interview Survey and Difference-in-Difference regressions. Our results indicate that severe anxiety increased by 2.75 (95% CI: 0.0056–0.0494; p-value 0.014) percentage points, representing a 31.3% relative increase, and anxiety-related prescription drug usage increased by 2.75 (95% CI: 0.0076–0.0473; p-value<0.01) percentage points, representing a 19.2% relative increase among people with obesity, compared to normal-weight people. We conclude that people with obesity experienced an increase in the incidence of severe anxiety and anxiety-related prescription drug usage during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was not observed among normal-weight individuals. Furthermore, women, less-educated, and rural residents with obesity disproportionately bore the burden of the pandemic.
{"title":"The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of people with obesity","authors":"Sankar Mukhopadhyay","doi":"10.1002/smi.3359","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3359","url":null,"abstract":"Obesity is a risk factor for anxiety and depression. Obesity is also a risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease and therefore may have contributed to adverse mental health outcomes in this vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic. We compare the trajectory of mental health outcomes of people with obesity with normal-weight people before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using nationally representative individual-level longitudinal data from the National Health Interview Survey and Difference-in-Difference regressions. Our results indicate that severe anxiety increased by 2.75 (95% CI: 0.0056–0.0494; <i>p</i>-value 0.014) percentage points, representing a 31.3% relative increase, and anxiety-related prescription drug usage increased by 2.75 (95% CI: 0.0076–0.0473; <i>p</i>-value<0.01) percentage points, representing a 19.2% relative increase among people with obesity, compared to normal-weight people. We conclude that people with obesity experienced an increase in the incidence of severe anxiety and anxiety-related prescription drug usage during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was not observed among normal-weight individuals. Furthermore, women, less-educated, and rural residents with obesity disproportionately bore the burden of the pandemic.","PeriodicalId":501682,"journal":{"name":"Stress & Health","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138824584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
It has been argued that habitually appraising stressful events as more of a threat (i.e., situational demands exceed personal coping resources) may increase one's risk of ill-health (e.g., depression). However, while first theorized 15 years ago, little research has tested this assertion. Thus, this study offered a novel test of the associations between trait challenge and threat appraisals and health-related outcomes (i.e., mental health symptomology, psychological well-being, and physical health complaints). Three hundred and ninety-five participants (251 female, 144 male; Mage = 22.50 years, SD = 5.33) completed valid and reliable measures of trait challenge and threat appraisals, mental health (i.e., symptoms of depression and anxiety), well-being (e.g., subjective vitality), and physical health complaints (e.g., respiratory illnesses). Regression analyses revealed that trait challenge and threat appraisals accounted for a significant proportion of variance in all outcomes after controlling for age and gender, with a tendency to appraise stressful events as more of a threat associated with poorer mental health (i.e., greater depression symptomology), well-being (e.g., lower vitality), and physical health (e.g., more respiratory illnesses). Taken together, the findings highlight the importance of trait challenge and threat appraisals for health, although further research is needed using stronger designs (e.g., longitudinal) to enable a more causal understanding.
{"title":"The tendency to appraise stressful situations as more of a threat is associated with poorer health and well-being","authors":"Ella McLoughlin, Rachel Arnold, Lee J. Moore","doi":"10.1002/smi.3358","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3358","url":null,"abstract":"It has been argued that habitually appraising stressful events as more of a threat (i.e., situational demands exceed personal coping resources) may increase one's risk of ill-health (e.g., depression). However, while first theorized 15 years ago, little research has tested this assertion. Thus, this study offered a novel test of the associations between trait challenge and threat appraisals and health-related outcomes (i.e., mental health symptomology, psychological well-being, and physical health complaints). Three hundred and ninety-five participants (251 female, 144 male; <i>M</i><sub>age</sub> = 22.50 years, <i>SD</i> = 5.33) completed valid and reliable measures of trait challenge and threat appraisals, mental health (i.e., symptoms of depression and anxiety), well-being (e.g., subjective vitality), and physical health complaints (e.g., respiratory illnesses). Regression analyses revealed that trait challenge and threat appraisals accounted for a significant proportion of variance in all outcomes after controlling for age and gender, with a tendency to appraise stressful events as more of a threat associated with poorer mental health (i.e., greater depression symptomology), well-being (e.g., lower vitality), and physical health (e.g., more respiratory illnesses). Taken together, the findings highlight the importance of trait challenge and threat appraisals for health, although further research is needed using stronger designs (e.g., longitudinal) to enable a more causal understanding.","PeriodicalId":501682,"journal":{"name":"Stress & Health","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138714337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Disasters can lead to decreased functionality in medical practice. This study aimed to quantitatively measure presenteeism and to determine the role of coping strategies among disaster-victim doctors living in a city affected by the 2023-Turkey earthquakes. This cross-sectional study included 220 doctors reached through social media groups using the convenience sampling method. A weak negative relationship was found between presenteeism and positive re-evaluation, one of the coping strategies with earthquake stress. A weak negative correlation was found between the Positive Reappraisal sub-dimension score of the Coping with Earthquake Stress Scale (CESS) and presenteeism (r = −0.299, p < 0.001). In the linear regression analysis, the sub-dimensions that contributed significantly to the model were found to be the Positive Reappraisal sub-dimensions of CESS, whose increase resulted in a decrease in presenteeism and Seeking Social Support sub-dimension, whose increase caused an increase in presenteeism. Presenteeism was higher in those who lost their loved ones, had damage in their workplace/home, and thought they were helpless or in danger. Both material and emotional factors decreased functionality at work after an earthquake. We recommend developing material and psychological support strategies to reduce presenteeism in post-disaster periods.
{"title":"Medical doctors' coping strategies with post-earthquake stress and their relationship with presenteeism","authors":"Burak Mete, Hakan Demirhindi, Pakize İrem Kahramanoğlu, Ceren Kanat Şahin, Ferdi Tanır","doi":"10.1002/smi.3352","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3352","url":null,"abstract":"Disasters can lead to decreased functionality in medical practice. This study aimed to quantitatively measure presenteeism and to determine the role of coping strategies among disaster-victim doctors living in a city affected by the 2023-Turkey earthquakes. This cross-sectional study included 220 doctors reached through social media groups using the convenience sampling method. A weak negative relationship was found between presenteeism and positive re-evaluation, one of the coping strategies with earthquake stress. A weak negative correlation was found between the <i>Positive Reappraisal</i> sub-dimension score of the Coping with Earthquake Stress Scale (CESS) and presenteeism (<i>r</i> = −0.299, <i>p</i> < 0.001). In the linear regression analysis, the sub-dimensions that contributed significantly to the model were found to be the <i>Positive Reappraisal</i> sub-dimensions of CESS, whose increase resulted in a decrease in presenteeism and <i>Seeking Social Support</i> sub-dimension, whose increase caused an increase in presenteeism. Presenteeism was higher in those who lost their loved ones, had damage in their workplace/home, and thought they were helpless or in danger. Both material and emotional factors decreased functionality at work after an earthquake. We recommend developing material and psychological support strategies to reduce presenteeism in post-disaster periods.","PeriodicalId":501682,"journal":{"name":"Stress & Health","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138577404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}