Mental Health and Coping Strategies among University Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross–Sectional Analysis from Saudi Arabia

This study examined psychological health and coping strategies among faculty and staff at a Saudi Arabian university. A web-based self-administered survey was used to assess probable anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and coping strategies by using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and Brief-COPE scale, respectively. Of 502 participants (mean age 36.04 ± 10.32 years, male: 66.3%), 24.1% (GAD-7 ≥ 10) had probable anxiety. Anxiety score was significantly higher in females (p < 0.001), those with a history of COVID-19 infection (p = 0.036), and participants with less work experience (p = 0.019). Approximately 40% of participants met the criteria of probable depression, with females (p < 0.001) and participants with less experience having more depressive symptoms. Around one-fourth (27.7%) of study participants indicated probable PTSD (score ≥ 33), with higher symptoms in females (p <0.001), less experienced staff (p < 0.001), and academic staff (p = 0.006). Correlation analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between anxiety and depression (r = 0.844, p < 0.001), anxiety and PTSD (r = 0.650, p < 0.001), and depression and PTSD (r = 0.676, p < 0.001). Active coping, religious/spiritual coping, and acceptance were common coping strategies, while substance use was the least adopted coping method among the study participants. This study indicated a high prevalence of probable psychological ailments among university staff.

Prevalence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in People With a History of Hospitalization With COVID-19 and Its Relationship With Socio-economic Status

Background: COVID-19 has had many negative consequences in all aspects of human life, especially physical and mental health. This study aims to determine the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people with a history of hospitalization with COVID-19 and its relationship with socio-economic status (SES). Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional descriptive study and the statistical population of the study included all people with a history of being infected with COVID-19 and subsequent hospitalization in Shohada Hospital of Sarpol-e Zahab, Kermanshah Province, Iran. The sample members were randomly selected from the list of hospitalized patients. A total of 479 people were evaluated face to face using the PTSD Checklist Scale (PCL-S) questionnaire to examine PTSD, as well as the Ghodrat Nama et al.'s SES questionnaire to determine the SES. The data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 21 and by Chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient (P≤0.05). Results: The prevalence of PTSD was 31.10%. No significant relationship was observed between socioeconomic status and the prevalence of PTSD (P=0.97). Among the demographic variables, only gender had a significant relationship with the prevalence of this disorder (P=0.00) and the prevalence was higher in women than in men. Conclusion: The prevalence of PTSD is high in people with a history of hospitalization with COVID-19. Getting infected with COVID-19 and subsequent hospitalization hurts people's mental health. Maintaining the mental health of this group of people should be considered. © 2023, Negah Institute for Scientific Communication. All rights reserved.

Relationship between social support and psychological resilience and post-traumatic stress disorder in college students

Objective To investigate the characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in college students during the outbreak of COVID-19, and to explore the mediating role of psychological resilience between social support and PTSD. Methods By using direct selection method, 572 college students in Anhui and Shanghai were selected and administered with General Characteristics Questionnaire, the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version(PCL-C), Psychological Resilience Scale(PRS) and Social Support Rating Scale(SSRS). Results Among the participants, 25.0% had moderate PTSD symptoms, 11.7% had obvious PTSD symptoms, and the positive rate of PTSD was 36.7%. The prevalence of PTSD in college students was higher in males than in females (X2=4.31, P < 0.05). The junior students were higher than other students (X2=16.81, P < 0.01). The scores of social support, psychological resilience and PTSD were (33.79+or-4.83), (92.17+or-13.39) and (35.50+or-11.39), respectively. The correlations of all variables were statistically significant(r=-0.49-0.76, P < 0.05);The mediation test showed that social support could not only negatively predict PTSD directly(direct effect was -0.35), but also indirectly affect PTSD through psychological resilience(indirect effect was -0.32). Conclusion More than one third of college students have PTSD symptoms, and psychological resilience plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between social support and PTSD, social support can both directly and negatively predict PTSD and indirectly affect PTSD by increasing an individual's psychological resilience.

Relationship between attentional Bias, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in primary and middle school students

Objective: To investigate the relationship between negative attentional bias and post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) in the context of higher depression and anxiety symptoms after the outbreak of COVID-19, so as to provide scientific basis for mental health education in primary and secondary schools. Methods: From March to April 2021, a total of 708 students from primary school and junior high school (grade 6 through grade 9) in Beijing, Shanxi, Hunan, Shandong, Hebei, Hubei of China were selected. The Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale(CRIES), the Attention to Positive and Negative Information Scale (APNI)and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21(DASS-21) were used in a questionnaire survey. Results: A total of 242 students were diagnosed with PTSD, and the detection rate was 34.2%. The scores of intrusion and high arousal of boys(7.92+or-5.33, 8.60+or-5.41) were lower than those of girls(8.72+or-4.85, 9.50+or-4.76), and the difference was statistically significant (t=-2.04, -2.32, P < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences of negative attention bias, CRIES score, intrusion, debarb and high arousal among primary and middle school students of different grades (F=3.57, 5.99, 4.45, 4.60, 7.40, P < 0.05). Negative attention bias, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms were significantly positively correlated (r=0.27-0.84, P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that anxiety (OR=1.13, 95%CI=1.06-1.20) and negative attention bias (OR=1.10, 95%CI=1.07-1.12) were positively associated with PTSD symptoms in primary and middle school students(P < 0.01). Conclusion: Anxiety and depressive symptoms show impacts on negative attention bias and might exacerbate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Therefore, emotional adjustments can help reduce the post-traumatic stress response in the post-epidemic period.

A Case Report on Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback and Postconcussion Syndrome: Healing the Autonomic Nervous System

Postconcussion syndrome is a devastating condition of the mind, body, and even personality. Mounting research demonstrates that heart rate variability biofeedback can help the concussed individual in three critical ways: (a) eliciting high amplitude oscillations in cardiovascular functions and thereby strengthening self-regulatory control mechanisms;(b) restoring autonomic balance;and (c) increasing the afferent impulse stream from the baroreceptors to restore balance between inhibitory and excitatory processes in the brain.

Organisational strategies to support NHS staff in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

ContextThis case series aims to assess the organisational strategies utilised by two NHS trusts (trust A and B) in North West England in order to improve the well-being of their Healthcare workers (HW) during the time period from December 2019 to March 2021. In the context of existing clinical leadership theory, we investigated what organisational strategies leaders and managers in English hospitals can use to improve the well-being of HWs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Establish what strategies are being used by trusts to improve the mental well–being of healthcare workersAscertain which risk factors are associated with poor mental health during the COVID–19 pandemic in NHS healthcare workersExamine whether strategies can be designed using limited resources to meet the challenging mental healthIssue/ChallengeA higher prevalence of mental health issues (MHI) such as depression, burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety is observed during epidemics and pandemics. In May 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Mental health Illnesses (MHI) accounted for 28.3% of all sickness leave in the UK NHS. The highest sickness absence rate (SAR) in the United Kingdom (UK) was reported in the North West England (NWE) at 4.9%;with MHI being consistently responsible for sickness absence, accounting for 31.8% of all sickness leave in June 2020, placing a huge strain on limited resources and patient safety and care.Assessment of issue and analysis of its causesFollowing written, informed consent, semi-structured, 60 minute interviews were conducted via video-conferencing with six participants (clinical managers or directors) of two NHS Trusts in NWE. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were then read, and Coding was done using NVivo software in an iterative process which used a leadership framework oriented around the interview questions.We also conducted a retrospective data collection on the average monthly percentage of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) days lost to mental health issues from the trusts' databases between 1st December 2019 and 1st March 2021 in order to triangulate strategies impact on sickness absence rate.ImpactTo date, there is no case study research on the strategies implemented in NHS trusts that address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on HW's mental health and wellbeing which utilise absence data.InterventionTrust A had a higher Sickness absence rate versus Trust B, despite the greater funding and larger wellbeing team utilised in Trust A. Understanding early on, via surveys, the needs of HW in Trust B, contributed to their effective response and target of resources. The practical support offered by Trust B may have acted as preventative and proactive measure for poor mental health. Trusts psychological support approach may have only benefitted HW in later stages of MHI, such as PTSD. Nevertheless, Trust B is a significantly smaller trust, with fewer replacements, consequently, HW may feel less comfortable or less able to take sickness absence.The least engagement in wellbeing strategies was seen in both Trusts amongst Black And Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups. Raising concerns in Trust A and Trust B was aided with BAME ‘listening events' and a ‘BAME network' forum respectively. The latter formed part of the ‘governance structure' of Trust B, ensuring that official reports were acted upon. Trust A also introduced ‘outreach calls' for nursing staff off sick due to MHI to check in on them with referrals to the Greater Manchester resilience hub and did regular health checks for early prevention of unhealthy behavioural patterns.Both Trusts highlighted the importance of measuring the efficacy of strategies implemented. However, Trust B reported that due to the ‘fast-paced nature of the start of the pandemic, evaluation was not as important then. Contrarily, Trust A submits quarterly reports on engagement with services, outcomes and feedback as part of their service delivery which they are constantly amending.Key MessagesBoth NHS trusts in NWE identified similar risk factors for developing mental health issues and reported similar challenges in implementing wellbeing initiatives. Organisational strategies were dependent on each trust’s needs and outcomes. Our study suggests that practical support may be more effective for stress and fatigue management during the peaks of pandemics in contrast to psychological support which may be more suitable during recovery phases. Screening for psychological issues may highlight areas of support and may enhance engagement with services, particularly in vulnerable population groups (BAME). Ultimately, a whole-systems leadership approach involving the aforementioned systemic change to organisational culture is needed in order to meet the well-being needs of healthcare workers.Lessons learntAn organisational, rather than individual, approach to re-building team cohesion should be preferred. Furthermore, the focus of interventions in both trusts was individual psychotherapy, with minimal exploration of organisational cultural factors. Even though practical support was seen as superior to psychological interventions in Trust B, both wellbeing strategies may help improve overworked occupational culture.Self-care coping mechanisms were emphasised more during the peaks of the pandemic. Similarly, according to Avero et.al. 2003 wellbeing initiatives during the peaks of pandemics should help HW cope with stress and trauma, whereas during recovery phases of pandemics they should help with processing psychological trauma.Identifying common manifestations such as unhealthy eating, smoking and alcohol consumption may be more effective than relying on HW self-reporting. Nevertheless, this system relies on open and honest conversations with HW.

The Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in COVID-19 Recovered Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Objective Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the anxiety disorders caused by a specific event, which can be catastrophic events (natural disasters, war, imprisonment in a forced labor camp) or everyday adversities (death of relatives, divorce, carrying bags). Since patients who have recovered from COVID-19 are exposed to such events, this research was conducted to determine the prevalence of PTSD in this group.Materials & Methods This study was cross-sectional. The statistical population included all patients who recovered from COVID-19 between November 2021 and February 2022 in Hamedan City, Iran;based on Krejcie and Morgan's sample size table, 185 patients were selected by simple random sampling method. The research tool was the demographic questionnaire and the Mississippi post -traumatic stress disorder questionnaire (Mississippi PTSD);the data were analyzed using the Mann -Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests.Results The results showed that the Mean +/- SD score of PTSD was 80.37 +/- 17.37 in the subjects who recovered from COVID-19. The relationship between the demographic variables of gender (P=0.01), education (P=0.039), occupation (P=0.24), marriage (P=0.62), age (P=0.048), weight (P=0.047), height (P=0.023) with PTSD were reported.Conclusion The results showed that 76.2% of people who recovered from COVID-19 were exposed to PTSD with moderate and high severity;therefore, techniques to reduce anxiety from the corona -virus are recommended.

Current Evidence of Cannabidiol's Potential as an Anxiolytic Agent

This article will summarize the current knowledge and scientific evidence regarding cannabidiol as a possible pharmacological tool for anxiety disorders. Although the use of this substance in medical practice is gaining momentum, gaps can still be found in the current knowledge regarding its molecular targets, drug-to-drug interactions, efficacy in different populations, adequate dosage, duration of treatment, and correct formulation. Moreover, current evidence is still preliminary, lacking robust, blinded, and placebo-controlled clinical trials in many areas of investigation. After reading this article, readers should have a thorough understanding of the current scientific evidence regarding the use of CBD as an anxiolytic drug. [Psychiatr Ann. 2023;53(6):242–246.]

THE ASSOCIATION OF GRIEF WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND THE ROLE OF LONELINESS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

In this study, we aimed to gauge the effects of the process of bereavement on mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the mediating role of loneliness on the relationship between grief and mental health alterations by surveying a representative sample of 2000 Spanish adults interviewed by phone during the pandemic (February-March 2021). There has also been an increase in death rates from other causes during the pandemic, sometimes attributed to treatment for other life-threatening diseases being postponed or health care visits being avoided to prevent infection (Stroebe & Schut, 2021). By contrast, a group of bereaved (10 % after natural death and 50% after death due to unnatural causes) experience intense grief that persists longer than what would normally be expected (Djelantik et al., 2020), characterized by an enduring and overwhelming sense of yearning or preoccupation with the deceased and significant emotional suffering that causes functional impairment in daily life. Some authors have stated that researchers studying mental health in relation to the pandemic should include grief as a potential contributory factor (Bertuccio & Runion, 2020).

Evaluating Take 5: Virtual Learning Sessions on Trauma Informed Care for Healthcare Staff During COVID-19

In 2018, CAI, an organization that provides national level training and capacity-building developed a TIC implementation model, now delivered in HIV and primary care agencies throughout the United States to integrate TIC into their culture, environment, and service delivery. In 2018, an organization that provides national level training and capacity-building, Cicatelli Associates, Inc. (CAI), developed a TIC implementation model, now delivered in HIV and primary care agencies throughout the United States to integrate TIC into their culture, environment, and service delivery. PWH who have experienced trauma are 58% less likely to adhere to their antiretroviral treatment compared to PHW who have not experienced trauma (Brown. Since 2018, CAI, a national training and technical assistance organization, has developed and implemented a TIC implementation model to build the capacity of primary care agencies and their healthcare staff to integrate TIC throughout their cultures, environments, and service delivery. The motivation for this model is based on the understanding that primary care providers play a critical role in identifying and addressing past trauma with clients, as opposed to simply relying on referrals to external mental health services to support these needs. CAI technical assistance providers offer capacity building and training to staff at these agencies to implement components of the model to ensure successful integration of TIC into agency culture, environment, and service delivery.

Effects of media exposure on PTSD symptoms in college students during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the influence of media on college students' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: After the COVID-19 outbreak, we used cross-sectional surveys through online questionnaires to investigate the mental health of college students in lockdown at home. We identified the influencing factors of PTSD symptoms using the Chi-Square test and ordinal logistic regression analysis. Results: In 10,989 valid questionnaires, 9,906 college students with no PTSD symptoms, 947 college students with subclinical PTSD symptoms (1-3 items), and 136 college students with four or more PTSD symptoms were screened out. The results showed that media content impacted the mental health of college students in lockdown at home. Positive media content was negatively correlated with PTSD symptoms among college students. PTSD symptoms were not associated with sources of information. Moreover, College students with PTSD symptoms would reduce their willingness to learn and could not complete online learning efficiently. Conclusion: PTSD symptoms are related to media exposure and excessive information involvement of COVID-19 in college students, which influences the willingness to attend online classes.

Childhood adversity during the post-apartheid transition and COVID-19 stress independently predict adult PTSD risk in urban South Africa: A biocultural analysis of the stress sensitization hypothesis.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa introduced new societal adversities and mental health threats in a country where one in three individuals are expected to develop a psychiatric condition sometime in their life. Scientists have suggested that psychosocial stress and trauma during childhood may increase one's vulnerability to the mental health consequences of future stressors-a process known as stress sensitization. This prospective analysis assessed whether childhood adversity experienced among South African children across the first 18 years of life, coinciding with the post-apartheid transition, exacerbates the mental health impacts of psychosocial stress experienced during the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (ca. 2020-2021). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data came from 88 adults who participated in a follow-up study of a longitudinal birth cohort study in Soweto, South Africa. Childhood adversity and COVID-19 psychosocial stress were assessed as primary predictors of adult PTSD risk, and an interaction term between childhood adversity and COVID-19 stress was calculated to evaluate the potential effect of stress sensitization. RESULTS: Fifty-six percent of adults exhibited moderate-to-severe PTSD symptoms. Greater childhood adversity and higher COVID-19 psychosocial stress independently predicted worse post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in adults. Adults who reported greater childhood adversity exhibited non-significantly worse PTSD symptoms from COVID-19 psychosocial stress. DISCUSSION: These results highlight the deleterious mental health effects of both childhood trauma and COVID-19 psychosocial stress in our sample and emphasize the need for greater and more accessible mental health support as the pandemic progresses in South Africa.

The effect of the social support on PTSD and PTG about university student volunteers in the prevention and controlling of coronavirus: with coping style as the intermediary.

To investigate the relationship among post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), posttraumatic growth (PTG), social support, and coping style of university student volunteers in the prevention and control of the coronavirus in 2020, a total of 2,990 university student volunteers (students who are enrolled in a university and involved in volunteer activities) from 20 universities in Sichuan Province participated in the prevention and control of the epidemic were investigated when March 20-31, 2020 when the coronavirus first occurred using the post-traumatic stress disorder questionnaire, posttraumatic growth questionnaire, university student social support questionnaire and coping style questionnaire. The results showed that (1) 7.06% of university student volunteers had some degree of PTSD symptoms (the total PCL-C score was 38-49), and 2.88% had obvious PTSD symptoms, (2) PTSD level of university student volunteers was significantly positively correlated with negative coping style, and significantly negatively correlated with social support and positive coping style; on the contrary, the PTG level is significantly positively correlated with social support and positive coping styles, and (3) Positive coping style plays a partial mediating role in the influence of social support on PTG; in the influence of social support on PTSD, the mediating effect of positive or negative coping style was not significant. These results show that in the prevention and control of the coronavirus, the positive coping style and social support of university student volunteers can positively predict the PTG level of them, while the negative coping style can positively predict the severity of their PTSD symptoms. Among them, a positive coping style plays a partial mediating role in the influence of social support on the PTG level.

The enduring role of sense of coherence in facing the pandemic.

Research has been focussing on protective and resistance-related factors that may help people face the long-lasting psychological challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sense of coherence allows to remain healthy and to recover after stressful or traumatic life experiences. We aimed at investigating whether, and the extent to which, social support, in terms of both family and friends support, mediated the well-established link between sense of coherence and mental health as well as that between sense of coherence and COVID-19-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In May 2021, 3048 Italian respondents (51.5% women) aged between 18 and 91 (Mage = 48.33, SD = 14.04) filled in a self-report questionnaire. The mediation analyses we carried out on their responses showed a difference between focussing on mental health or on a psychological disorder. Indeed, despite the respectively positive and negative relation between sense of coherence and mental health and PTSD symptoms, this confirming the protective role of sense of coherence more than 1 year after the beginning of the pandemic, social support only mediated, partially, the former link. We also discuss practical implications and further expansion of the study.

Beating Burnout

Defining burnout, and why it has increased among pediatric health care providers The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently provided updated guidance on physician wellness, in which they discussed burnout among pediatricians.1 Pediatricians are not immune to burnout, according to the AAP. Approximately half of physicians in pratice experience burnout, which can lead to medical errors, higher cost, lower quality of care, and worse patient outcomes overall.2 Suicidal thoughts were also frequent, reported by 14% of physicians. "The health care system has moved to higher workloads, less autonomy, and more standardization as groups and delivery systems get larger and more automated," Jellinek said. Investigators from Pennsylvania State University recommended following a hierarchy of needs, starting with prioritizing the basic physical and mental health needs of physicians.2 Higher-order needs include connection, respect, appreciation, and changes in interactions with electronic systems.

Status quo and influencing factors of post-traumatic stress disorder among front-line anti-epidemic medical staff

[Background] Front-line medical staff are an important group in fighting against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and their mental health should not be ignored. [Objective] This study investigates the current situation and influencing factors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among front-line anti-epidemic medical staff during COVID-19 epidemic. [Methods] Medical staff who had participated in fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic wereselected from three grade III Class A hospitals and four grade II Class A hospitals in a city of Hubei Province by convenient sampling method in May 2020. The survey was conducted online using the Post-traumatic Stress Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) as the main survey tool to investigate current situation and characteristics of PTSD among these participants. A total of 1120 questionnaires were collected, of which 1071 were valid, and the effective rate was 95.6%. [Results] Of the 1071 participants, the average age was (32.59+/-5.21) years;the ratio of male to female was 1: 5.02;the ratio of doctor to nurse was 1:5.8;nearly 70% participants came from grade III Class A hospitals;married participants accounted for 75.4%;most of them held a bachelor degree or above (86.5%);members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) accounted for 22.9%;50.9% had junior titles;the working years were mainly 5-10 years (42.8%);more than 80.0% participants volunteered to join the front-line fight;95.1% participants received family support;43.0% participated in rescue missions;78.1% participants fought the epidemic in their own hospitals;more than 60% participants considered the workload was greater than before;34.4% participants fought in the front-line for 2-4 weeks, and 23.5% participants did for more than 6 weeks. There were 111 cases of positive PTSD syndromes (PCL-C total score >=38) with an overall positive rate of 10.4%, and the scores of reexperience [1.40 (1.00, 1.80)] and hypervigilance [1.40 (1.00, 2.00)] were higher than the score of avoidance [1.14 (1.00, 2.57)]. The results of univariate analysis revealed that PTSD occurred differently among participants grouped by age, political affiliation, working years, anti-epidemic activities location, accumulated working hours in fighting against COVID-19, having child parenting duty, voluntariness, family support, whether family members participated in front-line activities, and rescue mission assignment (P<0.05). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that the incidence rates of reporting PTSD syndromes in medical personnel aged 31-40 years (OR=0.346, 95%CI: 0.164-0.730) and aged 41 years and above (OR=0.513, 95%CI: 0.319-0.823) were lower than that in those aged 20-30 years;the incidence rates of reporting PTSD syndromes in medical staff who were CPC members (OR=0.499, 95%CI: 0.274-0.909), volunteered to participate (OR=0.584, 95%CI: 0.360-0.945), and received family support (OR=0.453, 95%CI: 0.222-0.921) were lower than those did not (P<0.05);the incidence rates of reporting PTSD syndromes among medical workers who had child parenting duty (OR=2.372, 95%CI: 1.392-4.042), whose family members participated in front-line activities (OR=1.709, 95%CI: 1.135-2.575), and who participated in rescue missions (OR=1.705, 95%CI: 1.133-2.565) were higher than those who did not (P<0.05). [Conclusion] The positive PTSD syndrome rate is 10.4% in the front-line anti-epidemic medical staff. Age, political affiliation, voluntariness, family support, having child parenting duty, with a family members participating in the fight, and rescue mission assignment are the influencing factors of PTSD.Copyright © 2021, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. All rights reserved.

Medical Students' Empathy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A crosssectional study

Several authors have underlined the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in several populations, including medical students, such as increases in anxiety, depression and burnout symptoms. Furthermore, previous studies showed that anxiety and depressive symptoms are positively associated with affective empathy and negatively associated with cognitive empathy. Given the adverse pandemic effects highlighted by several authors, the present study sought to determine whether medical students' empathy has been potentially impacted, with higher affective empathy and lower cognitive empathy score in the pandemic cohort compared to pre-pandemic cohorts. Medical students (n = 395) were recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic and completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Basic Empathy Scale (BES). This cohort was then compared with two pre-pandemic cohorts (one used the BES [n = 1168], and the other used the IRI [n = 342]). Similar results were found on both scales: the pandemic cohort displayed significantly higher scores in affective empathy and personal distress (affective empathy domain) and, surprisingly, significant higher scores in cognitive empathy, fantasy, and perspective-taking (cognitive empathy domains). As stressed by previous studies, we posited that the higher scores in affective empathy, personal distress, and fantasy might indicate emotional difficulties. The paper concludes with the identification of empathy components that should be promoted in the curriculum of medical students.

Effectiveness of Telehealth for Women's Preventive Services

Does telehealth allow for the effective delivery of preventive services for women, and how can it best be used to address these needs?

How COVID-19 worsened the mental health problems of incarcerated youth

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 transformed daily life worldwide. To minimize the spread of the virus, many governments imposed a lockdown and physical distancing measures. Schools, universities, restaurants, shops, and businesses all closed. Research has shown that the mandatory stay-at-home orders associated with the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected the mental health of parents, children, and youth. This chapter considers how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of youth behind bars in the United States and in other countries. The longstanding impression of prisons is that the people in custody are violent, dangerous, and deserve to be incarcerated. Even incarcerated youth are viewed by many in society as super-predators. Most incarcerated youth have significant mental health needs. Incarcerated youth often suffer from a variety of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. When incarcerated youth show symptoms of COVID-19 or are diagnosed with it, juvenile correctional facilities are faced with few options for quarantine that do not resemble solitary confinement. Because of concern regarding the high transmissibility of COVID-19 in juvenile prisons, most prison administrators suspend visitors or greatly restrict the number of people entering the facilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)