13:40-15:20 | Room 704 Saturday Onsite Presentation Session 3

Mental Health (COVID-19)

Session Chair: Naim Fanaj

13:40-14:05

69118 | Pahimakas: Unspoken Goodbyes and Interventions of COVID-19 Bereaved Individuals, the Continuation

Jacqueline Lising, Mondriaan Aura College, Philippines

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) became the deadliest pandemic of the 20th century. (World Health Organization, 2020). In the Philippines alone, the death toll reached 65, 476 (JHU CSSE COVID-19 Data, 2023). "Pahimakas" is a deep Filipino word meaning, last farewell. Unlike having a "pahimakas", many people were not able to say their goodbyes to their lost loved ones. In the initial study, the author utilized the indigenous process of "pakikipagkwentuhan" to know the stories of those who lost someone to COVID-19 and identify the clinical interventions they underwent to make sense of their situation. Ultimately, the author sought to find local initiatives in making psychological interventions available with the goal of alleviating their suffering. The follow-up study took place a year after the initial study. It was focused on the continuation of the participants’ "kwento" (life stories), with the goal of finding out the participants’ take on the effectiveness of the psychological interventions and local initiatives in helping the bereaved families. Using McAdams semi-structured interview protocol, the author was able to find out that: (1) 65% of the participants were diagnosed with Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder; (2) participants were looking at the world from a distant view, describing a self that is unmoved and (3) most participants gave up hope on local initiatives that did not happen. Recommendations from the participants and different government units were acquired to enforce the materialization of local interventions.

14:05-14:30

67403 | Mental Health in the Workplace During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multinational Stakeholder Survey

Arlinda Cerga Pashoja, St Marys University, United Kingdom

Asmae Doukani, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom

Evelien Coppens, KU Lueven, Belgium

Benedikt Amman, Consorci Mar Parc de Salut de Barcelona, Spain

Ella Arensman, University College Cork, Ireland

Ulrich Hegerl, European Alliance Against Depression, Germany

Gentiana Qirjako, Centre for Health and Wellbeing, Albania

Naim Fanaj, Mental Health Center, Kosovo

The COVID-19 pandemic has been widely reported to negatively impact mental health. This study aimed to determine the extent to which experts from nine countries agree on the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of employees. An online stakeholder survey including five closed-questions, and one open-text question on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and the capacity to promote mental wellbeing in the workplace was completed by 65 experts with minimum 5 years of expertise across a range of sectors, and from nine countries across Europe and Australia, between September and October 2020. The majority of experts agreed that job stress and burden (n=50, 77.4%), depression, anxiety and/or suicidal behaviour had increased (n=45, 69.4%), while the capacity of the workplace to; promote wellbeing (n=34, 52.3%), support employees with mental health conditions (n=33, 50.8%), and for managers to look after their own mental health needs (n=29, 44.6%), had decreased. No between-group differences were found for survey items, with the exception of ‘the capacity of the workplace to promote mental wellbeing’ between country groups, which decreased in western countries (χ ²(1. 31)=11,36; p=.001), and remained the same in Eastern Europe countries (χ ²(1, N=34)= 9.24; p=,002). Open-text-responses suggested that mental health during COVID-19 was more negative in the healthcare sector compared to the ICT sector in which mixed views were expressed. The expert survey provides a consensus that mental health was negatively impacted by COVID-19, as were efforts to promote mental health in the workplace.

14:30-14:55

68024 | Online Survey About Depression and e-Psychotherapy in Kosovo During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Naim Fanaj, Alma Mater Europaea Campus Rezonanca, Kosovo

Arlinda Cerga Pashoja, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom

Sevim Mustafa, College AAB, Albania

Gentiana Qirjako, Albanian Institute of Public Health, Albania

The COVID-19 outbreak hit also Kosovo. Experts around the globe called for research and action in mental health field. Kosovo as one Low Middle Income country in Europe adapted its responses to those recommended in other countries affected by pandemics. Some of the resources that were being implemented (e-psychotherapy) were provided and expanded for use by people in need. The aim of this study was to understand the level of depression as a result of the COVID-19 situation, possible associations with sociodemographic variables and expectations regarding the e-psychotherapy. It’s a cross-sectional study. The participants were 198 respondents recruited online in the period 20.03.20 until 23.04.20, who completed the Albanian version of PHQ-9. Mean score of depression resulted 9.46 (DS = 7.51). 65.2% of participants agreed that the situation has worsened their psychological state; 42.4% had a mild to severe form of depression and 25.3% had minimal symptoms. 18.7% of participants saw iCBT as helpful, 19.7% a little while 58.1% wanted to try it. Significantly higher depression resulted for females and participants diagnosed with depression before. The higher levels of depression correlated significantly with higher expectations of iCBT. Gender, age, education, marital status, previously diagnosed with depression, previously treated for depression and perception of worsened psychological state showed predictive abilities for depression presence. We may conclude that Covid-19 situation has increased depression levels and thus expectations for e-psychotherapy. There is a need to give more space to online treatments. Further studies are needed to better scientifically elaborate these findings.

14:55-15:20

68724 | Emerging Adulthood in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perpetuating and Protective Factors Affecting University Students’ Mental Health

Andy Hau Yan Ho, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Ping Ying Choo, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Geraldine Tan-Ho, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Young adulthood is a crucial period for identity development, relationship formation, and preparation for workforce entry. Undergraduate university students in particular face elevated risks for mental health problems such as loneliness, depression, and suicidal ideation. With unprecedented disruptions brought on by COVID-19, this vulnerable population had to shoulder an additional layer of developmental difficulties. This cross-sectional, retrospective study critically investigated the perpetuating and protective psychosocial factors that affected undergraduate students’ mental health (as measured by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and ULCA Loneliness Scale) during the height of the pandemic. A total of 324 Singaporean undergraduate students (Mage= 21.93 years; SD=1.707), with 75.4% females and 24.6% males, were recruited to complete a comprehensive online survey. Independent t-test was conducted and found significant gender differences on all mental health outcomes (-4.26≤ t ≤-2.26, p≤.025). Pearson correlational analysis was used to identify significant psychosocial variables (i.e., family relationships, coping styles) with r≥.30; these variables were then added to hierarchical multiple regression models to identify predictors of depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, and loneliness. Findings revealed that: (a) loneliness and unhealthy coping styles accounted for 53.9% of variance in depressive symptoms, (b) gender and unhealthy coping styles accounted for 35.4% of variance in anxiety, (c) gender, family conflicts, unhealthy coping styles, and loneliness accounted for 51.9% of variance in perceived stress, as well as (d) family cohesion, depressive symptoms, and unhealthy coping styles accounted for 44.9% of variance in loneliness among undergraduates. Findings and implications will be discussed.