ABSTRACT
AIMS: This study aimed to describe and understand the individual and social dimensions of resiliency among Iranian academics as professionals during the early wave of the ongoing pandemic. Furthermore, we aimed to emphasize the cultural context in our analysis. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. We used convenient sampling, administered through an online survey, among academics at Iranian universities (n = 196, 75% women). We employed the CD-RISC 2 instrument, items on life meaning, and a modified version of Pargament's RCOPE instrument (Meaning, Control, Comfort/Spirituality, Intimacy/Spirituality, and Life Transformation). RESULTS: The results revealed a strong level of resilience among men (M = 5.78) and women (M = 5.52). Self-rated health was rated as excellent, very good, or good among a majority (92%) of the participants, more so among men. Family was one of the factors that most strongly gave life meaning, followed by friends, work/school, and religion/spirituality. There was a strong correlation between self-rated health and life as part of a greater whole, being alone, and listening to the sounds of the surrounding nature. CONCLUSIONS: Both personal and social levels of resilience and meaning-making are seen in the results, with an ability to balance between obstacles and resources. Cultural practices are interdependent, which also include the individual and social dimensions of resiliency and meaning-making.
Subject(s)
Resilience, Psychological , Male , Humans , Female , Cross-Sectional Studies , Iran , Universities , Adaptation, Psychological , PandemicsABSTRACT
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic (Cucinotta and Vanelli, 2020). While rates of psychological stress surged for all Americans in the weeks following this declaration, Census Bureau data suggested significant increases in endorsement of depressive and anxiety symptoms for Black 11 In this entry, Black and African American are utilized interchangeably, or if dictated by the citation source. and Asian Americans in the week following the public release of the death of George Floyd, a Black man whose neck was kneeled upon by a police officer. Data from the Pew Research Center indicated that 31% of Asian Americans experienced racial slurs of jokes in the 4 months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given both concerns of antagonistic attitudes and differential treatment occupy the realities of many Black People, Indigenous People, and People of Color (BIPOC) and health concerns amid a public health crisis has led some to refer to this moment of history as a "double pandemic.” The second "pandemic” to which scholars, clinicians, and clergy refer is the indelible legacy of racism, a pernicious system of prejudice, discrimination, and oppression that has operated for centuries. Indeed, though over two decades have passed since Dr. Shelly Harrell's treatise on the impact of racism on the lives of people of color, her admonition that racism is "alive and sick” is sagacious, even if unnerving (Harrell, 2000, p. 42). As a system, racism can exert stress that threatens the health and wellbeing of BIPOC individuals. Consistent with the biopsychosocial framing of this volume, the impairment of racism-related stress can manifest physically and psychologically. Moreover, given the socio-cognitive development of children and adolescents, the sequelae of racism-related stress can be particularly damaging, with differential exposure and impact depending on the intersections of various social identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender identity, socioeconomic standing). Despite the deleterious nature of racism-related stress, research also has elucidated a number of protective factors that moderate and mediate the pathway between racism-related stress and health for children and adolescents. In this entry, we (a) outline racism-related stress (RRS) in its multiple forms;(b) elucidate the most common health outcomes associated with RRS for BIPOC youth;(c) briefly introduce several moderators in the RRS to youth health pathway;and (d) discuss a number of developmental and intersectional considerations that influence the qualitative experiences of this pathway. Throughout the entry, we pay special attention to the ways in which these various factors operate at the neighborhood and community levels. Lastly, this entry concludes with a critical commentary. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a collective trauma for the world population. Psychoanalytic literature has long proposed that dreams are a key point of access for understanding the deepest functioning of the mind. Using the multiple code theory (Bucci, 1993) as a framework, this study aims to explore the emotional and cognitive responses of the general population to COVID-19 through their dreams. A total of 613 dreams were collected in an online survey. Linguistic measures of referential process and a cluster analysis were performed, then one-way analyses of variance explored the differences in content among dreams' clusters according to the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Analysis suggested three dream clusters: Cluster A (N = 255) defines an arousal activation;Cluster B (N = 121) defines a phase of symbolization;Cluster C (N = 237) defines a phase of reflection/reorganization. The content analysis of LIWC presents significant differences among the three clusters (p < .05): Cluster A, compared to Cluster C, included less use of the term "we," more frequent reference to others, and more frequent use of words denoting certainty;Cluster B included more words of negation and more use of both the present tense and the verb "to have";Cluster C included less use of words referring to wishes and illusions. These results show differentiated functions of dreams in response to the pandemic experience, underlining the importance of dreams in the processing of this collective trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (Chinese) 2019(COVID-19)-,COVID-19613(RP),ANOVAs,(LIWC),:A(N = 255);B(N = 121);C(N = 237) /LIWC(p<.05):C,A"","";B"";C, (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a collective trauma for the world population. Psychoanalytic literature has long proposed that dreams are a key point of access for understanding the deepest functioning of the mind. Using the multiple code theory (Bucci, 1993) as a framework, this study aims to explore the emotional and cognitive responses of the general population to COVID-19 through their dreams. A total of 613 dreams were collected in an online survey. Linguistic measures of referential process and a cluster analysis were performed, then one-way analyses of variance explored the differences in content among dreams' clusters according to the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Analysis suggested three dream clusters: Cluster A (N = 255) defines an arousal activation;Cluster B (N = 121) defines a phase of symbolization;Cluster C (N = 237) defines a phase of reflection/reorganization. The content analysis of LIWC presents significant differences among the three clusters (p < .05): Cluster A, compared to Cluster C, included less use of the term "we," more frequent reference to others, and more frequent use of words denoting certainty;Cluster B included more words of negation and more use of both the present tense and the verb "to have";Cluster C included less use of words referring to wishes and illusions. These results show differentiated functions of dreams in response to the pandemic experience, underlining the importance of dreams in the processing of this collective trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (Chinese) 2019(COVID-19)-,COVID-19613(RP),ANOVAs,(LIWC),:A(N = 255);B(N = 121);C(N = 237) /LIWC(p<.05):C,A"","";B"";C, (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Meaning-making is an important component in the psychological recovery from collective traumas. However, not enough is known about what individual differences might facilitate meaning-oriented approaches to coping and recovering from traumas. We predicted that free will beliefs, which afford people the perception of volitional autonomy over their actions, would be an important antecedent to sense-making and meaning-focused coping. We tested this conceptual hypothesis in the context of two distinct collective traumas. In Study 1 (n = 342), the comprehension facet of meaning in life (which is the facet most related to sense-making) mediated the relationship between free will beliefs and lower psychological distress related to the COVID-19 global pandemic. In Study 2 (n = 571), meaning-focused coping, but not other coping styles, mediated the relationship between free will beliefs and psychological recovery (i.e., lower distress over time) in a longitudinal sample collected in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. We interpreted our findings as robust support for our hypothesis, the strength of which is bolstered by the distinct settings and methodologies with which the data were collected. We conclude by discussing our results in relation to the view that free will beliefs afford a more agentic approach to meaning-making, which ultimately facilities more effective psychological recovery from collective trauma. © 2022
ABSTRACT
This article discusses pathways for personal transformation in the context of physician burnout and the collective trauma related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The article explores polyagal theory, posttraumatic growth concepts, and leadership frameworks as pathways for change. It is both practical and theoretical in its approach and offers a paradigm for transformation in a parapandemic world.
Subject(s)
Burnout, Professional , COVID-19 , Physicians , Humans , Pandemics , Burnout, Professional/epidemiology , LeadershipABSTRACT
In this article, we share findings from a qualitative case study of a virtual youth photovoice program implemented across three regions of the United States. The purpose of the program was to engage youth in research on a social issue relevant to them during an unprecedented year marked by two public health crises, COVID-19 and anti-Black racial violence. Results of an analysis of curriculum and archival program materials lend support for online strategies for youth engagement including individualized support and online audiovisual presentations with avatars. Racial justice and trauma-informed adaptations were designed to be responsive to youth needs for flexible programming and safe spaces. Themes captured in the first online gallery of youth photos include (1) tools for mental health, (2) meaningful connection, and (3) community advocacy, bringing attention to structural issues as well as family and community strengths. Findings suggest photovoice can be thoughtfully adapted for youth researchers and support individual and group storytelling in response to collective trauma.
ABSTRACT
Congregations throughout the nation are often the first responders when an individual or family needs extra support and care after a traumatic experience. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, church leaders were tasked with providing extra pastoral care in a unique way that kept every individual physically safe. A survey was completed to learn more about the educational preparedness of pastors specific to trauma, frequency of conversations about trauma before and during COVID-19, competency of church leaders before and during COVID-19, and experiences of collective trauma within congregations. This article focuses on the results of that survey to bring awareness to the lived experiences of church leaders and congregants when dealing with trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Meaning-making is an important component in the psychological recovery from collective traumas. However, not enough is known about what individual differences might facilitate meaning-oriented approaches to coping and recovering from traumas. We predicted that free will beliefs, which afford people the perception of volitional autonomy over their actions, would be an important antecedent to sense-making and meaning-focused coping. We tested this conceptual hypothesis in the context of two distinct collective traumas. In Study 1 (n = 342), the comprehension facet of meaning in life (which is the facet most related to sense-making) mediated the relationship between free will beliefs and lower psychological distress related to the COVID-19 global pandemic. In Study 2 (n = 571), meaning-focused coping, but not other coping styles, mediated the relationship between free will beliefs and psychological recovery (i.e., lower distress over time) in a longitudinal sample collected in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. We interpreted our findings as robust support for our hypothesis, the strength of which is bolstered by the distinct settings and methodologies with which the data were collected. We conclude by discussing our results in relation to the view that free will beliefs afford a more agentic approach to meaning-making, which ultimately facilities more effective psychological recovery from collective trauma.
ABSTRACT
The present study aims to explore how the Covid-19 pandemic was experienced by young adults, a demographic that has often been defined at high psychopathological risk. In the context of an action research, the study set out to provide the participants with a protected space in which they could be heard, and potentially re-process their experience through the construction of their testimonial narration. A semi-structured interview was developed to retrace the phases of the pandemic, i.e., March 2020 (lockdown), summer 2020, fall/winter 2020 (pandemic wave II), and the beginning of 2021 (vaccine plan), as they were experienced by 23 participants (18-30 years old). The interviews were transcribed and analyzed according to the structural principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four superordinate themes emerged: "The impossible in a very short time", "Things were better when times were harder", "I control... therefore I am and will be" and "Ambivalence". The traumatic impact of the pandemic was perceived in all the phases explored, especially during the second wave. The analysis of the testimonial narrations highlighted the main difficulties encountered during that time, the resources used to deal with them, a symmetrization of the respondents' relationship with their parents, their relationship with the Covid-19 infodemic, and a progressive decrease in institutional trust. While the size of the sample is consistent with the methodology used, it constitutes the main limitation of the project. This research should be seen as the initial phase of a larger study, which aims to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on young adults using quantitative methods.
ABSTRACT
(Chinese) 2019(COVID-19)-,COVID-19613(RP),ANOVAs,(LIWC),:A(N = 255);B(N = 121);C(N = 237) /LIWC(p<.05):C,A"","";B"";C, (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic affects mental health and sleep, resulting in frequent nightmares. Therefore, identifying factors associated with nightmare frequency is important, as it can indicate mental health issues. The study aimed to investigate increases in nightmare frequency comparing the pre-pandemic and pandemic period, and identify its risk factors. Further, the mediating role of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms between the pandemic and nightmares is explored. Patients and Methods: For this cross-sectional survey data were obtained via self-rating online survey (ICOSS: details in Partinen et al, 2021), which was open to anyone older than 18 years. The final volunteer sample consisted of 15,292 participants, divided according to their nightmare frequency (high: ≥1-2 nights/week; low: <1-2 nights/week). A total of 9100 participants were excluded if answers on variables of interest were missing or receiving rewards for participation. Chi-square tests identified changes of nightmare frequency. Predictors of high nightmare frequency were assessed using logistic regression and presented as Odds Ratios. Post-hoc mediation models were used to investigate the role of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Results: The mean age was 41.63 (SD=16.55) with 64.05% females. High nightmare frequency increased significantly from 13.24% to 22.35% during the pandemic. Factors associated with it included self-reported PTSS (OR=2.11), other mental disorders and various sleep disorders or problems. Financial burden due to the pandemic, confinement, having had COVID-19, and work situation during the pandemic were associated with nightmare frequency, those relations were partly mediated through PTSS. Conclusion: Our results display the pandemic influence on nightmare frequency, which in turn connects to multiple mental health and sleep factors. These relations were partly mediated through PTSS. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have caused traumatization of a substantial proportion of society. Health care workers should consider nightmares in their screening routines, as it might indicate PTSS and/or other mental and sleep disorders.
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Background: Youth-serving organizations in the United States provide programs, activities, and opportunities for young people before school, during school, after school, in summer, and on weekends. At the core of youth-serving organizations are the adults; that is, youth development staff. Objective: In this explanatory sequential mixed methods study we explored youth development staff's stress and worries, their compassion satisfaction, and whether stress and compassion satisfaction varied by race/ethnicity and gender during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic - a collective trauma event. Methods: We surveyed 283 youth development staff and interviewed a subset of 25. Results: Results suggest that youth development staff experienced stress and compassion satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: We recommend organizational leaders provide youth development staff with support before a collective trauma event. They can work to change, add, or remove policies, practices, and routines to help decrease stress and increase compassion satisfaction. In addition, based on our results from this study our primary recommendation specific to collective trauma events, after taking care of their own personal wellness, is for youth development staff to focus on what is in their control and work to do those things for as many young people as they can.
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The spread of COVID-19 has led to many public health challenges including detrimental mental and physical health outcomes. For an eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)-certified therapist who primarily treats a population with an underlying diagnosis of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD), this social phenomenon has presented many ethical and clinical challenges. The continued advancements in technology have promoted a rise in the development and utilization of mobile health applications such as those using EMDR techniques to facilitate the therapeutic process. However, research measuring the efficacy and safety of these applications is limited, particularly for clients who present with complex posttraumatic conditions and associated comorbidities. In this time of collective trauma, virtual EMDR has progressed from an emerging trend to a necessary clinical adaptation. This composite case study illustrates a personal reflection of the adaptation of EMDR to teletherapy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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No one has escaped the impact of the global pandemic of COVID-19. The threat of injury and death anticipated by its spread, coupled with institutions' and individuals' limited agency in halting its course, represents a traumatic experience of unparalleled proportions. Providing mental health services during this period has been both challenging and rewarding. Through a combination of personal reflection, application of clinical concepts, and case material, this chapter examines how the pandemic and the consequent exposure of health disparities affect the intersubjective sphere of the therapeutic relationship and how adaptations to the frame impact the holding environment for patients. Several case illustrations are provided to illustrate these effects upon the therapist, the client, and the quality of the connection between client and therapist. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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COVID-19, as a global collective trauma, poses unique challenges for clinicians, especially those working with victims of domestic violence. Despite the documented rise in domestic violence incidents, seeking help while at home with an abuser remains difficult, if not near impossible. In addition to heightened security concerns for clients, the shared trauma, or shared traumatic reality, faced by clinicians has created unforeseen challenges with boundaries and the therapeutic relationship. Applying the literature to my personal experience in the months since COVID-19 reshaped our norms will demonstrate that times of such challenge also have positive aspects and can create posttraumatic growth, benefitting both the client and the professional. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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The COVID-19 pandemic has become known as the greatest crisis of our lifetime, bringing about psychological, physical, and social distress to us individually, collectively, nationally, and globally. Social workers are skilled in supporting complex trauma, pain, and loss, yet doing so while simultaneously suffering from the same distress is not common practice. Social workers in health care have been uniquely and gravely impacted by this pandemic, often on the front lines, confronted face-to-face with the trauma of COVID-19, all the while supporting patients, colleagues, healthcare staff, families, and friends in parallel through their own suffering. The reflections that follow are a culmination of living through the COVID-19 pandemic as a social work leader in a New York City (NYC) hospital, with NYC being the first national epicenter of this pandemic. The existential distress of this shared trauma drives us to search for sources of meaning and hope through the pain and suffering. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The present study is designed to improve our understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as collective trauma, on the wellbeing of survivors of sexual violence (SV). The data are based on an online qualitative survey about the experiences of 39 survivors and a thematic analysis of ten in-depth interviews with service providers in Israel. The findings reveal that the pandemic and restrictive measures are associated with increased risk for participants' wellbeing, caused directly by pandemic characteristics, as well as indirectly through the denial of access to coping resources. Paradoxically, the pandemic also offers relief, given the widespread restrictions imposed on the entire population and the general crisis atmosphere. The service providers' perspective indicates an increased demand for services as well as for their adjustment. These findings highlight the vulnerability of individuals with a history of SV and the need for accommodation of frontline SV services for health crises.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Disasters , Sex Offenses , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , Pandemics , SurvivorsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Prevalence estimates of COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have ranged from 1% to over 60% in the general population. Individuals with lived experience of a psychiatric disorder may be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19-related PTSD but this has received inadequate attention. METHODS: Participants were 1571 adults with lived experience of psychiatric disorder who took part in a longitudinal study of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. PTSD was assessed by the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) anchored to the participant's most troubling COVID-19-related experiencevent. Factors hypothesised to be associated with traumatic stress symptoms were investigated by linear regression. RESULTS: 40.10% of participants perceived some aspect of the pandemic as traumatic. 5.28% reported an ICD-11 PTSD qualifying COVID-19 related traumatic exposure and 0.83% met criteria for probable ICD-11 COVID-19-related PTSD. Traumatic stress symptoms were associated with younger age, lower income, lower social support, and financial worries, and lived experience of PTSD/complex PTSD. Depression and anxiety measured in June 2020 predicted traumatic stress symptoms at follow-up approximately 20 weeks later in November 2020. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find evidence of widespread COVID-19-related PTSD among individuals with lived experience of a psychiatric disorder. There is a need for future research to derive valid prevalence estimates of COVID-19-related PTSD.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic , Adult , Humans , International Classification of Diseases , Longitudinal Studies , Pandemics , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychologyABSTRACT
Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic represents an instance of collective trauma across the globe; as such, it is unique to our lifetimes. COVID-19 has made clear systemic disparities in terms of access to healthcare and economic precarity. Our objective was to examine the mental health repercussions of COVID-19 on adult females living in Fort McMurray, Canada in light of their unique circumstances and challenges. Method: To investigate this issue, we analyzed responses gathered from an anonymous cross-section of online survey questionnaire responses gathered from females living in the Fort McMurray area (n = 159) during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 24-June 2, 2021). This included relevant demographic, mental health history, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as COVID-19 data. Chi-squared analysis was used to determine outcome relevance, and binary logistic regression was employed to generate a model of susceptibility to PTSD. Results: 159 females completed the survey. The prevalence of putative PTSD in our sample was 40.8%. A regression analysis revealed 4 variables with significant, unique contributions to PTSD. These were: a diagnosis of depression; a diagnosis of anxiety; job loss due to COVID-19; and lack of support from family and friends. Specifically, women with a previous diagnosis of either depression or anxiety were ~4-5 times more likely to present with PTSD symptomatology in the wake of COVID-19 (OR = 3.846; 95% CI: 1.13-13.13 for depression; OR = 5.190; 95% CI: 1.42-19.00 for anxiety). Women who reported having lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic were ~5 times more likely to show evidence of probable PTSD (OR = 5.182; 95% CI: 1.08-24.85). Receiving inadequate support from family and friends made the individual approximately four times as likely to develop probable PTSD (OR = 4.258; 95% CI: 1.24-14.65), while controlling for the other variables in the regression model. Conclusions: Overall, these results support our hypothesis that volatility in factors such as social support, economic stability, and mental health work together to increase the probability of women developing PTSD in response to a collective trauma such as COVID-19.