Submit to JCM Review for JCM Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "The COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health: The Next Phase"

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2023) | Viewed by 5176

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Valeria Carola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Interests: clinical psychology; neuroscience; substance use disorder; mood disorders; neurobiology; stress; blood biomarkers; psychopathology

Dr. Giampaolo Nicolais

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Interests: clinical psychology; psychological trauma; child psychological health; stress; mental health; methodology of intervention

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a terrible impact not only on patients infected with this virus, but also on health and social workers and on the general population. The psychological impact of this event is significant, and extends well beyond present times, at the same time challenging methodologies of intervention in the mental health field.

One objective of this Special Issue is to analyze the long-term impact of exposure to COVID-19, with a focus on psychopathological outcomes in COVID-infected patients, the social and health workers involved in the care of these patients, and the general population. Another objective of the issue is to describe methodological and clinical aspects of interventions aimed at promoting mental health and reducing the burden of COVID-19 psychological sequelae over time.

Scientific articles illustrating and discussing data on these aspects are welcome.

Dr. Valeria Carola
Dr. Giampaolo Nicolais
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic
mental health
COVID-19 patients
long-term effects/long COVID-19
psychological outcomes

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Open AccessArticle

Anxiety Symptoms, COVID-19-Related Stress Reactions in the Italian General Population, and Validation of the Italian COVID Stress Scales (CSS-I)

Antonio Del Casale

Martina Nicole Modesti

Gordon J. G. Asmundson

and

Giampaolo Nicolais

J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(17), 5680; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12175680 - 31 Aug 2023

Viewed by 401

Abstract

Background. The COVID Stress Scales (CSS) assess COVID-related stress experienced in the past week related to danger and contamination fears, socioeconomic consequences, xenophobia, compulsive checking, and reassurance seeking, and traumatic stress symptoms. Our objective was to provide a translation into Italian, replication, and psychometric validation of the CSS in the general population. Moreover, we aimed to test the convergent and discriminant validity of the Italian CSS (CSS-I) with respect to anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms in the general Italian population. Method. Adult participants (n = 935) over the age of 18 years were recruited from the general population in Italy. Psychological status was assessed using multiple validated measures, including the CSS, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), and the Prejudice Against Immigrants Scale (PAIS). Results. Our confirmatory factor analysis supported a 6-factor model, including danger fears (DAN), socioeconomic consequences (SEC), xenophobia (XEN), compulsive checking and reassurance seeking (CHE), contamination fears (CON), and traumatic stress symptoms (TSS). Strong reliability of the CSS-I (Cronbach’s α = 0.863–0.936) and convergent validity with the DASS-21 and PAI were established with positive correlations between total and scale scores across measures. Conclusions. The CSS-I is a valid and reliable instrument to measure COVID-19-related distress in the Italian population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health: The Next Phase)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Sleep, and Psychology of Endurance Athletes—CAESAR Study

Daniel Śliż

Szczepan Wiecha

Jakub S. Gąsior

Przemysław Seweryn Kasiak

and

J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(8), 3002; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12083002 - 20 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1347

Abstract

COVID-19 has a deteriorating impact on health which is especially important for endurance athletes (EAs) who need to maintain continuity of training. The illness affects sleep and psychology, which influence sport performance. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the consequences of mild COVID-19 on sleep and psychology and (2) to assess the consequences of mild COVID-19 on cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) results. A total of 49 EAs (males = 43, 87.76%; females = 6, 12.24%; age = 39.9 ± 7.8 years; height = 178.4 ± 6.8 cm; weight = 76.3 ± 10.4 kg; BMI = 24.0 ± 2.6 kg·m⁻²) underwent a maximal cycling or running CPET pre- and post-COVID-19 and completed an original survey. Exercise performance deteriorated after COVID-19 (maximal oxygen uptake, VO_2max = 47.81 ± 7.81 vs. 44.97 ± 7.00 mL·kg·min⁻¹ pre- and post-infection, respectively; p < 0.001). Waking up at night affected the heart rate (HR) at the respiratory compensation point (RCP) (p = 0.028). Sleep time influenced pulmonary ventilation (p = 0.013), breathing frequency (p = 0.010), and blood lactate concentration (Lac) (p = 0.013) at the RCP. The maximal power/speed (p = 0.046) and HR (p = 0.070) were linked to the quality of sleep. Stress management and relaxation techniques were linked with VO_2max (p = 0.046), maximal power/speed (p = 0.033), and maximal Lac (p = 0.045). Cardiorespiratory fitness deteriorated after mild COVID-19 and was correlated with sleep and psychological indices. Medical professionals should encourage EAs to maintain proper mental health and sleep after COVID-19 infection to facilitate recovery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health: The Next Phase)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study on the Level of Depression and Physical Activity among Students in Poland and Portugal in the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

and

J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(7), 2541; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12072541 - 28 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1000

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the study was to make a preliminary assessment of depression rates and levels of physical activity and the association between physical activity and depression among Polish and Portuguese students in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A web-based online survey was conducted among students in Poland and Portugal (398 respondents—229 from Poland and 169 from Portugal) aged between 17 and 26 in October 2022. The level of depression was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in Polish and in Portuguese. The level of physical activity was measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) in Polish and in Portuguese. Results: Overall, 20–35% of respondents suffered from moderate depression, with a lower proportion among men. There were no differences in the percentage distribution of depression classification between Polish and Portuguese students. A decrease in the severity of depression was observed with increasing physical activity. In both countries, walking more often had the strongest effect on reducing depression scores. Conclusions: The continued and alarming prevalence of depressive disorders among university students in the year after the pandemic began had a significant impact on this population—further research on the impact of physical activity on mental health in different populations should be conducted to adjust the optimal level of physical activity for alleviating negative psychiatric symptoms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health: The Next Phase)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

COVID-19 Accelerated Cognitive Decline in Elderly Patients with Pre-Existing Dementia Followed up in an Outpatient Memory Care Facility

Lucia Merla

Maria Cristina Montesi

and

J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(5), 1845; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12051845 - 25 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1918

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may affect the cognitive function and activities of daily living (ADL) of elderly patients. This study aimed to establish the COVID-19 effect on cognitive decline and the velocity of cognitive function and ADL changes in elderly patients with dementia followed up in an outpatient memory care facility. Methods: In total, 111 consecutive patients (age 82 ± 5 years, 32% males) with a baseline visit before infection were divided into those who had or did not have COVID-19. Cognitive decline was defined as a five-point loss of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and ADL comprising basic and instrumental ADL indexes (BADL and IADL, respectively). COVID-19 effect on cognitive decline was weighted for confounding variables by the propensity score, whereas the effect on change in the MMSE score and ADL indexes was analyzed using multivariate mixed-effect linear regression. Results: COVID-19 occurred in 31 patients and a cognitive decline in 44. Cognitive decline was about three and a half times more frequent in patients who had COVID-19 (weighted hazard ratio 3.56, 95% confidence interval 1.50–8.59, p = 0.004). The MMSE score lowered on average by 1.7 points/year, independently of COVID-19, but it lowered twice faster in those who had COVID-19 (3.3 vs. 1.7 points/year, respectively, p < 0.050). BADL and IADL indexes lowered on average less than 1 point/year, independently of COVID-19 occurrence. Patients who had COVID-19 had a higher incidence of new institutionalization than those who did not have the disease (45% versus 20%, p = 0.016, respectively). Conclusions: COVID-19 had a significant impact on cognitive decline and accelerated MMSE reduction in elderly patients with dementia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health: The Next Phase)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "The COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health: The Next Phase"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (4 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI