Population mental health in Burma after 2021 military coup: online non-probability survey – CORRIGENDUM

Abstract

Reports an error in "Population mental health in Burma after 2021 military coup: Online non-probability survey" by Htay-Wah Saw, Victoria Owens, Stephanie A. Morales, Nicolas Rodriguez, Christoph Kern and Ruben L. Bach ( BJPsych Open, 2023[Aug][14], Vol 9[e156]). This article was originally published with incorrect affiliations for two authors. The affiliation of Christoph Kern was originally given as Michigan Program in Survey and Data Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. The correct affiliation is University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany The affiliation of Nicolas Rodriguez was originally given as Department of Statistics, University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany. The correct affiliation is Michigan Program in Survey and Data Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2024-00736-001). Background: Humanitarian crises and armed conflicts lead to a greater prevalence of poor population mental health. Following the 1 February 2021 military coup in Burma, the country's civilians have faced humanitarian crises that have probably caused rising rates of mental disorders. However, a dearth of data has prevented researchers from assessing the extent of the problem empirically. Aims: To better understand prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders among the Burmese adult population after the February 2021 military coup. Method: We fielded an online non-probability survey of 7720 Burmese adults aged 18 and older during October 2021 and asked mental health and demographic questions. We used the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 to measure probable depression and anxiety in respondents. We also estimated logistic regressions to assess variations in probable depression and anxiety across demographic subgroups and by level of trust in various media sources, including those operated by the Burmese military establishment. Results: We found consistently high rates of probable anxiety and depression combined (60.71%), probable depression (61%) and probable anxiety (58%) in the sample overall, as well as across demographic subgroups. Respondents who ‘mostly’ or ‘completely’ trusted military-affiliated media sources (about 3% of the sample) were significantly less likely than respondents who did not trust these sources to report symptoms of anxiety and depression (AOR = 0.574; 95% CI 0.370–0.889), depression (AOR = 0.590; 95% CI 0.383–0.908) or anxiety (AOR = 0.609; 95% CI 0.390–0.951). Conclusions: The widespread symptoms of anxiety and depression we observed demonstrate the need for both continuous surveillance of the current situation and humanitarian interventions to address mental health needs in Burma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)