Lessons learned from COVID-19: provider suggestions for improving service delivery in sexual violence resource centers and children's advocacy centers in Kentucky

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges for human service providers, especially as face-to-face services were limited by both formal and informal efforts to protect public health. Telehealth has emerged as a main strategy to ensure continuity of care. This study explored adaptations to services in child advocacy centers (CACs) and sexual violence resource centers (SVRCs) across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, particularly using telehealth. This study highlights respondents' suggestions about improving these service delivery systems and the particular emphasis on challenges and strengths of telehealth for reaching those in rural areas.

The uneven distribution of futurity: slow emergencies and the event of COVID-19

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic strains conventional temporal imaginaries through which emergencies are typically understood and governed. Rather than a transparent and linear temporality, a smooth transition across the series event/disruption-response-post-event recovery, the pandemic moves in fits and starts, blurring the boundary between normalcy and emergency. This distended temporality brings into sharp relief other slow emergencies such as racism, poverty, biodiversity loss, and climate change, which inflect how the pandemic is known and governed as an emergency. In this article, we reflect on COVID-19 responses in two settler colonial societies-Australia and the United States-to consider how distinct styles of pandemic responses in each context resonate and dissonate across the racially uneven distribution of futurity that structures liberal order. In each case, the event of COVID-19 has indeed opened a window that reveals multiple slow emergencies;yet in these and other responses this revelation is not leading to meaningful changes to address underlying forms of structural violence. In Australia and the United States, we see how specific slow emergencies-human-induced climate change and anti-Black violence in White supremacist societies, respectively-become intensified as liberal order recalibrates itself in response to the event of COVID-19.

Detention in pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, detained persons suffered an increasing number of human rights violations. A World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) report highlighted the abusive practices and legal ways to fight them. People in detention are generally at high risk of infectious diseases. Jails are overcrowded everywhere, hygiene is generally poor, and quarantine is often impossible. Persons with pre-existing medical conditions or pregnancies are especially vulnerable. It thus was no surprise that COVID-19 spread fast in detention facilities. Because of rules meant to contain the disease, infected persons often struggled to get in touch with lawyers and insisted on judicial review. Nonetheless, lawyers did find ways to assist people in jails and improve protection against COVID-19. This article highlights the OMCT report that assessed pandemic-related human rights issues, which were prevalent in many countries, focusing on Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It also discusses the legal and advocacy strategies and promising practices to protect people from COVID-19 in detention effectively, challenge ongoing and pandemic-related human rights violations occurring in detention settings, and seek accountability for abusive law enforcement measures.

Efforts to enhance mental health among school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic through the teacher and parent empowerment

School-aged children, as a developmental stage, are a group at high risk for mental health issues, particularly during this pandemic of COVID-19. Children may be perpetrators, witnesses, or victims of violence or irregularities perpetrated directly or through social media. This community service activity is designed to improve the mental health of children during the COVID-19 pandemic through early detection, prevention and early treatment of mental health issues through parental and teacher empowerment programs. When children learn online and do more activities at home with their families, there are many factors that affect children's mental health. For instance, cyberbullying, addiction to gadgets and the Internet, withdrawing from family interactions, anxiety, dishonesty and discipline in the performance of duties and children as witnesses and victims of abuse by those closest to them. This is not widely known by the school, teachers, counsellors and parents clearly, which results in the state of the child getting worse. Through an empowerment program that was conducted with socialization and training on early detection, preventive efforts and early treatment of mental health problems among school-aged children, they can discover early deviations that occur and take preventive measures with early treatment efforts. Henceforth, through this empowerment program, teachers and parents work together to carry out counselling activities and reflection sessions to understand the issues faced by students so that they can intervene immediately. Teachers and parents can work as a team to help children improve physical and mental health through online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dietary supplements for aggressive behaviour in people with intellectual disabilities: A randomised controlled crossover trial.

BACKGROUND: Aggressive incidents are common in people with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, we aimed to assess whether supplementation of multivitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids (FA) reduces aggressive incidents. METHODS: We conducted a randomised, triple blind, placebo controlled, single crossover intervention trial. People with intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning, between 12 and 40 years of age, and showing aggressive behaviour were included. Participants received either a daily dose of dietary supplements, or placebo. Primary outcome was the number of aggressive incidents, measured using the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS). RESULTS: there were 113 participants (placebo, n = 56), of whom 24 (placebo, n = 10) participated in the crossover phase of the trial. All 137 trajectories were included in the analyses. There was no significant difference in mean number of aggressive incidents per day between those assigned to supplements and those who received placebo (rate ratio = 0.93: 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 0.59-1.45). CONCLUSION: In this pragmatic trial, we did not find significant differences in the outcomes between the supplement and placebo arms. The COVID-19 pandemic started midway through our trial, this may have affected the results.

Association between acute stress response and peer bullying behaviors among middle school students

Objective: To explore the association between acute stress response during the outbreak of COVID-19 and peer bullying behaviors during the normalized management of COVID-19 among middle school students, and to provide a basis for developing relevant measures for peer bullying prevention.

"You Are What You Watch?": Evaluating the Impact of Media Violence on Youth Behaviour during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Uzbekistan

Considering that today's youth are inadvertently exposed to violence in all forms of media and video games, research shows that this affects the psyche, subsequently manifesting in aggressive behaviour. This research paper examines how media violence, particularly in video games and movies, impacted youth behaviour during Uzbekistan's pandemic-imposed lockdown period in 2020. The research deploys a mixed-method approach by using quantitative online and offline surveys and data collected from educational institutions and companies to analyse the impact of media violence on youth who chose to play violent video games and watch violent movies during the pandemic. At the same time, the qualitative thematic analysis presents recommendations for preventing the adverse effects of violent video games and films on young people's behaviour. The research ends with suggestions on supporting young people and ways to protect them from falling into the vicious cycle of violence, which triggers aggression in their behaviour.

The relative neglect of agriculture in Mozambique

This paper explores agricultural performance of Mozambique, its institutional weaknesses, and the underlying factors that underpin an unsatisfactory performance during many decades. We point to the role of systemic political instability and violence combined with challenges to state legitimacy. Regional divides and lack of market integration continue to influence in a critical and all-encompassing manner. Finally, the way in which the interests of the elite and the influence of donors have affected progress in the agriculture sector suggests the need for concerted reorientation in existing strategies, policies, and priorities. This is reinforced by future challenges, including the extractive industry;population growth and internal migration;national and international markets;climate change;and COVID-19. We highlight the need to place the future of agriculture in Mozambique within a long-term perspective, focusing on the adoption and stabilization of an institutional framework aimed at increasing agricultural productivity and preserving the environment.

Social isolation and post-COVID neuropsychological damage

Social isolation (SI) exerts a harmful effect on brain plasticity even in healthy animals and humans. We reported some new connections between aggressive behavior and SI, and new mechanisms of SI damaging effect on experimental rodents in previous studies. SARS-CoV-2 exhibits neurotropism through its affinity for the ACE2 receptor in endothelial cells found in the brain. The neurotropism in the disease caused by the new coronavirus accords with a wide spectrum of neurological, psychiatric and psychological symptoms. It had been reported that up to almost 43% of SARS survivors developed long-lasting psychiatric morbidity that persisted at 4 years follow up with main diagnoses in diminishing order of representation: posttraumatic stress disorders, depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Full assessment of the long-term risk of neurological and psychological complications will be greatly needed once the coronavirus pandemic is over. Based on current data and the reported experience with SARS-CoV we hypothesize that the neurobehavioral sequelae of the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 will necessitate close interaction between emergency medicine and psychological support. The role of social support for the restoration of post-Covid neuropsychological damage is essential because the human being is not only a biological object but also a social subject who needs support from other humans.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of citizens of the Republic of Bulgaria

Introduction: The emergence of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic have challenged all aspects of social and economic life in different countries, their health care systems, as well as the mental health of the population. The introduction of anti-epidemic measures with different duration and severity temporarily deprived of any of democratic freedoms and achievements and marked social communication with new rules. The tension and fear of the unknown, caused by the new disease, limited access to health facilities, impoverishment and job loss, increased mortality, restriction of contacts affected somewhat the mentality of every human being. Various researchers, including in Bulgaria, report significant negative effects on mental health, as this situation shows a clear negative trend. Aim: The article aims to present the second phase of the NCPHA study on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Bulgarian citizens.

The present and future of rural youth in the SICA region in the COVID-19 scenario: analysis of gender, opinions, values, expectations, experiences and life projects

This study was carried out, between March and May 2021, in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, to: (a) collect information and analyse the opinions, values, experiences and behaviours of rural youth in these three countries of the SICA region in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact at different levels: education, work, health, violence, gender relations, citizen/political participation and associativism, environment, climate change and natural disasters;(b) investigate, in particular, how this pandemic influences the expectations and future projects of young people at a personal, educational and work level;and (c) analyse the information gathered from a gender and intersectional analysis that allows identifying and systematizing the differences and inequalities between the genders in all the selected aspects. The study also inquired about the opinions and explanations of rural youth about different aspects of the COVID 19 pandemic, among others, ideas about its "origin", the consequences at the social and environmental levels, and prioritized means of obtaining information, with the purpose of highlighting the frameworks of meaning that are built on this stage.

Family efforts in preventing COVID-19 on special needs children. (Special Issue: ICONURS.)

Introduction: Indonesia has experienced a crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both adults and children are affected by the crisis. The incidence of COVID-19 in children is not as many as in adults, but prevention efforts need to be done by families. Likewise for children with special needs. The article aims to explain family effort in preventing COVID-19 on children with special needs. Method: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify papers on family efforts to prevent COVID-19 in children with special needs using the PubMed databases between 1st of January and 31st of December 2020. The search identified 15 relevant scientific papers.

Where there was no COVID-19: strengthening health systems response to disease threats in Tabora, Tanzania

Background: In May 2020, the international non-governmental organization Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) sought to enable health systems in Tanzania to address COVID-19 health response. CARE leveraged existing partnerships with the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children and the President's Office of Regional Administration and Local Government in the largest geographic region of Tanzania, Tabora Region. At the time, the government declared Tanzania to be free from COVID-19 and did not permit partners to implement COVID-19 programming. In this context, CARE implemented integrated health systems strengthening support for government response to not only COVID-19 but also other infectious diseases.

Confined community health: reflections and experiences from the local public health

This paper aims to share the reflections related to the community actions in which the Agencia de Salut Publica de Barcelona has been involved during the emergency of COVID-19. The tasks carried out can be arranged in three stages, frequently overlapping: detection of needs and problems;contact with key stakeholders to assess what to do and how to do it;adaptation of the interventions to the "new normal" and generation of new responses. The emerging problems included: not being able to do the confinement (due to homelessness, material conditions, living in a situation of violence);digital gap (lack of knowledge, devices, access to Wifi);greater exposure to COVID-19 in the essential but precarious, feminized and racialized jobs (care, cleaning, food shops) that are the most frequent in the neighborhoods in where we work;language and cultural barriers that preclude to follow recommendations;to lose employment;insufficient income to cover basic needs;social isolation;and the deterioration of emotional health caused by the situation. During the process, some interventions were adapted to be delivered on-line. Solidarity networks and local resources were key to meet basic needs, but also other needs related to lack of digital knowledge or device. Community action in health, from a critical, intersectional and local perspective, and with intersectoral work and community participation, can contribute to: facilitate a contextualized response in the event of a health crisis;mitigate the effects derived from its economic and social crisis.

Parental perceptions of increased child-to- parent violence of Spanish adolescents during COVID-19 lockdown

Background: Internationally, there was a warning of the risk of increased domestic violence during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including child-to-parent violence. The objective of our study was to assess the prevalence of different violent behaviors from children to parents during pre-lockdown, lockdown and immediately after, between March 14 and June 20, 2020, and to assess differences in behaviors between pre-lockdown and lockdown and between pre-lockdown and post-lockdown.

Psychosocial impact of COVID-19 in the area of sexual and reproductive health

Introduction:COVID-19 due to its global dimension and the strong changes it has generated in the dynamics of life has become a phenomenon with repercussions in all social contexts and in individual or collective psychology, to which sexual and reproductive health does not escape.

The impact of COVID-19 response measures on the quality of life for children in the Eastern Mediterranean Region using an exposome approach: a narrative review

Background: There is a consensus that children's needs have not been sufficiently prioritized during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their right to a safe and healthy childhood has been compromised to an extent, worldwide. A comprehensive assessment of population- and individual-level changes associated with COVID-19 and its pandemic response measures could be undertaken using the human exposome concept. The exposome is defined as the totality of environmental exposures from conception onwards, including the endogenous response. The objective of this study was to conduct a narrative review using an exposome approach exploring short-term changes in the children's exposome profile (< 18 years old) associated with the COVID-19 measures implemented in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR).

Extent and causes of increased domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic: community health worker perspectives from Kenya, Bangladesh, and Haiti

Background: Emerging data, media reports, and anecdotal evidence suggest that domestic violence (DV) has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, more detailed data are needed on the magnitude, forms, and causes of DV during COVID-19 in different contexts worldwide. We sought to contribute such evidence from the perspective of community health workers (CHWs) in low-middle income countries in three different regions of the world.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic and gender-based violence on uptake of HIV services in Touboro District Hospital, Cameroon

As we move towards HIV epidemic control in Cameroon, we strive to limit the number of new infections by maintaining on-treatment PWHIV. The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic may cause interruptions in HIV treatment and slow progression. COVID-19 control measures have caused;the lockdown of businesses, some health services, and imposed work from home, with intimate partners and more people spending longer hours together at home. As a consequence, there is an increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV). GBV can affect adherence to treatment in PWHIV and prevent them from accessing health services. The main objective of the study was to determine the effect of Covid-19 and GBV on the uptake of HIV services by assessing interruptions in treatment. Using a structured questionnaire, demographic data, Information on COVID-19 and intimate partner violence were obtained from 339 participants between 15 and 60 years old, taking HIV treatment at the Touboro district hospital. We used the Antiretroviral treatment register of the health facility to extract data on the frequency and duration of interruption in treatment. The Prevalence of intimate partner violence was high in our study participants, although interruption in treatment was only significant in respondents who reported verbal abuse. A strong association was observed between Covid 19 and interruption in treatment. There was equally an association between Covid-19 and an increase in intimate IPV. Other Socio-demographic variables found to affect interruption in treatment were level of Education of the partner, Age difference with intimate partner greater than 10 years, and early years on antiretroviral therapy. According to the study, Both Gender-based violence (IPV) and Covid-19 affect interruption in antiretroviral treatment.

We are not a stereotype: co-creating resources centering Asian American and pacific islander histories. (Special Issue: Snapshot: documenting museum education during intersecting pandemics.)

The dual pandemic that started in 2020, COVID-19 and events revealing systemic racism, has increased awareness about violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across the United States. This article describes how the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, a "museum without walls," collaborated with a group of educators to co-create video resources for teaching and learning AAPI histories and stories.