online mental health website
227217430
Adverse Mental Health Impact of the COVID 19 Lockdown in Individuals With Tourette Syndrome in Italy: An Online Survey
During the early stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic in Italy, an online survey was launched via a local patient advocacy website to investigate mental health issues in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome (TS) Respondents were parents, who were asked to report on their child's general health, tics, comorbidities/problems, pharmacological treatment/psychotherapy, symptom variations, and daily routine, as well as on their family's health and work experiences during the pandemic. Two hundred thirty eight people participated in the survey, 203 females and 35 males. Our findings indicate that, in the time window of 4 6 weeks after the beginning of the COVID 19 related lockdown, 67% of individuals with TS developed a relevant worsening of the overall clinical condition as rated by their parents. An improvement or no variation of the clinical picture was reported in 20.5 and 6.7% of cases, respectively. Most worsened symptoms included tics, hyperactivity, rage attacks, obsessions/compulsions, and anxiety. Of the subjects experiencing a clinical worsening, the majority (51.76% showed variations across two to five symptom domains. No association was found between symptom variation and family demographics or health and economic issues specifically related to the lockdown. The current COVID 19 pandemic is exerting a considerable impact on the mental health of young individuals with TS by worsening both tics and emotional and behavioral symptoms.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Giulia Conte Valentina Baglioni Francesca Valente Flavia Chiarotti Francesco Cardona
225430675
The Effect of Online Medical and Psychological Consultation on the Mental Health of Pregnant Women
Background Pregnancy and childbirth are exciting and enjoyable events in the life of women and are considered as the most sensitive periods in the life of every woman. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of online medical and psychological consultation on the mental health of pregnant women. Methods: The present semi experimental research was conducted with a pretest posttest design and a control group. The statistical population consisted of pregnant women of the Niniban website (http:www.niniban.com) in the winter of 2019 in Tehran, Iran. A sample of 50 pregnant women who were in their first to sixth months of pregnancy was selected. They were randomly divided into 2 groups of control and experimental (25 individuals in each group) Data were obtained using the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL 90 R) (1990) Results: The results showed that online medical and psychological consultations were fruitful in the experimental group and that the mental health of the experimental group improved (P 0.001) Conclusion: It can be concluded that the online medical and psychological consultations were effective on the mental health of pregnant women.
Sayed Morteza Tavakoli Elham Zarghami Maryam Behnam-Moradi
236163485
A cultural experience to support mental health in people aged 16 24 during the COVID 19 pandemic compared to a typical museum website: study protocol of an online randomised controlled trial
Background Despite the high prevalence of common mental disorders in adolescents and young adults, and their association with poor health and socio economic outcomes throughout the lifespan, many young people do not seek or receive help for such disorders. There is growing interest in the community sector in supporting mental health in young people; however, there is little by way of experimental research in this area. During the COVID 19 pandemic and lockdown, we designed an online cultural experience to reduce anxiety and depression and support mental health in people aged 16 24. Methods/design The O ACE POP (Online Active Community Engagement Proof of Principle) study is a UK based online randomised controlled trial of an online cultural experience named Ways of Being, involving human centred narratives and viewpoints, compared with a typical museum website (the Ashmolean Museum) We aim to compare efficacy on affect, symptoms of epression and anxiety, flourishing and loneliness as well as investigating potential mechanisms of action. Discussion The COVID 19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to design an innovative approach to supporting mental health in young adults. Findings derived from this study will allow us to evaluate the efficacy of this intervention and will inform the design of studies to further refine the resource and test it further. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04663594. Registered on 11 December 2020 (submitted in same form 27 November 2020) Protocol v1.0: 27 November 2020. Date recruitment began: 4 December 2020. Recruitment complete (estimate) February 2021
Trials
Rebecca J Syed Sheriff Matti Vuorre Evgenia Riga Andrew K Przybylski Helen Louise Adams Catherine J Harmer John R Geddes
201757027
Young People Seeking Help Online for Mental Health: Cross Sectional Survey Study
Background Young people are particularly vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties, but very few seek treatment or help during this time. Online help seeking may offer an additional domain where young people can seek aid for mental health difficulties, yet our current understanding of how young people seek help online is limited. Objective This was an exploratory study which aimed to investigate the online help seeking behaviors and preferences of young people. Methods This study made use of an anonymous online survey. Young people aged 18 25, living in Ireland, were recruited through social media ads on Twitter and Facebook and participated in the survey. Results A total of 1308 respondents completed the survey. Many of the respondents (80.66% 1055/1308) indicated that they would use their mobile phone to look online for help for a personal or emotional concern. When looking for help online, 82.57% (1080/1308) of participants made use of an Internet search, while 57.03% (746/1308) made use of a health website. When asked about their satisfaction with these resources, 36.94% (399/1080) indicated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with an Internet search while 49.33% (368/746) indicated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with a health website. When asked about credibility, health websites were found to be the most trustworthy, with 39.45% (516/1308) indicating that they found them to be trustworthy or very trustworthy. Most of the respondents (82.95% 1085/1308) indicated that a health service logo was an important indicator of credibility, as was an endorsement by schools and colleges (54.97% 719/1308) Important facilitators of online help seeking included the anonymity and confidentiality offered by the Internet, with 80% (1046/1308) of the sample indicating that it influenced their decision a lot or quite a lot. A noted barrier was being uncertain whether information on an online resource was reliable, with 55.96% (732/1308) of the respondents indicating that this influenced their decision a lot or quite a lot. Conclusions Findings from this survey suggest that young people are engaging with web based mental health resources to assist them with their mental health concerns. However, levels of satisfaction with the available resources vary. Young people are engaging in strategies to assign credibility to web based resources, however, uncertainty around their reliability is a significant barrier to online help seeking.
JMIR mental health
Claudette Pretorius Derek Chambers Benjamin R Cowan David Coyle
39604907
Exploring how perceived threat and self efficacy contribute to college students' use and perceptions of online mental health resources
Drawing from prior fear appeal and information seeking research, this study explored how perceived threat and self efficacy predicted college students' use and perceptions of online mental health resources. Results showed that perceived vulnerability was a modest, yet robust predictor of visiting any Internet website and joining an online support group, while self efficacy modestly predicted greater perceived usefulness and trust for online support groups. Although numerous interactions emerged between self efficacy and perceived threat, the impact of these relationships on use and perceptions of these services varied significantly. In particular, at higher levels of self efficacy, perceived severity negatively predict use of online services yet also positively predicted trust in these resources. Furthermore, results showed that vulnerability was only associated with favorable judgments of web services at lower levels of efficacy. Overall, the findings suggest that self efficacy and perceived threat play a small, yet significant role in explaining online mental health information seeking outcomes; however, the exact nature by which these factors operate together to influence one's use and larger impressions such resources remains unclear.
Comput. Hum. Behav.
Christopher J McKinley Erin K Ruppel
231591665
An Online Comparative Study of the Mental Health of Adolescent Non Procrastinators, Active Procrastinators, and Passive Procrastinators
The present research intended to examine the outcomes of active and passive procrastination among Pakistani educated adolescents via online data collection. To meet the objective measures concerning active and passive procrastination (Aziz Tariq, 2013; Choi Moran, 2009; Chu Choi, 2005) depression, anxiety, stress (Lovibond Lovibond, 1995) and life satisfaction (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, Griffin, 1985) were uploaded on a website in English and Urdu. Overall 223 educated Pakistani adolescent participated via online in the study (M 19 years, SD 5.19; age range 13 21 years) The preliminary analysis revealed a sound internal consistency in all the measures. The Findings highlighted that active and passive procrastination are distinct constructs with entirely different implications. There were significant negative correlations between active procrastination depression, anxiety and stress. However a positive relationship was found between passive procrastination and depression, anxiety and stress. Life satisfaction was found to be positively correlated with active procrastination whereas ngatively with passive procrastination. No significant differences were observed on demographic variables. One way MANOVA revealed significant differences among non procrastinators, active procrastinators, and passive procrastinators. Limitations and future directions for online data collection are also discussed.
Saadia Aziz Shahid Irfan Mamoona Ismail Loona
61486264
An Online Intervention to Promote Mental Health and Wellbeing for Young Adults Whose Parents Have Mental Illness and/or Substance Use Problems: Theoretical Basis and Intervention Description
The transition to adulthood can be a vulnerable period for certain population groups. In particular, young adults aged 18 25 years who have a parent with mental illness and/or substance use problems face increased risks to their mental health compared to same aged peers. Yet these young adults may not have access to age appropriate, targeted interventions, nor engage with traditional face to face health services. To support this vulnerable group, services need to engage with them in environments where they are likely to seek help, such as the Internet. This paper describes the risk mechanisms for this group of young adults, and the theoretical and empirical basis, aims, features and content of a tailored online group intervention; mi.spot (mental illness: supportive, preventative, online, targeted) The participatory approach employed to design the intervention is described. This involved working collaboratively with stakeholders (i.e. young adults, clinicians, researchers and website developers) Implementation considerations and future research priorities for an online approach targeting this group of young adults conclude the paper.
Front. Psychiatry
Andrea E Reupert Catherine Bartholomew Rose Cuff Kimberly Foster Jodie L Matar Darryl J Maybery Laura Pettenuzzo
200022126
Smooth Sailing: A Pilot Study of an Online, School Based, Mental Health Service for Depression and Anxiety
Background: Schools play an important role in supporting young people's mental health, but face challenges identifying and responding to students in need of care. To assist secondary schools, the Black Dog Institute has developed an online, school based, mental health service (Smooth Sailing) Delivered in the classroom, Smooth Sailing uses a website to screen, assess, allocate, and deliver care for depression and anxiety. The service is based on the principles of stepped care, offering treatments with varied intensity and follow up by a school counselor when necessary. The current study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of this new type of service among secondary school students. Methods: Between February and June 2017, a single arm, pre post, pilot study was conducted among students from four NSW secondary schools. Schools were given access to the service for 6 weeks. Feasibility measures (consent rates and step allocations) acceptability measures (service use and satisfaction) and safety measures (deterioration in help seeking intention scores and mental health symptoms) were assessed at baseline and completion of the 6 week trial period. Results: A total of 59 students took part in the service pilot (mean age, 14.57 years; SD, 0.89 years; range, 13 16 years) At baseline, 18.64% of students were found to require follow up from the school counselor, and 80% of these were new cases. Although completion of the online modules was low, service satisfaction was high. At 6 weeks, the mean scores for help seeking, depression, and anxiety remained relatively stable or improved. Conclusions: The current study presents important findings for the development and implementation of an online mental health service that screens students' mental health and allocates care accordingly, all within the school setting. Although the findings provide some support for the feasibility, acceptability, and safety, service improvements are needed. The modifications outlined are likely to improve the quality of the service and its effectiveness. Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12617000977370
Front. Psychiatry
Bridianne O'Dea Catherine King Mirjana Subotic-Kerry Melinda Rose Achilles Nicole Cockayne Helen Christensen
222169923
The Impact of COVID 19 on Mental Health: The Role of Locus on Control and Internet Use
The true extent of the mental health implications of the COVID 19 pandemic are unclear, but early evidence suggests poorer mental health among those exposed to the pandemic. The Internet may have differential effects, by both connecting people with resources, or reinforce the constant checking of negative information. Moreover, locus of control becomes important in an uncontrollable pandemic. The current study aimed to examine whether exposure to COVID 19 would relate to greater symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, and to examine the role of internet use and locus of control. Adults in the United States and five European countries (N 1723) answered an online survey through the website Mturk. Results show elevated psychological symptoms among those who have become infected with COVID 19 or perceive themselves to be at high risk if infected. Experience using the Internet relates to fewer symptoms, but information seeking is associated with more symptoms. Internet social capital relates to fewer symptoms of depression. Having an external locus of control relates to greater symptoms. These findings suggest that public health officials need to focus on the mental health effects of the pandemic, and that internet use and locus of control could be targets to improve mental health in the population.
International journal of environmental research and public health
Rannveig Sigurvinsdottir Ingibjorg Eva Thorisdottir Haukur Freyr Gylfason
72098303
Online mental health resources for teenagers: an evaluation of two websites developed for adolescents
Young people are less likely to seek help for mental health difficulties. Good quality mental health information from reliable sources may help overcome barriers to help seeking in young people and improve awareness of the common symptoms related to mental health problems. With an adolescent population in mind, websites for depression and for stress and anxiety were developed for young people and those caring for them by one of the authors. The current evaluation sought to assess the use of, and perceived satisfaction with, each of these mental health websites. Data from the website domains were considered in relation to unique visits, country of origin and source of referral. Qualitative website user feedback was gained from evaluation questionnaires. Findings showed that website visits for both resources have increased year on year and feedback from the evaluation revealed that the resource information was perceived to be trustworthy, reliable and informative. The feedback indicated that the resource was perceived to be accessible and informative for adolescents. Future developments to reduce the barriers for accessing mental health are discussed.
Melanie Young Cathy Richards Melanie Gunning