Introduction: Events and well-being

The concept of well-being, and subjective wellbeing in particular, is gaining more and more attention from national governments in an attempt to understand the aspects of life that make people happy and contented and, as a consequence improve societal well-being. The majority of the research in this special issue was conducted pre-COVID-19. The year 2020 has undoubtedly shone a light on the vital role that gatherings and events play in well-being. This is evidenced in a variety of ways through the work of our contributors, which serves to further highlight the inevitable sense of loss felt when getting together is no longer possible. The effects of social isolation on well-being are well documented and will no doubt be the focus of much events research in coming years. The 12 articles in this special issue provide critical, theoretical, and empirical insights into the complex relationship between events and wellbeing. They range from a critical review of subjective well-being and events to investigations of well-being of sport events participants, queer and drag event participants, as well as the role of events in enhancing well-being for families, ethnic minority migrant communities, and church communities. The special issue has clearly tapped into a rich seam of multidisciplinary research within events that focuses on the personal and social benefits of these important social occasions coalescing under the broad theme of "well-being." There are many more articles we could have included, but as we were limited to 12 we would like to thank all the others who supported the issue with their submissions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Conflict, epidemic and faith communities: church-state relations during the fight against Covid-19 in north-eastern DR Congo.

BACKGROUND: Understanding and improving access to essential services in (post)-conflict settings requires paying particular attention to the actors who occupy the space left 'empty' by weak or deficient State institutions. Religious institutions often play a fundamental role among these actors and typically benefit from high trust capital, a rare resource in so-called 'fragile' states. While there is a literature looking at the role faith organisations play to mobilise and sensitise communities during emergencies, our focus is on a different dimension: the reconfiguration of the relationship between religion and health authorities impelled by health crises. METHODS: We analyse observations, interviews, and focus group discussions with 21 leaders from eight different religious groups in Ituri province in 2020-2021. RESULTS: Faith institutions handled the Covid-19 lockdown period by using and redeploying structures at the grassroots level but also by responding to health authorities' call for support. New actors usually not associated with the health system, such as revivalist churches, became involved. The interviewed religious leaders, especially those whose congregations were not previously involved in healthcare provision, felt that they were doing a favour to the State and the health authorities by engaging in community-level awareness-raising, but also, crucially, by 'depoliticising' Covid-19 through their public commitment against Covid-19 and work with the authorities in a context where the public response to epidemics has been highly contentious in recent years (particularly during the Ebola outbreak). The closure of places of worship during the lockdown shocked all faith leaders but, ultimately, most were inclined to follow and support health authorities. Such experience was, however, often one of frustration and of feeling unheard. CONCLUSION: In the short run, depoliticization may help address health emergencies, but in the longer run and in the absence of a credible space for discussion, it may affect the constructive criticism of health system responses and health system strengthening. The faith leaders are putting forward the desire for a relationship that is not just subordination of the religious to the imperatives of health care but a dialogue that allows the experiences of the faithful in conflict zones to be brought to the fore.

Engaging faith communities in public health messaging in response to COVID-19: Lessons learnt from the pandemic in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo

Purpose To understand challenges faced by faith leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in engaging with current public health strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic;to explain why long-standing collaborations between government, faith-based health services and leaders of faith communities had little impact;to identify novel approaches to develop effective messaging that resonates with local communities. Methods A qualitative participatory research design, using a workshop methodology was deployed to seek opinions of an invited group of faith leaders in the DRC provinces of Ituri and Nord-Kivu. A topic guide was developed from data gathered in prior qualitative interviews of faith leaders and members. Topics were addressed at a small workshop discussion. Emerging themes were identified. Findings Local faith leaders described how misinterpretation and misinformation about COVID-19 and public health measures led to public confusion. Leaders described a lack of capacity to do what was being asked by government authorities with COVID-19 measures. Leaders' knowledge of faith communities' concerns was not sought. Leaders regretted having no training to formulate health messages. Faith leaders wanted to co-create public health messages with health officials for more effective health messaging. Conclusion Public trust in faith leaders is crucial in health emergencies. The initial request by government authorities for faith leaders to deliver set health messages rather than co-develop and design messages appropriate for their congregations resulted in faith communities not understanding health messages. Delivering public health messages using language familiar to faith communities could help to ensure more effective public health communication and counter misinformation.

Mental Models of Illness during the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its profound global effects may be changing the way we think about illness. In summer 2020, 120 American adults were asked to diagnose symptoms of COVID-19, a cold, and cancer, and to answer questions related to the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, time-course, and transmission of each disease. Results showed that participants were more likely to correctly diagnose COVID-19 (91% accuracy) compared to a cold (58% accuracy) or cancer (52% accuracy). We also found that 7% of participants misdiagnosed cold symptoms as COVID-19, and, interestingly, over twice as many participants (16%) misdiagnosed symptoms of cancer as COVID-19. Our findings suggest a distinct mental model for COVID-19 compared to other illnesses. Further, the prevalence of COVID-19 in everyday discourse-especially early in the pandemic-may lead to biased responding, similar to errors in medical diagnosis that result from physicians' expertise. We also discuss how the focus of public-health messaging on prevention of COVID-19 might contribute to participants' mental models.

The Public Role of Churches in Early Responses to COVID-19 in Africa: Snapshots from Nigeria, Congo, Kenya and South Africa

The public role of Christianity in Africa has gained increased attention from scholars. This article gives four snapshots of the responses of churches to COVID-19 in Africa in the early weeks of disease spread on the continent. In many countries, churches are at the forefront of formal and informal health delivery and disease control, through medical services and faith healing. An examination of different approaches of Christian communities to the pandemic shows the influence and the limits of Christian action as governments acted quickly to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Using research methods (remote interviews and surveys, and analysis of authors' own denominations or congregations) consonant with physical distancing measures, the authors observed Churches attempting to carry out their mission as measures were put in place to arrest disease. They maintained worship services, moving them online. They helped Christians make sense of the pandemic and offered themselves as repositories of public trust. In some cases, however, they were less successful than they wished in carrying out their social responsibility because many of their institutions were closed as part of the measures to restrict the spread of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Studies in World Christianity is the property of Edinburgh University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)