ABSTRACT
It was late 2019 when a new virus from the Coronavirus family with the ability of spreading in humans was identified in China for the first time. The speed of the global pandemic of this virous and the release of news regarding its greater risks for the elderly led to numerous psychological disorders in this age group. Therefore, the present study was to consider the effectiveness of group logotherapy on death anxiety, feeling of loneliness and meaning of life in the elderly with fear of Coronavirus. This was a quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and a control group design. The statistical population consisted of all the elderly women (65 years old and higher) who were member of the daily rehabilitation services working under supervision of Tabriz Welfare Organization in 2021, among whom 24 eligible women were selected based on inclusion criteria, and randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. The experimental group received ten 90-minute sessions of group logotherapy, while the control group received no intervention. The tools used in this study included the Templer's death anxiety, Russell et al.'s feeling of loneliness, and the Steger et al.'s meaning of life questionnaires. The data were analyzed using univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS-24 software. The results revealed that there is a significant difference between control and experimental groups in terms of death anxiety, feeling of loneliness and meaning of life (P < 0.05). In other words, group logotherapy decreased death anxiety and feeling of loneliness and increased the meaning of life in the elderly. According to the results, it appears that this treatment can be effectively used in rehabilitation centers and other psychological and counseling centers in order to improve the mental health of the elderly. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease, as an emerging disease with global spread and high mortality rates among vulnerable groups, in addition to physical symptoms, has led to the occurrence of many psychological disorders such as death anxiety and feeling of loneliness due to the fear of infection. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of group logotherapy and solution-oriented therapy on anxiety and feeling of loneliness in the elderly with the fear of coronavirus. The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and a control group design. The statistical population consisted of the elderly women who took part in the daily rehabilitation centers of the Welfare Institution (Sazman-e Behzisti), in Tabriz, among whom 36 eligible individuals were selected and randomly assigned into two experimental and one control groups. measuers applied in the current study incuded Templer's Death Anxiety Scale and Russell et al.'s UCLA Loneliness Scale. The experimental groups underwent ten 90-minute therapy sessions, separately and with two different approaches, while the control group did not receive any intervention at the same time. The data were analysed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS-24 software. The results indicated that logotherapy and Solution-oriented therapy have a significant effect on reducing death anxiety and feeling of loneliness (P <= 0.05). Although, there was no significant difference between two experimental groups in reducing death anxiety (P >= 0.05), there was a significant difference between the two experimental groups in reducing loneliness, in a way that the effectiveness of logotherapy was greater (P <= 0.05). According to the results, logotherapy and solution-oriented therapy can be applied to improve the death anxiety and feeling of loneliness among elderly women with fear of coronavirus. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 pandemic and the health crisis have highlighted and accentuated certain socioeconomic, age and gender inequalities in Chile. In this qualitative article, we ask ourselves about the transformations and diverse practices developed by two groups of different ages women in response to the policies and measures adopted in Chile during the COVID-19 pandemic. From a qualitative approach, we worked with semi-structured interviews with working mothers and older women and carried out an analysis guided by grounded theory. The results show that COVID-19 measures produced several disruptions in the daily lives of both groups, especially in their routines, use of space and time;the reconfiguration and reduction of their social and support networks to cope with the crisis, and bodily and emotional effects caused by the overload of various reproductive, care and productive tasks. We conclude that women themselves generated diverse strategies to confront the crisis experienced in the pandemic, without any action by the State to address gender and age inequalities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) La pandemia de Covid-19 y la crisis sanitaria en Chile han evidenciado y acentuado ciertas desigualdades socioeconomicas, de edad y genero. En este articulo de caracter cualitativo, nos preguntamos por las transformaciones y las diversas practicas desarrolladas por dos grupos de mujeres de distintas edades ante las politicas y medidas adoptadas en Chile durante la pandemia de Covid-19. Desde una aproximacion cualitativa, se trabajo con entrevistas semiestructuradas a mujeres madres trabajadoras y mujeres mayores y se llevo a cabo un analisis orientado por la teoria fundamentada. Los resultados muestran que las medidas COVID-19 produjeron diversas disrupciones en la vida cotidiana de ambos grupos de mujeres, especialmente en sus rutinas, usos de espacios y sus tiempos;la reconfiguracion y reduccion de sus redes sociales y de apoyo para enfrentar la crisis, y afectaciones corporales y emocionales producidas por la sobrecarga de diversas labores reproductivas, de cuidados y productivas. Concluimos que fueron las propias mujeres quienes generaron diversas estrategias para enfrentar la crisis vivida en pandemia, sin una actuacion del Estado que atendiera las desigualdades de genero y edad. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Purpose This study aims to reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the social and economic vulnerability of Indian elderly women, thereby making them prone to varied forms of abuse and denying them of the basic rights of secured existence. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted by analyzing primary data from government sources that dealt with the aging Indian population and the common predicaments that elderly women experienced during the pandemic. A qualitative interview was conducted in three old-age homes in India where the experiences of 26 elderly female residents were documented for understanding their experiences during the pandemic. The secondary data collected from different newspaper articles and online resources also enabled in perusing the difficulties that they faced both at home and the caregiving space at the critical juncture of COVID-19. Findings Nearly 73% of the elderly population in the country has faced an incidence in different forms of abuse and exploitation during the subsequent waves of the pandemic. Disrespect and neglect were the most common type of mistreatment and around 23.1% reported physical assault. The elderly women were victimized further on socioeconomic grounds and their rights of living a secured and dignified life were significantly neglected. Research limitations/implications The basic premise of this paper operates on the ground that the family as an institution has shunned taking care of the responsibilities vis-a-vis the elderly and therefore formal institutions have been introduced to aid in the conventional caretaking responsibilities in the Indian societal structure. This situation became all the more grave during the pandemic and therefore needed much intervention. This paper follows the theoretical lens of gender theory and case study method to analyze the data. Social implications The HelpAge India report findings entail that elderly women/widows are doubly marginalized in the Indian society, and the COVID-19 pandemic has escalated the caregiver stress on manifold levels, thus exacerbating the problem. As most of the female senior citizens are economically dependent on their children and relatives, financial exploitation became one of the important premise that deprived them of a healthy living both at home and elderly caregiving institution. Despite the prevalence of certain elderly assistance schemes in the country, the older women's needs and well-being got heavily impacted and their voice gets hardly recognized in the wider spectrum of sociopolitical events. To extend the requisite help and assistance to this socially vulnerable section, the government on September, 2021, launched a pan-India, toll-free helpline number "Elder Line" to provide relevant information on elderly legal and medical aid and guidance on procuring pension. Originality/value According to the secondary findings, a significant percentage of elderly women have been susceptible to physical and emotional abuse and factors such as widowhood, economic dependency, physical infirmity, cognitive impairment along with other stressors have aggravated their exposure to ill-treatment during the pandemic span. Thus, to recognize and mitigate the existing problems affecting the elderly subjects, the government should devise the necessary protocols and adopt essential measures to ensure the welfare of the marginalized section and protect their basic rights of a holistic existence.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic is posing a pathogen or even existential threat to people all across the globe. According to traditional literature, threat perceptions induce anti-immigrant sentiments, as ingroup identity and self-interest are strengthened at the expense of the outgroup. In this manuscript, we study whether the COVID-19 pandemic, as a universal and relatively novel threat, increases anti-immigrant sentiments akin to responses to realistic and symbolic threats frequently described in the literature. We also look at whether such responses are expressed more strongly among specific groups in Dutch society. To do so, we use unique longitudinal panel data based on the European Values Study 2017, representative of the Netherlands, with a repeated measure in May 2020, during the national lockdown. Based on structural equation modeling, we demonstrate that anti-immigrant sentiments have not increased due to (perceived threat of) the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, negative opinions towards immigrants decreased between 2017 and 2020 in the Netherlands, for which we provide alternative explanations. Although some subgroups do experience more threat than others due to the coronavirus, such as women, first generation immigrants, and the elderly, this does not lead to more negative feelings towards outgroups. Whether this is due to the fact that individuals feel pathogenically threatened by everyone, regardless of group membership, should be explored in future research.
ABSTRACT
The elderly population worldwide got immensely affected by the increased isolation and risk for complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, elderly women get more affected by social isolation and distress irrespective of health factors. We aim to understand how urban elderly women in Southeast Asia-typically highly dependent on the other family members due to cultural practices-took care of their mental health with uncertainty and distress using technology during the social distance period. Through 19 semi-structured interviews with participants from six Southeast Asian countries and analyzing the data using thematic analysis, we surfaced that our participants started learning different technology with great enthusiasm and used them for their mental well-being during the pandemic period. This paper portrays how our participants enhanced interpersonal bonding, cultivated self-care and creative outlets, and facilitated positivism around their social circle using different technology platforms to mitigate their stress and uncertainty during the pandemic. Our participants' technology usage for better mental well-being during the COVID-19 period provides HCI researchers with valuable design guidelines. Here, we contribute by expanding the HCI community's understanding of technology design within the intersection of the elderly population and mental health for the Southeast Asian cultural context. © 2022 ACM.