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The aim of our study was to investigate whether self-reported feeling of loneliness (FoL) and COVID-19-specific health anxiety were associated with the presence of depressive symptoms during the first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) wave. Questionnaires of 603 persons of the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry (SMSR) were cross-sectionally analyzed using descriptive and multivariable regression methods. The survey response rate was 63.9%. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen (BDI-FS). COVID-19-specific health anxiety and FoL were measured using two 5-item Likert scaled pertinent questions. High scoring FoL (2.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) (2.06—2.98)) and/or COVID-19 specific health anxiety (1.36, 95% CI (0.87–1.85)) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Further stratification analysis showed that the impact of FoL on depressive symptoms affected all age groups. However, it was more pronounced in younger PwMS, whereas an impact of COVID-19 specific health anxiety on depressive symptoms was particularly observed in middle-aged PwMS. FoL and COVID-19-specific health anxiety were age-dependently associated with depressive symptoms during the first COVID-19 wave in Switzerland. Our findings could guide physicians, health authorities, and self-help groups to better accompany PwMS in times of public health crises., Scientific Reports, 12, ISSN:2045-2322

Background While comorbidities increase with age, duration of multiple sclerosis (MS) leads to disability accumulation in persons with MS. The influence of ageing vis-a-vis MS duration remains largely unexplored. We studied the independent associations of ageing and MS duration with disability and comorbidities in the Swiss MS Registry participants. Methods Self-reported data was cross-sectionally analyzed using confounder-adjusted logistic regression models for 6 outcomes: cancer, type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension, cardiac diseases, depression, and having at least moderate or severe gait disability. Using cubic splines, we explored non-linear changes in risk shapes. Results Among 1615 participants age was associated with cardiac diseases (OR 1.05, 95% CI [1.02, 2.08]), hypertension (OR 1.08, 95% CI [1.06, 2.10]), T2D (OR 1.10, 95%CI [1.05, 1.16]) and cancer (OR 1.04, 95% CI [1.01, 1.07]). MS duration was not associated with comorbidities, except for cardiac diseases (OR 1.03, 95% CI [1.00, 1.06]). MS duration and age were independently associated with having at least moderate gait disability (OR 1.06, 95% CI [1.04, 1.07]; OR 1.04, 95% CI [1.02, 1.05], respectively), and MS duration was associated with severe gait disability (OR 1.05, 95% CI [1.03, 1.08]). The spline analysis suggested a non-linear increase of having at least moderate gait disability with age. Conclusions Presence of comorbidities was largely associated with age only. Having at least moderate gait disability was associated with both age and MS duration, while having severe gait disabity was associated with MS duration only., Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 67, ISSN:2211-0356, ISSN:2211-0348

Background Electronic health diaries hold promise in complementing standardized surveys in prospective health studies but are fraught with numerous methodological challenges. Objective The study aimed to investigate participant characteristics and other factors associated with response to an electronic health diary campaign in persons with multiple sclerosis, identify recurrent topics in free-text diary entries, and assess the added value of structured diary entries with regard to current symptoms and medication intake when compared with survey-collected information. Methods Data were collected by the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry during a nested electronic health diary campaign and during a regular semiannual Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry follow-up survey serving as comparator. The characteristics of campaign participants were descriptively compared with those of nonparticipants. Diary content was analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2015 software (Pennebaker Conglomerates, Inc) and descriptive keyword analyses. The similarities between structured diary data and follow-up survey data on health-related quality of life, symptoms, and medication intake were examined using the Jaccard index. Results Campaign participants (n=134; diary entries: n=815) were more often women, were not working full time, did not have a higher education degree, had a more advanced gait impairment, and were on average 5 years older (median age 52.5, IQR 43.25-59.75 years) than eligible nonparticipants (median age 47, IQR 38-55 years; n=524). Diary free-text entries (n=632; participants: n=100) most often contained references to the following standard Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count word categories: negative emotion (193/632, 30.5%), body parts or body functioning (191/632, 30.2%), health (94/632, 14.9%), or work (67/632, 10.6%). Analogously, the most frequently mentioned keywords (diary entries: n=526; participants: n=93) were “good,” “day,” and “work.” Similarities between diary data and follow-up survey data, collected 14 months apart (median), were high for health-related quality of life and stable for slow-changing symptoms such as fatigue or gait disorder. Similarities were also comparatively high for drugs requiring a regular application, including interferon beta-1a (Avonex) and glatiramer acetate (Copaxone), and for modern oral therapies such as fingolimod (Gilenya) and teriflunomide (Aubagio). Conclusions Diary campaign participation seemed dependent on time availability and symptom burden and was enhanced by reminder emails. Electronic health diaries are a meaningful complement to regular structured surveys and can provide more detailed information regarding medication use and symptoms. However, they should ideally be embedded into promotional activities or tied to concrete research study tasks to enhance regular and long-term participation.

The ability to retrieve specific, single-incident autobiographical memories has been consistently posited as a predictor of recurrent depression. Elucidating the role of autobiographical memory specificity in patient-response to depressive treatments may improve treatment efficacy and facilitate use of science-driven interventions. We used recent methodological advances in individual patient data meta-analysis to determine a) whether memory specificity is improved following mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), relative to control interventions, and b) whether pre-treatment memory specificity moderates treatment response. All bar one study evaluated MBCT for relapse prevention for depression. Our initial analysis therefore focussed on MBCT datasets only(n = 708), then were repeated including the additional dataset(n = 880). Memory specificity did not significantly differ from baseline to post-treatment for either MBCT and Control interventions. There was no evidence that baseline memory specificity predicted treatment response in terms of symptom-levels, or risk of relapse. Findings raise important questions regarding the role of memory specificity in depressive treatments.

AIMS OF THE STUDY During the transitional phase between the two pandemic waves of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), infection rates were temporarily rising among younger persons only. However, following a temporal delay infections started to expand to older age groups. A comprehensive understanding of such transmission dynamics will be key for managing the pandemic in the time to come and to anticipate future developments. The present study thus extends the scope of previous SARS-CoV-2-related research in Switzerland by contributing to deeper insight into the potential impact of “social mixing” of different age groups on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections. METHODS The present study examined persons aged 65 years and older with respect to possible SARS-CoV-2 exposure risks using longitudinal panel data from the Swiss COVID-19 Social Monitor. The study used data from two assessments (survey “May” and survey “August”). Survey “May” took place shortly after the release of the lockdown in Switzerland. Survey “August” was conducted in mid-August. To identify at-risk elderly persons, we conducted a combined factor/k-means clustering analysis of the survey data assessed in August in order to examine different patterns of adherence to recommended preventive measures. RESULTS In summary, 270 (survey “May”) and 256 (survey “August”) persons aged 65 years and older were analysed for the present study. Adherence to established preventive measures was similar across the two surveys, whereas adherence pertaining to social contacts decreased substantially from survey “May” to survey “August”. The combined factor/k-means clustering analysis to identify at-risk elderly individuals yielded four distinct groups with regard to different patterns of adherence to recommended preventive measures: a larger group of individuals with many social contacts but high self-reported adherence to preventive measures (n = 86); a small group with many social contacts and overall lower adherence (n = 26); a group with comparatively few contacts and few social activities (n = 66); and a group which differed from the latter through fewer contacts but more social activities (n = 78). Sociodemographic characteristics and risk perception with regard to SARS-CoV-2 infections among the four groups did not differ in a relevant way across the four groups. CONCLUSIONS Although many elderly persons continued to follow the recommended preventive measures during the transitional phase between the two pandemic waves, social mixing with younger persons constitutes a way for transmission of infections across age groups. Pandemic containment among all age groups thus remains essential to protect vulnerable populations, including the elderly.