Virginia Research Day 2021

Student Research Biomedical

04 An Assessment of Mental Health Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Edward Magalhaes, PhD, LPC; Alexis Stoner, PhD, MPH; Robert Schranze; Savanah Grandy; Joshua Palmer, MPH Corresponding author: rschranze@vt.vcom.edu

Via College of Osteopathic Medicine- Virginia Campus Via College of Osteopathic Medicine- Carolinas Campus

Methods: This IRB approved research employed a cross-sectional study using a survey methodology approach to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health outcomes. The survey was an anonymous tool developed by using validated mental health screeners, along with basic demographic information. It included a 22-item Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R) to assess stress, a 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ- 9) to assess depression, and a 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) to assess anxiety. The survey is a state stratified survey distributed to adults 18 years of age or older throughout the following states: Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, California, and Washington. Distribution was employed using VCOM’s clinical sites, hospital systems, various medical associations, community health and outreach organizations, and social media platforms.

Results: A total of 1356 participants completed the survey. PHQ-9 levels differed significantly (p<.05) according to age, gender, and education level. Reported GAD-7 levels differed significantly (p<.05) according to age, gender, education level, and marital status. IES-R levels significantly differed (p<.05) according to age, gender, education, and marital status. There was a significant difference between GAD-7 level reported and IES-R level and if someone was a healthcare worker or non-healthcare workers (p=0.02 and p=0.028). IES-R levels significantly differed (p<.05) among types of healthcare workers with over half (54.1%) of those who reported severe levels identified as nurses. There was a significant difference in reported PHQ-9 levels and GAD-7 levels among those who had a prior mental health diagnosis prior to the pandemic (p<.05) with those with higher levels reporting no prior diagnosis. While having a child in school was not a significant contributor to guardian reported differences in GAD-7 levels, anxiety

levels reported did significantly differ according to level of involvement in their children’s school (p=0.037). Where responders lived or what phase of the COVID-19 pandemic did not demonstrate any significance (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This study indicates that different risk factors are significantly associated with reported mental health outcomes. Overall, during the COVID-19 pandemic, non-healthcare workers reported higher levels of stress and anxiety compared to healthcare workers. However, nurses were more likely to report stress during this pandemic compared to other health care workers. Clinically, this study helps provide better insight into who might be at greater risk of developing adverse mental health outcomes during future pandemics.

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