Diana Betancourt-Ocampo’s research while affiliated with Universidad Anáhuac México Sur and other places

This study examined changes in some aspects of mental health, as well as worries and behaviors related to the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of older adults, during three different moments of the first year of the pandemic in Mexico. The sample consisted of 2,307 older adults (38% men and 62% women). The results indicated that older adults presented less concern about the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as less adherence to preventing procedures in the first wave, compared to subsequent evaluations. In addition, greater depressive symptoms, anxiety and stress were found in older adults in the last wave; however, the proportion of older adults identified with high scores in these variables was lower than that reported in national data.

We examined longitudinal differences in the severity of distress, depression, anxiety, and concerns and behaviors related to COVID-19 during the first two months of this pandemic, correlations between these variables, and interactions of distress with significant sociodemographics across waves. A longitudinal online survey was conducted in the State of Mexico, from 8 April to 27 May, 2020, in a sample of men and women between 18 and 60 years old, using: Impact of Event Scale-6, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disoder-7, and a questionnaire of concerns and behaviors related to COVID-19. Six hundred seventy participants were analyzed. Only a mild difference in distress was observed between the two waves and mild correlations of this variable with contagion in oneself and in a relative. Having a high-risk medical condition proved a considerable effect on distress within both waves. Perception of usefulness of preventive measures, concerns of contagion in a relative, and financial and security situations scored high within our questionnaire but did not change in the follow-up. We hypothesize that habituation to distressful events in the Mexican population (emergent resilience) might explain the absence of meaningful differences. Our research adds to the monitoring of mental health in Mexicans during the COVID-19 pandemic; its findings can serve to perform comparisons in other studies and for further meta-analyses.

Introduction Older adults are not only at a higher medical risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they may also be a group particularly vulnerable to mental health diminishing. Objective To analyze the effect of some sociodemographic factors (sex and age) and medical conditions (diabetes and hypertension) on mental health and concerns about COVID-19 in a sample of older adults. Method A non-probabilistic sample of 2,992 older adults (37.7% men and 62.3% women) was selected, with an average age of 70.45 years (SD = 7.31). Participants were given the Impact of Event Scale-6 (IES-6), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), a questionnaire of concerns about COVID-19, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Participants’ answers were captured via Google Forms. Results The results showed that women had greater concerns about COVID-19 than men. The findings in general showed significant effects, with women showing higher scores in depressive symptoms, anxiety, and greater stress generated in addition by the impact of the event. Differences concerning event-related stress and depression were found in relation to subgroups by age. Discussion and conclusion These finding could serve for the planning and development of strategies that provide attention to the mental health of this population group.

The objectives of this study were to describe severity of psychological distress (event-related stress, anxiety, and depression) during the second stage of COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, and to explore associations between the indicators of psychological distress, sociodemographic characteristics and specific concerns about COVID-19. This report serves as a baseline measure of a longitudinal project to evaluate progression of psychological distress across stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. An online survey was conducted in the State of Mexico from April 8th -18th, 2020, in a sample of men and women who are beneficiaries of a welfare institution in the region. Variables were measured with the Impact of Event Scale-6, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disoder-7, and a questionnaire of concerns about COVID-19. A total of 5974 participants were analyzed. Moderate levels of psychological distress (with 23.6% of participants meeting significant event-related stress, but mild levels of depression and anxiety) were found, as well as high values in all concerns about COVID-19, especially regarding financial disruption, worsening of local security and concern of a family member becoming infected. These concerns associated mild-to-moderately with the indicators of psychological distress. Higher values of event-related distress were found in women, individuals with higher educational attainment and those with any current high-risk medical diagnosis, though the effect sizes were mild. Though psychological distress and concerns about COVID-19 have reached significant levels during the pandemic in Mexico, overall, they have not yet reached dysfunctional levels.

In the transition from adolescence to adulthood, an increase in several risk behaviors endangers the well-being of future life. It is in this period when there are changes in the relationships of adolescents with their family environment; therefore, retrospective studies are valuable to understand how these changes occur. This research describes the changes in risk behaviors associated with sexual activity and the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs, from youth to adulthood. A sample of 5780 students, men and women, from Mexico City was used. The selection of participants was retrospective and they were evaluated in three stages during years (2003, 2006 and 2010) in a period of seven years. Eleven indicators of and Automated Medical Examination (EMA) were used to evaluate the four risk behaviors. The results showed significant relationships (p

The objective of this retrospective study was to analyze the relationship between the symptoms of depression, anxiety and binge eating disorder (BED) with the gene related to the Agouti neuropeptide in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. A cohort of 249 adults (average age = 41.1, SD = 11.3), 64.1% women and 35.9% men, were included. The assessment of depression, anxiety and BED symptoms was carried out through a semi-structured interview. In addition, the body mass index was calculated, and blood samples were taken for an allelic discrimination analysis. Of the total number of patients 20.2% were diagnosed with BED, finding an association of this disorder with a lower weight loss after bariatric surgery at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. The measures of depression and anxiety did not differ between patients with BED vs. without BED. Patients with a mutant allele in the gene related to the Agouti neuropeptide were 2.6 times more likely to present BED (95% CI 1.0-6.8, P = 0.04). In addition, BED appears to be more frequent in patients with a gene related to the Agouti neuropeptide mutated. When obesity is studied, it is emphasized the need to address both psychological and genetic factors.

(analytical): The objective of this research was to analyze whether Mexican and Colombian adolescents who have never attempted suicide present more internal and external strengths than those who have tried. Method: This study used a pre-experimental design and a methodology using case studies. 1,987 students from 15 to 18 years of age were selected in a non-probabilistic manner for participation in the study; 991 Colombian students and 996 Mexican students. A scale (FIE-A) was used to measure strengths and five indicators for attempted suicide. The main results showed that adolescents who have never attempted suicide had significantly higher scores in the following strengths: support and supervision of mother and father, importance of looking after their health and decision-making. The authors conclude that the key differences for young people that have never attempted suicide include good relationships with parents continue to be protective strengths, specifically the importance for a young person to have the support and communication of both parents.

A transversal, descriptive and correlational study was carried out for the purpose of analyzing domestic violence, alcohol consumption, and depressive symptomatology in a group of inmates in a social re-adaptation center, and to determine as well the relationship between these variables and the type of crimes committed. A non-probabilistic sample of 385 men confined in a social re-adaptation center in Mexico was selected, of which the highest percentage consisted of males between 18 and 30 years of age. An instrument was used to assess: alcohol consumption in terms of frequency and amount (indicators of the National Addiction Survey); depressive symptomatology (Scale of the Epidemiological Study Center CES-D), and domestic violence (verbal aggression, physical aggression, humiliation, and disrespect). The results showed that 75.6% of the inmates had committed theft, and more than half of them were still awaiting sentencing. With respect to domestic violence and alcohol consumption, the highest percentage of inmates reported low volumes (81.8 and 49.5%, respectively). Nevertheless, in depression situations, 50% exhibited high levels. It was found that a larger number of inmates with a history of intense domestic violence had committed kidnappings, and a higher percentage of those with a heavy consumption of alcohol were charged with murder or manslaughter. As per those with high depressive symptomatology rates, most of them reported having committed rapes.