Lifestyles and Quality of Life of People with Mental Illness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Giada Tripoli; Sofia Lo Duca; Laura Ferraro; Uzma Zahid; Raffaella Mineo; Fabio Seminerio; Alessandra Bruno; Vanessa Di Giorgio; Giuseppe Maniaci; Giovanna Marrazzo; Crocettarachele Sartorio; Alessandra Scaglione; Daniele La Barbera; Caterina La Cascia

doi:10.1007/s10597-023-01095-0

Lifestyles and Quality of Life of People with Mental Illness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Community Ment Health J. 2024 Jan;60(1):37-46. doi: 10.1007/s10597-023-01095-0. Epub 2023 Feb 13.

Authors

Giada Tripoli^#^{1

2

3}, Sofia Lo Duca^#^{4

5}, Laura Ferraro⁴, Uzma Zahid^{6

7}, Raffaella Mineo⁴, Fabio Seminerio^{4

5}, Alessandra Bruno⁴, Vanessa Di Giorgio⁴, Giuseppe Maniaci^{4

5}, Giovanna Marrazzo^{4

5}, Crocettarachele Sartorio^{4

5}, Alessandra Scaglione^{4

5}, Daniele La Barbera^#^{4

5}, Caterina La Cascia^#^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience, and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, Via G. La Loggia 1, 90129, Palermo, Italy. giada.tripoli@unipa.it.
² Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche 2, 90127, Palermo, Italy. giada.tripoli@unipa.it.
³ Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AF, London, UK. giada.tripoli@unipa.it.
⁴ Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience, and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, Via G. La Loggia 1, 90129, Palermo, Italy.
⁵ Unit of Psychiatry, University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone", Via G. La Loggia 1, 90129, Palermo, Italy.
⁶ Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AF, London, UK.
⁷ Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Ln, Headington, OX3 7JX, Oxford, UK.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the quality of life (QoL), daily lifestyle, and mental health of people suffering from a mental disorder. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the prolongation of the COVID-19 emergency on QoL and lifestyles in a sample of 100 outpatients at the Psychiatry Unit in Palermo University Hospital, Italy. QoL was measured through the 12-item Short Form Survey and the COV19-Impact on Quality of Life. Lifestyle changes during the pandemic were measured through the lifestyle change questionnaire. The majority of participants reported a great impact of COVID-19 on the QoL, and almost half reported worsened lifestyles. Worsened lifestyles were predictive of both poor mental and physical health related QoL. These results suggest that people with mental illness need interventions targeting lifestyles, and the mental health service in Italy should adjust to the ongoing pandemic, developing virtual treatments.

Keywords: COVID-19; Lifestyles; Mental illness; Quality of life.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Humans
Life Style
Mental Disorders* / complications
Mental Disorders* / epidemiology
Pandemics
Quality of Life