ABSTRACT
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), which involves deliberate damage to body tissue without suicidal intent, has long been a concern for schools and school staff. Secondary schools are an ideal setting in which to identify, and appropriately refer, students who self-injure as well as implement evidence-based prevention and early intervention programs. However, in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, schools have been closed and students sent home to learn online. This may result in the exacerbation of existing anxieties and pose several new stressors that cumulatively may increase risk of NSSI. In this article, we draw on recent research and our collective experience working with schools, as well as digital mental health, to outline some of these potential stressors and offer resources for school staff to help students who are engaging in or at risk of NSSI. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
We conducted a rapid review and quantitative summary of meta-analyses that have examined interventions which can be used by individuals during quarantine and social distancing to manage anxiety, depression, stress, and subjective well-being. A literature search yielded 34 meta-analyses (total number of studies k = 1,390, n = 145,744) that were summarized. Overall, self-guided interventions showed small to medium effects in comparison to control groups. In particular, self-guided therapeutic approaches (including cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, and acceptance-based interventions), selected positive psychology interventions, and multi-component and activity-based interventions (music, physical exercise) showed promising evidence for effectiveness. Overall, self-guided interventions on average did not show the same degree of effectiveness as traditional guided individual or group therapies. There was no consistent evidence of dose effects, baseline differences, and differential effectiveness of eHealth interventions. More research on the effectiveness of interventions in diverse cultural settings is needed.
ABSTRACT
This dataset provides a comprehensive snapshot of 277 New Zealand young adult's (M age = 18.93, SD = 3.28) real-time behaviours and experiences during a seven-week nationwide lockdown. Participants were recruited through a university student participant pool and data were collected online during 20-27th April 2020 (Alert Level 4) and 6-13th May 2020 (Alert Level 3), constituting the 26th-33rd and 42nd-49th day (respectively) of a nationwide lockdown to manage the first wave of COVID-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand. Data have been used previously [1]. Data includes participants' self-reported compliance with legally mandated COVID-19 lockdown policies, as well as participants' self-reported knowledge of lockdown policies, lockdown characteristics, trust in government and information sources, COVID-19 specific worries, recent anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression use, and Big Five personality traits. The dataset is freely accessible (CC-BY-4.0 license) at https://osf.io/pa4n3/. This database can provide insight into the psychological experience of strict COVID-19 lockdown, support policy makers to evaluate the efficiency COVID-19 public health messaging, and inform future policy to support public health and wellbeing during widespread lockdown and quarantine.
ABSTRACT
Although anxiety and worry can motivate engagement with COVID-19 preventative behaviours, people may cognitively reframe these unpleasant emotions, restoring wellbeing at the cost of public health behaviours. New Zealand young adults (n = 278) experiencing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown reported their worry, anxiety, reappraisal and lockdown compliance. Despite high knowledge of lockdown policies, 92.5% of participants reported one or more policy breaches (M = 2.74, SD = 1.86). Counter to predictions, no relationships were found between anxiety or worry with reappraisal or lockdown breaches. Findings highlight the importance of targeting young adults in promoting lockdown compliance and offer further insight into the role of emotion during a pandemic.