ABSTRACT
Introduction: In information search and processing, as well as in coping with COVID-19, communication media and the criteria about the disease are determinant. Objective: To identify the communication media used to obtain information about the pandemic and the criteria related to coping with it. Methods: A descriptive research was carried out in May 2020 with young people and adults belonging to a family medical office in Güines Municipality, Mayabeque Province, Cuba. The methods used to obtain information were participant observation, survey and focus groups. Results: The main communication media through which the youth group obtained information was the Internet, while the adults did so mainly through television. The young mostly considered COVID-19 to be moderately dangerous and that they are not very susceptible to infection with it. The adults considered it very dangerous and contagious. The measure they believed to be most effective was wearing a face mask. Only a minority of the young assessed the effectiveness of physical distancing. Most of the individuals were found not to respect the rules of physical distancing and, although wearing a face mask is mandatory, several young people did it incorrectly. The main responsibility for avoiding contagion was attributed to government authorities. Conclusions: Communication media play a crucial role in obtaining information about COVID-19;the use of television prevails and the young clearly consider the disease not very dangerous, unlike adults, who feel more threatened and assume individual responsibility. © 2022, Editorial Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Introduction. As a measure for controlling COVID-19, lockdown has had a psychological impact on people. Since subjective well-being (SW) has been positively associated with mental health, the identification of its predictors in this context will enable it to be strengthened. Objective. To generate and test explanatory models for SW in men and women under lockdown due to the pandemic. Method. Four thousand seven hundred and seventy-one inhabitants of Mexico, with paid employment, under lockdown, answered a set of instruments via the Internet that evaluated positive and negative psychological factors in addition to SW. Based on correlation and multiple regression analysis, models were proposed for men and women, which were tested by path analysis. Results. Both models successfully fit the data and explained a high proportion of the SW variance. Spiritual strength was the best predictor, mainly for women, while the capacity for enjoyment was central to the models, mediating the effect of empathy and depression. Discussion and conclusion. SW is significantly predicted by the factors studied, especially spiritual strength and capacity for enjoyment, which seem to provide men and women with fortitude and meaning of life in adverse circumstances such as today's.