Adverse outcomes associated with recorded victimization in mental health electronic records during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown

TY - JOUR

T1 - Adverse outcomes associated with recorded victimization in mental health electronic records during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown

AU - Kadra-Scalzo, Giouliana

AU - Kornblum, Daisy

AU - Stewart, Robert

AU - Howard, Louise

N1 - Funding Information: The study described here was funded from a researcher-initiated grant to GKS from the Violence and Abuse Mental Health Network (VAMHN) UKRI. This work utilised the Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) platform funded and developed by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, and a joint infrastructure grant from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and the Maudsley Charity (grant number BRC-2011–10035). GKS, RS and LMH receive salary support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London and LMH also receives salary support from the NIHR SL Applied research collaboration ARC and UKRI. RS is additionally part-funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration South London (NIHR ARC South London) at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and by the DATAMIND HDR UK Mental Health Data Hub (MRC grant MR/W014386). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).

PY - 2022/11/25

Y1 - 2022/11/25

N2 - Purpose: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic policies on vulnerable groups such as people with mental health problems who experience violence remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of victimization recorded in mental healthcare records during the first UK lockdown, and associations with subsequent adverse outcomes. Methods: Using a large mental healthcare database, we identified all adult patients receiving services between 16.12.2019 and 15.06.2020 and extracted records of victimisation between 16.03.2020 and 15.06.2020 (first UK COVID-19 lockdown). We investigated adverse outcomes including acute care, emergency department referrals and all-cause mortality in the year following the lockdown (16.06.2020- 01.11.2021). Multivariable Cox regressions models were constructed, adjusting for socio-demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, and service use factors. Results: Of 21,037 adults receiving mental healthcare over the observation period, 3,610 (17.2%) had victimisation mentioned between 16.03.2020 and 15.06.2020 (first UK COVID-19 lockdown). Service users with mentions of victimisation in their records had an elevated risk for all outcomes: acute care (adjusted HR: 2.1; 95%CI 1.9–2.3, p < 0.001), emergency department referrals (aHR: 2.0; 95%CI 1.8–2.2; p < 0.001), and all-cause mortality (aHR: 1.5; 95%CI 1.1–1.9; p = 0.003), when compared to service users with no recorded victimisation. We did not observe a statistically significant interaction with gender; however, after adjusting for possible confounders, men had slightly higher hazard ratios for all-cause mortality and emergency department referrals than women. Conclusion: Patients with documented victimisation during the first UK lockdown were at increased risk for acute care, emergency department referrals and all-cause mortality. Further research is needed into mediating mechanisms.

AB - Purpose: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic policies on vulnerable groups such as people with mental health problems who experience violence remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of victimization recorded in mental healthcare records during the first UK lockdown, and associations with subsequent adverse outcomes. Methods: Using a large mental healthcare database, we identified all adult patients receiving services between 16.12.2019 and 15.06.2020 and extracted records of victimisation between 16.03.2020 and 15.06.2020 (first UK COVID-19 lockdown). We investigated adverse outcomes including acute care, emergency department referrals and all-cause mortality in the year following the lockdown (16.06.2020- 01.11.2021). Multivariable Cox regressions models were constructed, adjusting for socio-demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, and service use factors. Results: Of 21,037 adults receiving mental healthcare over the observation period, 3,610 (17.2%) had victimisation mentioned between 16.03.2020 and 15.06.2020 (first UK COVID-19 lockdown). Service users with mentions of victimisation in their records had an elevated risk for all outcomes: acute care (adjusted HR: 2.1; 95%CI 1.9–2.3, p < 0.001), emergency department referrals (aHR: 2.0; 95%CI 1.8–2.2; p < 0.001), and all-cause mortality (aHR: 1.5; 95%CI 1.1–1.9; p = 0.003), when compared to service users with no recorded victimisation. We did not observe a statistically significant interaction with gender; however, after adjusting for possible confounders, men had slightly higher hazard ratios for all-cause mortality and emergency department referrals than women. Conclusion: Patients with documented victimisation during the first UK lockdown were at increased risk for acute care, emergency department referrals and all-cause mortality. Further research is needed into mediating mechanisms.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85142506498&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s00127-022-02393-w

DO - 10.1007/s00127-022-02393-w

M3 - Article

SN - 0933-7954

JO - Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

JF - Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

ER -