AUTHOR=Grossman-Giron Ariella , Tzur Bitan Dana , Mendlovic Shlomo , Shemesh Sharon , Bloch Yuval 

TITLE=Distress and Well-Being Among Psychiatric Patients in the Aftermath of the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Israel: A Longitudinal Study

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=67

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604326

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2022.1604326

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> Studies assessing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychiatric patients have mostly focused on cross-sectional evaluations of differences in levels of distress. In this study, we aimed to assess changes in distress and well-being following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak as compared with pre-pandemic levels, as well as potential predictors of symptomatic deterioration, among psychiatric outpatients treated in a public mental health hospital in Israel.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Patients evaluated for distress and well-being before the pandemic (<italic>n</italic> = 55) were re-evaluated at the end of the first lockdown in Israel.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Analyses revealed a significant decrease in the patients’ sense of personal growth. Increases in distress were significantly associated with fear of COVID-19 beyond patient characteristics.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> These results suggest that the pandemic has a short-term effect on patients’ well-being, and that fear of the pandemic is associated with elevations in distress.</p>