Vulnerability and self-efficacy predict loneliness among the Turkish public during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused several negative psychological effects as well as physical effects. There are numerous studies indicating that individuals have experienced high levels of loneliness during the current health crisis. However, the relationship between vulnerability and self-efficacy with loneliness has not been sufficiently discussed during the pandemic. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the predictive effect of vulnerability and self-efficacy in loneliness among Turkish adults during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study using the snowball sampling method. The vulnerability and self-efficacy related to COVID-19 were measured with single questions, and loneliness was measured by the UCLA Loneliness scale (ULS-8). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression. Results: The results indicated that vulnerability was negatively correlated with self-efficacy (β =-0.36, p<0.001) and positively correlated with loneliness (β = 0.13, p<0.001). Similarly, self-efficacy was negatively correlated with loneliness (β =-0.12, p<0.001). Furthermore, the current research revealed that vulnerability positively predicted loneliness (β = 0.10, p<0.05). On the other hand, self-efficacy negatively predicted loneliness (β =-0.11, p< 0.05) after controlling for age and gender. Discussion: The study examined the relationship between vulnerability, self-efficacy, and loneliness among Turkish adults during COVID-19, and revealed that vulnerability is a potential risk factor for loneliness, while self-efficacy is a potential protective factor for loneliness. Take-home message: The findings of the study will provide practical information for intervention programs aimed at reducing or preventing loneliness among Turkish adults. © 2022 by the authors.

Tennis coaching in China before and during COVID-19. The mediatisation of a precarious profession

In China, due to the large-scale lockdowns and strict prevention policies of COVID-19, Chinese tennis coaches have started to open a new front of their career by offering online tennis training on social media platforms. This study introduces mediatisation theory as a theoretical framework to investigate the mediatisation process of tennis coaching on social media platforms in China. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected to analyse three dimensions of Chinese tennis coaches' professional and living conditions: the career trajectory of tennis coaches, the mediatisation of the profession of tennis coaching, and the financial crisis faced by tennis clubs and the tennis industry. We monitored the BiliBili channels of the most popular tennis vloggers on BiliBili and analysed their media practices. We also collected data from job search websites and conducted in-depth interviews with 30 Chinese tennis coaches. The findings are as follows: The new approach has gradually gained the support of coaches thanks to its advantages such as flexibility, accessibility, self-promotion and marketing strategies. The mediatisation of tennis training has accelerated the popularisation of tennis in China, as have relevant government regulations regarding self-promotion platforms.

LIFESTYLES AND SELF-ESTEEM IN ADULT PRACTITIONERS OF CALISTHENICS AND OTHER DISCIPLINES AND/OR URBAN SPORTS IN THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC IN CHILE

The aim of this study was to compare and correlate lifestyles and self-esteem between calisthenics practitioners with other disciplines and/or urban sports and their differences by sex in adults during the COVID 19 pandemic in Chile. The sample was made up of 157 participants (men: 107 and women: 50), who self-reported lifestyle through the “Fantastic questionnaire” and self-esteem through the “Rosenberg scale” in the initial phase of deconfinement in Chile. The results of the scores for lifestyle were (88.06 ± 12.42) and self-esteem (30.95 ± 5.35) for the total sample. Positive correlations (p= < 0.05) were obtained between the dimensions and scores of the “Fantastic” questionnaire and the “Rosenberg” scale in practitioners of calisthenics and other disciplines and/or urban sports and in their analysis by sex, with no significant differences between them. A better lifestyle is related to higher levels of self-esteem in practitioners of calisthenics and other disciplines and/or urban sports, this relationship is more noticeable in women than in men, and the practice of these alternative disciplines is suggested for the promotion of styles of healthy life and reinforce self-esteem in adults. © 2022 Didactic Asociation Andalucia. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and predictors of burnout syndrome among schoolteachers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: A cross-sectional survey

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking affected the mental well-being of nearly all strata of the population. Teachers, who were employed to teach online courses during lockdown have been psychologically distressed. The primary aim of the current study was to estimate the prevalence and differences in the Burnout Syndrome (BOS) symptomatology in the light of gender, work position, teaching role, and subject taught. As a secondary aim, differences in perceived wellbeing were estimated through the contribution of individual factors. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from February-May 2021 to recruit a total of 361 teachers from all Italian regions. The Work-Life Balance scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and an ad-hoc questionnaire with items on perceived physical well-being and perceived impact and difficulty in remote work were utilized. Predictors associated with burnout and its subscales were examined using linear regression analyses. Results: Burnout, measured as the co-existence of high emotional exhaustion (EE), high depersonalization (DP), and low personal accomplishment (PA) was revealed in 16.9% of teachers, while high EE, high DP, and low PA were respectively measured in 35.2%, 13.2% and 35.2% of the sample. Variables, such as gender, work position, teaching role, and subject taught were all significant for group differences in perceived well-being or BOS dimensions among teachers. Discussion: Our findings suggest that the implementation of occupational health programs and workplace health promotion programs for improving the mental well-being of teachers. In particular, a higher caution must be needed for implementing critical institutional changes, such as the wide and rapid adoption of telecommuting. Take-home message: Italian schoolteachers engaged in teleworking are exposed to a high risk of stress and burnout during the COVID-19 emergency. Implementing occupational health surveillance programs and workplace health promotions programs are needed to protect and improve teachers’ mental well-being. © 2022 by the authors.

Role of resilience in psychological adjustment and satisfaction with life among undergraduate students in Turkey: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Cultivation of resilience is shown to reduce mental health problems and improve well-being. The effect of resilience on psychological adjustment problems and satisfaction with life is however not adequately discussed. This study investigated the predictive effect of resilience in psychological adjustment and satisfaction with life among undergraduate students during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sampling method was utilized to recruit undergraduate students from a public educational institution in Turkey. Psychometric valid tools, such as the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), Brief Psychological Adjustment-6 (BASE-6) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were used to measure the primary outcomes of the study. Data were analyzed using the independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression. Results: Of total 224 undergraduates participated in this study, nearly 74% were males and the mean age of the sample was 21.03±1.66 years. More than half of the participants had average socioeconomic status (53.57%) followed by above-average (40.18%) and below-average (6.25%). The results indicated that males and individuals who had low socioeconomic status reported greater psychological maladjustment problems. Furthermore, the resilience negatively predicted the psychological maladjustment (β =-0.31, p<0.01) and positively predicted satisfaction with life (β = 0.17, p< 0.05) after controlling for age, gender, and perceived socioeconomic status. Discussion: These results shed light on the relationship of resilience with psychological outcomes in terms of satisfaction with life and psychological adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this study point to the potential role of resilience in improving satisfaction with life and psychological adjustment among undergraduate students in Turkey. Additionally, efforts by practitioners and policymakers should be made in developing resilience-building interventions to foster post-traumatic growth among students. Take-home message: The current findings will serve as preliminary evidence to develop innovative preventative intervention programs aiming at reducing psychological adjustment problems and promoting satisfaction with life among undergraduate students in Turkey. © 2022 by the authors.

Molecular Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in Different Sewage Plants in Venice and the Implications for Genetic Surveillance

Wastewater-based epidemiology is now widely used as an indirect tool to monitor the spread of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, five different sample matrices representing diverse phases of the wastewater treatment process were collected during the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving the Civil Hospital and Sacca Fisola island in Venice, Italy. Positive SARS-CoV-2 detections occurred at both WWTPs, and data on viral genome detection rate and quantification suggest that the pellet (i.e., the particulate resulting from the influent) is a sensitive matrix that permits reliable assessment of infection prevalence while reducing time to results. On the contrary, analysis of post-treatment matrices provides evidence of the decontamination efficacy of both WWTPs. Finally, direct sequencing of wastewater samples enabled us to identify B.1.177 and B.1.160 as the prevalent SARS-CoV-2 lineages circulating in Venice at the time of sampling. This study confirmed the suitability of wastewater testing for studying SARS-CoV-2 circulation and established a simplified workflow for the prompt detection and characterization of the virus.

Working from home in the context of COVID-19: A systematic review of physical and mental health effects on teleworkers

Introduction: Working from home (WFH) has been endorsed in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic for all cadre of workers. This study aimed to describe the mental and physical negative effects of WFH among workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A rapid systematic review of literature was conducted on PubMed/Medline using pre-defined se-arch terms. For inclusion in this rapid review, studies were required to focus only on previously healthy adults, white collar/professional employees, and teachers (full-time or part-time) working from home during working hours, and to include mental or physical health related outcomes of workers. Data extraction was carried out using a standardized form and included country of study, study design, details of participants, industry setting, measure used, and health outcome of interest. Overall, 1,447 articles were retrieved, and 15 of these were included in the systematic review. Results: Physical effects of WFH included reduced physical activity, increased consumption of junk food, weight gain, poor sleep quality, and musculoskeletal pain. Mental effects of WFH included increased levels of anxiety, depression, stress, headache, fatigue, and lower job satisfaction. Furthermore, a significant decline in workplace comfort resulted in a reduction in workers’ efficiency and job satisfaction. Discussion and Conclusions: Due to the rapid stay-at-home recommendations required to break the chain of COVID-19 pandemic, WFH became pertinent for many categories of workers. Therefore, it is required that everyone identifies context-based strategies for healthy coping in ways that do not alter work functioning. © 2021 Francesco Chirico et al. Edizioni FS Publishers.

Short-term adverse events and psycho-social effects of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in cancer patients. A single-centre experience

Background: Soon after the Italian Medicine Agency (AIFA) authorized the first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2 (ComirnatyR), the Italian Ministry of Health launched a national vaccination campaign. Giving the high risk of mortality from COVID-19, cancer patients were considered a priority group. However, data about BNT162b2 safety in this population are still lacking and the impact on patients' psychological state and social life was not studied. Herein we describe the adverse events (AE) related to the vaccine and the subjective experience of cancer patients treated and vaccinated at San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital. Materials and methods: All cancer patients who accepted to participate in our campaign were vaccinated with BNT162b2 and included in the descriptive analysis. Patients who tested positive for COVID-19 after January 1st, 2021 were not recruited. An anonymous questionnaire about AE and psycho-social impact of the vaccination was administered to the study population 21 days after the first dose. The short-term AE reported after the second dose were investigated via a telephone questionnaire. Results: A total of 997 patients were included in the study, of whom 618 were affected by advanced cancer. At the time of the vaccination, 223 patients were receiving chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy. 49 patients have been infected and recovered from COVID-19. AE were reported in 37.3% cases after the first dose and in 48.5% cases after the second dose. The most common AE were muscle pain (26.7% and 27.4%, after the first and second dose respectively) and fatigue (10.4% and 16.8%). No severe AE had been reported. Before receiving the vaccine, 18% patients felt fearful and/or insecure about the vaccination, while 76.4% felt hopeful and/or enthusiast. After the first dose, 57.5% patients changed their feelings positively and 79.5% patients stated to feel much more confident in their social life. Patients' opinion about the vaccination was mainly influenced by the specialist/family doctor (38.7%) and by mass-media (25.8%), and the information they were given was considered adequate by 86% patients. Conclusions: Our data support the short-term safety of BNT162b2 in cancer patients, regardless of the disease staging and the concurrent treatment. Before the vaccination, most of our patients consulted the specialist or the family doctor receiving adequate information and being reassured. Moreover, the vaccination showed a positive psychological and social impact.

Reduction in prostate cancer hospitalizations in the COVID-19 pandemic epicenter of Latin America

Background: The novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted health care systems worldwide since December 2019 causing atypical pneumonia and affecting multiple body organs. In Latin America, COVID19 had its first case in the megacity of São Paulo, Brazil, thus being the starting point and epicenter of this disease. In this context, prostate cancer (PC) is the most common nonskin cancer among men and its preventive healthcare is substantial to public health surveillance. Additionally, PC raises particular interest during COVID-19 outbreak as PC androgen-deprivation therapies have shown to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection, which suggests an association between SARS-CoV-2 and PC cells. Thus, the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak on male genital cancers care remain inconclusive and will probably be felt for decades. This study aimed to determine the impact of pandemic on the incidence of hospital admissions (HA) due to malignant neoplasms of male genital organs in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of the HAs due to malignant neoplasms of male genital organs in the city of São Paulo comparing the outbreak period (January-June 2020) and a pre-pandemic corresponding period of the years 2017-2019. Data were obtained from the Brazilian Unified Health System - Hospital Information System database according to the chapter II of the International Classification of Diseases - 10th revision (ICD10). Linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between the incidence of HAs and time (months). Results: A significant reduction in HAs due to malignant neoplasms of male genital organs was observed in PC, but not other malignant neoplasms of male genital organs during the outbreak period (JanuaryJune 2020). PC (-19, CI -36 to -1) showed to be remarkably affected while other male genital cancers (-1, CI -5 to 3) did not (Table). Conclusions: Our findings seem to be associated to delayed oncological care delivery to PC during the lockdown and health system disruption. Further studies are required to evaluate the impact of the ongoing pandemic in malignant neoplasm of male genital organs, particularly PC, in order to strategically corroborate public health actions for implications of COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic in hospitalizations due to brain tumors from the epicenter of Latin America

Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted health care systems worldwide. In Brazil, the disease had its first case in the city of São Paulo, thus being the starting point and epicenter of this disease in Latin America. Neurological features are currently well recognized in COVID-19 indicating the neurotropic nature of the virus and include anosmia, myalgia, myositis, encephalitis, meningitis, cerebrovascular disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and postinfectious myelitis. CNS tumors though relatively rare (> 2% of all cancers) are a relevant source of cancer-related morbimortality worldwide. Although studies have reported higher COVID-19 severity in cancer patients, the consequences of the pandemic on health care for CNS tumors remain inconclusive and will probably be felt for decades. This study aimed to determine the impact of pandemic on the hospital admissions (HA) due to CNS tumors in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of the HAs due to CNS tumors in the city of São Paulo comparing the outbreak period (January-June 2020) and a prepandemic corresponding period of the years 2017-2019. Data were obtained from the Brazilian Unified Health System - Hospital Information System database according to the chapter II of the International Classification of Diseases - 10th revision (ICD-10). Linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between the incidence of HAs and time (months). Results: A significant reduction in HAs due to CNS tumors was observed during the outbreak period (January-June 2020). Benign neoplasm of brain and other parts of CNS (-2, CI -2 to -1) and malignant neoplasm of brain (-5, CI -7 to -3) showed to be remarkably affected (see table). To our knowledge, this is the first scientific report of significant reduction of HAs due to CNS tumors during COVID-19 era. Conclusions: Our findings seem to be associated to delayed oncological diagnose and care to CNS tumor patients during the lockdown and health system collapse. A rebound helpseeking effect as well as more severe complications may present in the post- pandemic. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of the ongoing pandemic in CNS neoplasms in order to strategically corroborate public health actions for short- and long-term implications of COVID-19 pandemic.

Return towards normality in admissions for myocardial infarction after the lockdown removal for COVID-19 outbreak in Italy

BACKGROUND: Investigations demonstrated a decrease of admissions for myocardial infarction (MI) during the CoronaVirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) outbreak. No study has evaluated the time required to reverse this downward curve of MI admissions. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis on patients (N = 2415) admitted to the Emergency Departments for acute MI in nine Italian centers. Primary endpoint was the incidence rates (IRs) of MI admissions in the post-lockdown COVID-19 period (case-period: from May 4 to July 12, 2020) vs. the following control periods: January 1-February 19, 2020 (pre-lockdown period);February 20-May 3, 2020 (intra-lockdown period);May 4-July 12, 2019 (inter-year non-COVID-19 period). RESULTS: IR of admissions for MI in the post-lockdown period was higher than the intra-lockdown period (IR ratio, IRR: 1.60, 95% CI 1.42-1.81;p = 0.0001), was lower than the pre-lockdown period (IRR: 0.86, 0.77-0.96;p = 0.009) and similar to the inter-year non-COVID-19 period (IRR: 0.96, 0.87-1.07;p = 0.47). Within the case period, the increase in MI admissions was more pronounced in earlier vs later weeks (IRR 1.19, 95% CI 1.02-1.38, p = 0.024) and, compared to the inter-year control period, was significant for non ST-segment elevation MI (IRR: 1.25, 95% CI 1.08-1.46, p = 0.004), but was not observed for ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI), where hospitalizations were reduced (IRR 0.76, 95% CI 0.65-0.88, p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study first indicates an increase in the number of admissions for MI after the removal of the national lockdown for COVID-19 in Italy. This increase was prevalent in the first weeks following the lockdown removal, but was under-represented in STEMI patients.