Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Migrants in Chile

NCT04497636 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 170519004
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 1,092
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The mental health of a representative sample of immigrants residing in Santiago, Chile (STRING cohort) was assessed nine months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (T0). Evidence suggests that social isolation affects mental health by increasing symptoms of anxiety and depression. One of the main components of the current COVID-19 pandemic is the social isolation imposed on the population. This study seeks to explore the short (T1) and long-term (T2) effects of the pandemic on the psychological wellbeing of the cohort. Specific aims are to

1. 1.Describe the variations in the levels of mental health problems (i.e. symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, sleep difficulties) and wellbeing of immigrants during the first (T1) and second follow-up (T2)
2. 2.Calculate the short (T1) and long-term (T2) effects of social isolation on the levels of mental health problems of the immigrant population, and
3. 3.Identify risk / protective factors associated with a short (T1) and long-term (T2) increase in mental health problems

Conditions

Anxiety; Depression; Stress, Psychological; Loneliness; Social Isolation

Keywords

Migrants; Depression; Anxiety; COVID-19; Within-group longitudinal design

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Depressive symptoms

  The Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer \& Williams, 2001) is used to measure symptoms of depression in accordance with the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder. The questionnaire consists of nine items scored on a four-point Likert scale (0-3), with the range of scores from 0 to 27. Higher scores indicate greater depression severity, and scores above 10 are considered as the cut-off that indicate that the patient is within the depressive area. Specific cut-off for primary care samples in Chile have been found yielding a cut-off of 7 and above for high sensitivity and specificity (Saldivia, Aslan, Cova, Vicente, Inostroza \& Rincón, 2019). Changes in depressive symptoms between baseline (T0) and two follow-up points (T1 and T2) will be assessed.

  Month 1 (T1) and month 10 (T2)

• Symptoms of anxiety

  The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7; Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams \& Löwe, 2006) is used to measure symptoms of anxiety and worry. The questionnaire consists of seven items scored on a four-point Likert scale (0-3), with the scores ranging from 0 to 21. Specific cut-off for primary care samples in Spain have been found yielding a cut-off of 10 and above for high sensitivity and specificity (García-Campayo et al, 2010). Changes in symptoms of anxiety between baseline (T0) and two follow-up points (T1 and T2) will be assessed.

  Month 1 (T1) and month 10 (T2)

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

  Month 1 (T1) and month 10 (T2)

• Changes in sleep difficulties

  Month 1 (T1) and month 10 (T2)

• Changes in hazardous and harmful alcohol drinking

  Month 1 (T1) and month 10 (T2)

• Changes in loneliness

  Month 1 (T1) and month 10 (T2)

• Change in general physical and mental health

  Change from last 2 weeks before pandemic to month 1 (T1) and month 10 (T2)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The STRING cohort is comonsed of 1,092 adults residing in private households in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile who were born outside of Chile and had lived in the country for at least 3 months in the first wave.

You may qualify if:

• Country of birth other than Chile
• Time since arrival to Chile: 3 months (at baseline)

You may not qualify if:

• Unable to understand Spanish

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile: lead
• Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, Chile: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

Santiago, RM, 7550139, Chile

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders; Depression; Stress, Psychological; Social Isolation; COVID-19

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Social Behavior; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Virus Diseases; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases

Study Officials

• Antonia Errazuriz, PhD

  Universidad Catolica de Chile

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 1, 2020
• First Posted: August 4, 2020
• Study Start: July 3, 2020
• Primary Completion: April 18, 2021
• Study Completion: April 18, 2021
• Last Updated: November 16, 2021

Record last verified: 2020-08

Locations

CL (1)