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Published on: February 22, 2018
Trust in Medical Professionals Moderates Depression in Hong Kong during COVID-19
Daniel W L Lai1, Jiahui Jin2, Elsie Yan3
1Faculty of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic increases depression risk due to infection concerns and hassles. Building trust in medical professionals can mitigate these negative mental health impacts.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Psychology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant psychological burden on citizens globally.
- Understanding factors influencing mental health during pandemics is crucial for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify predictors of depressive symptoms among adults in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To explore factors that may alleviate the negative psychological effects of the epidemic.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of a longitudinal prospective survey (December 2021-January 2022) in Hong Kong.
- Participants: 803 adults aged 18+.
- Statistical analysis included logistic and linear regression to assess predictors and moderators of depression.
Main Results:
- Higher concern about infection, personal/previous epidemic experience, hassles, and trust in authority predicted increased depression.
- Greater trust in medical professionals was associated with reduced odds of depression.
- Trust in medical professionals moderated the relationship between depression and infection concerns/hassles.
Conclusions:
- Pandemic-related factors continue to impact mental health despite reduced immediate threats.
- Enhancing trust in medical experts may be a key strategy for alleviating psychological distress.
- Targeted interventions addressing infection concerns and promoting trust are needed.
Objectives:
Given the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the associated prevention and control measures implemented, the psychological burden brought by the pandemic on citizens is expected to increase. This study is aimed at exploring the predictors of depressive symptoms among Hong Kong people during the epidemic, as well as factors that could potentially alleviate the negative effects of the epidemic.
Methods:
The third wave follow-up survey (December 2021 to January 2022) from a longitudinal prospective survey study conducted in Hong Kong was used for a cross-sectional analysis. The participants (n = 803) are adults aged 18 and above in Hong Kong. Logistic and linear regression were performed to test the predictors and moderating effects, respectively, with depression as the outcome variable.
Results:
With minimized confounding effects of demographic variables, higher levels of concern about infection, experience with COVID-19 infection and previous epidemics, hassles, and trust in authority increased the odds of being depressed, while a higher level of trust in medical professionals reduced the odds of depression. Moreover, greater trust in medical professionals, as a moderator, lessened the positive associations between the levels of depression and hassles and concern about infection.
Conclusions:
Even though the threats of COVID-19 seem to have lowered, this study shows that a few factors associated with the pandemic continue to threaten people's mental health. However, developing greater trust in medical experts may be an effective way to relieve psychological burden.
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