Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
PLoS One. 2023 Oct 17;18(10):e0292377. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292377. eCollection 2023.
The novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively impacted not only our physical health but also mental health, including increasing depressive and anxiety symptoms. In particular, socially and physically vulnerable populations, such as people experiencing homelessness (PEH), may be more likely to have their mental health worsened by the pandemic due to having more difficulty meeting basic human needs. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 on mental health of the homeless in Japan by evaluating depressive and anxiety symptoms and identifying the associated factors particularly, sociodemographic variables as age, employment status and the fear and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection. A cross-sectional interview survey among 158 PEH in Osaka Prefecture was conducted from April to May 2022. The survey included sociodemographic questions and history and perceived risk of infection with COVID-19. Depressive symptoms were measured using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and anxiety symptoms using the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the fear of COVID-19 using the seven-item Fear of New Coronavirus Scale (FCV-19S). In this study, the prevalence of depression (PHQ-9≥10) was 38.6%, anxiety disorder (GAD≥10) was 19.0%, and high fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S≥19) was 28.5%. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that PEH in younger age groups (18-34 years), and with joblessness, higher perceived infection risk, and higher fear of COVID-19 were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety (p<0.05). These results indicate that the younger PEHs with worsened economic conditions and therefore, feel threatened by COVID-19 the pandemic are at higher risk of mental health deterioration. More focused research and mental health services need to be provided to this population in the future.
新型冠状病毒传染病（COVID-19）大流行不仅对我们的身体健康产生了负面影响，还对包括抑郁和焦虑症状在内的心理健康产生了负面影响。特别是，像无家可归者（PEH）这样在社会和身体上处于弱势地位的人群，由于更难满足基本的人类需求，他们的心理健康可能更容易因大流行而恶化。因此，本研究旨在通过评估抑郁和焦虑症状来评估 COVID-19 对日本无家可归者心理健康的影响，并确定与社会人口统计学变量（如年龄、就业状况以及对 COVID-19 感染的恐惧和感知风险）相关的因素。2022 年 4 月至 5 月期间，在大阪府对 158 名 PEH 进行了横断面访谈调查。该调查包括社会人口统计学问题以及与 COVID-19 感染史和感知风险相关的问题。抑郁症状使用 9 项患者健康问卷（PHQ-9）进行测量，焦虑症状使用 7 项广泛性焦虑症量表（GAD-7）进行测量，对 COVID-19 的恐惧使用 7 项新型冠状病毒恐惧量表（FCV-19S）进行测量。在这项研究中，抑郁（PHQ-9≥10）的患病率为 38.6%，焦虑症（GAD≥10）的患病率为 19.0%，对 COVID-19 的高恐惧（FCV-19S≥19）的患病率为 28.5%。单变量逻辑回归分析显示，年龄较小（18-34 岁）的无家可归者、无业者、较高的感染风险感知以及较高的对 COVID-19 的恐惧更有可能患有抑郁和焦虑（p<0.05）。这些结果表明，经济状况恶化且因此更容易受到 COVID-19 大流行威胁的年轻无家可归者心理健康恶化的风险更高。未来需要向这一人群提供更有针对性的研究和心理健康服务。
