Common Mental Disorders Among Informal Primary Caregivers of Adults With Mental Illness During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Epidemic in Eastern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Coronaviruses (CoVs) are emerging respiratory viruses and cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Informal primary caregivers of individuals with mental illness were special populations suffering from both the burden of caring for mentally ill individuals and the danger of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) epidemic.Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of common mental disorders (CMDs) among the informal primary caregivers of adults with mental illness during the Covid-19 epidemic.Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from July 1 to 30, 2020. A systematic random sampling technique was used to get samples of informal primary caregivers. Data were analyzed by bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. In the final model, variables having a p-value < 0.05 were declared as associated with CMDs.Result: Out of a total of 218 informal primary caregivers, 215 responded to this study. The prevalence of CMDs was 40.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 36.66, 44.3%] among informal primary caregivers. Being female informal primary caregivers [adjusted odds ratios (AOR) 1.98, 95% CI = 1.05, 3.76], being student informal primary caregivers (AOR 5.8, 95% CI: 1.2, 28.4), caring patients with psychosis (AOR 3.33, 95% CI: 1.12, 9.92) and caring patients with bipolar disorder (AOR 3.12, 95% CI: 1.35, 7.23) were significantly associated with CMDs.Conclusion: Our study cannot show the causal relationship due to its cross-sectional study design nature. However, this study showed relatively higher prevalence of CMDs among informal primary caregivers of adults with any mental illness during the Covid-19 epidemics relative to pre-Covid-19 times. Being a female caregiver, being a student caregiver, and caring for adults with psychosis and bipolar disorder were factors associated with CMDs. Attention should be given, and essential psychosocial care should be provided, to maintain the mental health of informal primary caregivers of individuals with mental illness especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Empirically identified networks of healthcare providers for adults with mental illness

Background Policies target networks of providers who treat people with mental illnesses, but little is known about the empirical structures of these networks and related variation in patient care. The goal of this paper is to describe networks of providers who treat adults with mental illness in a multi-payer database based medical claims data in a U.S. state. Methods Provider networks were identified and characterized using paid inpatient, outpatient and pharmacy claims related to care for people with a mental health diagnosis from an all-payer claims dataset that covers both public and private payers. Results Three nested levels of network structures were identified: an overall network, which included 21% of providers (N = 8256) and 97% of patients (N = 476,802), five communities and 24 sub-communities. Sub-communities were characterized by size, provider composition, continuity-of-care (CoC), and network structure measures including mean number of connections per provider (degree) and average number of connections who were connected to each other (transitivity). Sub-community size was positively associated with number of connections (r = .37) and the proportion of psychiatrists (r = .41) and uncorrelated with network transitivity (r = −.02) and continuity of care (r = .00). Network transitivity was not associated with CoC after adjustment for provider type, number of patients, and average connection CoC (p = .85). Conclusions These exploratory analyses suggest that network analysis can provide information about the networks of providers that treat people with mental illness that is not captured in traditional measures and may be useful in designing, implementing, and studying interventions to improve systems of care. Though initial results are promising, additional empirical work is needed to develop network-based measures and tools for policymakers.

The Effect of a Housing First Intervention on Acute Health Care Utilization among Homeless Adults with Mental Illness: Long-term Outcomes of the At Home/Chez-Soi Randomized Pragmatic Trial

We assessed the effects of the Toronto Site Housing First (HF) intervention on hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits among homeless adults with mental illness over 7 years of follow-up. The Toronto Site is part of an unblinded multi-site randomized pragmatic trial of HF for homeless adults with mental illness in Canada, which followed participants up to 7 years. Five hundred seventy-five participants were recruited and classified as having high (HN) or moderate need (MN) for mental health support services. Each group was randomized into intervention (HF) and treatment as usual groups, and 567 (98.6%) consented to link their data to health administrative databases. HF participants received a monthly rent supplement of $600 (Canadian) and assertive community treatment (ACT) support or intensive care management (ICM) support based on need level. Treatment as usual (TAU) participants had access to social, housing, and health services generally available in the community. Outcomes included all-cause and mental health-specific hospitalization, number of days in hospital, and ED visit. We used GEE models to estimate ratio of rate ratios (RRR). The results showed HF with ACT had no significant effect on hospitalization rates among HN participants, but reduced the number of days in hospital (RRR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.16-0.63) and number of ED visits (RRR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.34-0.95). HF with ICM resulted in an increase in the number of hospitalizations (RRR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.09-2.60) and ED visit rates (RRR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.01-2.01) but had no effect in days in hospital for MN participants. Addressing the health needs of this population and reducing acute care utilization remain system priorities. Trial registration: http://www.isrctn.com/identifier: ISRCTN42520374

The Long-Term Effects of a Housing First Intervention on Primary Care and Non-Primary Care Physician Visits Among Homeless Adults with Mental Illness: A 7-Year RCT Follow-Up

Background: Housing First (HF)-based interventions have been implemented in North America and beyond to help people exit homelessness. The effect of these interventions on access to primary and specialist care services is not well-defined. This study assesses the long-term effects of an HF intervention for homeless adults with mental illness on primary care physician (PCP) and non-primary care physician (non-PCP) visits. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the At Home/Chez Soi study, a randomized trial of HF for homeless adults with mental illness in Toronto, Canada. High-need (HN) participants were randomized to HF with assertive community treatment (HF-ACT) or treatment as usual (TAU). Moderate needs (MN) participants were randomized to HF with intensive case management (HF-ICM) or TAU. The primary outcomes were the incidence and the number of visits to a PCP and non-PCP over 7-years post-randomization, compared to the 1-year pre-randomization. Results: Of 575 enrolled participants, 527 (80 HN and 347 MN) participants were included in the analyses. HN participants who received HF-ACT had a significant reduction in the number of visits to a PCP compared to TAU participants (ratio of rate ratios (RRR): 0.66, 95% CI: 0.48-0.93) and a significant reduction in the number of non-PCP visits compared with TAU participants (RRR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.42-0.97) in the 7-years post-randomization compared to the 1-year pre-randomization. MN participants who received HF-ICM had a significant increase in incident visits to a PCP compared to TAU participants (RRR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.10-2.50). No effect of HF-ICM was observed on the incidence or number of non-PCP visits. Conclusion: HF has differing effects on visits to PCPs and non-PCPs among homeless people with high and moderate needs for mental health supports. HF does not result in a consistent increase in PCP and non-PCP visits over a 7-year follow-up period. The At Home/Chez Soi study is registered with ISRCTN (ISRCTN, ISRCTN42520374).