Providing Virtual Support to Children With Mild Developmental Delays in Response to the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had massive impacts across the globe. Children with developmental delays are an increasingly vulnerable population, highlighting the importance of ensuring they have access to high-quality virtual services during this time. The Early Discovery program currently provides therapeutic interventions for children with mild developmental delays. We sought to compare the outcomes of 2 cohorts within the Early Discovery program using different delivery approaches (n = 238 families): children who received services in person before the pandemic (n = 126) and children who received services via telehealth in the acute phase of the pandemic (n = 112). Both groups of children showed significant improvements in language skills posttreatment, and, with regard to auditory comprehension, both groups showed similar rates of improvement. However, children receiving in-person services before the pandemic showed greater improvements in expressive communication skills than children receiving telehealth services during the pandemic. Results indicate that the Early Discovery program was able to make adjustments during the pandemic that assisted families in maintaining progress in improving their child's language skills.

Will teachers continue to teach online post-COVID-19?

Numerous studies have captured the experiences of teachers teaching online, but the current 'emergency' to teach online is unprecedented and has been challenging. Grounded in the theory of cognitive dissonance, this paper attempts to recapitulate the experiences of university teachers and analyses whether they have developed the consonant cognitions to teach online during the pandemic period or would they prefer switching back to 'normal' teaching as soon as the circumstances permit. Technology-enabled teaching has been found to be complex as it mandates teaching in a computerised setting and lacks an element of social interaction, which is at the heart of face-to-face teaching. Using Structural Equation Modelling, this study presents the determining factors that motivate teachers to embrace technology-driven teaching more convincingly. The study finds that in the absence of adequate training imparted to the teachers for developing technological and pedagogical knowledge (TPK), high psychological capital and facilitating conditions are the two most important factors ensuring teaching proficiency, creating positive online experiences and a continued intention to teach online.

Psychiatrists as Partners in Suicide Prevention for Pediatric Medical Settings

The article discusses the role of psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians in preventing suicide, which remains a global public health crisis and the third leading cause of death among U.S. youth. Topics include effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the pediatric mental health crisis, available tools to conduct a brief suicide safety assessment, and initiatives that can empower primary care providers to better address mental health concerns when specialty care is unavailable.

How psychological first aid can help nurses to cope: An intervention strategy that helps nurses deal with distressing or traumatic incidents, or crisis situations

Psychological first aid (PFA) is an intervention strategy to support people in severe distress following crisis events. These traumatic events might include natural disasters, accidents, violent crimes or trauma experienced in nursing work, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID‐related stressors before and after delivery linked to adverse effects on mother and baby

Researchers have found that women who deliver babies in the midst of a pandemic are more likely to have mental health consequences, including postpartum depression, and their infants are likely to suffer as well, if the stressors are not mitigated. The cohort study of 318 mothers in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom found that COVID‐related stress was significantly associated with poor postpartum mental health and increased negative affectivity among infants.

Domestic violence and unstable living conditions increased for pregnant individuals during the pandemic

The article discusses a study which investigated the association between the living conditions of pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic conducted by L.A. Avalos, et al., published in a 2023 issue of "JAMA Network Open." Medical records of women who were pregnant and in unstable and unsafe living conditions were examined. They found that the study participants experienced a rise in unstable living situations and partner violence.

Ageism and moral distress in nurses caring for older patients

This study explored the influence of healthcare ageism on nurses' moral distress. Episodic interviews were conducted on 25 Romanian nurses in 2020. Thematic analysis revealed that all moral distress sources reported reflected macro-, meso- and micro-level ageism, benevolent and hostile, self- or other-directed, including stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination of older patients. The COVID-19 pandemic-related ageist measures increased healthcare ageism and transformed nurses' representations of older patients accordingly. Nurses felt moral conflict both when passively witnessing ageist acts and when perpetrating them to adhere to group norms, highlighting the need to combat ageism for both patients' and nurses' well-being.

Attachment Style, Affective Temperament, and Psychological Distress among Mental Health Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The nursing staff is more likely to experience drastic stress, which can compromise their physical and mental health and affect the quality of their work. This study aimed to assess the attachment type and affective temperament in connection to the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychiatric hospital nurses. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey utilizing a convenience sample population of 100 nurses who served on the front lines during the COVID-19 outbreak. The key findings showed that most nurses reported moderate attachment anxiety, moderate affective temperament, and mild psychological distress. It is crucial to offer nurses psychological support during COVID-19 through various channels.

Working conditions and well-being in UK social care and social work during COVID-19

Summary : Stress and mental health are among the biggest causes of sickness absence in the UK, with the Social Work and Social Care sectors having among the highest levels of stress and mental health sickness absence of all professions in the UK. Chronically poor working conditions are known to impact employees' psychological and physiological health. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected both the mode and method of work in Social Care and Social Work. Through a series of cross-sectional online surveys, completed by a total of 4,950 UK Social Care and Social Workers, this study reports the changing working conditions and well-being of UK Social Care and Social Workers at two time points (phases) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings : All working conditions and well-being measures were found to be significantly worse during Phase 2 (November–January 2021) than Phase 1 (May–July 2020), with worse psychological well-being than the UK average in Phase 2. Furthermore, our findings indicate that in January 2021, feelings about general well-being, control at work, and working conditions predicted worsened psychological well-being. Applications : Our findings highlight the importance of understanding and addressing the impact of the pandemic on the Social Care and Social Work workforce, thus highlighting that individuals, organizations, and governments need to develop mechanisms to support these employees during and beyond the pandemic.

Resilience to COVID-19 challenges: Lessons for school psychologists serving school-attending black South African youth aged 10 to 19 years old

Several studies have highlighted the mental health challenges of children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period, especially, in relation to an escalation of depression, anxiety, and stress. Whilst this may be the reality, it is unfortunate that most of the studies adopt a psychopathological point of departure often portraying doom and gloom. Adopting a social ecological resilience perspective the author focuses on the resilience of school-attending black South African youth during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The Child and Youth Resilience Measurement (CYRM-28) was completed by 4165 respondents in grades 4 to 12 (females = 2431, 58.4%;males = 1734, 41.6%) from the Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North-West provinces in South Africa. The findings indicate that school psychologists must consider gender, age and school levels when they design school-based resilience programmes for black South African children. Particular emphasis should be placed on contextual resilience highlighting spiritual, religious, cultural and educational factors. A major lesson for school psychologists is to ensure that school-based resiliency programmes adopt a whole school approach that includes children, their families and local communities for the successful promotion of resilience during adverse situations as postulated by the social ecological resilience model.

Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with TBI: Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study...American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) 99th Annual Conference, November 8-11, 2022, Chicago, Illinois

To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and life quality of individuals living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States. Cross-Sectional. General community. 1,440 adults with mild (49%), moderate (22%), and severe (29%) TBI. 3,857 adults from general population. N/A. Self-report measures of extent to which pandemic/stay-at-home orders have impacted mental health, isolation, financial stress, and access to medical care;brief assessment of vaccine hesitancy. Self-report psychometric measures of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), comorbid disease burden, substance use, and domestic violence victimization. In this diverse nationwide sample, 55% of individuals with TBI lost wages due to the COVID-19 pandemic;only 16% felt they were able to pay for basic needs (food, shelter, heat). Those with TBI reported substantially elevated worry and isolation;29% reported their cognitive function and 36% felt their mood (36%) had changed due to social-distancing and/or shelter-in-place orders. The majority met criteria for clinically significant depression (78%) and/or anxiety (76%). Only 11% reported increased alcohol use, and 24% reduced use;however, 24% reported high-risk prescription pain medication use. Recent physical and verbal violence was common: only 30% indicating that others "never" physically hurt them, and only 42% said they were "never" verbally abused. Control comparison data suggest disproportionate burden among those with TBI. Individuals with TBI are at unique risk for financial loss, unmet care needs, medication misuse, and domestic violence during the ongoing pandemic. The extent to which observed disparities among those with TBI are limited to the early stages of the pandemic (i.e., 2020-2021) warrants further investigation;regardless, immediate remediation is required. None.

Commercial sexual exploitation of children in Zimbabwe: A threat to human and social development

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in child sex work is reportedly rising in Zimbabwe. While children of both sexes are affected, more females than males are forced to engage in sexual acts in exchange for money, food, access to shelter, education or some other gains from adults who control these means of survival and commodities. Drivers of CSEC include socioeconomic factors, negative peer pressure, childhood abuse, the influence of uncensored social media, and, more recently, the economic impact of COVID‐19. Involvement in underage sex work exposes children to severe adversities, such as psychosocial and mental health disorders, physical and biological injuries, venereal diseases and HIV. CSEC is a growing concern for resource‐limited countries, disenfranchises children and robs particularly the girl child of a better future. The worsening socioeconomic landscape in Zimbabwe and the COVID‐19 pandemic have exacerbated the problem. Solving the problem of CSEC requires a multipronged approach that involves stakeholders from several sectors, including public health, education, social services, security and the legal fraternity. There is a need to empower communities, empower civil society and development partners, enhance legal frameworks, provide messaging, education and vocational training, as well as rehabilitative services for affected children and their families. CSEC is a violation of the child's rights and a public health concern that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency to preserve the next generation's human capital necessary for the sustainable development of Zimbabwe.

Towards best practice during COVID-19: A responsive and relational program with remote schools to enhance the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

Purpose: From 2018, the Schools Up North (SUN) programme worked with three remote Australian schools to enhance their capability and resilience to support the wellbeing and mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff. This paper explores the implementation of SUN during the first two years of COVID-19 (2020–2021). Method: Using grounded theory methods, school staff, other service providers and SUN facilitators were interviewed, with transcripts and programme documents coded and interrelationships between codes identified. An implementation model was developed. Results: The SUN approach was place-based, locally informed and relational, fostering school resilience through staff reflection on and response to emerging contextual challenges. Challenges were the: community lockdowns and school closures;(un)availability of other services;community uncertainty and anxiety;school staff capability and wellbeing;and risk of educational slippage. SUN strategies were: enhancing teachers' capabilities and resources, facilitating public health discussions, and advocating at regional level. Outcomes were: enhanced capability of school staff;greater school-community engagement;student belonging and engagement;a voice for advocacy;and continuity of SUN's momentum. Conclusions: The resilience approach (rather than specific strategies) was critical for building schools' capabilities for promoting students and staff wellbeing and provides an exemplar for remote schools globally.