COVID-19 Related Fears of Patients Admitted to a Psychiatric Emergency Department during and Post-Lockdown in Switzerland: Preliminary Findings to Look Ahead for Tailored Preventive Mental Health Strategies.

Autor: Costanza A; Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva (UNIGE), 1206 Geneva, Switzerland., Macheret L; Emergency Psychiatric Unit (UAUP), Department of Emergency and Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), 1211 Geneva, Switzerland., Folliet A; Emergency Psychiatric Unit (UAUP), Department of Emergency and Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), 1211 Geneva, Switzerland., Amerio A; Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy., Aguglia A; Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy., Serafini G; Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy.; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy., Prada P; Department of Psychiatry, Service of Liaison Psychiatry and Crisis Intervention (SPLIC), Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), 1211 Geneva, Switzerland., Bondolfi G; Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva (UNIGE), 1206 Geneva, Switzerland.; Department of Psychiatry, Service of Liaison Psychiatry and Crisis Intervention (SPLIC), Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), 1211 Geneva, Switzerland., Sarasin F; Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva (UNIGE), 1206 Geneva, Switzerland.; Department of Emergency, Emergency Medicine Unit, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), 1211 Geneva, Switzerland., Ambrosetti J; Emergency Psychiatric Unit (UAUP), Department of Emergency and Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) [Medicina (Kaunas)] 2021 Dec 13; Vol. 57 (12). Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Dec 13.
DOI: 10.3390/medicina57121360
Abstrakt: Background and Objectives : While the impact on mental health of 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) has been extensively documented, little is known about its influence on subjective fears. Here, we investigate the COVID-19 impact and its related restrictions on fears of patients admitted to a psychiatric Emergency Department (ED) during and post-lockdown. Materials and Methods : A retrospective study on 1477 consultations at the psychiatric ED of the University Hospital of Geneva (HUG) was performed using a mixed-methods analysis. The first analysis section was qualitative, aiming to explore the type of fears, while the second section statistically compared fears (i) during lockdown (16 March 2020-10 May 2020) and (ii) post-lockdown (11 May 2020-5 July 2020). Fears were also explored among different patient-age sub-groups. Results : 334 patients expressed one/more fears. Both in lockdown and post-lockdown, fears mostly pertained to "containment measures" (isolation, loneliness). When compared lockdown vs. post-lockdown, fears about "work status" (deteriorating, losing work) prevailed in lockdown ( p = 0.029) while "hopelessness" (powerless feeling, inability to find solutions) in post-lockdown ( p = 0.001). "Self around COVID-19" (dying, getting sick) fear was relatively more frequent in youth ( p = 0.039), while "hopelessness" in the elderly ( p < 0.001). Conclusions : Collectively, these findings highlight that lockdown/post-lockdown periods generated temporally and demographically distinct COVID-19 related fears patterns, with special regard to youth and elderly, two particularly vulnerable populations when faced with sudden and unexpected dramatic events. For this reason, the particular ED "front-line service" status makes it a privileged observatory that can provide novel insights. From a mental health perspective, these latter can be translated into pragmatic, more personalized prevention strategies to reinforce specific resilience resources and mitigate the current and long-term pandemic's impact.
Databáze: MEDLINE