From the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
the School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock.
South Med J. 2023 Feb;116(2):170-175. doi: 10.14423/SMJ.0000000000001514.
The association between the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and adverse mental health outcomes has been well documented; however, little is known about its impact in rural areas of the United States. This study aims to characterize and compare inpatient psychiatric admissions in West Texas before and during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A retrospective study was conducted using the electronic health records of 1392 inpatient psychiatric admissions from period A (March 13, 2019-July 3, 2019) to period B (March 13, 2020-July 3, 2020).
During period B, there was a significant increase in the length of stay ( 0.01) compared with period A. The pandemic was associated with an increased history of psychiatric medication use ( 0.01), substance use ( 0.01), and suicide risk at the time of admission ( 0.01). Significant differences were found in employment status ( 0.01), living situation ( 0.01), and ethnicity ( 0.03).
Rural communities in West Texas experienced a decrease in psychiatric hospitalizations during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by an increase as lockdown restrictions began to lift; this warrants further investigation into healthcare service utilization during the pandemic.
冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行与不良心理健康结果之间的关联已有充分记录；然而，对于其在美国农村地区的影响知之甚少。本研究旨在描述和比较 COVID-19 大流行初期德克萨斯州西部的住院精神病患者入院情况。
使用来自时间段 A（2019 年 3 月 13 日至 2019 年 7 月 3 日）到时间段 B（2020 年 3 月 13 日至 2020 年 7 月 3 日）的 1392 例住院精神病患者的电子健康记录进行回顾性研究。
与时间段 A 相比，时间段 B 的住院时间明显延长（ 0.01）。大流行与精神病药物使用史增加（ 0.01）、物质使用增加（ 0.01）和入院时自杀风险增加有关（ 0.01）。在就业状况（ 0.01）、生活状况（ 0.01）和种族（ 0.03）方面存在显著差异。
德克萨斯州西部的农村社区在 COVID-19 大流行初期住院人数减少，随着封锁限制开始放宽，住院人数增加；这需要进一步调查大流行期间的医疗保健服务利用情况。
