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      Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early career dementia researchers: A global online survey

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      1 , * , , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , on behalf of the ISTAART PIA to Elevate Early Career Researchers
      PLOS ONE
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          Abstract

          Introduction

          The World Health Organization recognizes dementia as a public health priority and highlights research as an action to respond to the consequences, with early career dementia researchers (ECDRs) representing the key driving force. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, biomedical and psychosocial dementia research was strained worldwide. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of the pandemic on ECDRs.

          Methods

          In autumn 2021, the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) Professional Interest Area to Elevate Early Career Researchers (PEERs) and University College London conducted an online survey querying ECDRs’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was shared through the ISTAART network, social media, podcasts, and emailing lists. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

          Results

          Survey data from n = 321 ECDRs from 34 countries were analyzed (67.6% women; 78.8% working in academia). Overall, 77.8% of ECDRs surveyed indicated research delays, 53.9% made project adjustments, 37.9% required additional or extended funding, and 41.8% reported a negative impact on career progression. Moreover, 19.9% felt unsupported by their institutions and employers (33% felt well supported, 42.7% somewhat supported). ECDR’s conference attendance remained the same (26.5%) or increased (More: 28.6%; a lot more: 5.6%) since the start of the pandemic. Continental differences were visible, while the impact of the pandemic did not differ greatly based on ECDRs’ sociodemographic characteristics.

          Conclusions

          The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on ECDRs worldwide and institutions, employers, and funding bodies are urged to consider the implications and lessons-learned when working with, managing, and promoting ECDRs. Strategies related to the pandemic and general career support to improve ECDRs career progression are discussed, including social media training, digital networking, and benefits of hybrid events. Global resources specific for ECDRs are highlighted.

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          Most cited references32

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          Unequal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientists

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            The impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on people with mild cognitive impairment/dementia and on their caregivers

            The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first detected in Mainland China in December 2019, and soon it spread throughout the world, with multiple physical and psychological consequences across the affected populations.
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              The Impact of COVID-19 Quarantine on Patients With Dementia and Family Caregivers: A Nation-Wide Survey

              Introduction Previous studies showed that quarantine for pandemic diseases is associated with several psychological and medical effects. The consequences of quarantine for COVID-19 pandemic in patients with dementia are unknown. We investigated the clinical changes in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and evaluated caregivers’ distress during COVID-19 quarantine. Methods The study involved 87 Italian Dementia Centers. Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), and Vascular Dementia (VD) were eligible for the study. Family caregivers of patients with dementia were interviewed by phone in April 2020, 45 days after quarantine declaration. Main outcomes were patients’ changes in cognitive, behavioral, and motor symptoms. Secondary outcomes were effects on caregivers’ psychological features. Results 4913 patients (2934 females, 1979 males) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Caregivers reported a worsening in cognitive functions in 55.1% of patients, mainly in subjects with DLB and AD. Aggravation of behavioral symptoms was observed in 51.9% of patients. In logistic regression analysis, previous physical independence was associated with both cognitive and behavioral worsening (odds ratio 1.85 [95% CI 1.42–2.39], 1.84 [95% CI 1.43–2.38], respectively). On the contrary, pandemic awareness was a protective factor for the worsening of cognitive and behavioral symptoms (odds ratio 0.74 [95% CI 0.65–0.85]; and 0.72 [95% CI 0.63–0.82], respectively). Approximately 25.9% of patients showed the onset of new behavioral symptoms. A worsening in motor function was reported by 36.7% of patients. Finally, caregivers reported a high increase in anxiety, depression, and distress. Conclusion Our study shows that quarantine for COVID-19 is associated with an acute worsening of clinical symptoms in patients with dementia as well as increase of caregivers’ burden. Our findings emphasize the importance to implement new strategies to mitigate the effects of quarantine in patients with dementia.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: ConceptualizationRole: Data curationRole: Formal analysisRole: MethodologyRole: VisualizationRole: Writing – original draft
                Role: ConceptualizationRole: Formal analysisRole: MethodologyRole: Writing – review & editing
                Role: ConceptualizationRole: Writing – review & editing
                Role: ConceptualizationRole: Writing – review & editing
                Role: ConceptualizationRole: Writing – review & editing
                Role: ConceptualizationRole: MethodologyRole: Project administrationRole: ResourcesRole: SoftwareRole: Writing – review & editing
                Role: Editor
                Journal
                PLoS One
                PLoS One
                plos
                PLOS ONE
                Public Library of Science (San Francisco, CA USA )
                1932-6203
                9 November 2022
                2022
                9 November 2022
                : 17
                : 11
                : e0277470
                Affiliations
                [1 ] Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology and Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neurosciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
                [2 ] Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
                [3 ] Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
                [4 ] Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
                [5 ] Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
                [6 ] Department of Anatomy, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sagamu, Nigeria
                [7 ] Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, The United Kingdom
                University of Cadiz: Universidad de Cadiz, SPAIN
                Author notes

                Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

                ¶ Membership of the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) Professional Interest Area (PIA) to Elevate Early Career Researchers (PEERs) is provided in the Acknowledgments.

                Author information
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2626-2557
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3016-1951
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9777-0559
                https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1558-6158
                Article
                PONE-D-22-18562
                10.1371/journal.pone.0277470
                9645634
                36350925
                7be75ff5-be34-4649-8933-66f9f6598a56
                © 2022 Bartels et al

                This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

                History
                : 30 June 2022
                : 26 October 2022
                Page count
                Figures: 3, Tables: 2, Pages: 17
                Funding
                Funded by: funder-id http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000049, National Institute on Aging;
                Award ID: T32AG055381
                Award Recipient :
                Funded by: National Institute for Health Research through the NIHR University College London Hospital Biomedical Research Center
                Award Recipient :
                Funded by: funder-id http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000957, Alzheimer's Association;
                No funding was received for this work specifically. CES was funded by grant T32AG055381 from the National Institute on Aging of the United States National Institutes of Health. AS is funded by the National Institute for Health Research through the NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre. This manuscript was facilitated by the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment (ISTAART), through the PEERS PIA. The views and opinions expressed by authors in this publication represent those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the PIA membership, ISTAART, or the Alzheimer's Association. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
                Categories
                Research Article
                Medicine and Health Sciences
                Epidemiology
                Pandemics
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                Careers in Research
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                Infectious Diseases
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                Custom metadata
                The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in the Open Science Framework: Bartels, S. L. (2022, October 5). “Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Early Career Dementia Researchers: A Global Online Survey”. Retrieved from www.osf.io/fr8j2.
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