ABSTRACT
Introduction: In Peru, a high proportion of fully immunized people against COVID-19 has been achieved, which has mitigated the severity of the disease. Thus, under the recommendation of experts, the Peruvian government issued Supreme Decree 118-2022-PCM, which indicated that the use of masks is optional in open and ventilated enclosed spaces as of October 1, 2022. Objective: The aim of the present study was to find out the reasons why people continued to wear masks even though it was not mandatory in outdoor environments. Methods: A total of 335 people participated, with an average age of 26.11 years (73.1% women). A data collection form was prepared where sociodemographic and health information was requested;in addition, the question "Why do you continue to wear mask despite it being optional in open and closed ventilated spaces?" was included. The data obtained from the last open question of the instrument was analyzed by means of a discursive textual analysis (DTA) and an exploratory analysis through IRAMUTEQ. Results: Results indicate that people continue to wear masks, despite the lifting of the restrictions, to avoid contagion of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. In addition, the prevention of possible infection and transmission of the virus also focused on the family and vulnerable people. Discussion: It is concluded that the practice of wearing masks may be influenced by individual perceptions of risk and interpretations of responsibility and solidarity towards others. © 2023, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Santa Rosa del Aguaray Branch, National University of Asuncion. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Deaths from COVID-19 have exceeded 6.5 million people globally. Although many people are mourning the loss of loved ones to this deadly disease, little is known about the validity of measuring coronavirus-related anxiety with this particular group of people. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine if the coronavirus anxiety scale (CAS) measures the coronaphobia construct the same way for mourners with and without dysfunctional levels of grief. The results indicated that the four-item version of the CAS has acceptable fit indices and is partially invariant between people with dysfunctional and non-dysfunctional grief. Moreover, the CAS demonstrated adequate criterion validity and reliability with this group of bereaved adults. In conclusion, the CAS can be used to measure anxiety due to COVID-19 in people who are going through dysfunctional and non-dysfunctional grieving processes. © The Author(s) 2023.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a very negative impact on people's overall mental health and psychosocial well-being, but the study of available social support to cope with such an adverse situation has received hardly any attention. Objective: To exa-mine the psychometric properties of the MOS Perceived Social Support Questionnaire among the Mexican population in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Non-experimental cross-sectional study. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the Medical Outcomes Study were applied in a non-probabilistic sample. A total of 898 people from different regions in Mexico, 258 males and 640 females, participated in the study in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The analysis yielded a bi-factor model with two factors, Emotional/informational support and Tangible support, with satisfactory goodness of fit indices. Reliability was adequate with a high hierarchical omega coefficient, as well as in the factors. Likewise, the H coefficient was adequate in the general factor and its dimensions. Conclusions: Results showed that the scale is a valid and reliable measure of perceived social support among the Mexican population. © 2022 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz.
ABSTRACT
The necessary health measures proposed to mitigate the viral spread of SARS-CoV-2, such as physical distancing and quarantines, have had an impact not only on the mental health of the population but have also forced changes in the provision of psychological services. The present study aims to gather essential information on the concept, advantages, disadvantages, uses and recommendations of telepsychology in times of COVID-19. To this end, a systematic review of the scientific evidence available in the Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science databases was carried out. Among the results, accessibility, reduction of stigma and flexibility in its application are highlighted. Limitations such as insecurity of data privacy, access barriers and low clinical training in the competencies required for this format are also mentioned. On the other hand, favorable evidence was found for its use in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, panic and agoraphobia, generalized anxiety, and trauma. It is concluded that psychotherapeutic intervention through telepsychology, in consideration of certain recommendations and critical suggestions, can offer satisfactory results for the patient and therapist and be suitable for various age ranges and disorders. © 2022, Sociedad Interamericana de Psicologia. All rights reserved.
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Post COVID-19 syndrome has been recognized as a condition that can have a great impact on the health of individuals, their families and society at large. Although numerous international studies on this emerging public health problem are known, the Latin American region is lagging behind. We conducted a narrative review, where the search and retrieval of information in regional databases such as Scielo and Redalyc failed to identify more than 15 papers on post COVID-19 syndrome in Latin American countries. In light of the lack of information on this condition in Latin America and the Caribbean, we would like to call for more studies to be carried out and for the establishment of public health policies for specialized care. Copyright © 2022, Circulo Medico de Rosario. All rights reserved.
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The objective was to evaluate the psychological variables of older adults in Argentina during COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify psychological predictors of fear of COVID-19. 198 older adults from Rosario, Argentina participated (Mage= 66.6 years old, SD = 4.8). The tests and questionaries used consisted of The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, The Patient Health Questionnaire -9, Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey, Purpose in life Test and Fear of COVID-19 Scale. 25.1% and 19.1% of the population presented a potential diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Major Depressive Episode (MDE), respectively, 71.4% enough social support, and 40.8% indefinite life purpose. Fear of COVID-19 presented a negative correlation with life purpose and social support, and positive correlation with anxiety and depression. Life purpose predicted fear of COVID-19 (beta =-.229, t =-3.38, p = .001). State policies are required to mitigate and restrain isolation subjective effects in older population.
ABSTRACT
Studies on the acceptance and rejection of vaccines, as well as the belief in conspiracy theories, and the lack of trust in governments and science, have been important to analyze the vaccination process against COVID-19 worldwide, but they have been quite limited, so far, in the case of Latin America. In this sense, the objective of this work is to describe the degree of acceptance or not of certain conspiracy beliefs about vaccines against COVID-19 in a sample of countries members in the Andean Community of Nations (CAN): Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. A descriptive cross-sectional study was designed in which 1835 people from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru participated. To evaluate these beliefs, the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Belief Scale (ECCV-COVID, Caycho-Rodriguez et al., 2022a) was used. The results indicate that Peru has the highest average score of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines against COVID-19. In addition, in the 4 countries, the lowest degree of acceptance is with the belief that "Vaccinating children against COVID-19 is harmful and this fact is hidden". In Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, the highest degree of acceptance is related to the conspiratorial belief that "Information on the safety of vaccines against COVID-19 is often invented." Finally, in Bolivia, the highest degree of acceptance is with the belief that "Pharmaceutical companies hide the dangers of vaccines against COVID-19". The results presented in this study are the first known generically in the Latin American population, and particularly in the Andean population.
ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to translate and evaluate the psychometric evidence of the Spanish version of the COVID-19 impact scale in the general population of Peru, to measure psychological stress responses produced by the COVID-19 pandemic, including emotional responses and difficulty in performing activities of daily living. Participants were 601 Peruvians, who responded to an online survey consisting of questions designed to collect sociodemographic data, the CIS and the fear of COVID-19 scale. The forward and backward translation method was used to translate the English version into Spanish. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), graded response model was used to estimate the discrimination (a) and difficulty (b) parameters of the items. Multi-group CFA was used to assess measurement invariance. Regarding validity based on the validity in relation to other variables, an explanatory model was proposed using the SEM path method. The unidimensional structure of the 10-item CIS was not confirmed. Therefore, it was suggested that a six-item model of the CIS (CIS-6) provides a better fit and reliable score. The multigroup CFA showed that the CIS-6 does not exhibit measurement invariance between males and females. In addition, the CIS-6 items present adequate discrimination and difficulty indices. A higher presence of the latent trait (in this case, perception of the impact of COVID-19) is required to answer the higher response categories. The findings would help to assess those individuals more prone to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to have evidence for the development of interventions aimed at decreasing the impact.
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This study assesses the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and subjective well-being in terms of the mediating role of COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Additionally, the contribution of sociodemographic factors (sex and age) and risk perception on COVID-19 anxiety and its potential measurement invariance was tested in 5655 participants from 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. A mixture of both latent and observable variables were analyzed using a system of structural equations. The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behaviors Scale (PCIBS) and single-item measures were used to assess the perceived probability of death, perceived severity and concern about transmitting COVID-19. The results indicated that there is a significant and relevant direct effect of COVID-19 anxiety on participants' well-being. Furthermore, COVID-19 anxiety significantly predicted both preventive behavior (beta = .29, p < .01) and well-being (beta = -.32, p < .01). The effects of COVID anxiety and preventive behavior explained 9.8% of the variance in well-being (R-square = .098);whereas, 8.4% of the variance in preventive behavior was associated with COVID anxiety (R-square = .084). Likewise, perceived likelihood of death from COVID, perceived severity of COVID, and concerns about COVID transmission were positively related to anxiety. Age was negatively related to anxiety, with men being less anxious than women. The results are invariant by country, i.e., the broad relationships found in the combined sample are also present in each individual country. The findings indicate that, although the exact relationships between variables may vary between countries, there are enough similarities to provide useful information about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in each of the countries included in the study.
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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency that has substantially modified medical education from face-to-face to online teaching modalities. Objective: To evaluate academic satisfaction before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of university students of health sciences in Peru. Material and Methods: Observational, cross-sectional, and comparative study. An ad hoc sociodemographic form was used;the following questions were included: How would you rate your academic performance at the university? Had you taken any virtual courses before the pandemic? Do you have internet connection at home? Did you fail any course last semester? What is your occupation? The Academic Satisfaction Scale (ASE), which was composed of eight items, was also used. All the questions were asked using a form that was valid on the virtual platform of the university for two weeks and applied in June 2019 (first evaluation) and August 2020 (second evaluation). Results: Among the sociodemographic variables evaluated, the poor quality of internet connectivity (Cohen’s d = -0,65) and self-assessment of performance as very high (Cohen’s d = -0,72) show moderate differences between 2019 and 2020. Conclusions: The academic satisfaction among health sciences students during the COVID-19 health emergency change considerably when the Internet connectivity is poor and the students evaluate themselves as high achievers, variables that can be considered when designing curricular strategies for health sciences students. © 2021 Universidad de Ciencias Medicas de La Hab. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Currently, social anomie is a public health problem worldwide since people show behavior that does not conform to the newly established norms. Faced with this, the aim of the study was to develop and validate the psychometric properties of a short scale to assess social anomie in a sample of 406 adults (48% male and 52% female) between the ages of 18 and 62. Validity was evaluated based on internal structure through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability through the internal consistency method with the hierarchical omega coefficient. The results indicate that a bi-factor model presents better indexes of adjustment to the data (χ2=62.86;df=25;p=.000;RMSEA=.061 [IC90%.042-.080];SRMR=.024;CFI=.99;TLI=.99). Furthermore, the bi-factor model presents adequate levels of reliability for the general factor (ωH=.70) and for the affective (ωhs=.32) and behavior (ωhs=.41) dimensions. In conclusion, the study results provide a conceptual and statistical basis for the psychometric development of the SAS-10 scale in subsequent studies.
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Introduction and objectives: Safety seeking behaviors allow safety in the face of a potentially threatening situation. Thus, the objective was to adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Coronavirus Reassurance-Seeking Behaviors Scale (CRSBS) in a sample of adults from Lima, Peru. Method: 380 people participated (Age = 31.03 years;SD = 10.37) who answered the CRSBS and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS). The content validity was evaluated, in addition to performing an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to evaluate the factorial structure of the CRSBS. Reliability was evaluated with the omega coefficient. A second CFA was performed to assess the convergent validity that related CRSBS and anxiety about COVID-19 © 2021 Sociedad Española para el Estudio de la Ansiedad y el Estrés - SEAS. Colegio de la Psicología de Madrid. Todos los derechos reservados
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Concern about becoming infected is a particularly relevant psychological aspect in the context of a pandemic, as it is associated with social reactions and behavioral changes. Objectives: The present study sought to determine some sociodemographic and health factors associated with concern about COVID-19 infection in Cuban patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: 203 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, who attended nine primary care areas of four Cuban provinces belonging to different regions of the country (65.52% female, mean age 57.5, SD=19.2), selected through non-probabilistic sampling, participated in the study. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the COVID-19 contagion concern scale (PRE-COVID-19) and an evaluation of blood glucose level were applied. Bivariate associations were examined with a series of analyses of variance (ANOVA). Adjusted (multiple) regression with all predictors running simultaneously was also used. Results: Bivariate analyses showed that age, sex, education, occupation, having comorbidities, and having a family member or friend who had COVID-19 were significantly related to COVID-19 contagion concern. However, when all variables were included simultaneously, only age, technical education, having comorbidities, and having a friend or family member who had COVID-19 remained significant predictors of concern about COVID-19 infection. Conclusions: Male patients, with a technical level of education, with comorbidities and those who had infected family members or friends presented greater concern for the contagion of COVID-19. The public health policies should develop strategies to assess the mental health of people belonging to vulnerable groups and provide interventions to promote mental health in those who show concern about infection.
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Introduction. Concern about becoming infected with COVID-19 is one of the reactions that has affected the mental health of Peruvian health care workers. Objective. To determine the effect of concern about COVID-19 on professional self-efficacy, psychological distress, anxiety, and depression in health personnel in the Puno region of Peru. Method. An explanatory, cross-sectional study was conducted with the voluntary participation of 401 health workers (such as nurses, physicians, nursing technicians, obstetricians, dentists, psychologists, and nutritionists) of both sexes (24.2% men and 75.5% women) from 12 health networks in the region of Puno, Peru. They were asked to answer the Scale of Concern for the Transmission of COVID-19 in Health Personnel (EPPC-Cov19), Patient Health Questionnarie-2 (PHQ-2, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-2 (GAD-2) and the Professional Self Efficacy Scale (AU-10). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used for data analysis. Results. The factor loads of the explanatory model showed a good fit: X-2 (286) = 797.31, p < .001;IFC = .99;RMSEA= .06;SRMR = .07;WRMR = 1.25. Therefore concern about COVID-19 has a greater effect on anxiety (beta = .77) and depression (beta = .71), as well as psychological distress (beta = .65), and only a mild effect on work self-efficacy (beta = .12). Discussion and conclusion. Concern about the spread of COVID-19 affects depression, anxiety, psychological distress and work self-efficacy among Peruvian health workers in the Puno region of Peru.
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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a global health crisis. The scientific community has responded with a sizable level of research and publications, many of which are beginning to be identified and analyzed in systematic reviews of the literature and bibliometric studies. No readily identifiable, comparable study focused on Latin American scientific literature has been undertaken thus far. Therefore, this article analyzes such literature, focused on COVID-19, and one that has been published in the scientific journals of the region. A search with the keyword “COVID-19” in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) database resulted in the identification of 261 documents. Following PRISMA guidelines, the total number was reduced to 117 for the purpose of the bibliometric analysis (i.e., elimination of preprint duplicates). Such analysis resulted in the following findings: 69 publications were editorial or individual commentaries, and 48 were original articles. The male authors totaled 280, contrasted with 169 female authors. Two Brazilian journals led in the number of publications: Cadernos de Saúde Pública and Clinics. Even though the Latin American scientific productivity regarding COVID-19 is not well represented in the different databases of the region, it is expected that these scientific publications will achieve increased visibility in the coming months. The article emphasizes the importance of systematic and bibliographic reviews of the scientific literature in Latin America in order to evaluate the public health achievements of the region.
ABSTRACT
Studies on the acceptance and rejection of vaccines, as well as the belief in conspiracy theories, and the lack of trust in governments and science, have been important to analyze the vaccination process against COVID-19 worldwide, but they have been quite limited, so far, in the case of Latin America. In this sense, the objective of this work is to describe the degree of acceptance or not of certain conspiracy beliefs about vaccines against COVID-19 in a sample of countries members in the Andean Community of Nations (CAN): Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. A descriptive cross-sectional study was designed in which 1835 people from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru participated. To evaluate these beliefs, the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Belief Scale (ECCV-COVID, Caycho-Rodríguez et al., 2022a) was used. The results indicate that Peru has the highest average score of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines against COVID-19. In addition, in the 4 countries, the lowest degree of acceptance is with the belief that "Vaccinating children against COVID-19 is harmful and this fact is hidden". In Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, the highest degree of acceptance is related to the conspiratorial belief that "Information on the safety of vaccines against COVID-19 is often invented." Finally, in Bolivia, the highest degree of acceptance is with the belief that "Pharmaceutical companies hide the dangers of vaccines against COVID-19". The results presented in this study are the first known generically in the Latin American population, and particularly in the Andean population. © 2022 Instituto de Altos Estudios de Salud Publica. All rights reserved.