Delivering asthma reviews during the Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic meant that the delivery of asthma management in primary care changed virtually overnight, requiring the introduction of alternatives to face-to-face care. This study examines the experiences of nurses who were performing asthma reviews during the pandemic, identifying the key themes that emerged, as well as providing recommendations for future practice.

Preliminary evaluation of a multicomponent youth development program for siblings separated by foster care: pandemic related impacts to service delivery and youth well-being

A preliminary evaluation of a multicomponent youth development program for siblings in foster care was conducted prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pretest posttest measures of youth well-being were collected from sixteen youth, caregivers, and caseworkers over a six-month period. Caregivers reported increased internalizing and externalizing behaviors, sibling relationship difficulties, prosocial behavior, and resilience during the study period. Youth reported reduced school engagement, increased resilience, and prosocial behavior. In-person sibling programming was associated with increased prosocial behavior. Virtual sibling programming was associated with lower hyperactivity, increased prosocial behavior, and increased emotional problems. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Cancer nurses have experienced ‘moral injury' due to the pandemic

First, a Happy New Year to you all. I hope you enjoyed the festive break. In this issue, our cover article (evidence and practice, page 21) explains how emotional labour can lead to exhaustion and burnout, which contributes to a high turnover in the nursing workforce. It examines the differences in resilience and coping strategies of less experienced nurses compared with their more experienced counterparts.

Robot-delivered tourism and hospitality services: How to evaluate the impact of health and safety considerations on visitors' satisfaction and loyalty?

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, visitors' worries about health and safety in tourist destinations have become paramount. Consequently, this research aims to evaluate the impact of health and safety considerations on visitors' satisfaction. It also examines the influence of health consciousness and satisfaction on visitors' willingness toward robot-delivered tourism and hospitality services usage and the impact of destination healthcare system and satisfaction on loyalty intentions. Applying a quantitative-based methodology, 650 responses were collected from domestic tourists visiting Egyptian tourism destinations using multiple non-probability sampling techniques. Using PLS-SEM, the results articulated that emotional well-being, perceived safety, and perceived green image positively impacted visitors' satisfaction, which in turn, positively affected their willingness toward service robot's usage and loyalty. Tourists' health consciousness also positively affected their satisfaction and intentions to use robot-delivered services. Additionally, destination healthcare system significantly influenced visitors' satisfaction and loyalty intentions. Theoretical and managerial contributions as well as future research are outlined.

Social media exposure assessment: influence on attitudes toward generic vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: Even though social media (SM) has been explored in-depth, its role remains unclear regarding short- and long-term preventive attitudes in global health emergencies. To fill this gap, the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework aims to clarify the social media exposure mission in acknowledging risk perception and triggering preventive attitudes and behaviors toward COVID-19 and general vaccination. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted an explanatory-predictive study on 480 Romanian students, using partial least squares structural equation modeling, and performed model evaluation, multi-group, model selection, and importance-performance map analyses. Findings: The study provides insights in understanding significant relationships and drivers explaining and predicting attitudes towards vaccines. The main relationships are between fear and risk perception;risk and preventive attitudes and behaviors;and vaccination degree and attitudes to vaccines. The most important factor is the vaccination degree and media exposure is the most performant. Practical implications: Developing and applying regulations and communication strategies for quality mass information may positively increase attitudes toward vaccines by indirectly enforcing the main drivers. Social implications: Organizations, authorities, and opinion leaders must have a coherent supportive presence in media. Originality/value: This study filled the literature gap by building a generic theoretical and empirical proven framework that investigates the mediated effect towards vaccines of all media types by COVID-19 experience and vaccination degree. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-11-2021-0621. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Attitudes not set in stone: Existential crises changing residents' irritation

This study discusses the application of Doxey's irritation index in the face of existential crises. Building on the COVID-19 pandemic, data was collected at two time points (prior to the crisis and after the first wave). Our two sequences of data show that residents' attitudes are by no means fixed, with perceptions of overcrowding bouncing back and concerns about reduced economic benefits. In an attempt to develop ample descriptions of emerging concerns during existential crises, three archetypes of residents are identified and displayed using alluvial diagrams: (a) advocates of positive tourism impacts;(b) demanders of sustainable tourism;and (c) boycotters of further tourism developments. Theory is complemented by recalibrating the irritation index with an empirically-grounded existential crisis perspective that demonstrates shifting attitudinal patterns and provides grounds for discussions on the progress of Doxey's irritation index. © 2022 The Authors

India's covid catastrophe

In 2020 editor-in-chief (Andrew Malekoff) issued a special call for papers for group work stories on pandemic 2020. Among the 28 stories accepted for the series there were 16 from India, 9 from the United States, 2 from Canada and 1 from Israel. General submissions from the U.S., Canada and Israel were typical for the journal. Atypical are submissions from India. Rather than publish the stories in one special issue of the Journal, he decided to spread them out over several issues through 2022. In the course of organizing the special series (with a December 2021 deadline) he continued communication with a few of the authors from India, with particular interest and concern in the deteriorating situation as 2021 unfolded. Although the present commentary is not about group work per se, it is an update by Ajay Saini, Nancy and Andrew Malekoff on the current state of affairs in India, with some contrast to the situation in the U.S., that offers continuing context for the stories in the series. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Crossing the Same River Multiple Times: Cautiously setting aside pandemic practices, pharma workers appear ready for flux, change, evolution, and expanding molecular diversity

The article presents results of an employment survey on trends and the state of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry in 2022. Findings reveal COVID-19 measures that are important to daily operations, stagnation of wage growth and decline in overall salary satisfaction, job security changes and drop in job satisfaction, and business concerns including corporate performance and industry growth.

COVID-19 and Shifting Paradigm in Asian Education System

COVID-19 has forced the paradigm shift in the education system.This study thoroughly examined the adopted virtual learning practices to understand the changing paradigm positively contributes or has adverse impacts on the education system.The study has found that technologies, devices, and internet access have become essential requirements for students to continue their education during this transition period.The study has also discussed how families' financial status influences the degree of learning attitude and the effectiveness of virtual learning of students.The literature reviewed for this study showed that students from higher-income countries have greater access to and command of technologies, while students from lower-income countries continue to struggle to meet the basic requirements for virtual learning.The study argues that virtual education cannot deliver comprehensive requirements of education as it lacks studenthood, classroom bonding between students and teachers, and a peer learning approach, which is significant in the holistic growth of individuals. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Facilitator reflections on online delivery of simulation-based mental health education during COVID-19

Purpose: During COVID-19, Maudsley Simulation successfully pivoted to fully online delivery of simulation-based education (SBE) in mental health. In migrating digitally, the simulation faculty experienced a range of new phenomena and challenges. The authors' experiences may be transferable to other specialities and for other educator groups. By sharing the authors' experiences, this study aims to support others adapt to online SBE. Design/methodology/approach: This piece represents the authors' collective reflections on the challenges of adapting their facilitation skills to the online environment. It also offers various suggestions on how to improve the learner experience in view of these challenges. Findings: Beyond merely platform orientation and operating procedure familiarisation, the team gained insights into ensuring optimal learning, engagement and participant experience during online deliveries. Delivery of online SBE brings several potential barriers to psychological safety and these warrant careful consideration by experienced simulationists. Practical implications: Optimising participant engagement and psychological safety remain key considerations despite this novel medium. Facilitators must be willing to adapt accordingly to begin delivering high-quality online SBE. Originality/value: From their experience, facilitators must reframe their debriefing expectations and adjust how they engage participants and manage group dynamics given the inherently different nature of this new learning environment.

Children's lives and rights under lockdown: A Northern Irish perspective by autistic young people

By June 2021, children and young people had experienced two periods of lockdown and home learning in Northern Ireland. The detrimental impact of these periods of indefinite confinement is wider reaching than reported educational stagnation, with the fundamental rights of childhood: play;rest;and leisure;all adversely implicated. Autistic children's experiences of Covid‐19 have been largely absent from current crisis and recovery discourse. This is the first published study to directly and specifically involve autistic children both as research advisors and as research participants in a rights‐based participatory study relating to the pandemic. Drawing on concepts of ableist childism and epistemic injustice, this article presents, through Photovoice, the emotional, social and educational experiences of post‐ primary aged autistic young people in Northern Ireland during the first 2020 lockdown of the Covid‐19 pandemic. The project was grounded in a child rights‐based approach and was guided by a group of four autistic young advisors aged 11–15. The paper concludes by arguing that government responses to the pandemic, as experienced by autistic young people, act as forms of oppression that prioritises and further embeds normative non‐autistic structures and responses under the guise of public health necessity.

THE RESTORATIVE POWER OF CIRCLES

The article discusses how indigenous talking circles can help health and social care professionals recover from moral injury due to the pandemic. Topics include reason for moral injury in the health and social care context, a therapeutic intervention that has been developed for moral injury in the U.S. military, and the evidence-based theory of post-traumatic growth.

Social workers' adaptation in times of pandemic crisis: A Hong Kong case

Through the lens of the theory of planned behavior, this article explores how social workers adapt to a new situation due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three focus group sessions were conducted with 23 social workers from child and youth, family, and elderly services in Hong Kong. Three major themes were generated: (1) repositioning the social work profession, (2) renegotiating contracts with funders, and (3) exploring novel intervention methods. Implications of the findings are discussed. To ensure social workers can respond effectively in crises, an evolving nature of the profession is advocated to enshrine its spirit to serve.

Mothers' Preferences for Their Children's Format for Return to School During the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic: Are There Differences Between Full-Time Employed Mothers and Mothers Who are Not Employed?

The present study assessed factors associated with maternal preferences for their children's educational format (i.e., completely in-person, completely online/remote, or hybrid of in-person and online/remote) for return to school during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether these associations differed between full-time employed mothers and mothers who were not employed. Participants were 911 mothers of school-aged children from the United States (full-time employed, n = 650;not employed, n = 261). Recruitment took place online via social media during Summer 2020. Questionnaires on school modality preference, maternal work status, and demographic characteristics were filled out online through Qualtrics. Compared to mothers who were not employed, full-time employed mothers were more likely to endorse a preference for a hybrid in-person and online/remote educational format for their children and less likely to endorse a preference for a completely online/remote educational format for their children. The factor most strongly associated with maternal preferences for their children's educational format for return to school in both groups of mothers was being worried about my child getting COVID-19 and their health being severely impacted (rs's ranged from −56 to −58;p <.01). Regardless of maternal employment status, this factor continued to have the strongest association with a maternal preference for a completely online educational format in the polynomial regression analysis after controlling for relevant demographic variables (Odds Ratios ranged from 3.63 to 37.64;p <.01). These findings highlight that concerns about child health during the COVID-19 pandemic influence maternal preferences for their children's educational format, regardless of maternal employment status.

ICT use, internal communication satisfaction, and engagement of working-from-home employees: The moderating role of affiliative tendency

This study examined the effect of information and communication technology (ICT) use on working-from-home employees' internal communication satisfaction and engagement level during the COVID-19 pandemic. The moderating role of individuals' affiliative tendency was also explored. Results of an online survey with a representative sample of U.S. full-time working-from-home employees after the pandemic suggested that formal use of ICT for work—e-mail, video-conferencing, instant messaging, and phone—was positively associated with employees' informational and relational satisfaction, which in turn, enhanced their engagement. Informal use of ICT was also positively related to employees' relational satisfaction and such an effect was particularly salient for employees high in affiliative tendency. Theoretical and practical implications for effective internal communication and ICT use are discussed. • The effect of ICT use for working-from-home employees was examined. • Formal ICT use satisfied employees' information and relational needs. • Informal use fulfilled relational needs of employees high in affiliative tendency. • Informational and relational needs increased employee engagement.

How Did Levels of Psychological Distress and Perceptions of Workplace Support amongst Children's Social Work Staff Change during the Covid-19 Pandemic?

Covid-19 brought about drastic changes in day-to-day life and working practices, and had a profound impact on the mental health and well-being of the general population. Certain professional groups have also been particularly affected. This study sought to explore how levels of psychological distress and perceptions of workplace support amongst social work staff changed during the pandemic. We present the results from a series of surveys conducted in four local authorities (LAs) in England, before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Social workers and other social care staff (n  = 62) were asked about their experiences of psychological distress, using the twelve-item General Health Questionnaire. Overall, we found the proportion of staff reporting elevated levels of psychological distress increased and, in line with previous studies involving social workers, was high relative to the general population. Yet, most staff also said they had high levels of support from managers and colleagues, whilst a small proportion reported an increased perception of workplace support during the pandemic, compared to before. We consider these findings in relation to Organisational Support Theory and reflect on the ability of LAs to provide effective support for social care staff.

Social Workers Response to Domestic Violence and Abuse during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The rapid global spread of COVID-19 has put increased pressure on health and social service providers, including social workers who continued front line practice throughout the pandemic, engaging with some of the most vulnerable in society often experiencing multiple adversities alongside domestic violence and abuse (DVA). Movement restrictions and stay-at-home orders introduced to slow the spread of the virus, paradoxically leave these families at even greater risk from those within the home. Utilising a survey methodology combining both open- and closed-ended questions, this study captured a picture of social work practice in Ireland with families experiencing DVA during the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings highlight both the changes and challenges in work practices and procedures that limit social work assessment and quality contact with families, changes to the help-seeking behaviours from victims/survivors, as well as emerging innovative practice responses with enhanced use of technology. Implications for practice include an increased awareness of the risk and prevalence of DVA accelerated by the pandemic. Conclusions assert that social work assessment and intervention with families experiencing DVA must remain adaptive to the changing COVID-19 context and continue to develop innovative practice approaches.

Resilience and Sustainability in the Gulf Migration Regimes: Kafāla in the Era of Covid-19

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has strongly reaffirmed the critical importance of labor migration to the global economy, even as it has raised questions about the temporary migration programs responsible for much of this migration. In the Arab Gulf states–home to some of the world's highest proportions of migrants–the pandemic has highlighted critical structural weaknesses in the region's kafāla migration regimes. Drawing on two nationally representative surveys of Qatar's citizens and migrants conducted between October 2020 and June 2021, we argue that the Gulf's temporary migration regimes have shown resilience during the pandemic regarding flexibility, networks, and policies. However, Gulf states have gained this resilience at the expense of migrant workers, which threatens the sustainability of the kafāla in its current form. Nevertheless, we also identify key reforms undertaken in Qatar, which continued during the pandemic, and we find general acceptance of these reforms by citizens and business owners. Additionally, we find that Covid-19 has promoted recognition of the importance of migrant workers in the national labor supply, even if significant steps are still required to reduce migrant vulnerability. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Black Student-Athletes and racism pandemic: Building antiracist practices in athletics

The year 2020 was filled with injustices, fear, and uncertainty that has disproportionately affected Black communities in the United States and abroad. From the unprecedented number of deaths inflicted by COVID-19, specifically on minority groups, to the horrific murders of Black citizens by those in positions of authority and power, the world was once again reminded that racism is still alive. Black student-athletes are among those enduring trauma that has been consistent over centuries and are contending with the chronic nature of systemic racism as it pertains to being a Black athlete within the world of athletics and their respective schools. Through grounded theory, researchers captured the lived experiences of 14 Black student-athletes through qualitative interviews to ensure that sports psychology practitioners and researchers are equipped with the correct resources, knowledge, and skills, to aid in the healing of Black student-athletes although also advocating for expedited social reform and representation within the realm of education, law enforcement, politics, and mental health services. Five key domains emerged from this study including Identity Development, Perception and Expectations, Mental Health, Privilege, and Systems. The authors offer best practices within each domain in an effort to develop anti-racist practices to be implemented within athletic institutions and beyond. Lay summary: Black student-athletes are faced with systemic racism within all the worlds they live in, and as it pertains to being an athlete of color within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Black student-athletes are also coping with major life stressors and, as such, this paper gathered the lived experiences of student-athletes identifying as Black and explored how they experienced support during their tenure as student-athletes in an attempt to establish anti-racist and supportive practices within athletic communities. Develop strategies for athletes to understand and evaluate their identity. Integrate anti-racist practices into large systems including implicit bias training, undoing racism, and privilege education. Create tools and visuals for athletes of color, illustrating the institution's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.