Publications by authors named "Anna Bara Unnarsdottir"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how perceived disruptions in healthcare services during COVID-19 are linked to socio-demographic factors, pre-existing health conditions, and related physical and psychological symptoms among 15,754 Icelandic participants.
- It was found that those with pre-existing psychiatric or chronic health conditions reported higher perceived disruptions, while individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 did not experience an increase in perceived disruption.
- Additionally, perceived disruptions were associated with worsening mental health symptoms, indicating that vulnerable populations faced significant challenges during the pandemic, although the healthcare system in Iceland largely remained accessible to COVID-19 patients.
Background: Although the persistence of physical symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection is a major public health concern, evidence from large observational studies beyond one year post diagnosis remain scarce. We aimed to assess the prevalence of physical symptoms in relation to acute illness severity up to more than 2-years after diagnosis of COVID-19.
Methods: This multinational study included 64,880 adult participants from Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway with self-reported data on COVID-19 and physical symptoms from April 2020 to August 2022.
To identify factors associated with change in mental distress at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, relative to pre-pandemic levels, and with changes during the following 1.5 years. The prospective Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study collected eight waves of data during the pandemic (March 2020-September 2021) in 105,972 adult participants used for this analyses.
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- The study examines the mental health effects on individuals with significant people (family or close friends) who had COVID-19, analyzing data from prospective cohorts in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK from March 2020 to March 2022.
- It found that having someone close who was hospitalized or died from COVID-19 led to increased rates of depression and anxiety, with prevalence ratios of 1.15 for depression and 1.24 for anxiety in case of hospitalization, escalating further with ICU admission and death.
- The research highlights that these elevated mental health issues persist for at least a year following the COVID-19 diagnosis of the significant person, indicating a substantial emotional toll on affected individuals.*
Introduction: In the coming years, an increase in the number of cancer cases can be expected in Iceland. It is important to gain more insight into the experiences of the diagnostic- and treatment phase among those diagnosed with cancer to improve quality of life and life expectancy.
Methods: The study included 4575 individuals diagnosed with cancer between 2015 and 2019 in Iceland, 18 years or older at the time.
Article Synopsis
- A large study examined the prevalence of severe sleep problems among 29,681 Icelandic women living in Subarctic regions, revealing that 24.2% reported significant issues with sleep.
- The research found that sleep problems were notably higher in winter and among younger women, single mothers, those with socio-economic challenges, and individuals with unhealthy behaviors.
- The study highlights the need for targeted interventions and strategies to support the sleep health of women in these regions, particularly during the winter months.
Article Synopsis
- Long COVID has significant long-term mental and physical health impacts, particularly in non-hospitalized patients, but little is known about the mental health consequences based on the severity of the initial infection.
- A study across six European countries included over 247,000 individuals, comparing mental health symptoms like depression and sleep quality in those diagnosed with COVID-19 against those without.
- Findings showed that COVID-19 patients experienced higher rates of depression and poor sleep, but anxiety levels didn't differ significantly; the negative effects on mental health diminished over time, especially for those with mild cases.