Emotional wellbeing and coping among Latinx young adults in the time of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the wellbeing of the general US population, but even more so among Latinx young adults. The current study provides a detailed picture of the emotional wellbeing and coping of Latinx young adults during the first summer of the pandemic. Six virtual focus groups (n = 21) were conducted between May and August of 2020 with a community-based sample of Latinx young adults to explore (1) how the pandemic affected wellbeing and (2) how they coped with pandemic-related stress. Contextualistic thematic analysis identified important themes and subthemes. Perceived stressors impacting emotional wellbeing yielded one overarching theme: COVID-related disruptions in the participants' environment. To manage this heightened stress, another overarching theme was self-care and intentionality during the pandemic. Future studies should examine the wellbeing of young adults across social contexts and at more recent stages of the pandemic. Findings from this study suggest culturally- and developmentally-tailored interventions are needed as this population navigates contextual stress during a sensitive period in their life.

The Impact of Mindful Meditation on Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic placed a spotlight on health care workers as the world struggled with mental health crises. As the number of COVID-19 cases rose exponentially, this also paralleled health care workers' perceived stress burden and increased risk for mental health trauma. This research project assessed the impact of a mobile mindful meditation application on health care workers' perceived stress levels during a pandemic. Methodology: Through quasi-experimental design, researchers assessed the effect of using a mobile mindful meditation (Synctuition) app on health care workers' stress levels. Participants listened for 20 to 30 minutes daily for 30 days. Participants perceived stress levels were measured with Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale. Results: Of the 100 participants, there was a statistically significant decrease in perceived stress reduction between the groups across various categories. The pretest perceived stress scores were reduced from moderate to low stress postintervention after using the mindful meditation application. Implications for Practice: Reducing stress in health care workers can potentially increase the quality of life for health care workers. and lowering stress levels can potentially improve the quality of care provided.