Park Saeun, Bangirana Paul, Mupere Ezekiel, Baluku Reagan I, Helgeson Erika S, Cusick Sarah E
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America.
Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 10;19(12):e0314409. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0314409. eCollection 2024.
Caregivers of young children may have been particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its negative impacts on their housing, finances, and childcare demands. This study explored the associations between COVID-19-related experiences and symptoms of depression and anxiety among Ugandan caregivers.
This cross-sectional study included 100 Ugandan caregivers of young children aged 6-59 months with uncomplicated malaria and iron deficiency (N = 85) and without malaria or anemia (N = 15) who were enrolled in the Optimizing Iron Status in Malaria-Endemic Areas (OptiM) study. Sociodemographic data and COVID-19 experiences were collected using an internally developed survey and symptoms of depression and anxiety were measured using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-20) scale. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the associations between COVID-19 survey scores with HSCL-25 or CESD-20 scores.
Nearly half of caregivers reported clinically meaningful symptoms of depression (46%) and/or anxiety (49%). Caregivers had more severe symptoms of depression and/or anxiety if they experienced greater changes in living situations or decreases in physical activity (CESD-20: β = 3.35, 95% CI [1.00, 5.70], p = .01), food insecurity (HSCL-25: β = 3.25, 95% CI [0.41, 6.10], p = .03, CESD-25: β = 3.09, 95% CI [0.79, 5.39], p = .01), and domestic violence (HSCL-25: β = 3.82, 95% CI [0.94, 6.70], p = .01) during COVID-19. These associations did not vary depending on whether the caregivers had children with malaria.
Negative COVID-19 experiences were significantly associated with more severe depression and anxiety in Ugandan caregivers, regardless of their children's malaria status. Urgent attention and action are needed to support the mental well-being of this vulnerable population. Further prospective studies should investigate the long-term impact of COVID-19 on caregivers and their children.
由于新冠疫情对住房、经济状况和育儿需求产生负面影响，幼儿看护者在疫情期间可能尤其容易受到心理健康挑战。本研究探讨了乌干达看护者中与新冠疫情相关的经历与抑郁和焦虑症状之间的关联。
这项横断面研究纳入了100名乌干达6至59个月大幼儿的看护者，他们参与了“疟疾流行地区铁状态优化”（OptiM）研究，其中85名幼儿患有单纯性疟疾和缺铁，15名幼儿未患疟疾或贫血。使用内部开发的调查问卷收集社会人口学数据和新冠疫情相关经历，并使用霍普金斯症状清单（HSCL - 25）和流行病学研究中心抑郁量表（CESD - 20）测量抑郁和焦虑症状。使用多元线性回归模型评估新冠疫情调查问卷得分与HSCL - 25或CESD - 20得分之间的关联。
近一半的看护者报告有具有临床意义的抑郁症状（46%）和/或焦虑症状（49%）。如果看护者在生活状况上经历了更大的变化或身体活动减少（CESD - 20：β = 3.35，95%置信区间[1.00, 5.70]，p = 0.01）、粮食不安全（HSCL - 25：β = 3.25, 95%置信区间[0.41, 6.10]，p = 0.03，CESD - 25：β = 3.09, 95%置信区间[0.79, 5.39]，p = 0.01）以及家庭暴力（HSCL - 25：β = 3.82, 95%置信区间[0.94, 6.70]，p = 0.01），他们的抑郁和/或焦虑症状会更严重。这些关联并不因看护者的孩子是否患有疟疾而有所不同。
无论孩子的疟疾状况如何，新冠疫情的负面经历与乌干达看护者更严重的抑郁和焦虑显著相关。需要紧急关注并采取行动来支持这一弱势群体的心理健康。进一步的前瞻性研究应调查新冠疫情对看护者及其子女的长期影响。
