Background: Stress, isolation and unemployment caused by the worldwide COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines are believed to greatly impact mental health and substance use habits. Our aim was to...Show moreBackground: Stress, isolation and unemployment caused by the worldwide COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines are believed to greatly impact mental health and substance use habits. Our aim was to investigate the relation of COVID-19 with cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine use. Method: Systematic review and meta-analyses. Databases were searched until April 2nd 2021 Results: For cannabis use, two analyses were performed based on the type of data. An increase in the number of cannabis users was found during COVID-19 (k = 8, N = 4814, Z = 2.12, p = 0.034). No difference was found in the amount of cannabis used at the two different time points (k = 5, N = 1165, p = 0.110). There were no significant changes found in hard drug use during the COVID-19 pandemic relative to before its restrictions; cocaine (k = 10, N = 1193293, p = 0.121), amphetamine (k = 3, N = 387973, p = 0.982), fentanyl (k = 3, N = 1189864, p = 0.065), heroin (k = 4, N = 1138243, p = 0.438) and methamphetamine (k = 5, N = 387973, p = 0.134). Conclusion: There is evidence that COVID-19 is associated with a small increase in the number of cannabis users. We found no evidence for an increase in the amount of cannabis used or the number of hard drug users before and during COVID-19. Consequently, in the clinical field of psychology, it might be better to invest more (of the limited) resources in alleviating mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, feelings of isolation and stress as opposed to problems with substance (ab)use, which showed to be less reactive than initially imagined.Show less
Background: Previous studies indicated that victims of intimate partner violence, usually women, are now exposed to perpetrators more during the pandemic, which is a period of unusual psychological...Show moreBackground: Previous studies indicated that victims of intimate partner violence, usually women, are now exposed to perpetrators more during the pandemic, which is a period of unusual psychological and financial pressure with limited access to help services. But, no systematic synthesis of evidence of its psychological effect has been undertaken. Aim: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to estimate the magnitude of pandemic-driven restrictions on the prevalence of psychological IPV rates among women. Method: Articles on IPV against women were searched up to August 18, 2021 using the electronic PubMed and Web of Science databases. The selected studies needed to meet certain criteria. Mixed-effects meta-analysis was performed. This study was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Results: A total of 28 empirical studies that met general inclusion criteria were yielded in the meta-analysis after several rounds of the elimination process (N=54711). Results showed that 22.62% of women were exposed to psychological violence by their intimate partners. The prevalence rate of psychological IPV before the pandemic was 24.78%, whereas it was 17.27% during COVID-19. These prevalence rates of psychological IPV showed no statistically significant difference ( t(26) = -0.373, p = 0.713). Conclusion: The pandemic was not associated with the changes in psychological IPV incidence estimates. However, limited access to emergency services during the pandemic and fear of victims asking for help might have been barriers to reporting the violence. Thus, further research and policy attention are needed. The meta-analysis had many limitations, most apparently publication bias, so it is suggested that the findings be evaluated with this notice.Show less
Background. More than 25% of Dutch youths is currently labeled as ‘psychologically unhealthy’ and access to care is often unavailable due to long waiting lists. In order to provide adequate care to...Show moreBackground. More than 25% of Dutch youths is currently labeled as ‘psychologically unhealthy’ and access to care is often unavailable due to long waiting lists. In order to provide adequate care to young individuals before clinical transition occurs, the effects of an online and clinical- and peer-moderated platform, ‘ENgage YOung people earlY’ (ENYOY), on the improvement of youth mental health were examined. It was hypothesized that spending six months on ENYOY would have a significant impact on social and occupational functioning, psychological distress and positive health; that results would be significantly different for highly sensitive persons (HSPs) and that HSPs would report different platform experience compared to non-HSPs. Methods. This study adopted a mixed-methods approach. Based on a sample of 45 participants, three within-subjects repeated measures ANOVAs with three levels (point in time: baseline, three and six months) and high sensitivity as a between-subjects factor were conducted in order to analyze the effect of platform participation on psychological distress, positive health and functioning over time. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed using open coding, in order to gain more insight on individual platform experience and differences between HSPs and non-HSPs. Results. Using ENYOY for six months had a significant effect on functioning, psychological distress and positive health. Significant effects for all points in time were found for functioning and significant effects for the first two time points were found for positive health and psychological distress. No significant interaction effect was found between HSP and the three variables over time. Qualitative analysis showed overall satisfaction with ENYOY as an online preventative tool for emerging mental health complaints based on areas of usability, user friendliness, usefulness, impact, inclusivity and connection with others. Moreover, useful suggestions for future implementation were given. Conclusion. The present study demonstrated that using ENYOY improves functioning, psychological distress and positive health among young individuals with emerging mental health problems over the course of six months and that ENYOY is experienced as a useful tool to treat subclinical psychological complaints. Considering limitations, future research might focus more on high sensitivity as a factor in clinical settings, as well as on the implementation of ENYOY as a fully automated platform.Show less
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been associated with adverse psychological symptoms. Psychotropic prescription drugs are a critical tool in treating and controlling a variety of...Show moreThe coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been associated with adverse psychological symptoms. Psychotropic prescription drugs are a critical tool in treating and controlling a variety of psychopathological conditions, which raises concern in terms of potential overuse and irrational use. Available data regarding the use and prescribing practices of psychotropic prescription drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic are inconsistent. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted with the aim of investigating the change in psychotropic prescription drug use and dispensing in relation to COVID-19. Pub-med and Web of Science Databases were systematically searched, and a total of 30 studies were included (23 prevalence estimates, and 19 correlation coefficient estimates; total N = 5,133,032). The yielded findings demonstrated a statistically significant increase of 16.34% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 9.11 to 23.57) in prevalence estimates of psychotropic prescription drug use. Furthermore, the conducted meta-analysis yielded a small positive statistically significant correlation r = 0.11 (95% CI: 0.05 to 0.16), implying a small increase in psychotropic prescription drug use and dispensing pre relative to post COVID-19. The association between COVID-19 and adverse mental health, as well as the increased use of psychotropic medications, may lead to an upsurge in substance use related disorders and overdose-related deaths. This is important to know, given that many substance use treatment programs during the pandemic have been disrupted. It may be essential for policy makers and health officials to address mental and behavioral health through telemedicine.Show less
