The ECCOM Study: The Mental Health Impacts of COVID-19
Status: Completed
Project Lead: Dr. Simon Hatcher (PI)
Main Research Contact: Brooklyn Ward
Funded By: Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and the Ontario Ministry of Health
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic. In response, much of the world drastically altered daily activities, limiting travel, shuttering businesses and encouraging people to shelter in place. There has been growing concern about the potential mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are three reasons for this. First, there is the social impact of the pandemic with widespread unemployment, economic slowdown, lockdowns, contraction of health services and the imposition of physical distancing. This has been accompanied by public health messages that reinforce fears about coming into contact with others. Second, individuals infected with the coronavirus may have an increased sense of guilt, shame, concerns about infected others as well as the infection triggering memories of previous severe illnesses. Third, the virus may have a direct effect on the brain, indirectly via the immune response or as a result of treatment for the infection.
To address the impact of COVID-19 on mental illness, we are conducting the Eastern Ontario COVID-19 Community Mental Health Cohort (ECCOM) Study. This is a cohort of people in Eastern Ontario who have tested positive (cases) and negative (controls) for COVID-19. This will allow estimates of how much mental health burden is due to COVID-19 infection compared to that due to the socioeconomic changes associated with the pandemic. Using the results of this study we will also be able to inform changes to services and policy around COVID-19 protocols.
Specifically, this study has three main goals:
To compare mental health outcomes in patients who have tested positive or negative for COVID-19 one year after testing.
To determine what clinical, social, and personal characteristics are related to these mental health outcomes.
To compare mental health outcomes in health care workers who have tested positive or negative for COVID-19 one year after testing.