ABSTRACT
Background: The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of persistent symptoms of COVID in hospitalized pediatric population one year after admission compared to a control group. Method(s): Prospective observational study conducted in 2 hospitals. We included patients aged 0-18 years hospitalized for acute COVID-19 more than a year ago and controls, matched by age and sex, hospitalized for causes other than COVID-19, and who had never COVID-19 at recruitment or during the follow-up. Families were contacted and a standardized survey was conducted. Persistent COVID/disease was defined as the presence of symptoms with onset in the first 3 months after COVID-19 and with persistence for more than 2 months. Result(s): 50 cases and 46 controls were analyzed, 58.3% male, 36% <5 years. Families were interviewed a median of 1.89 years (interquartile range;1.25-2.07) after hospitalization. The definition of persistent COVID-19/disease was met in 34% of cases vs. 37% of controls (p=0.767). Symptoms persisted >=11 months in 24% (12/50) of cases vs. 13% (6/46) of controls (p=0.182), with no differences by age group. The most frequent symptoms at 1 year in cases were fatigue (8%), headache (6%), poor appetite (6%), abdominal pain (6%) and variations in heart rate (6%). In controls, persistent symptoms were mostly abdominal pain (6%) and poor appetite (6%). The number of readmissions was 11/50 (22%) and 6/46 (13%) (p=0.267), respectively. On emotional/behavioral items, 16/50 (32%) of cases reported that their emotional state was worse or much worse than before admission, compared to 16/46 (34.7%). No risk factors associated with the development of persistent symptoms were found, except the length of hospital admission (p=0.043). Conclusion(s): In this study, the prevalence of persistent symptoms was not different in patients with and without COVID-19. 1-year persistence was higher in COVID-19 cases but did not reach significance. Persistence correlated with length of hospitalization.
ABSTRACT
Background: Long term evolution of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children (MIS-C) is poorly understood. In this report, we described the frequency of persistent symptoms and sequels after one-year monitoring in a cohort of MIS-C patients. Method(s): This is a prospective observational study in under-18-aged patients diagnosed with MIS-C between October 2020 and April 2021 in a tertiary hospital. Data from initial episode was obtained from the Spanish national database and the medical history. A standardized phone questionnaire was done one year after the acute episode. As patients pared by age and sex were included with i) history of acute COVID-19, from the same national database, and ii) with peritonitis diagnosis in the electronic medical record. Data was collected using REDCap and analysed with R. Ethics committee approval was obtained. Result(s): A total of 48 patients were included in the study, 16 in each group. Average age at hospitalization was 11,2 years old [IQR: 6,6-14,4] and 52% (23/48) were male. MIS-C patients presented high frequently 94% (15/16) cardiological complications during hospitalization, in contrast with 19% (3/16) of acute COVID-19 patients and 25% (4/16) of peritonitis group (p< 0.01). All of them resolved after a year except the ones associated to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in a patient with MIS-C that need ECMO assistance. Summary characteristics during acute episode are shown in Table 1. After one-year follow-up, 88% MIS-C patients suffered one or more symptoms, more frequently: headache (44%), fatigue (38%), insomnia (38%) and concentration problems (38%). A total of 56% of COVID-19 patients presented persisted symptoms, mainly fatigue and concentration problems (19%), and 31% in peritonitis group (19% loss of appetite and abdominal pain), (p< 0.001). MIS-C patients visited more frequently the medical professionals due to emotional change, behaviour or interpersonal relationships after the disease [4/16 (25%) in MIS-C vs. 0/16 (0%) in both control groups, p= 0.028]. Conclusion(s): Majority of MIS-C patients have persistent symptoms one year after acute episode, even with the resolution of cardiological complications. Frequency of long term symptoms in MIS-C patients is significantly higher than in COVID-19 hospitalized and than in a control group of surgical peritonitis patients. Summary characteristics during acute episode.
ABSTRACT
The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has generated new challenges for regular basic education teachers, who, day by day, interact with students and constitute a significant part of the student's development. These new circumstances have affected teachers, raising their stress levels and affecting their skills. In this context, this study aims to determine the influence of social support and general self-efficacy on subjective discomfort in Ecuadorian regular basic education teachers. The methodology used was based on the predictive design in which 311 teachers participated, 230 women and 81 men. The selected instruments were the Duke-UNK-11 Functional Social Support Questionnaire, the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GAS) and the Kessler Subjective Discomfort Scale-10. The results showed that the Social support variable significantly influences subjective discomfort, showing that teachers who have high levels of social support show lower levels of subjective discomfort. It is concluded that social support is a predictor of subjective discomfort in Ecuadorian teachers of basic education. © 2022 Figueroa-Suárez et al.
ABSTRACT
The quality of life at work has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, generating labor overload, higher levels of stress, and a reduction in workers’ productivity. In the education sector, thousands of teachers were affected by the change to a new online work modality and the acquisition of new work tools. The aim of this study was to determine whether social support and general self-efficacy (GSE) significantly predict the quality of life at work in a group of Ecuadorian teachers. A total of 300 teachers of both genders, whose ages ranged between 21 and 64 years, participated in the study. For measurements, the Duke-UNK-11 General Sale Scale and the Scale of Quality of Life in the CVT-Gohisalo Work were used. The predictive analysis was performed through linear regression. The results show a moderately significant relationship between social support, GSE, and quality of life at work. Similarly, the multiple regression analysis confirms that social support and self-efficacy are variables that significantly predict the quality of life at work. The findings of this research also confirm that teachers with higher levels of GSE report higher levels of quality of life at work. In conclusion, the prediction of the variables social support and GSE in the quality of life at work of Ecuadorian teachers is confirmed. The implications of the predictive model mediating quality of life at work are discussed. Copyright © 2022 Jaguaco, Turpo-Chaparro, Vásquez-Villanueva and Apaza-Romero.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes in social interaction at various periods and countries, as well as in activities carried out in leisure time. In the case of video games, changes are reported regarding their use, with little information about its differences with times before the pandemic. This study compared the motivations for use and its relationship with prosocial behaviors from two cross-sectional studies, one conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and the other surveyed during the lockdown in Mexico. And tests a hypothesis about prosocial behavior as a reason for gaming. A total of 98 adults participated through an online survey, Mexican men, and women with ages ranged from 18-43 years, grouped into two samples of 49 people each. The brief battery of prosocial personality was used, as well as the online game motivations and the uses and gratifications of video games questionnaires. The analyzes comparing the groups showed differences in the game motivations, mainly, a decrease in the competitive use, an increase in its use to socialize, and in the search for immersion in virtual worlds. The hypothesis was not confirmed, but it indicates a positive and significant relationship between prosocial behavior and gaming motivations. It is concluded that in the participation of multiplayer video games during the confinement in Mexico due to COVID-19, there were differences in the motivations for use, with prosocial behavior being an associated factor.