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Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Clinical Research Advances
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Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Clinical Research Advances

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Epidemiology & Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 13326

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Donata Orfei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Molecular Mind Laboratory (MoMiLab), IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
Interests: metacognition; neuropsychology; mood disorders; insight; ageing; dementia; neuropsychiatric symptoms; stress
Dr. Sabrina Fagioli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Education, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, via del Castro Pretorio 20, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: affective disorders; cognitive bias; emotions; attention; fMRI; HRV; ERP

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The outbreak of the pandemic of COVID-19 determined unprecedented disruptions in people's daily lives as well as a pervasive state of concern and fear. There is complete consensus that the tremendous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is an urgent issue. Previous studies highlighted a worldwide dramatic increase of psychopathological symptoms following the outburst of COVID-19, especially in women and younger people. However, less is known about the effects of pandemic on the mental health of frailty individuals (i.e., elderly individuals, people with disabilities, etc.) and about long COVID syndrome.

The goal of this Research Topic is to outline a multifaceted perspective of the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, from the beginning of the outbreak onwards. In particular, updated epidemiological data, transcultural comparisons, and etiopathogenic studies are of the utmost clinical interest. The outcomes from these studies should help with the diagnosis, prevention, and overall therapeutic aims of neuropsychiatric conditions due to the pandemic.

We welcome original research articles, reviews, meta-analyses and position papers addressing the above aims. We specifically encourage submissions addressing the following topics:

  • Cognitive, socio-demographic, psychiatric, biochemical and neuropsychological correlates of negative effects on mental health due to the COVID-19 pandemic;  
  • Psychometric and neurophysiological methods for investigating psychiatric aspects (e.g., questionnaires, tests, EEG, MRI, tDCS, etc.);
  • Investigations of subjects at higher risk for a negative psychological outcome;
  • Investigations of repercussions of long COVID in the working environment;
  • Diagnostic, preventive, rehabilitative and therapeutic approaches for neuropsychiatric long COVID effects.

Dr. Maria Donata Orfei
Dr. Sabrina Fagioli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • long COVID
  • psychiatric symptoms
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • PTSD
  • diagnosis
  • frailty individuals

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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15 pages, 333 KiB  
Article
Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Mental Health in Adolescents from Northern Chile in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Rodrigo Moya-Vergara, Diego Portilla-Saavedra, Katherin Castillo-Morales, Ricardo Espinoza-Tapia and Sandra Sandoval Pastén
J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(1), 269; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12010269 - 29 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2390
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world population; however, there is limited knowledge about its impact on adolescents. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and risk factors associated with mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world population; however, there is limited knowledge about its impact on adolescents. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and risk factors associated with mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in young people in northern Chile. The sample consisted of 1315 young people between the ages of 14 and 18. Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression were performed to identify the risk factors associated to the considered symptomatology. Depressive symptomatology was reported at 36.3%, anxiety at 6%, and social phobia at 27.8%. Adolescent females reported a higher probability of presenting depressive (OR, 3.409), anxious (OR, 3.949), and social phobia (OR, 3.027) symptomatology. Young women between the ages of 17 and 18 were more likely to present anxiety (OR, 2.172); moreover, being a migrant was related to lower odds of presenting anxiety (OR, 0.259) and depression (OR, 0.662). Having a family member diagnosed with COVID-19 was associated with depressive symptomatology (OR, 1.369). The COVID-19 pandemic can have serious repercussions on the mental health of adolescents. It is important to generate interventions to meet the needs of youth during the post-confinement period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Clinical Research Advances)
19 pages, 1531 KiB  
Article
Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Five Countries: A One-Year Longitudinal Study
by Di Long, Gouke J. Bonsel, Erica I. Lubetkin, John N. Yfantopoulos, Mathieu F. Janssen and Juanita A. Haagsma
J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11(21), 6467; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11216467 - 31 Oct 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2186
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate socioeconomic and health-related determinants and recent life events and their relation to changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental well-being during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A web-based survey was administered repeatedly to participants [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate socioeconomic and health-related determinants and recent life events and their relation to changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental well-being during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A web-based survey was administered repeatedly to participants from Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Primary outcome measures were HRQoL (measured by EQ-5D-5L) and mental well-being (measured by WHO-5). Linear regression analyses were performed to estimate the impact of determinants on HRQoL and well-being. In total, 6765 respondents completed the questionnaire at T1 (April–May 2020) and T2 (May–June 2021). Regarding results, 33% showed improved HRQoL at T2, whereas 31% deteriorated. In terms of mental well-being, 44% improved and 41% deteriorated. The greatest deterioration in HRQoL and mental well-being from T1 to T2 was observed with an increasing number of chronic conditions. The effect of negative life events on HRQoL and mental well-being was larger than the effect of positive life events. We conclude that slightly more respondents showed improved rather than deteriorated HRQoL and mental well-being, with some variation by outcome measure and country. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Clinical Research Advances)
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18 pages, 728 KiB  
Article
A New Look on Long-COVID Effects: The Functional Brain Fog Syndrome
by Maria Donata Orfei, Desirée Estela Porcari, Sonia D’Arcangelo, Francesca Maggi, Dario Russignaga and Emiliano Ricciardi
J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11(19), 5529; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11195529 - 21 Sep 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4234
Abstract
Epidemiological data and etiopathogenesis of brain fog are very heterogeneous in the literature, preventing adequate diagnosis and treatment. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between brain fog, neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms in the general population. A sample of 441 subjects underwent a [...] Read more.
Epidemiological data and etiopathogenesis of brain fog are very heterogeneous in the literature, preventing adequate diagnosis and treatment. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between brain fog, neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms in the general population. A sample of 441 subjects underwent a web-based survey, including the PANAS, the DASS-21, the IES-R, the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale, and a questionnaire investigating demographic information, brain fog, subjective cognitive impairments (Scc) and sleep disorders. ANOVA, ANCOVA, correlation and multiple stepwise regression analyses were performed. In our sample, 33% of participants were defined as Healthy Subjects (HS; no brain fog, no Scc), 27% as Probable Brain Fog (PBF; brain fog or Scc), and 40% as Functional Brain Fog (FBF; brain fog plus Scc). PBF and FBF showed higher levels of neuropsychiatric symptoms than HS, and FBF showed the worst psychological outcome. Moreover, worse cognitive symptoms were related to the female gender, greater neuropsychiatric symptoms, sleep disorders, and rumination/indecision. Being a woman and more severe neuropsychiatric symptoms were predictors of FBF severity. Our data pointed out a high prevalence and various levels of severity and impairments of brain fog, suggesting a classificatory proposal and a multifaceted etiopathogenic model, thus facilitating adequate diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Clinical Research Advances)
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14 pages, 705 KiB  
Perspective
A Prospect to Ameliorate Affective Symptoms and to Enhance Cognition in Long COVID Using Auricular Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation
by Lorenza S. Colzato, Julia Elmers, Christian Beste and Bernhard Hommel
J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(3), 1198; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12031198 - 2 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4005
Abstract
Long COVID, the postviral disorder caused by COVID-19, is expected to become one of the leading causes of disability in Europe. The cognitive consequences of long COVID have been described as “brain fog” and characterized by anxiety and depression, and by cognitive deficits. [...] Read more.
Long COVID, the postviral disorder caused by COVID-19, is expected to become one of the leading causes of disability in Europe. The cognitive consequences of long COVID have been described as “brain fog” and characterized by anxiety and depression, and by cognitive deficits. Long COVID is assumed to be a complex condition arising from multiple causes, including persistent brainstem dysfunction and disrupted vagal signaling. We recommend the potential application of auricular transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (atVNS) as an ADD-ON instrument to compensate for the cognitive decline and to ameliorate affective symptoms caused by long COVID. This technique enhances vagal signaling by directly activating the nuclei in the brainstem, which are hypoactive in long COVID to enhance mood and to promote attention, memory, and cognitive control—factors affected by long COVID. Considering that atVNS is a non-pharmacological intervention, its ADD-ON to standard pharmaceutical agents will be useful for non-responders, making of this method a suitable tool. Given that atVNS can be employed as an ecological momentary intervention (EMI), we outline the translational advantages of atVNS in the context of accelerating the cognitive and affective recovery from long COVID. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Clinical Research Advances)
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