Background Mental health was only modestly affected in adults during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic on the group level, but interpersonal variation was large. Aims We aim to investigate... Show moreBackground Mental health was only modestly affected in adults during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic on the group level, but interpersonal variation was large. Aims We aim to investigate potential predictors of the differences in changes in mental health. Method Data were aggregated from three Dutch ongoing prospective cohorts with similar methodology for data collection. We included participants with pre-pandemic data gathered during 2006-2016, and who completed online questionnaires at least once during lockdown in The Netherlands between 1 April and 15 May 2020. Sociodemographic, clinical (number of mental health disorders and personality factors) and COVID-19-related variables were analysed as predictors of relative changes in four mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, anxiety and worry symptoms, and loneliness), using multivariate linear regression analyses. Results We included 1517 participants with (n = 1181) and without (n = 336) mental health disorders. Mean age was 56.1 years (s.d. 13.2), and 64.3% were women. Higher neuroticism predicted increases in all four mental health outcomes, especially for worry (beta = 0.172, P = 0.003). Living alone and female gender predicted increases in depressive symptoms and loneliness (beta = 0.05-0.08), whereas quarantine and strict adherence with COVID-19 restrictions predicted increases in anxiety and worry symptoms (beta = 0.07-0.11).Teleworking predicted a decrease in anxiety symptoms (beta = -0.07) and higher age predicted a decrease in anxiety (beta = -0.08) and worry symptoms (beta = -0.10). Conclusions Our study showed neuroticism as a robust predictor of adverse changes in mental health, and identified additional sociodemographic and COVID-19-related predictors that explain longitudinal variability in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Show less
Objectives:An association between tinnitus distress with anxiety and depression is described in literature. A similar relationship might exist between tinnitus distress and personality traits,... Show moreObjectives:An association between tinnitus distress with anxiety and depression is described in literature. A similar relationship might exist between tinnitus distress and personality traits, especially since associations between personality traits and other chronic diseases are already revealed. In this systematic review, we aim to investigate whether personality is a risk factor for tinnitus distress. Design:We searched PubMed and EMBASE databases from inception up to December 31, 2018 for articles on the association between tinnitus distress and personality. Two researchers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts for eligibility. Directness of evidence and risk of bias were assessed. From the included studies, study characteristics and outcome data of tinnitus distress and personality traits were extracted. Results:A total of 323 unique articles were screened of which 11 cross-sectional studies were eligible for critical appraisal and were used for data extraction. Including study populations were heterogenous, and studies scored high to moderate risk of bias. Nine out of 11 articles showed an association between tinnitus distress and the personality of neuroticism. Conclusions:By limitations in the methodology of included studies, the evidence on specific personality traits as a risk factor for tinnitus distress is inconclusive. Some evidence on a positive association with neuroticism is identified. To draw conclusions about causal relations, these further studies should be of longitudinal design in a cohort setting. These studies should assess tinnitus distress using validated questionnaires with multiple personality dimensions and validated questionnaires to assess personality traits. Show less
Antypa, N.; Verkuil, B.; Molendijk, M.; Schoevers, R.; Penninx, B.W.J.H.; Does, W. van der 2017
