Prevalence and factors associated with healthcare avoidance during the COVID-19 pandemic among the Sámi in Sweden: the SámiHET study.

The aim of this population-based cross-sectional study was to assess the prevalence of healthcare avoidance during the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated factors among the Sámi population in Sweden. Data from the "Sámi Health on Equal Terms" (SámiHET) survey conducted in 2021 were used. Overall, 3,658 individuals constituted the analytical sample. Analysis was framed using the social determinants of health framework. The association between healthcare avoidance and several sociodemographic, material, and cultural factors was explored through log-binomial regression analyses. Sampling weights were applied in all analyses. Thirty percent of the Sámi in Sweden avoided healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sámi women (PR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.36-1.70), young adults (PR: 1.22, 95% CI:1.05-1.47), Sámi living outside Sápmi (PR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03-1.34), and those having low income (PR: 1.42, 95% CI:1.19-1.68) and experiencing economic stress (PR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.31-1.67) had a higher prevalence of healthcare avoidance. The pattern shown in this study can be useful for planning future pandemic responses, which should address healthcare avoidance, particularly among the identified vulnerable groups, including the active participation of the Sámi themselves.

Visual analysis of the trend of mental health changes among Chinese college students in the context of the normalisation of the new crown epidemic

Public health events are sudden, public in nature and have serious social hazards. The COVID-19 outbreak coincided with the Lunar New Year, which had a direct or indirect impact on all areas of society. Previous studies related to emergencies have found that a considerable number of college students lacked experience in dealing with emergencies, were not emotionally stable enough, lacked analysis and decision-making ability, were easily suggestible and acted more impulsively. Therefore, in this paper, based on the existing actual information, combined with the awareness and understanding of college students' mental health, and based on the existing research results, the Hopfield-mental health model is used as a theoretical basis to study the trend of changes in college students' mental health. The results of the study show that 83.21% of the people are more concerned about the situation of this new crown pneumonia epidemic and they think that the new crown epidemic has seriously affected their living habits;65.45% thought that this new crown pneumonia epidemic did not have any major impact on their school life. The five sources of psychological stress, including academic, employment, economic, interpersonal relationship and love, were calculated and analysed in the model, which showed that employment stress, academic stress and economic stress were the largest sources of psychological stress among college students in this new pneumonia epidemic, accounting for 89%, 81% and 93%, respectively. They were followed by interpersonal and romantic stress, with 31% and 52%, respectively. © 2022 Liping Zhang.

Examining Mental Health, Academic, and Economic Stressors During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Community College and 4-Year University Students

Objective: The COVID-19 global pandemic has created severe, long-lasting challenges to college students in the United States (US). In the present study, we assessed mental health symptomatology (depression, anxiety, life stress), academic challenges, and economic stress during the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. Method: A total sample of 361 college students (Mage = 22.26, SD = 5.56) was gathered from a community college (N = 134) and mid-size public university (N = 227) in Southwest US, both designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions. Results: Pearson and point biserial correlations indicated associations between mental health symptomatology, academic challenges, and economic stress, including expected delays in graduation. Multivariate analysis revealed that community college students had statistically significantly higher scores on anxiety F(1, 312) = 5.27, p = .02, η p 2  = .01 than 4-year university students, as well as key differences with respect to academic challenges. Chi Square analyses revealed that Latinx families experienced greater economic hardships, including job loss or reduced work hours (χ2 (1, N = 361) = 28.56, p = .00) than other ethnic/racial groups. Conclusions/Contributions: Findings revealed that community college students faced disparately negative mental health symptomatology, academic challenges, and economic stress during the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. Further, Latinx students' families experienced significant economic hardship that may have impacted students' academic progress and future planning. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Community College Review is the property of Sage Publications Inc. 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 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 . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Economic Stress, Employee Commitment, and Subjective Well-Being

COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented health and economic crises across the world. Millions of businesses have been obliged to shut down, and millions of jobs have been lost. These effects have created a very severe economic-related stress level, which can have consequences on psychological well-being (PWB) and economic commitment (EC). This study examined the relationships between objective and subjective indicators of income-related stress and employment-related stress and PWB and EC. The 697 participants were contacted during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample includes private-sector employees, civil service employees, self-employed, furloughed employees, and unemployed. Results show that the economic stress produced by COVID-19, as estimated by a compound of objective and subjective income-and employment-related stress, produced a negative effect on PWB (r = .21, p < .001) and EC (r = .29, p < .001). Multiple regression showed that subjective income-related stress was the main predictor of PWB, positive affect, and negative affect and that economic deprivation and objective employment-related stress were the predictors of EC and its three components, affective, normative, and continuity. Finally, the contribution and some practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Lockup periods during lockdown periods in the context of Brazilian funds

This article aimed to test the effect of lockup periods on the performance of Brazilian equity funds and multimarket funds, considering the period affected by the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study contributes to better understanding the effects of redemption restrictions imposed on quotaholders, a relevant subject considering the increase in the number of funds in Brazil. This effect is analyzed with particular focus on the period affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study have implications for individual and professional investors and may also interest large families of Brazilian funds, given that the establishment of lockup periods forms part of a long-Term decision. The research has the potential to impact planning in the fund industry, the financial planning of small and large investors, as well as the literature on the subject, motivating the undertaking of new research. The sample was composed of 17,417 Brazilian funds, 13,581 of which were multimarket funds and 3,836 were equity funds, covering the period from January of 2018 to December of 2021. Various subsamples were evaluated for robustness purposes. The hypotheses were tested using a difference-in-difference model operationalized through a panel. Fund performance was estimated every quarter based on the four-factor alpha. The main results of the study reveal that lockup periods were positively associated with fund performance. On the other hand, during the period negatively affected by COVID-19, funds with greater lockup periods did not record better performance than the other funds (considering in the comparison the performance of groups with a shorter lockup and that of the funds before the pandemic), a result that may advance the discussion on the effects of redemption restrictions. © 2023 Universidade de Sao Paulo. All rights reserved.

Financial stability and monetary policy of the Central Bank of West African Countries: a Markov-Switching model

Purpose This paper aims to examine the response of monetary policy to financial instability in the West African Economic and Monetary Union.Design/methodology/approach Through annual aggregated data from 1970 to 2019, the empirical strategy is based on the Markov regime-switching model with fixed probabilities.Findings The results revealed that the monetary policy of the central bank of the West African Economic and Monetary Union is characterized by two regimes (calm and distress) with respect to the trend of financial stability. The authors also found that the occurrence of the calm regime was likely greater than that of the distress regime. In addition, the calm regime is longer than the distress regime. The authors finally revealed that the central bank reacts to financial instability risk by increasing its short-term interest rate when financial instability reaches a threshold.Research limitations/implications The limitation of this study is the unavailability of monthly or quarterly data that are more suitable for the methodological approach adopted.Originality/value This study is the one to estimate the response of the Central Bank of West African Countries to financial stress using a novel approach based on the Markov-Switching regression.

Religion vs ethics: hedge and safe haven properties of Sukuk and green bonds for stock markets pre- and during COVID-19

PurposeThis study aims to examine the hedge and safe-haven properties of the Sukuk and green bond for the stock markets pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic period.Design/methodology/approachTo test the hedge and safe-haven characteristics of Sukuk and green bonds for stock markets, the study first uses the methodology proposed by Ratner and Chiu (2013). Next, the authors estimate the hedge ratios and hedge effectiveness of using Sukuk and green bonds in a portfolio with stock markets.FindingsStrong safe-haven features of ethical (green) bonds reveal that adding green bonds into the investment portfolios brings considerable diversification avenues for the investors who tend to take fewer risks in periods of economic stress and turbulence. The hedge ratio and hedge effectiveness estimates reveal that green bonds provide sufficient evidence of the hedge effectiveness for various international stocks.Practical implicationsThe study has significant implications for faith-based investors, ethical investors, policymakers and regulatory bodies. Religious investors can invest in Sukuk to relish low-risk and interest-free investments, whereas green investors can satisfy their socially responsible motives by investing in these investment streams. Policymakers can direct the businesses to include these diversifiers for portfolio and risk management.Originality/valueThe study provides novel insights in the testing hedge and safe-haven attributes of green bonds and Sukuk while using unique methodologies to identify multiple low-risk investors for investors following the uncertain COVID-19 pandemic.

Financial stress spillover network across Asian countries in the context of COVID-19

Using the dynamic connectedness framework of Antonakakis et al. (2020), this paper explores the financial stress spillover characteristic across nine Asian countries during major economic, political and public health emergency events, especially during COVID-19. We first find a substantial increase in the intensity of total financial stress spillover across nine Asian countries during COVID-19. Second, there are clear differences in the financial stress spillover networks across Asian countries during different economic and political events. In particular, in the first three months after the outbreak of COVID-19, there was considerable month-to-month variation in the financial stress spillover network. Singapore and Japan are the major net transmitter and receiver of financial stress shocks, respectively, during all considered events. During COVID-19, China, as the first country to detect and contain COVID-19, is the strongest net financial stress shock receiver in March 2020, but transmitted net financial stress shocks in February 2020, when the epidemic in China is serious.

Assessing the impact of media sentiment on the returns of sukuks during the Covid-19 crisis

The wavelet approach covering simultaneously the time and frequency domains is employed to study the impact of the Covid-19 coverage in mass media on the performance of the Dow Jones Sukuk investment grade total return indices. The overall coherence level for the media-coverage – sukuk pairs is found to increase with the investment horizon. Multiple time-frequency regions with low level of coherence, observable along the Covid-19 systemic crisis, imply attractive diversification attributes of investing in Islamic fixed-income securities especially in times of financial stress and turmoil. We investigate coherence and phase difference patterns, which differ for distinct maturity buckets of the Sukuk indices, further highlighting their potentiality for the downside risk hedge, workable under economic and financial distress.

Worry and Psychosomatic Problems Among Adolescents in Sweden in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Unequal Patterns Among Sociodemographic Groups?

PURPOSE: To analyze potential associations between sociodemographic factors and adolescents' worry about family finances and other types of worries during the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential associations between different worry themes and psychosomatic problems. METHODS: From December 2020 to March 2021, 3,068 16-17 years old students in Sweden completed a questionnaire about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their schooling and everyday life. From April to June 2020, 70% of these students also responded to questions about their psychosomatic health. Logistic regression was applied to analyze the associations between sociodemographic factors and different worry themes and estimate the association between worry and psychosomatic problems. RESULTS: Across all 13 worry themes, girls reported worry to a higher degree than boys. In most of the cases, adolescents with a lower parental educational background or immigrant background reported more frequent worrying. This was most evident for worry about family finances. The differences between adolescents with a Swedish background and those with a foreign background were large except for worry about climate change. All worry themes were associated with the students' psychosomatic health. Those who often or always experienced worry were more likely to report psychosomatic problems. Worry about family finances showed the highest odds ratio and marginal effect. DISCUSSION: Worry about family finances during the COVID-19 pandemic turns out to be a strong and socially structured stressor that may widen the health inequalities among young people. This underlines the need for preventive and promoting measures aimed at supporting socioeconomic disadvantaged groups.

Pathways from economic hardship to couple conflict by socioeconomic status during COVID-19 in Korea.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect relationships among economic hardship, economic strain, emotional stress, and couple conflict for married Koreans during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, we investigated whether these pathways were different between lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Background: Due to the global economic downturn brought on by COVID-19, many couples experienced economic hardship including increased household debt, job loss, and reduced work hours. This context provides a valuable opportunity to test the family stress model (FSM) of romantic relationships, which explains the indirect pathways from economic hardship to couple-level outcomes. Method: We collected the data using an online survey in May 2020, when the Seoul metropolitan area experienced the first surge of COVID-19 cases. The sample came from 605 married Korean adults (282 women, 323 men) and was analyzed using multigroup path analysis. Results: Among the three markers of economic hardship, increased household debt had a stronger association with couple conflict for lower SES respondents directly and indirectly through elevated economic strain and emotional distress. The total effects of job loss and reduced work hours on more frequent couple conflict were stronger for the higher SES group. Conclusion: The process from the three markers of economic hardship to couple conflict was different depending on socioeconomic resources. Implications: Family practitioners need to consider SES variations and to work with financial counselors to better support couples with both economic and relationship difficulties.

What Happened to Ethiopian Youth during the Covid-19 Pandemic? Evolved Risk Beliefs, Contributing Factors, and Lessons from the Global South

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate Ethiopian urban youth's changing risk beliefs, contributing factors, and global south lessons in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers conducted in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with urban youth in Ethiopia's East-Gojjam district. The findings revealed three major stages in the youth's risk perception: the high perceived risk stage associated with early pandemic outbreaks, the steady decline stage associated with economic stress that outweighed perceived health risk, and the zero risk stage when all safety measures appear to have been completely abandoned. The government's self-contradictory rhetoric and practice, the contradiction between religious teachings and scientific messages, and misinformation in social media are factors for the evolved risk beliefs. A major lesson from the global south is the active participation of key stakeholders in bridging the gap between government and society.

Assessing explanatory variables of perceived stress to disaster: implications for risk research

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to increase social, economic, and psychological risks, including increased perceived stress - or the degree to which a person perceives a stressor and their ability to cope with it. The current study uses novel data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess the role of a range of demographic and disaster-related experiential variables on perceived stress (n = 744). Hierarchical linear regression indicates that women experience greater perceived stress than men and as age and educational attainment increase, perceived stress decreases. Respondents experiencing rent/mortgage stress, job loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, anticipated reliance on others, and worry about ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on their physical health, the economy, and personal relationships also experience increased perceived stress. Results provide empirical evidence of risks stemming from the multiple concerns (i.e., financial, psychological, and physical health) of U.S. residents regarding the COVID-19 disaster. Findings indicate the need for policy and legislative actions, such as the U.S.-wide eviction moratorium, to support individuals suffering from multiple impacts from the pandemic and to reduce perceived stress and its attendant risks including increased incidents of posttraumatic stress and depression.

Female Migrant Street Prostitution during COVID-19 in Milan. A Qualitative Study on How Sex Workers Coped with the Challenges of the Pandemic

The article presents the outcome of a qualitative study on female migrant sex workers involved in street prostitution during the first two waves of COVID-19 in Italy, by focusing on their responses to the challenges posed by the pandemic in terms of economic strain and health hazards. The study, carried out from January 2020 to January 2021, has focused on the street sex market, given that this sector was particularly affected by mobility restrictions adopted during the pandemic, and on the city of Milan since it is one of the main hubs of human trafficking in Europe and one of the main sex markets in Italy, as well as one of the Italian cities most heavily hit by COVID-19. According to the findings of the empirical research - based on interviews and participant observation -, migrant women's experiences in the sex market during the pandemic show two concomitant elements, one referring to agency and the other to exploitation. This outcome has led us to put forward a third balanced theoretical perspective, between the two views polarizing the debate on sex trafficking - namely the "victimization approach" and the "critical approach" - that is grounded on the conceptual tool "layers of vulnerability" discussed in the bioethics debate.

COVID-19 Is Having a Devastating Impact on the Economic Well-being of Latino Families.

Latino Americans are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to contract COVID-19 and to face disproportionately high mortality rates when they contract the virus. What has not been well understood is the impact COVID-19 is having on the economic well-being of Latino families. Using the Abriendo Puertas/Latino Decisions National Parent Survey (1195), we asked Latino respondents how the pandemic has impacted their employment, savings, and finances and we also asked them how they have been coping to make ends meet. Using descriptive analysis and ordinal least squares regression, we find that Latinos are experiencing high job loss and business closures. We also find that young parents (18-29-year olds) and those with income levels of $25,000 or lower are experiencing the most economic stress. We also find that Latinos are having difficulty making housing payments and postponing educational and health-related services to make ends meet. We also find that just over half of Latinos have emergency savings under $1000 which is important given that unemployment benefits expired on July 31, 2020. In conclusion, this research finds that Latinos are experiencing economic stressors and are engaging in coping strategies that are deeply concerning and which require explicit attention from policymakers. Given that Latinos took the longest to recover from the Great Recession, policymakers should keep this in mind as we continue to monitor the implications of the recession, ideally looking at mechanisms to reduce the stress for Latino families and encourage policies which target low-income working class Americans and small business owners.

Unsafe at home: the increased trend of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

PurposeThe pandemic situation has increased the domestic violence rate against women and children significantly around the world. However, it is difficult to measure the accurate rate of increased domestic violence because of restrictions and limited mobility in accessing help and reporting. This paper aims to highlight the current situation of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and domestic violence in Bangladesh. It also states the challenges of the unprecedented situation and how to encounter increasing domestic violence cases.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is a viewpoint of the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic violence situation in Bangladesh. Accordingly, this paper includes a comprehensive literature review that summarises related articles and newspapers on domestic violence.FindingsBangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to COVID-19 because of its most dense population. Currently, the COVID-19 virus is spreading rapidly in all parts of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing domestic violence for women and girls. Because of the lockdown, financial stress and livelihood scarcity, domestic violence rates show an increasing tendency that should not be overlooked to ensure the safety and security of women and girls in Bangladesh.Originality/valueThis paper delivers information about the current situation of COVID-19 in Bangladesh and the challenges of domestic violence that have risen. This paper will be helpful to policymakers, government and non-government officials for developing effective social safety net interventions.

Suicidal ideation during COVID-19: The contribution of unique and cumulative stressors.

The link between large-scale disasters and population-level risk of suicide remains unclear. The present study sought to investigate suicidal ideation (SI) in relation to COVID-19 related stress, including material and social stress, in a predominantly low-SES ethno-racially diverse sample in New York City during a peak in COVID-19 cases in April 2020. Using binary logistic regressions of data collected with self-report surveys, we found that individuals who identified as Asian, as well as those with high total, material, and social stress levels, and persons without access to primary care providers had significantly higher adjusted odds of SI. These results indicate the specific burden faced by Asian participants due to increases in targeted racism, the importance of cumulative stress and specific stressor type, as well as the role of healthcare access on SI during the pandemic. Such findings suggest the need for specific interventions that target individuals who may be at higher risk of suicide after large-scale traumatic events and during the ongoing pandemic.

Understanding family life during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Objective: Our study investigates how changes in family contexts were associated with child behaviors during Ohio's COVID-19 shutdown of early 2020. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused major economic and social changes for families. Rapid research was conducted to assess these changes and their potential impacts on child behaviors. Method: Using a diverse sample of families with children aged birth to 9 years (N = 559), we describe key economic changes and parent-reported stressors experienced during Ohio's shutdown period. Then, we use regression models to examine how these family conditions were associated with child emotional distress and changes in sleep routines. Results: When parents experienced more total COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors, they also reported that their children exhibited more anxious and withdrawn, fearful, acting out, and COVID-19 pandemic-related behaviors (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Families and children living at home in Ohio experienced significant stress during the shutdown. These findings can be used to inform future studies of the social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for parents and children. Implications: Families and children have experienced multiple stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers and practitioners should continue to monitor and support families and children to mitigate potential lasting consequences.

Family Care, Economic Stress, and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Adults During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Difference by Urban and Rural Areas.

Background: Although several studies have shown an association of family care with a high level of depressive symptoms, the relationship between them remains indistinguishable. Objective: This study aims to examine the associations between family care, economic stress, and depressive symptoms among Chinese adults in urban and rural areas during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: Based on cross-sectional data collected through online surveys from February 1st to 10th 2020 in China the present study recruited 2,858 adults. It used multiple linear regression to examine the association between family care and depressive symptoms, while economic stress was examined as moderators on the above relationship. Results: The results showed that caring for both the elderly and children was significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms compared with non-caregivers (B = 2.584, 95%CI: 1.254, 3.915), and a similar result was also found in urban areas. Also, caring for the elderly only was also had a higher level of depressive symptoms than non-caregivers in rural areas (B = 3.135, 95%CI: 0.745, 5.525). Meeting the care needs was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms compared with unmet care needs, while for rural caregivers, the results were not significant. Besides, economic stress strengthened the effect of family care needs on depressive symptoms for sandwich-generation caregivers who provide care to both the elderly and children (B = 0.605, 95%CI: 0.077, 1.134). While in rural areas, the moderation effects of economic stress were only found for elderly caregivers (B = 1.106, 95%CI: 0.178, 2.035). Conclusion: These findings suggest that we should pay more attention to the family caregiver's mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, more effective policies should be developed to provide financial support for family caregivers, especially for sandwich-generation caregivers and rural elderly caregivers.

Intimate partner violence under forced cohabitation and economic stress: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the COVID-19 outbreak imposing stay at home and social distancing policies, warnings about the impact of lockdown and its economic consequences on domestic violence have surged. This paper disentangles the effect of forced cohabitation and economic stress on intimate partner violence. Using an online survey data set, we find a 23% increase of intimate partner violence during the lockdown. Our results indicate that the impact of economic consequences is twice as large as the impact of lockdown. We also find large but statistically imprecise estimates of a large increase of domestic violence when the relative position of the man worsens, especially in contexts where that position was already being threatened. We view our results as consistent with the male backlash and emotional cue effects.