Reducing loneliness and depressive symptoms in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A pre-post evaluation of a psychosocial online intervention.

Background: Loneliness is related to worse mental health, particularly in people with poor social support. The COVID-19 pandemic altered our lives and ways of social interaction, especially among vulnerable populations such as older adults.

Methods: We designed a group-based psychosocial online intervention for older adults (≥ 65 years) facilitated by gerontologists addressing loneliness consisting of: (i) sharing experiences and promoting peer support to overcome feelings of loneliness and (ii) increasing the chances of establishing successful social relationships.

The association of material deprivation with major depressive disorder and the role of loneliness and social support: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Existing research has highlighted the positive association of material deprivation, loneliness, and poor social support with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, there is limited information on the complex interplay between these risk factors. In this study, we investigated (1) whether loneliness and social support moderate the relationship between material deprivation and MDD and (2) whether social support moderates the association between material deprivation and loneliness.

Impact of perceived discrimination and coping strategies on well-being and mental health in newly-arrived migrants in Spain.

Objectives: To explore how perceived discrimination impacts the emotional well-being and mental health of newly-arrived migrants in Spain; and to identify the coping strategies and behavioral changes used to deal with perceived discrimination.

Design: 102 individual audio-recorded in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed through content analysis.

Chronic and Transient Loneliness in Western Countries: Risk Factors and Association With Depression. A 2-Year Follow-Up Study.

Introduction: Our aim was to test risk factors for chronic and transient loneliness as well as cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of courses of loneliness with depression.

Methods: Responses from participants in Wave 5 (T1, 2013) and Wave 6 (T2, 2015) of The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) (N = 45,490) were analyzed. The existence of clinically significant symptoms of depression was defined as reporting a value greater than or equal to 4 on the Euro-D scale.

Loneliness during the last phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: A longitudinal study of group-based trajectories, risk factors, and consequences in mental health.

Introduction: The present study aims to investigate the courses of loneliness following a national state of emergency including a curfew due to a rise in COVID-19 cases, associated risk factors, and the effect of loneliness on symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Methods: Data of 2,000 adults in Spain which were interviewed by telephone at the first follow-up of the MINDCOVID project (February-March 2021) and of whom 953 were interviewed nine months later (November-December 2021) were analyzed. Group-based trajectories and mixed models were constructed.

Variations in sociodemographic and health-related factors are linked to distinct clusters of individuals with depression based on the PHQ-9 instrument: NHANES 2007-2018.

Background: Depression is a heterogeneous disease. Identification of latent depression subgroups and differential associations across these putative groups and sociodemographic and health-related factors might pave the way toward targeted treatment of individuals.

Methods: We used model-based clustering to identify relevant subgroups of 2900 individuals with moderate to severe depression (defined as scores ≥10 on the PHQ-9 instrument) from the NHANES cross-sectional survey.

The Association of Social Support and Loneliness with Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Research suggests that changes in social support and loneliness have affected mental disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are a lack of studies comparing the robustness of these associations.

Aims: The aims were to estimate the strength of the associations of loneliness and social support with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022) in the general population.

What factors explain the changes in major depressive disorder symptoms by age group during the COVID-19 pandemic? A longitudinal study.

Background: Data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest an increase in major depressive disorder (MDD) among younger adults. The current study aims to assess the association of age groups and MDD risk before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and quantify the effect of potential mediating variables such as loneliness, social support, resilience, and socioeconomic factors.

Methods: A representative sample of Spanish adults was interviewed before (2019, N = 1880) and during (2020, N = 1103) the COVID-19 pandemic.

Factors Associated with Depression and Anxiety Symptoms among Migrant Population in Spain during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Migrants are likely to experience mental health conditions, being one of the most vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aims to: (1) estimate the prevalence of depressive and anxious symptoms and (2) examine the impact of risk and protective factors on this symptomatology. A sample of 129 migrants living in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic completed an anonymous online survey, including information on sociodemographic and individual characteristics, migration, basic needs, social environment and perceived health domains.

The Association of Age With Depression, Anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain: The Role of Loneliness and Prepandemic Mental Disorder.

Objective: Older adults may be at lower risk of common mental disorders than younger adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Previous research has shown shown differences by age in psychosocial well-being during the pandemic and have highlighted the moderating effect of prepandemic mental disorders on that association. In this line, we examined the association of age with self-reported symptoms of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress, as well as potential roles of loneliness symptoms and prepandemic mental disorders on the association between age and mental disorder symptoms.

The impact of COVID-related perceived stress and social support on generalized anxiety and major depressive disorders: moderating effects of pre-pandemic mental disorders.

Background: We assessed the moderating effect of pre-pandemic mental disorders on the association of COVID-related perceived stress and social support with mental health.

Methods: A nationally representative sample of 3500 Spanish adults was interviewed in June 2020 (mean age 49.25 years, ± 15.

The effect of loneliness and social support on the course of major depressive disorder among adults aged 50 years and older: A longitudinal study.

Background: Previous research indicates that social support, loneliness, and major depressive disorder (MDD) are interrelated. Little is known about the potential pathways among these factors, in particular in the case of adults aged 50 years and older and suffering from MDD. The objective was to investigate whether loneliness mediates the association between low social support and recurrent episodes of MDD.

The Association Between Substance Use Disorder and Depression During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Spain and the Moderating Role of Social Support: a Cross-Sectional Study.

Substance use disorder is on the rise; it has increased massively during the COVID-19 lockdown and has been found as a risk factor for depressive symptoms and major depressive disorder. Less is known about the hypothetical moderating effect of social support in that association. Three thousand five hundred Spanish adults were interviewed by phone during the COVID-19 lockdown (May-June 2020).

The association of detachment with affective disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown: The role of living situation and social support.

Introduction: There is growing concern about the effect of lockdown and social distancing on mental health. Subjective feelings related to social relationships such as detachment have shown a strong effect on mental health, whereas objective factors might have a moderating role in that association.

Objective: To investigate whether social support and living situation have a moderating effect on the association between detachment and affective disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown.