Structural Equation Model for Social Support and Quality of Life Among Individuals With Mental Health Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the distribution of social support for mental health problems has likely become unequal. Family- and community-based social support has been recognized as a promising approach for mental disorders; however, limited global frameworks have been applied to developing countries such as Vietnam. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life and social support among patients with mental health disorders in Vietnam and to investigate the factors associated with quality of life among these patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 222 psychiatric patients in Hanoi from 2020 to 2022. A structured questionnaire was developed based on four standardized scales: Mental Well-Being-5 scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, EuroQoL-visual analog scale (EQ-VAS), and EuroQoL-5 dimensions-5 levels (EQ-5D-5L) scale. Tobit regression was used to identify factors associated with the EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS scores. Structural equation modeling was applied to verify the relationship between quality of life and social support. RESULTS: The results showed that perceived support from family scored the highest compared to support from friends and significant others. Patients with depression reported the lowest quality of life and perceived social support. Structural equation modeling showed a root mean square error of approximation of 0.055 (90% CI 0.006-0.090), comparative fit index of 0.954, Tucker-Lewis index of 0.892, and standardized root mean squared error of 0.036 (P<.001). The hypothetical model indicated statistically significant correlations between EQ-VAS score and social support (P=.004), EQ-5D-5L and mental well-being (P<.001), and social support and mental well-being (P<.001). Critical deterioration of quality of life and inconsistency in social support for patients with mental illness were also recorded. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to enhance social support and service delivery in Vietnam, focusing on occupation and quality of life. The correlations between social support, quality of life, and mental health issues suggest the potential of a clinical-social integrated intervention model of care.

Biological properties and diverse cytokine profiles followed by in vitro and in vivo infections with LSDV strain isolated in first outbreaks in Vietnam.

Preliminary information about LSD virus isolated from the first outbreaks in Vietnam has been reported by our laboratory. In the current study, LSDV strain, LSDV/Vietnam/Langson/HL01(HL01) was further analyzed to provide a better understanding of this viral pathogen. HL01 LSDV strain was propagated at MOI 0.01 in MDBK cells and then given to cattle at dose of 106.5 TCID50/ml (2ml/animal). The production of proinflammatory (IFN-γ, IL-1α, and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-6, IL-10, and TGF-ß1) cytokines were measured by real-time PCR, both In vitro and In vivo. The results demonstrated that HL01 strain caused the typical signs of LSD and LSDV In vitro and In vivo, respectively suggesting a virulent field LSDV strain. Additionally, different cytokine profiles were observed in these In vitro and In vivo studies. In MDBK cells, different cytokines profiles were observed in two phases: in the early phase, the expression levels of all examined cytokines were significantly increased at 6 h (p < 0.05). In the later phase, the peak levels of the cytokine secretion were recognized from 72 to 96 h, with the exception of IL-1α when compared to controls. In cattle, the expression levels of all six cytokines were significantly higher at day 7 following LSDV challenge (p < 0.05) when compared to controls, especially expression levels of TGF-ß1 and IL-10. These findings suggest the important roles of these cytokines in protection against LSDV infections. Additionally, the data from diverse cytokine profiles followed by this LSDV strain challenge provides key understanding of the underlying cellular immune mechanisms in the host against LSDV infection In vitro and In vivo.