Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36949446›Full record

ArticleBMC psychiatry2023

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Veterans' spouses: a cross sectional analysis.

Kevin T Hansen, Rachel A Plouffe, Deanna L Walker, Sonya G Wanklyn, Laryssa Lamrock, Polliann Maher, Anthony Nazarov, J Don Richardson

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Article in BMC psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Kevin T HansenMacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada. Kevin.Hansen@sjhc.london.on.ca.
Rachel A PlouffeMacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada.
Deanna L WalkerMacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada.
Sonya G WanklynMacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada.
Laryssa LamrockThe Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Polliann MaherThe Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Anthony NazarovMacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada.
J Don RichardsonMacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCOVID-19 has negatively impacted the mental health and well-being of both Canadians and the world as a whole, with Veterans, in particular, showing increased rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Spouses and common-law partners often serve as primary caregivers and sources of support for Veterans, which may have a deleterious effect on mental health and increase risk of burnout. Pandemic related stressors may increase burden and further exacerbate distress; yet the effect of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Veterans' spouses is currently unknown. This study explores the self-reported mental health and well-being of a group of spouses of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans and their adoption of new ways to access healthcare remotely (telehealth), using baseline data from an ongoing longitudinal survey.

methodsBetween July 2020 and February 2021, 365 spouses of Veterans completed an online survey regarding their general mental health, lifestyle changes, and experiences relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also completed were questions relating to their use of and satisfaction with health-care treatment services during the pandemic.

resultsReported rates of probable major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), alcohol use disorder (AUD), and PTSD were higher than the general public, with 50-61% believing their symptoms either directly related to or were made worse by the pandemic. Those reporting being exposed to COVID-19 were found to have significantly higher absolute scores on mental health measures than those reporting no exposure. Over 56% reported using telehealth during the pandemic, with over 70% stating they would continue its use post-pandemic.

conclusionsThis is the first Canadian study to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic specifically on the mental health and well-being of Veterans' spouses. Subjectively, the pandemic negatively affected the mental health of this group, however, the pre-pandemic rate for mental health issues in this population is unknown. These results have important implications pertaining to future avenues of research and clinical/programme development post-pandemic, particularly relating to the potential need for increased support for spouses of Veterans, both as individuals and in their role as supports for Veterans.

Indexed as

COVID-19Major Depressive DisorderStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticVeteransCanadaCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMental HealthPandemicsSpousesCOVID-19Mental healthMilitary spousesTelehealth useWell-being

Identifiers

PMID36949446
PMCPMC10032243

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Textfull text, public
LicenceCC BY
measurements read159
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.