1.Anxiety in hospitalised families: lessons from the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Annushkha SINNATHAMBY ; Siau Hwei NG ; Amanda ZAIN ; Liangjian LU ; Celeste YONG ; Xinyi THONG ; Si Min CHAN
Singapore medical journal 2025;66(6):327-332
INTRODUCTION:
In the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, children with COVID-19 in Singapore required hospital isolation. We aimed to explore the psychological experiences of children and their caregivers isolated in a tertiary university hospital due to COVID-19.
METHODS:
A prospective mixed-methods design was used to evaluate the psychological status of hospitalised family units with one or more children aged <18 years who had severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Patient medical records were reviewed for demographic and clinical information. Parents and children ≥7 years of age underwent a psychologist-administered telephone-based interview. Self-reported, age-appropriate instruments, Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, and Screen for Adult/Child Anxiety-Related Disorders, were used to assess anxiety and depression, respectively. Participants were also interviewed qualitatively.
RESULTS:
Fifteen family units were hospitalised between March 2020 and May 2020. Of these, 13 (73%) family units were recruited. The median age of the children and median hospitalisation duration were 57 months and 21 days, respectively. Median number of COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction swabs performed for each child was eight. All children had asymptomatic to mild SARS-CoV-2 disease. The criteria indicative of anxiety disorder were met by 40% of adults and 80% of children, while the criteria indicative of separation anxiety were met by 60% of parents and 100% of children. One child met the criteria indicative of depression. Uncertainty, separation, prolonged hospitalisation and frequent swabs caused significant reported anxiety.
CONCLUSIONS
Families, especially children, had heightened anxiety while in hospital isolation. Therefore, home-based recovery from COVID-19 and psychological support for children and their families, with focus on early recognition of anxiety disorders, are recommended. We support review of paediatric isolation policy as the pandemic evolves.
Humans
;
COVID-19/epidemiology*
;
Male
;
Child
;
Female
;
Singapore/epidemiology*
;
Anxiety/etiology*
;
Prospective Studies
;
Adolescent
;
Hospitalization
;
SARS-CoV-2
;
Adult
;
Child, Preschool
;
Pandemics
;
Parents/psychology*
;
Caregivers/psychology*
;
Family/psychology*
;
Depression
;
Patient Isolation/psychology*
;
Surveys and Questionnaires
2.FU Wenbin's experience in treatment of post-stroke depression with holistic therapy of acupuncture and moxibusiton for Shugan Tiaoshen.
Yawen LI ; Bingxin WU ; Xiaochai GU ; Wenbin FU
Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2025;45(4):510-515
This paper introduces FU Wenbin's clinical experience in treatment of post-stroke depression with holistic therapy of acupuncture and moxibusiton for Shugan Tiaoshen (soothing the liver and regulating the mind). In pathogenesis, post-stroke depression is associated with the loss of the mind control and the failure of the liver in maintaining the free flow of qi. In treating principle, soothing the liver qi and regulating the mind are equally important, and the holistic regulation is applicable with the combination of multiple therapies. During treatment, the four-gate points are stimulated at first to promote liver qi flowing, the acupoints of the conception vessel and the governor vessel (e.g. Zhongwan [CV12], Guanyuan [CV4], Baihui [GV20], Yintang [GV24+]) are combined to regulate the mind and regain the consciousness. The conditions of illness are differentiated in terms of excess and deficiency, and the point prescription is modified accordingly. Refined moxibustion is applied specially at Fengchi (GB20), Fengfu (GV16) and Wangu (GB12) to warm meridians, strengthen yang and nourish the mind. In the last step of treatment, shallow needling techniques, such as the pricking and bloodletting, intradermal needling and auricular acupuncture, are used to consolidate the curative effect.
Humans
;
Acupuncture Therapy
;
Depression/etiology*
;
Stroke/psychology*
;
Female
;
Male
;
Middle Aged
;
Acupuncture Points
;
Moxibustion
;
Aged
;
Adult
3.Acupuncture and moxibustion combined with umbilical therapy for 30 cases of anxiety and depression in patients with neurogenic bladder after spinal cord injury.
Dongli WANG ; Xueqian WANG ; Rui WANG ; Youzhi HAO ; Weiwei QIAO ; Chao LI ; Yinping ZUO
Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2025;45(7):923-926
OBJECTIVE:
To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with umbilical therapy on anxiety and depression in patients with neurogenic bladder (NB) after spinal cord injury (SCI).
METHODS:
Thirty cases of NB after SCI with anxiety and depression were selected and treated with acupuncture and moxibustion combined with umbilical therapy. Acupuncture was applied at Baihui (GV20), Yintang (GV24+), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Shenmen (HT7), Hegu (LI4), Taichong (LR3), once a day, continuous treatment for 4 weeks. Ginger moxibustion was applied at the bladder meridian of foot taiyang and governor vessel, once a day, continuous treatment for 4 weeks. In treatment of umbilical therapy, Chaihu (Radix Bupleuri), Yujin (Radix Curcumae), Rougui (Cortex Cinnamomi) were ground and mixed with the same amount of honey, put into the application, and the application was placed on the navel after filling the navel with fine salt, once a day for 4 weeks. Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) score, Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) score, urodynamic indexes (maximum urinary flow rate [Qmax], maximum detrusor pressure [Pdet-max], residual urine volume [RUV]), neurogenic bladder symptom score (NBSS), urinary symptom distress scale (USDS) score were compared before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated.
RESULTS:
After treatment, the scores of HAMA, HAMD, NBSS, USDS and RUVwere lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), and Qmax and Pdet-max were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 93.3 (28/30).
CONCLUSION
Acupuncture and moxibustion combined with umbilical therapy can effectively relieve anxiety and depression symptoms, improve urination disorders in patients with NB after SCI.
Humans
;
Moxibustion
;
Male
;
Female
;
Adult
;
Middle Aged
;
Acupuncture Therapy
;
Spinal Cord Injuries/psychology*
;
Depression/etiology*
;
Anxiety/etiology*
;
Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic/etiology*
;
Young Adult
;
Aged
;
Combined Modality Therapy
;
Acupuncture Points
4.Outcome indicators in randomized controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine treatment of post-stroke depression.
Jin HAN ; Yue YUAN ; Fang-Biao XU ; Yan-Bo SONG ; Yong-Kang SUN ; Xin-Zhi WANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(2):542-559
This study systematically reviewed the randomized controlled trial(RCT) of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) treatment of post-stroke depression(PSD) and analyzed the clinical study characteristics and outcome indicators, aiming to optimize the design and establish the core outcome set in the future clinical trials of the TCM treatment of PSD. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and SinoMed were searched for the relevant RCT published in recent 3 years. The basic characteristics, intervention measures, and outcome indicators of the included RCT were extracted, and the descriptive analysis was carried out. A total of 76 RCTs were eventually included, with the sample size concentrated in 80-100 cases. The most frequent TCM syndromes were liver depression and Qi stagnation(15 times, 31.91%) and phlegm combined with stasis(5 times, 10.63%). The frequency of intervention methods followed a descending trend of TCM decoction(35 times, 46.05%) and TCM decoction + acupuncture(4 times, 5.26%), Chinese patent medicine(3 times, 3.94%), and the intervention mainly lasted for 1 to 3 months(43 times, 60.56%). The adverse reactions of patients were mainly digestive system reaction(150 patients, 39.37%) and nervous system reaction(112 patients, 29.39%). Most of the included studies had unclear risk of bias, involving 84 outcome indicators, which belonged to 8 indicator domains. The RCTs of TCM treatment of PSD showed a variety of problems, such as non-standard TCM syndrome differentiation, inconsistent names of TCM syndrome scores and measurement tools, low quality, unclear risk of bias, neglect of endpoint indicators, unreasonable selection of substitute indicators, lack of differentiation between primary and secondary outcome indicators, non-standard reporting of safety indicators, insufficient attention to economic indicators, and lack of long-term prognosis evaluation. It is suggested that the future research should improve the quality of methodology and build a standardized core outcome set to promote the development of high-quality clinical research in this field.
Humans
;
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
Stroke/psychology*
;
Depression/etiology*
;
Treatment Outcome
;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional
5.Research progress on repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for improving depression in Parkinson's disease.
Wei LU ; Baofeng HE ; Juan LI ; Mingming WEN ; Min ZHANG
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(2):404-408
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that mostly occurs in middle-aged and elderly people. It is characterized by progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and aggregation of Lewy bodies, resulting in a series of motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms. Depression is the most important manifestation of non-motor symptoms, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Clinicians often use antidepressant drugs to improve the depressive symptoms of patients with Parkinson 's disease, but it is still urgent to solve the problems of drug side effects and drug resistance caused by such methods. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is a safe and non-invasive neuromodulation technique that can change the excitability of the corticospinal tract, induce the release of dopamine and other neurotransmitters, and further improve the depressive symptoms of patients with Parkinson 's disease. Based on this, this paper discusses and summarizes the research progress on the efficacy and potential mechanism of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for improving depression in Parkinson 's disease at home and abroad, in order to provide reference for related clinical application research.
Humans
;
Parkinson Disease/psychology*
;
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation/methods*
;
Depression/etiology*
6.Maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent suicidal ideation: the chain mediating roles of childhood trauma and ineffectiveness.
Ying-Yan ZHONG ; Yu-Ting LI ; Jian-Hua CHEN ; Ru-Meng CHEN ; En-Zhao CONG ; Yi-Feng XU
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics 2025;27(11):1317-1325
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the association between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent suicidal ideation, and to examine the chain mediating roles of childhood trauma and ineffectiveness.
METHODS:
A cross-sectional online survey was administered by school psychologists to 4 157 mother-adolescent pairs from middle schools in Shanghai and Henan, China. Measures included the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and the Children's Depression Inventory. Using Bootstrap method to examine the chain mediating effect of childhood trauma and ineffectiveness on the relationship between maternal depression symptoms and adolescent suicidal ideation.
RESULTS:
The prevalence of maternal depressive symptoms was 17.68% (735/4 157); among adolescents, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 15.49% (644/4 157), and suicidal ideation was 28.19% (1 172/4 157). Adolescent depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation were positively correlated with maternal depressive symptoms, childhood trauma, and ineffectiveness (all P<0.01). Childhood trauma significantly mediated the association between maternal and adolescent depressive symptoms (95%CI: 0.046 9-0.077 2). The chain mediation of childhood trauma and ineffectiveness in the association between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent suicidal ideation was also significant (95%CI: 0.000 7-0.001 3).
CONCLUSIONS
Higher maternal depressive symptom levels are associated with a greater likelihood of adolescents' exposure to childhood trauma, which increases adolescents' ineffectiveness and, in turn, is associated with suicidal ideation. This chain effect has important implications for social interventions targeting adolescent depression.
Humans
;
Suicidal Ideation
;
Adolescent
;
Female
;
Depression/etiology*
;
Cross-Sectional Studies
;
Mothers/psychology*
;
Male
;
Child
;
Adult
7.Risk factors for depression in middle-aged and elderly males with benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms.
Zheng-Cheng SHENG ; Tian-Yi SHEN ; Chao-Peng TANG ; Yu-Lin ZHOU ; Song XU ; Wen-Quan ZHOU
National Journal of Andrology 2024;30(12):1105-1109
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the risk factors for depression in middle-aged and elderly Chinese male patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS).
METHODS:
Based on the data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we included 8 426 male participants aged ≥ 45 years in this study, and explored the risk factors for depression in patients with BPH/LUTS by logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS:
Among the total number of participants, there were 1 447 cases of BPH/LUTS, with a prevalence rate of 17.2%, and 36.5% of the patients (529/1 447) were complicated by depression. Logistic regression analysis showed that underlying diseases were the risk factors for depression in patients with BPH/LUTS (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.03-1.62), while the protective factors against the condition included high school education or above (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.36-0.75), urban residence (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.60-0.95), eastern region (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.38-0.97), and 6-9 h/d sleep (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.41-0.66).
CONCLUSION
Underlying diseases, education level, residential area, geographical region, and sleep duration are influencing factors for depression in middle-aged and elderly male patients with BPH/LUTS in China and deserve the attention of clinicians.
Humans
;
Male
;
Prostatic Hyperplasia/psychology*
;
Risk Factors
;
Depression/etiology*
;
Aged
;
Middle Aged
;
Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms/psychology*
;
China/epidemiology*
;
Logistic Models
;
Prevalence
;
Longitudinal Studies
8.Effects of overweight and obesity on symptoms, overall condition and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome.
Meijuan LONG ; Yidan WANG ; Shiya WU ; Zihao LI ; Yanting LI ; Yang LI ; Juan JIAO
Journal of Peking University(Health Sciences) 2024;56(6):1001-1008
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the effects of overweight and obesity (overweight/obesity) on symptom severity and quality of life in Chinese patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).
METHODS:
A cross-sectional survey was used to collect general data on height, weight, gender and age of 435 FMS patients who visited the rheumatology clinic of Guang 'anmen Hospital from October 2018 to December 2021. The numbers of tender points, widespread pain index and symptom severity scale were used as diagnostic indicators of the disease. The pain visual analogue scale, Beck depression inventory, perceived stress scale (PSS), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and multidimensional fatigue scale were used to assess the severity of pain and negative emotions, stress perception, sleep quality, and fatigue symptoms of this disease. The revised fibromyalgia impact questionnaire, fibromyalgia symptom scale (FS) and quality of life assessment scale (36 item short-form health survey, SF-36) were used to evaluate the overall condition and quality of life of the FMS patients. At the same time, 50 healthy volunteers matched in gender and age were recruited as the control group. Covariance analysis was used to explore the effects of overweight/obesity on the FMS patients after adjusting for age and gender.
RESULTS:
According to the Chinese body mass index (BMI) standard, there were 242 (59%) and 170 (41%) FMS patients in the normal weight group and overweight/obesity group, respectively, with average BMI of (21.66±1.42) kg/m2 and (26.25±1.83) kg/m2, respectively. Compared with the normal weight FMS patients, the overweight/obesity patients had higher PSS scores (P=0.010), PSQI sub-dimension sleep efficiency scores (P < 0.001) and FS scores (P=0.025), and lower SF-36 sub-dimension physical functioning scores (P=0.041). However, there were no statistical differences in the above indicators between normal weight and overweight/obesity patients in the healthy control group (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Compared with normal-weight FMS patients, overweight/obesity patients have higher levels of perceived stress, lower sleep efficiency, and more severe fibromyalgia symptoms, as well as a low quality of life characterized by decreased physiological function. It is important for overweight/obesity FMS patients to control BMI actively in order to improve sleep efficiency, psychological state, physical functioning, and the overall condition.
Humans
;
Fibromyalgia/psychology*
;
Quality of Life
;
Cross-Sectional Studies
;
Overweight/psychology*
;
Obesity/psychology*
;
Female
;
Male
;
Surveys and Questionnaires
;
Pain Measurement
;
Severity of Illness Index
;
Fatigue/etiology*
;
Sleep Quality
;
Middle Aged
;
Adult
;
Depression/psychology*
9.Psychosocial crisis intervention for coronavirus disease 2019 patients and healthcare workers.
Li ZHANG ; Lingjiang LI ; Wanhong ZHENG ; Yan ZHANG ; Xueping GAO ; Liwen TAN ; Xiaoping WANG ; Qiongni CHEN ; Junmei XU ; Juanjuan TANG ; Xingwei LUO ; Xudong CHEN ; Xiaocui ZHANG ; Li HE ; Jin LIU ; Peng CHENG ; Lizhi XU ; Yi TIAN ; Chuan WEN ; Weihui LI
Journal of Central South University(Medical Sciences) 2023;48(1):92-105
OBJECTIVES:
Shelter hospital was an alternative way to provide large-scale medical isolation and treatment for people with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Due to various reasons, patients admitted to the large shelter hospital was reported high level of psychological distress, so did the healthcare workers. This study aims to introduce a comprehensive and multifaceted psychosocial crisis intervention model.
METHODS:
The psychosocial crisis intervention model was provided to 200 patients and 240 healthcare workers in Wuhan Wuchang shelter hospital. Patient volunteers and organized peer support, client-centered culturally sensitive supportive care, timely delivery of scientific information about COVID-19 and its complications, mental health knowledge acquisition of non-psychiatric healthcare workers, group activities, counseling and education, virtualization of psychological intervention, consultation and liaison were exhibited respectively in the model. Pre-service survey was done in 38 patients and 49 healthcare workers using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire 2-item (PHQ-2) scale, and the Primary Care PTSD screen for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (PC-PTSD-5). Forty-eight healthcare workers gave feedback after the intervention.
RESULTS:
The psychosocial crisis intervention model was successfully implemented by 10 mental health professionals and was well-accepted by both patients and healthcare workers in the shelter hospital. In pre-service survey, 15.8% of 38 patients were with anxiety, 55.3% were with stress, and 15.8% were with depression; 16.3% of 49 healthcare workers were with anxiety, 26.5% were with stress, and 22.4% were with depression. In post-service survey, 62.5% of 48 healthcare workers thought it was very practical, 37.5% thought more practical; 37.5% of them thought it was very helpful to relief anxiety and insomnia, and 27.1% thought much helpful; 37.5% of them thought it was very helpful to recognize patients with anxiety and insomnia, and 29.2% thought much helpful; 35.4% of them thought it was very helpful to deal with patients' anxiety and insomnia, and 37.5% thought much helpful.
CONCLUSIONS
Psychological crisis intervention is feasible, acceptable, and associated with positive outcomes. Future tastings of this model in larger population and different settings are warranted.
Humans
;
COVID-19
;
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
;
Crisis Intervention
;
Psychosocial Intervention
;
SARS-CoV-2
;
Mental Health
;
Depression/epidemiology*
;
Health Personnel/psychology*
;
Anxiety/etiology*
10.Psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric healthcare workers.
Angela H P KIRK ; Shu Ling CHONG ; Kai Qian KAM ; Weili HUANG ; Linda S L ANG ; Jan Hau LEE ; Rehena SULTANA ; Kam Lun HON ; Judith J M WONG
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2021;50(3):203-211
INTRODUCTION:
Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at risk of psychological distress. This study evaluates the psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on HCWs in a national paediatric referral centre.
METHODS:
This was a survey-based study that collected demographic, work environment and mental health data from paediatric HCWs in the emergency, intensive care and infectious disease units. Psychological impact was measured using the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors associated with psychological distress.
RESULTS:
The survey achieved a response rate of 93.9% (430 of 458). Of the 430 respondents, symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress were reported in 168 (39.1%), 205 (47.7%) and 106 (24.7%), respectively. Depression was reported in the mild (47, 10.9%), moderate (76, 17.7%), severe (23, 5.3%) and extremely severe (22, 5.1%) categories. Anxiety (205, 47.7%) and stress (106, 24.7%) were reported in the mild category only. Collectively, regression analysis identified female sex, a perceived lack of choice in work scope/environment, lack of protection from COVID-19, lack of access to physical activities and rest, the need to perform additional tasks, and the experience of stigma from the community as risk factors for poor psychological outcome.
CONCLUSION
A high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was reported among frontline paediatric HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal psychoneuroimmunity and organisational prevention measures can be implemented to lessen psychiatric symptoms. At the national level, involving mental health professionals to plan and coordinate psychological intervention for the country should be considered.
Adult
;
Anxiety/etiology*
;
COVID-19/psychology*
;
Depression/etiology*
;
Female
;
Health Surveys
;
Hospitals, Pediatric
;
Humans
;
Logistic Models
;
Male
;
Middle Aged
;
Multivariate Analysis
;
Occupational Diseases/etiology*
;
Pandemics
;
Personnel, Hospital/psychology*
;
Prevalence
;
Risk Factors
;
Self Report
;
Severity of Illness Index
;
Singapore/epidemiology*
;
Stress, Psychological/etiology*

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