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Displaying One Session

Educational
Date
Sun, 11.04.2021
Session Time
08:00 - 09:30
Room
Channel 5
Session Description
The Live Q&A of this session will take place in the Live Sessions auditorium. Please refer to the interactive programme for the exact time and channel.

The rapid urbanization characterizing the modern era determined a relevant impact on global health, acting through different pathways. Anthropogenic actions contributed to exacerbate climate change in urban areas, causing several phenomena influencing urban citizens’ wellbeing. Implications on mental health were established in most recent times, representing a growing field of research. Indeed, the exposure to urban environment has been associated to a higher risk of developing serious mental disorders. The effects of frequently uncontrolled urbanism on mental health are expected to be correlated with several factors, such as higher level of pollutants, light changes, inflammatory mechanisms, unhealthy lifestyle, psychosocial determinants. In this complex scenery, environmental resilience is crucial in order to minimize vulnerabilities and possible risks connected to critical changes. Further interest on urbanization and climate change was also raised by the recent Covid-19 pandemic, since it was demonstrated that pollution may lead to significantly higher rates of death in people infected by the virus spread. In consideration of the implications that the Covid-19 pandemic presented on mental health, the role of environmental resilience as a possible protective factor will be critically analyzed. In addition, a critical reappraisal of the specific effects of climate change and related factors on mental health will be provided. The contribution of recent approaches such as the Ecological Momentary Assesment and the use of Big Data in the analysis of the environmental determinants of mental health will be also overviewed, considering possible future developments of research in this field specifically involving climate change.

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Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Symposium: Health and Environmental Resilience: Effects of Urbanisation, Climate Change and Environmental Determinants on Mental Health (ID 281) No Topic Needed

S0001 - Is Resilience a Protective Factor Against the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health? Results From a National Multicentric Study

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Date
Sun, 11.04.2021
Session Time
08:00 - 09:30
Room
Channel 5
Lecture Time
08:00 - 08:17
Presenter

ABSTRACT

Abstract Body

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting on the mental health of the general population and its consequences will be long lasting. As already noted in previous epidemics, different factors can moderate the detrimental impact of a traumatogenic event on mental health. In particular, it has been found that people using problem-solving coping strategies, with an adequate social network and supported by family members, have good long-term outcomes and are able to adjust to the detrimental impact of the traumatic event.

The COvid Mental hEalth Trial (COMET) network, including ten university Italian sites and the National Institute of Health, has promoted a national online survey in order to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the Italian general population. In particular, the use of Internet and social media, the duration of the exposure to COVID-19 related containment measures, the different levels of post-traumatic growth and the variety of coping strategies adopted have been considered as possible mediators of the resilience styles adopted. In our sample, participants from the general population reported a good level of resilience compared with people with pre-existing mental or physical disorders. This data should be taken seriously in consideration in order to develop appropriate psychosocial interventions for supporting resilience in people at high-risk in order to mitigate the detrimental impact of the pandemic.

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Symposium: Health and Environmental Resilience: Effects of Urbanisation, Climate Change and Environmental Determinants on Mental Health (ID 281) No Topic Needed

S0002 - The Ecological Momentary Assessment Approach and the Use of Big Data to Analyse Possible Effects of Urbanisation on Mental Health

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Date
Sun, 11.04.2021
Session Time
08:00 - 09:30
Room
Channel 5
Lecture Time
08:17 - 08:34

ABSTRACT

Abstract Body

Introduction: Smart healthcare monitoring allows detecting health conditions using Big Data, namely aggregated data concerning physiological and behavioral parameters. The continuous collection of data from smart-devices performed by the Ecological Momentary Assessment approach represents a promising application of Big Data.

Objectives: This preliminary study was aimed at developing a research protocol focused on the use of Big Data in evaluating the impact of urban environment, affected by a variety of potentially damaging anthropogenic actions, on illness relapses in Bipolar Disorders (BD).

Methods: This pilot study was designed by researchers from Departments of Psychiatry and Engineering (CIRIAF), University of Perugia. Environmental, physiological, and behavioral parameters and smart-devices aimed at collecting Big Data were identified. Subjects aged 18-65, affected by BD in current euthymic state referring to the University/General Hospital of Perugia will be recruited.

Results: Subjects will undergo a baseline visit and three monitoring visits during one year. Wearable devices will be provided for collecting data about environmental and physiological parameters. Behavioral data will be collected through smartphone accelerometers, GPS, and overall smartphone use. Big data will be stored into an online platform that will provide real-time feedback concerning the recorded variables. Clinical information concerning BD relapses will be collected. Machine learning techniques, integrated to deterministic analysis of urban environmental conditions, will be used to create possible predictive models for BD relapses.

Conclusions: The present project could allow the creation of a new operative platform for a better health management system correlating real-time Big Data to specific clinical features of BD.

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Symposium: Health and Environmental Resilience: Effects of Urbanisation, Climate Change and Environmental Determinants on Mental Health (ID 281) No Topic Needed

S0003 - Climate Change and Mental Health: An Overview

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Date
Sun, 11.04.2021
Session Time
08:00 - 09:30
Room
Channel 5
Lecture Time
08:34 - 08:51

ABSTRACT

Abstract Body

According to the UN Environment Programme “climate change is one of the most pervasive and threatening issues of our time”. “In many places, temperature changes and sea-level rise are already putting ecosystems under stress and affecting human well-being” (1).

The presentation wants to give an overview on how climate change can affect mental health.

A search was performed on PubMed for the combination of “climate change” and “mental health”. 281 publications were identified, the first being from 2007 (the only one in that year). In 2020, until Dec 22nd, 76 publications were found.

The somehow prophetic 2007 publication reviews “natural disasters, climate change and mental health considerations for rural Australia” (2) and pinpoints central aspects of today’s debate, namely anxiety and depression, vulnerability and resilience.

In addition to problems of rural areas (2), the impact of urbanicity (3) will be discussed as well as the role of air pollution on psychiatric disorders (4).

(1) UN Environment Programme. https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/climate-change/about-climate-change Dec 22nd, 2020.

(2) Morissey SA, Reser JP. Aust J Rural Health. 2007 Apr;15(2):120-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1584.2007.00865.x.

(3) Krabbendam L et al. Psychol Med. 2020 Mar 11:1-12. doi: 10.1017/S0033291720000355.

(4) Kim SY et al. Sci Total Environ. 2020 Dec 8;757:143960. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143960.

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Symposium: Health and Environmental Resilience: Effects of Urbanisation, Climate Change and Environmental Determinants on Mental Health (ID 281) No Topic Needed

S0004 - The Effects of Light and Light Change on Affective Disorders

Session Icon
Pre-Recorded with Live Q&A
Date
Sun, 11.04.2021
Session Time
08:00 - 09:30
Room
Channel 5
Lecture Time
08:51 - 09:08
Symposium: Health and Environmental Resilience: Effects of Urbanisation, Climate Change and Environmental Determinants on Mental Health (ID 281) No Topic Needed