Symptom severity and well-being of patients with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a two-wave survey

Pernille Kølbæk; Yael Gil; Frida Cecilie Lassen Schmidt; Maria Speed; Søren Dinesen Østergaard

doi:10.1080/08039488.2022.2099581

Symptom severity and well-being of patients with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a two-wave survey

Pernille Kølbæk^*, Yael Gil, Frida Cecilie Lassen Schmidt, Maria Speed, Søren Dinesen Østergaard

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose of the article: To examine changes in symptom severity and well-being during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among individuals with pre-existing mental illness. Materials and methods: In February 2021, we conducted a follow-up questionnaire-based survey among adults with mental illness, who responded to a similar survey on mental health in June 2020. The participants completed the 18-item Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), the five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and 14 questions evaluating worsening or improvement in mental health using the pre-pandemic period as reference. The survey data were merged with sociodemographic and clinical data from the medical records of all invitees to the first survey, enabling analysis of attrition and weighting of the results. Results: A total of 613 of 992 (62%) invitees participated in the follow-up wave of the survey. The weighted mean WHO-5 and BSI-18 scores were 38 and 27, respectively, and did not differ statistically significantly from the first wave. Multivariate logistic regression showed that having a vocational education (skilled worker/craftsman) was positively associated with reporting deterioration in psychological well-being (OR: 2.95, 95%CI: 1.14–7.81), while being unemployed was negatively associated with reporting deterioration in psychological well-being (OR: 0.20, 95%CI: 0.07–0.56) from the first to the second survey wave. The most common reason for self-reported deterioration in mental health was loneliness (70%). Conclusions: Approximately one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of symptoms remained high, whereas the level of psychological well-being remained low among patients with mental illness.

Original language	English
Book series	Nordic Journal of Psychiatry
Volume	77
Issue	3
Pages (from-to)	293-303
Number of pages	11
ISSN	0803-9488
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2022.2099581
Publication status	Published - Apr 2023

Keywords

COVID-19
longitudinal studies
mental disorders
mental health
quality of life

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10.1080/08039488.2022.2099581

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title = "Symptom severity and well-being of patients with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a two-wave survey",

abstract = "Purpose of the article: To examine changes in symptom severity and well-being during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among individuals with pre-existing mental illness. Materials and methods: In February 2021, we conducted a follow-up questionnaire-based survey among adults with mental illness, who responded to a similar survey on mental health in June 2020. The participants completed the 18-item Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), the five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and 14 questions evaluating worsening or improvement in mental health using the pre-pandemic period as reference. The survey data were merged with sociodemographic and clinical data from the medical records of all invitees to the first survey, enabling analysis of attrition and weighting of the results. Results: A total of 613 of 992 (62%) invitees participated in the follow-up wave of the survey. The weighted mean WHO-5 and BSI-18 scores were 38 and 27, respectively, and did not differ statistically significantly from the first wave. Multivariate logistic regression showed that having a vocational education (skilled worker/craftsman) was positively associated with reporting deterioration in psychological well-being (OR: 2.95, 95%CI: 1.14–7.81), while being unemployed was negatively associated with reporting deterioration in psychological well-being (OR: 0.20, 95%CI: 0.07–0.56) from the first to the second survey wave. The most common reason for self-reported deterioration in mental health was loneliness (70%). Conclusions: Approximately one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of symptoms remained high, whereas the level of psychological well-being remained low among patients with mental illness.",

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author = "Pernille K{\o}lb{\ae}k and Yael Gil and Schmidt, {Frida Cecilie Lassen} and Maria Speed and {\O}stergaard, {S{\o}ren Dinesen}",

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doi = "10.1080/08039488.2022.2099581",

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Symptom severity and well-being of patients with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a two-wave survey. / Kølbæk, Pernille; Gil, Yael; Schmidt, Frida Cecilie Lassen et al.
In: Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 77, No. 3, 04.2023, p. 293-303.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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T2 - a two-wave survey

AU - Kølbæk, Pernille

AU - Gil, Yael

AU - Schmidt, Frida Cecilie Lassen

AU - Speed, Maria

AU - Østergaard, Søren Dinesen

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N2 - Purpose of the article: To examine changes in symptom severity and well-being during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among individuals with pre-existing mental illness. Materials and methods: In February 2021, we conducted a follow-up questionnaire-based survey among adults with mental illness, who responded to a similar survey on mental health in June 2020. The participants completed the 18-item Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), the five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and 14 questions evaluating worsening or improvement in mental health using the pre-pandemic period as reference. The survey data were merged with sociodemographic and clinical data from the medical records of all invitees to the first survey, enabling analysis of attrition and weighting of the results. Results: A total of 613 of 992 (62%) invitees participated in the follow-up wave of the survey. The weighted mean WHO-5 and BSI-18 scores were 38 and 27, respectively, and did not differ statistically significantly from the first wave. Multivariate logistic regression showed that having a vocational education (skilled worker/craftsman) was positively associated with reporting deterioration in psychological well-being (OR: 2.95, 95%CI: 1.14–7.81), while being unemployed was negatively associated with reporting deterioration in psychological well-being (OR: 0.20, 95%CI: 0.07–0.56) from the first to the second survey wave. The most common reason for self-reported deterioration in mental health was loneliness (70%). Conclusions: Approximately one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of symptoms remained high, whereas the level of psychological well-being remained low among patients with mental illness.

AB - Purpose of the article: To examine changes in symptom severity and well-being during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among individuals with pre-existing mental illness. Materials and methods: In February 2021, we conducted a follow-up questionnaire-based survey among adults with mental illness, who responded to a similar survey on mental health in June 2020. The participants completed the 18-item Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), the five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and 14 questions evaluating worsening or improvement in mental health using the pre-pandemic period as reference. The survey data were merged with sociodemographic and clinical data from the medical records of all invitees to the first survey, enabling analysis of attrition and weighting of the results. Results: A total of 613 of 992 (62%) invitees participated in the follow-up wave of the survey. The weighted mean WHO-5 and BSI-18 scores were 38 and 27, respectively, and did not differ statistically significantly from the first wave. Multivariate logistic regression showed that having a vocational education (skilled worker/craftsman) was positively associated with reporting deterioration in psychological well-being (OR: 2.95, 95%CI: 1.14–7.81), while being unemployed was negatively associated with reporting deterioration in psychological well-being (OR: 0.20, 95%CI: 0.07–0.56) from the first to the second survey wave. The most common reason for self-reported deterioration in mental health was loneliness (70%). Conclusions: Approximately one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of symptoms remained high, whereas the level of psychological well-being remained low among patients with mental illness.

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Symptom severity and well-being of patients with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a two-wave survey

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