Vo Thi Kim Ngan, Skokauskas Norbert, Cheslack-Postava Keely, Hoven Christina W
Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.
Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, Department of Mental Health (IPH), NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
Front Psychiatry. 2025 Apr 9;16:1547178. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1547178. eCollection 2025.
The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated strict safety measures and preparedness, potentially influencing mental well-being worldwide. This study investigated the impact of safety measures and preparedness levels on mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, USA examining how sociodemographic characteristics modified these associations.
A longitudinal study of 1,227 participants from three ongoing cohorts, provided data through telephone interviews across three waves from March 2020 to August 2021. Depression and anxiety were measured using Patient Health Questionnaire 8 (PHQ-8) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7). Logistic regression models were used to investigate associations between safety measures, preparedness, and mental health outcomes over time, adjusting for potential confounders and assessing the modification effect of demographic factors.
At Wave 1, 18% of participants reported moderate to severe depression, while 20% had moderate to severe anxiety. Over time, these rates declined significantly, with depression dropping to 9% and anxiety to 10% by Wave 3. Safety measures practiced at Wave 1 showed a protective effect on depression at Wave 3 (OR=0.45, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.91). Higher preparedness levels were significantly associated with reduced odds of anxiety (aOR=0.72, 95% CI: 0.55, 0.93) in the concurrent wave. Age specific analysis revealed that individuals aged 26-35 experienced stronger protective effects from higher preparedness levels (OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.2, 0.92) compared to younger age groups.
This study highlights the importance of safety measures and preparedness in mitigating mental health challenges during crises. Addressing age specific factors and preparedness levels can guide the public health strategies to better support diverse populations.
新冠疫情需要严格的安全措施和准备工作，这可能会影响全球心理健康。本研究调查了美国纽约市在新冠疫情期间安全措施和准备水平对心理健康结果的影响，并研究了社会人口学特征如何改变这些关联。
一项对来自三个正在进行的队列的1227名参与者的纵向研究，通过2020年3月至2021年8月的三轮电话访谈提供数据。使用患者健康问卷8（PHQ - 8）和广泛性焦虑障碍7（GAD - 7）测量抑郁和焦虑。使用逻辑回归模型研究安全措施、准备情况和心理健康结果随时间的关联，对潜在混杂因素进行调整，并评估人口因素的修正效应。
在第1轮时，18%的参与者报告有中度至重度抑郁，而20%有中度至重度焦虑。随着时间推移，这些比率显著下降，到第3轮时，抑郁降至9%，焦虑降至10%。第1轮实施的安全措施对第3轮的抑郁有保护作用（比值比=0.45，95%置信区间：0.22，0.91）。在同一轮中，更高的准备水平与焦虑几率降低显著相关（调整后比值比=0.72，95%置信区间：0.55，0.93）。按年龄进行的特定分析显示，与年轻年龄组相比，26 - 35岁的个体从更高的准备水平中获得了更强的保护作用（比值比=0.43，95%置信区间：0.2，0.92）。
本研究强调了安全措施和准备工作在缓解危机期间心理健康挑战方面的重要性。解决特定年龄因素和准备水平可以指导公共卫生策略，以更好地支持不同人群。
