Ellis Louise A, Dammery Genevieve, Wells Leanne, Ansell James, Smith Carolynn L, Tran Yvonne, Braithwaite Jeffrey, Zurynski Yvonne
Centre for Healthcare Resilience and Implementation Science, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
NHMRC Partnership Centre in Health System Sustainability, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Front Psychiatry. 2022 Oct 20;13:1028384. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1028384. eCollection 2022.
Previous research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruption to the lives and mental health of Australians. In response, health services adapted rapidly to digital modes of treatment, prevention and care. Although a large amount of research emerged in the first year of the pandemic, the longer-term mental health impacts, contributing factors, and population-level utilization of digital health services are unknown.
A population-based online survey of 5,100 Australians adults was conducted in October 2021. Psychological distress was assessed with the Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale. Additional survey questions included use and satisfaction with digital health services. Where available, data were compared with our previous survey conducted in 2018, permitting an examination of pre- and post-pandemic digital health service utilization.
In 2021, almost a quarter ( = 1203, 23.6%) of respondents reported serious levels of psychological distress; participants with pre-existing health related conditions, of younger age, lower educational attainment, those who lost their job or were paid fewer hours, or living in states with lockdown policies in place were at highest risk of serious psychological distress. Almost half of all respondents ( = 2177, 42.7%) reported using digital health technologies in 2021, in contrast to just 10.0% in 2018. In 2021, respondents with serious psychological distress were significantly more likely to consult with a healthcare professional via telephone/videoconferencing ( < 0.001), access healthcare via a telephone advice line ( < 0.001), or via an email or webchat advice service ( < 0.001) than those with no serious psychological distress. Those with and without psychological distress were highly satisfied with the care they received via digital health technologies in 2021.
Rates of serious psychological distress during the second year of the pandemic remained high, providing further evidence for the serious impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of the general population. Those with psychological distress accessed digital mental health services and were satisfied with the care they received. The results highlight the continued need for mental health support and digital health services, particularly for people living with chronic conditions, younger adults and people most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the short term and beyond.
先前的研究表明，新冠疫情对澳大利亚人的生活和心理健康造成了重大干扰。作为回应，医疗服务迅速适应了数字化的治疗、预防和护理模式。尽管在疫情的第一年出现了大量研究，但长期的心理健康影响、促成因素以及数字健康服务在人群层面的使用情况仍不明确。
2021年10月对5100名澳大利亚成年人进行了一项基于人群的在线调查。使用凯斯勒6项心理困扰量表评估心理困扰程度。其他调查问题包括对数字健康服务的使用和满意度。在可行的情况下，将数据与我们2018年进行的先前调查进行比较，从而可以考察疫情前和疫情后数字健康服务的使用情况。
2021年，近四分之一（n = 1203，23.6%）的受访者报告有严重程度的心理困扰；患有既往健康相关疾病、年龄较小、教育程度较低、失去工作或工作时长减少的人，或生活在实施封锁政策州的人，出现严重心理困扰的风险最高。2021年，几乎一半的受访者（n = 2177，42.7%）报告使用了数字健康技术，而2018年这一比例仅为10.0%。2021年，与没有严重心理困扰的受访者相比，有严重心理困扰的受访者通过电话/视频会议咨询医疗保健专业人员（P < 0.001）、通过电话咨询热线获取医疗服务（P < 0.001）或通过电子邮件或网络聊天咨询服务获取医疗服务（P < 0.001）的可能性显著更高。有心理困扰和没有心理困扰的受访者对2021年通过数字健康技术获得的护理都非常满意。
疫情第二年严重心理困扰的发生率仍然很高，这进一步证明了新冠疫情对普通人群心理健康的严重影响。有心理困扰的人使用了数字心理健康服务，并对所接受的护理感到满意。研究结果凸显了持续需要心理健康支持和数字健康服务，特别是对于患有慢性病的人、年轻人以及受新冠疫情影响最大的人，无论是在短期内还是长期。
