Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of the stranded seafarers

PurposeThis study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being and mental health of the seafarers who had to overstay on ships after their contracts expired, identifies topics that affect their mental distress and recommends measures to overcome these.Design/methodology/approachFour research questions about the impacts on the seafarers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were raised. A literature review and a questionnaire survey were conducted to find answers. Ship officers were asked to assess and fill in the questionnaires for the stranded seafarers onboard in order to collect sufficient samples rapidly for this study.FindingsDespite the guidelines provided by the shipping companies being adequate to protect the seafarers from COVID-19, their mental distress levels have been worsened under the pandemic. The crew change crisis causes anxiety and negatively impacts on their working performance;however, the repatriation expectation of the stranded seafarers is of the highest concern. Three topics were identified as having impacts on the mental health of the stranded seafarers: crew change crisis, low vaccination rate and the lack of key worker recognition. While international stakeholders are advocating for support in these issues, the shipping companies and the seafarers need to do their parts to exacerbate the mental distress, and to survive and thrive beyond the pandemic.Originality/valueThe findings of this study will help the shipping companies to navigate the challenges and the seafarers to overcome issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploring the psychological impact of contact tracing work on staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Contact tracing is a key control measure in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While quantitative research has been conducted on the psychological impact of the pandemic on other frontline healthcare workers, none has explored the impact on contact tracing staff. METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted using two repeated measures with contact tracing staff employed in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic using two-tailed independent samples t tests and exploratory linear mixed models. RESULTS: The study sample included 137 contact tracers in March 2021 (T1) and 218 in September 2021 (T3). There was an increase from T1 to T3 in burnout related exhaustion (p < 0·001), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom scores (p < 0·001), mental distress (p < 0·01), perceived stress (p < 0·001) and tension and pressure (p < 0·001). In those aged 18-30, there was an increase in exhaustion related burnout (p < 0·01), PTSD symptoms (p < 0·05), and tension and pressure scores (p < 0·05). Additionally, participants with a background in healthcare showed an increase in PTSD symptom scores by T3 (p < 0·001), reaching mean scores equivalent to those of participants who did not have a background in healthcare. CONCLUSIONS: Contact tracing staff working during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced an increase in adverse psychological outcomes. These findings highlight a need for further research on psychological supports required by contact tracing staff with differing demographic profiles.

COVID-19-Related Fear and Mental Distress Among Tunisian Primary, Middle and High School Teachers: Prevalence and Predictive Factors.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictive factors of fear of COVID-19 and serious mental distress among teachers in public schools of Southern Tunisia. This was a cross sectional study among a representative sample of 525 teachers. The level of Fear was assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). A high level was defined as an FCV-19S ≥ 22. Kessler 6 (K6) was performed to predict serious mental distress. Serious mental distress was defined as a K6 score ≥ 13. The prevalence rates of high level of fear of COVID-19 and serious mental distress were 32.8% and 63.8%, respectively. Independent factors associated with a high level of fear of COVID-19 were female gender (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.6 [1.1-2.5]), chronic disease (AOR=1.6 [1.1-2.4]), home-living children (AOR=3.3 [1.4-7.8]), and poor material working conditions (AOR=1.5 [1.2-2.1]). The high level of fear of COVID-19 (AOR=3.1 [1.8-5.1]) was independently associated with serious mental distress. Living in a rural area (AOR=0.4 [0.3-0.8]), previous COVID-19 infection (AOR=0.5 [0.4-0.8]) and going to school on foot (AOR=0.3 [0.2-0.51]) were independently associated with a lower prevalence of serious mental distress.

Examining the predictive role of spiritual health and resilience in mental distress of nurses in COVID-19 wards in Iran

COVID-19 pandemic has triggered serious psychological problems mainly in the front-line healthcare staff. The aim of this study was to examine the predictive role of spiritual health and resilience in mental distress of nurses in COVID-19 wards in Iran. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 91 nurses working in COVID-19 wards in 2020. The results showed that 23.1% of nurses had mental distress. In addition, the correlation coefficient showed that there was a negative and significant relationship between spiritual health (r = -.22, p < .01) and resilience (r = -.34, p < .01) with mental distress. The regression results indicated that spiritual health and resilience predicted 16% of the variation in mental distress (p < .05). Spiritual health and resilience are important constructs of mental distress in nurses and significantly predict and elaborate parts of changes in mental distress. Thus, mental health in nurses can be improved by improving the spiritual aspect and resilience in nurses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Mental distress among Indonesian academic mothers during enforced remote working

Working from home as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19 has extensively impacted the mental health of academics worldwide. Interviewing 73 Indonesian academics who are also mothers, the current article investigates key impacts of mental distress among them during enforced remote working in the country, and how they encountered sociocultural stressors at home. This study found that the primary triggers for their mental distress included a problematic transition from office-based to home-based work, feelings of helplessness at home, and the use of multiple learning technologies at home. This paper discusses recommendations to aid problem-solving in this area. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Further & Higher Education is the property of Routledge 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.)

Mental distress of physicians in the outpatient care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: emotional and supportive human relations matter - Cross-sectional results of the VOICE-study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the course of self-reported mental distress and quality of life (QoL) of physicians, working in the outpatient care (POC). Outcomes were compared with a control group of physicians working in the inpatient care (PIC), throughout the Corona Virus Disease (COVID)-19 pandemic. The impact of risk and protective factors in terms of emotional and supportive human relations on mental distress and perceived QoL of POC were of primary interest. METHODS: Within the largest prospective, multi-center survey on mental health of health care workers (HCW), conducted during the first (T1) and second (T2) wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, we investigated the course of current burden (CB), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-2), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2) and QoL, cross-sectionally, in n = 848 POC (T1: n = 536, T2: n = 312). The primary outcomes were compared with an age- and gender-matchted control group of n = 458 PIC (T1: n = 262, T2: n = 196). COVID-19-, work-related, social risk and protective factors were examined. RESULTS: At T1, POC showed no significant differences with respect to CB, depression, anxiety, and QoL, after Bonferroni correction. Whereas at T2, POC exhibited higher scores of CB (Cohen´s d/ Cd = .934, p < .001), depression (Cd = 1.648, p < 001), anxiety (Cd = 1.745, p < .001), work-family conflict (Cd = 4.170, p < .001) and lower QoL (Cd = .891, p = .002) compared with PIC. Nearly all assessed parameters of burden increased from T1 to T2 within the cohort of POC (e.g. depression: CD = 1.580, p < .001). Risk factors for mental distress of POC throughout the pandemic were: increased work-family conflict (CB: ß = .254, p < .001, 95% CI: .23, .28; PHQ-2: ß = .139, p = .011, 95% CI: .09, .19; GAD-2: ß = .207, p < .001, 95% CI: .16, .26), worrying about the patients´ security (CB: ß = .144, p = .007, 95% CI: .07, .22; PHQ-2: ß = .150, p = .006, 95% CI: .00, .30), fear of triage situations (GAD-2: ß = .132, p = .010, 95% CI: -.04, .31) and burden through restricted social contact in spare time (CB: ß = .146, p = .003, 95% CI: .07, .22; PHQ-2: ß = .187, p < .001, 95% CI: .03, .34; GAD-2: ß = .156, p = .003, 95% CI: -.01, .32). Protective factors for mental distress and QoL were the perceived protection by local authorities (CB: ß = -.302, p < .001, 95% CI: -.39, -.22; PHQ-2: ß = -.190, p < . 001, 95% CI: -.36, -.02; GAD-2: ß = -.211, p < .001, 95% CI: -.40, -.03; QoL: ß = .273, p < .001, 95% CI: .18, .36), trust in colleagues (PHQ-2: ß = -.181, p < .001, 95% CI: -.34, -.02; GAD-2: ß = -.199, p < .001, 95% CI: -.37, -.02; QoL: ß = .124, p = .017, 95% CI: .04, .21) and social support (PHQ-2: ß = -.180, p < .001, 95% CI: -.22, -.14; GAD-2: ß = -.127, p = .014, 95% CI: -.17, -.08; QoL: ß = .211, p < .001, 95% CI: .19, .23). CONCLUSIONS: During the pandemic, the protective role of emotional and supportive human relations on the mental distress and quality of life of POC should be taken into account more thoroughly, both in practice and future research.

Effects of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020-2021.

To examine whether previous Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions had an added effect on the mental health of low-income adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. We use the 2017-2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. We use an event study difference-in-differences model to compare the number of days in poor mental health in the past 30 days and the likelihood of frequent mental distress among 18 to 64 year old individuals with household incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level who participated in BRFSS in one of the surveys from 2017 to 2021 and who resided in states that expanded Medicaid by 2016 or states that had not expanded by 2021. We also examine the heterogeneity of the expansion effects across subpopulation groups. We find some evidence that the Medicaid expansion was associated with better mental health during the pandemic for adults younger than 45, females, and non-Hispanic Black and other non-Hispanic non-White individuals. There is some evidence of an added benefit to mental health from Medicaid expansion status during the pandemic for some subgroups among low-income adults, suggesting potential health benefits from Medicaid eligibility during public health and economic crises.

The role of religious coping to overcome mental distress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic: An integrative review

This article aims to investigate how religious coping can help religious believers overcome mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. An integrative review was conducted by searching databases (PubMed/Medline, Springer, Elsevier, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO and Google Scholar) between 2020 and 2021 for articles using the following keywords: "Religious coping and COVID-19," "Religion, mental health, and COVID-19," and "Religiosity, spirituality, and COVID-19." A total of twenty articles were selected for review. The result shows that religious faith might help individuals to calm their minds in times of crisis and severe illness. Some of the spiritual approaches suggested to combat COVID-19 might be effective. Positive religious coping, intrinsic religiousness, and faith in God were associated with lower anxiety and a greater positive outcome, whereas negative religious coping and distrust in God resulted in the opposite. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Faculty-Wide Peer-Support Program During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Design and Preliminary Results.

BACKGROUND: Physicians experience higher rates of burnout relative to the general population. Concerns of confidentiality, stigma, and professional identities as health care providers act as barriers to seeking and receiving appropriate support. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, factors that contribute to burnout and barriers to seeking support have been amplified, elevating the overall risks of mental distress and burnout for physicians. OBJECTIVE: This paper aimed to describe the rapid development and implementation of a peer support program within a health care organization located in London, Ontario, Canada. METHODS: A peer support program leveraging existing infrastructures within the health care organization was developed and launched in April 2020. The "Peers for Peers" program drew from the work of Shapiro and Galowitz in identifying key components within hospital settings that contributed to burnout. The program design was derived from a combination of the peer support frameworks from the Airline Pilot Assistance Program and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute. RESULTS: Data gathered over 2 waves of peer leadership training and program evaluations highlighted a diversity of topics covered through the peer support program. Further, enrollment continued to increase in size and scope over the 2 waves of program deployments into 2023. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the peer support program is acceptable to physicians and can be easily and feasibly implemented within a health care organization. The structured program development and implementation can be adopted by other organizations in support of emerging needs and challenges.

Confidence in COVID-19 vaccines moderates the association between vaccination status and mental distress.

Previous research has demonstrated that becoming vaccinated with the Coronavirus vaccine may lower mental distress. However, it remains uncertain whether this relationship holds amid concerns of vaccine side effects and doubts of the vaccine's protective capabilities. We presented three studies that showed how vaccine confidence negatively influences the relationship between vaccine uptake and mental distress. Using two-way fixed effects regression models, Study 1 analyzes longitudinal survey of respondents from Los Angeles County in the US, while Study 2 uses the same analytical strategy but generalises findings by analysing longitudinal data of participants across all 50 US states. Main results of both studies show that (i) vaccination uptake is linked with reduced mental distress among individuals with high vaccine confidence (ii) vaccine uptake has no effect on mental distress among individuals with low vaccine confidence. Lastly, Study 3 applies multilevel analysis to a large-scale pseudo-panel study of 15 developed countries. Results for the third study corroborate finding (i) but not (ii) in that the multinational study finds that vaccine uptake is actually associated with higher mental distress among individuals with low vaccine confidence. In sum, our paper shows that the palliative effect of vaccination on mental health only exists when vaccine confidence is high. Results are mixed on whether vaccination affects mental distress when individual vaccine confidence is low.

Psychosocial Impact of the Implementation of COVID-19 Protocols.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has spread globally since the first case was diagnosed in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and we are now experiencing the fourth wave. Several measures are being taken to care for the infected and to curtail the spread of this novel infectious virus. The psychosocial impact of these measures on patients, relatives, caregivers, and medical personnel also needs to be assessed and catered for. METHODS: This is a review article on the psychosocial impact of the implementation of COVID-19 protocols. The literature search was done using Google Scholar, PubMed, and Medline. DISCUSSION: Modalities of transportation of the patient to isolation and quarantine centres have led to stigma and negative attitudes towards such individuals. When diagnosed with the infection, fear of dying from COVID-19, fear of infecting family members and close associates, fear of stigmatization, and loneliness are common among COVID-19 patients. Isolation and quarantine procedures also cause loneliness and depression, and the person is at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. Caregivers are continually stressed out and have the constant fear of contracting SARS-CoV-2. Despite clear guidelines to help with closure for family members of people dying from COVID-19, inadequate resources make this unrealistic. CONCLUSION: Mental and emotional distress resulting from fear of SARS-Cov-2 infection, the mode of transmission, and consequences have a tremendous negative impact on the psychosocial well-being of those affected, their caregivers, and relatives. There is a need for the government, health institutions, and NGOs to establish platforms to cater to these concerns.

CONTEXTE: La pandémie de SRAS-CoV-2 causée par le COVID-19 s'est propagée à l'échelle mondiale depuis que le premier cas a été diagnostiqué à Wuhan, en Chine, en décembre 2019, et nous vivons maintenant la quatrième vague. Plusieurs mesures sont prises pour prendre en charge les personnes infectées et freiner la propagation de ce nouveau virus infectieux. L'impact psychosocial de ces mesures sur les patients, les proches, les soignants et le personnel médical doit également être évalué et pris en compte. MÉTHODES: Il s'agit d'un article de synthèse sur l'impact psychosocial de la mise en œuvre des protocoles COVID-19. La recherche documentaire a été effectuée à l'aide de Google Scholar, PubMed et Medline. DISCUSSION: Les modalités de transport du patient vers les centres d'isolement et de quarantaine ont conduit à une stigmatisation et à des attitudes négatives envers ces personnes. Lorsque l'infection est diagnostiquée, la peur de mourir du COVID-19, la peur d'infecter les membres de la famille et les proches, la peur de la stigmatisation et la solitude sont courantes chez les patients atteints du COVID-19. Les procédures d'isolement et de quarantaine provoquent également la solitude et la dépression, et la personne risque de souffrir du syndrome de stress post-traumatique. Les soignants sont continuellement stressés et ont la crainte constante de contracter le SRAS-CoV-2. Malgré des directives claires visant à aider les membres de la famille des personnes décédées du COVID-19 à tourner la page, le manque de ressources rend cette démarche irréaliste. CONCLUSION: La détresse mentale et émotionnelle résultant de la peur de l'infection par le SRAS-Cov-2, de son mode de transmission et de ses conséquences a un impact négatif considérable sur le bien-être psychosocial des personnes touchées, de leurs soignants et de leurs proches. Il est nécessaire que le gouvernement, les institutions de santé et les ONG mettent en place des plateformes pour répondre à ces préoccupations. Mots clés: SRAS-CoV-2, COVID-19, impact psychologique, détresse mentale, stigmatisation.

The interplay between partisanship, risk perception, and mental distress during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

COVID-19 is a profoundly partisan issue in the U.S., with increasing polarization of the Republicans' and Democrats' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and their precautionary actions to reduce virus transmission. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether and how partisan gaps in many aspects of the pandemic are linked to mental health, which has increasingly been a major concern. This study examined the association between political partisanship and mental health by assessing the mediating and moderating relationships between risk perception, expected infection severity of COVID-19, and partisanship in terms of mental health during the early stages of the pandemic. The data were drawn from a cross-sectional web survey conducted between March 20 and 30, 2020, with a sample of U.S. adults (N = 4,327). Of those participants, 38.9% and 29.6% were Democrats and Republicans, respectively. The results indicate that Democrats were more likely to experience COVID-induced mental distress than Republicans, and higher risk perception and expected infection severity were associated with mental distress. Furthermore, risk perception and expected infection severity of COVID-19 mediated approximately 24%-34% of the associations between political partisanship and mental distress. Finally, the adverse mental health impact of risk perception and expected infection severity appeared to be much stronger for Republicans than Democrats. The findings suggest that political partisanship is a key factor to understanding mental health consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S.

Mental Distress, Perceived Stress and Resilience among Special Students during Covid-19 Pandemic

Background: Almost everyone in society has been affected by the Covid epidemic.However, it has a different impact on individuals who have disabilities or special needs. People with special needs are more prone to this. Aim(s): To explore relationship between mental distress, perceived stress and resilience among special students during Covid-19 Method:Cross-sectional correlational research design was used to investigate the relationship between study variables. The total sample of n=250 special students consisted of 100(40%) females and 150(60%) with having age range from 15 to 30 years. The purposive sampling technique was employed to collect the data by using different research instruments Results:Results were drawn using correlation and multiple regression analyses. To explore gender differences, an independent t-test was computed. It was concluded that mental distress is negatively correlated with resilience and positively correlated with perceived stress. PraccticalImplication: This research would be helpfulfor the teachers of the special education centers, they train their how they develop resilience hence they may become emotionally stable and deal effectively with any worrisome circumstance well. It will help school administration of the special students'to conduct workshops on the resilience so that students could deal with their mental distress and perceived stress effectively. Conclusion(s): There was little published research on the variables examined in this study, particularly in Pakistan. To increase the body of knowledge, research on this subject must be done in Pakistan. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.

Orthodontic emergencies and mental health of patients undergoing orthodontic treatment during COVID-19 pandemic: A questionnaire study.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on orthodontic treatment and mental health of patients undergoing orthodontic treatment and to compare their mental health with the age-matched control group. Materials and methods: 484 orthodontic patients (245 males and 239 females) and 200 age-matched control subjects were divided into two age groups. Group 1 had 14-18 years of adolescents (N = 274) and 100 control participants (Group 2) and Group 3 comprised of 19 years above adults (N = 210) and 100 control participants (Group 4). Group 1 and 3 patients filled the 4 sections of the questionnaire related to orthodontic emergencies (Sections 1-3) and mental distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-Section 4), while groups 2 and 4 were asked to fill only Section-4. The comparison of mental distress on high/low Kessler scores was made using the Chi-Square test/Fisher's exact test. The factors which came out to be significant were put to bivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The percentage of patients with high Kessler scores among Group 1 and Group 3 were 9.9% and 17.2% respectively, and their differences with age-matched control groups were non-significant. The mean differences of Kessler score were significantly higher for Group 3 compared to group 1. The higher Kessler score was associated with age, higher education, a feeling of concern for non-availability of appointments, increased treatment duration, its effect on the quality of treatment, and sabotaging of definitive future plans. Conclusions: The orthodontic treatment and emergencies may not be a significant factor contributing to increased stress among patients during the lockdown.

Burden of mental distress in the US associated with trust in media for COVID-19 information.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, news and social media outlets have played a major role in dissemination of information. This analysis aimed to study the association between trust in social and traditional media and experiences of mental distress among a representative sample of US adults. Data for this study came from National Pandemic Pulse, a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey that sampled participants on the Dynata platform. Participants included 6435 adults surveyed between 15-23 December 2020. Ordinal logistic regression analyses examined the associations of trust in (i) social media, (ii) print media, (iii) broadcast TV and (iv) cable TV, for COVID-19-related information with self-reported mental distress (4-item Patient Health Questionnaire), controlling for sociodemographics and census region. Compared with those who distrusted social media, those who trusted social media had 2.09 times (95% CI = 1.84-2.37) greater adjusted odds of being in a more severe category of mental distress. In contrast, compared with those who distrusted print media, those who trusted print media had 0.80 times (95% CI = 0.69-0.93) lower adjusted odds of being in a more severe category of mental distress. No significant associations were found between mental distress and trust in broadcast or cable TV for accessing news about COVID-19. Trust in different news outlets may be associated with mental distress during public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies should explore mechanisms behind these associations, including adherence to best practices for crisis reporting among different media sources and exposure of individuals to misinformation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, both, traditional channels like print, TV and cable news, as well as social media, have been major sources to obtain news about the pandemic. In this manuscript, we study the association between trust in social and traditional media and symptoms of mental distress among a nationally representative sample of 6435 US adults surveyed in December 2020. Our findings show that those who reported trusting traditional print media were less likely to report more severe mental distress. Conversely, those who reported trusting social media were more likely to report more severe levels of mental distress. This highlights the urgent need for understanding the diffusion patterns of misinformation and rumors that circulate on social media, and consumers' reactions to them. It is important that during a public health emergency, we follow best practices for crisis communication to reduce panic, address uncertainty, promote protective behaviors and mental health.

Machine Learning Approach to Predict Mental Distress of IT Workforce in Remote Working Environments

When considering online workers, due to the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic prevailing in the world, employees have been restricted to work remotely for a prolonged period. All the working arrangements are now based at home than before. Since this has been novel to society, the impact caused by this crisis on people is unknown in the short or long term. Since various factors can cause mental distress among online workers, periodic screening for mental distresses such as anxiety, depression, and stress is necessary for health and well-being. The causes of mental distress are multifactorial. They include socio-demographic, biological, economic, environmental, occupational, and psychological aspects. This paper proposes a concept of a screening system to predict mental distress given the external features associated with individuals, using supervised machine learning approaches and identifying the employees prone to higher risk and referring them early to professional assistance. The study was conducted concerning the circumstances in a pandemic era considering COVID-19 as the case study. The study was done with remote IT workers in Sri Lanka who work as a part of a software development team. 481 professionals participated in the study and were selected based on selection criteria and appropriate encoding techniques were utilized to encode categorical variables where most important 25 features were detected among 60 features using feature selection. Finally, classification techniques such as Random Forest, SVM, XGBoost, CatBoost, decision tree, and Naïve Bayes were used for modeling by which the CatBoost algorithm in overall measures outperformed other algorithms with a predictive accuracy of 97.1%, precision of 97.4%, recall of 99.7%, and f1 measure is 98.5%. © 2022 IEEE.

Physical as Well as Psychological Distress and Coping with Situational Dilemmas Experienced by People Infected with COVID-19: A Mixed Method Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused serious health problems that affected people around the globe. This study aims to understand the physical distress (PhyD), psychological distress (PsyD), and coping experiences among people infected with COVID-19, develop a grounded theory, and examine PhyD, PsyD, and coping among people infected with COVID-19. A sequential exploratory mixed methods strategy is employed. A qualitative procedure is based on a grounded theory; data collection includes observation and in-depth interviews with 25 participants, aged 18 years and above. The quantitative one included 180 participants. Content analysis was applied using the Strauss and Corbin method, and ATLAS.ti software. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and the independent t-test were used. Results: The six major themes, including (1) severity of COVID-19 symptoms, (2) death anxiety, (3) uncertainty, (4) barrier to healthcare access, (5) compliance and self-regulation coping (6) post-COVID-19 effects. PhyD, PsyD, and coping were all at a moderate level. The relationship between PhyD, PsyD, and coping was positive. The prevalence in post-COVID-19 effects was 70% (95% CI 63.3-76.4%). There were higher amounts in women than men. The most frequent residual symptoms were decreased activity tolerance (40%), fatigue (33.3%), anxiety and fear of abnormal lungs (33.3%), dyspnea (27.8%), allergy (24.4%), and lung impairment (22.2%). Moreover, the prevalence of more than two symptoms was 54% (95% CI 47.2-61.7%). This study considers that the healthcare providers should be concerned with sufficient healthcare services. Interventions are needed for supporting their recovery from COVID-19 effects.

The impact of mobile Internet use on mental distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the rapid development of digital technology, mobile Internet use is increasing in popularity in China. Previous studies have shown that mobile Internet use has a positive or negative effect on mental distress. Using CFPS2020 data, this paper finds that mobile Internet use significantly alleviates mental distress in Chinese adults. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that mobile Internet use can significantly alleviate mental distress among adults between the ages of 30 and 70, without a bachelor's degree or residing outside the province of Hubei. Furthermore, mobile Internet use significantly reduces mental distress through two mediators: trust and happiness. It also shows that watching short videos or learning online is associated with reduced mental distress, as opposed to online shopping, chatting, or playing games. However, the mental distress of new mobile Internet users in 2020 has not been alleviated. This paper enriches the relevant theoretical research and provides a practical reference for using the mobile Internet to ease mental distress during epidemics.

Relationship between COVID-19-specific occupational stressors and mental distress in frontline and non-frontline staff.

This study investigated the difference in the severity of mental distress and factors contributing to mental distress in frontline and non-frontline healthcare professionals during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. A cross-sectional web-based survey of medical staff collected by snow-ball sampling was performed in Japan in October 2020 using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) as an outcome measure for mental distress. Originally developed items asking about the degree of change in psychological and physical burdens, COVID-19-related fear, and experience of discrimination were obtained. The median score of the K6 was 7 in the frontline staff group (n = 86) and 6 in the non-frontline staff group (n = 504), without a statistically significant difference. Multiple regression analyses showed that among the participants, an increase in psychological burden and COVID-19-related fear was significantly associated with mental distress in both groups. Experience of discrimination was significantly associated with mental distress only in the frontline staff group. However, an increase in physical burden was significantly associated with mental distress only in the non-frontline staff group. The results indicate that the factors contributing to mental distress between frontline and non-frontline staff can be different, although the severity of mental distress is comparable between them.

The mental health of Brazilian healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the distress level among Brazilian healthcare professionals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and estimate risks by sex, age, and occupation. METHODS: In a longitudinal cohort design, a nationally distributed online survey was used to collect data from 10,490 active healthcare professionals who worked during the pandemic. Participants were mostly female, aged 18 to 82 years; 13 different health professions and all states of Brazil were represented. RESULTS: The most frequent professions were psychology, dentistry, and nursing. The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) score suggested an increased distress perception among health professionals. Females showed poorer mental health than males, but the absolute rise in Global Severity Index (GSI) score was larger in males than in females. Younger adults reported more symptoms of psychological distress than older adults. The most impacted age group was between 30-39 years. Nurse technicians presented the highest risk of distress. CONCLUSION: Health professionals are essential to overcoming the pandemic; thus, their mental health status should be monitored, and features associated with increased distress should be identified. Our findings suggest distress risk should be stratified by occupation, age, and sex. Health professionals showed an increased distress perception. Women, individuals between the ages of 30 and 39, nursing personnel, and physicians were more likely to report distress compared with other health professionals.