Impact of pandemic on mental health of older women with trauma history

“Although there is a growing body of studies looking at mental health during the pandemic, few studies have data on pre-pandemic participants or have examined the role of trauma history in women’s experiences during the pandemic,” said Principal Investigator Karen Jakubowski, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Investigators assessed the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a long-term cohort of women who reported trauma, mental symptoms, and sleep approximately 4 to 12 years before the pandemic, and who also participated in a side study on the effects of the pandemic on their life.

“We were able to use SWAN to get a fuller picture of how prepandemic trauma and mental health symptoms in aging women are related to health during the pandemic,” Jakubowski told Contemporary OB / GYN®.

Women from 3 SWAN locations (Pittsburgh; Boston; and Newark, New Jersey) received a survey about the impact of the pandemic on their lives between June 2020 and March 2021. Overall, 72% (n = 644) returned the survey, with 582 women forming the final analytical sample.

The mean age of the sample was 70 years, with 63% of the sample being White, 25% Black, and 12% Hispanic American.

Overall, 48% of women reported childhood trauma and 35% reported pre-pandemic IPV, mostly emotional IPV.

However, 27%, 32% and 46% of the women reported increased pandemic symptoms of depression, anxiety and sleep.

In addition, 29% and 17% of women reported increased conflicts with household members and non-household families, respectively, during the pandemic.

Childhood trauma and IPV were associated with increased pandemic depressive symptoms, sleep problems, and household conflicts, while childhood trauma alone were associated with increased pandemic anxiety symptoms and conflicts with non-household families.

“It is noticeable that women who experienced child abuse years before the pandemic and decades earlier reported poorer mental health and poorer sleep during the pandemic,” Jakubowski said. “These results underscore the profound impact trauma can have on health over the course of life.”

Healthcare providers should consider women’s trauma stories to better understand who is at greatest risk for mental health and sleep problems during the pandemic, Jakubowski said.

“Women should also raise concerns about mental health, sleep, or relationships with their health care providers, who they can then link to support and service in their communities,” she said. “In this era of physical distancing, finding opportunities for social connection, including virtual options, is critical.”

A relaxation phase before bed, such as For example, an activity that women find calming or restful, if possible without using phones / screens, “may help promote relaxation and sleep,” Jakubowski said.

Jakubowski noted that the pandemic is not going to go away anytime soon and that the mental health effects are likely to linger for years. “It is therefore crucial that we continue to examine the experiences of vulnerable groups during the pandemic, especially aging women with trauma, and develop measures to improve their health and well-being,” she said.

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Disclosure

Jakubowski does not report any relevant financial information.

reference

Jakubowski, K. Psychosocial Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women with Histories of Trauma: Study of Women’s Health across the Nation (SWAN). Annual Meeting of the North American Menopause Society. 09/24/2021.

source https://www.bisayanews.com/2021/09/24/impact-of-pandemic-on-mental-health-of-older-women-with-trauma-history/