ABSTRACT
The world has witnessed the largest single disruption to social wellbeing since the first known case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported in China in December 2019. In Malaysia, the government implemented the Movement Control Order (MCO) on 18 March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this paper highlights how the Malaysian government responded to COVID-19 in comparison with some Asian countries; and what has and has not worked for the MCO imposed by the government. The paper adopts a review approach that is supported by findings from both grey and academic literature. The findings reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic has significant impacts on the society's wellbeing in Malaysia, the most severe of which are negative mental health and job unemployment. On the other hand, COVID-19 has sparked a surge of volunteering in society. This paper presumably and hopefully represents a frontier review with more empirical research to be conducted to investigate the extent of the social impact of COVID-19, the outcomes of which are a call for re-envisioning of social policies in Malaysia. To the best knowledge of the authors, little empirical research has been conducted to explore the social-wellbeing implications of COVID-19 in Malaysia. By reflecting on the various scenarios-both detrimental and beneficial in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the paper identifies potential avenues for relevant research in the social wellbeing realm.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially induced worries and affected individual mental health and subjective well-being. Nonetheless, a high level of social capital could potentially protect individuals who suffer from mental health problems and thus promote their subjective well-being, especially under the social distancing policies during the pandemic. To this end, based on a random sample of 1053 Hong Kong adults, structural equation modeling was applied to study the path relationships between the worries of COVID-19, social capital, mental health problems, and subjective well-being. The study found that worries during the pandemic were associated with mental health and subjective well-being, through social capital as a mediator. Moreover, social capital exhibited a stronger influence on mental health and subjective well-being in the economically inactive group than in the economically active group. This study highlights the important role of social capital during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Hong Kong's COVID-19 response has primarily focused on disease prevention, it must be noted that social services and mutual-help activities are also crucial for people to withstand the crisis.
ABSTRACT
Inspired by the Conservation of Resource theory (Hobfoll, 1989), this study investigated the role of a broad set of personal vulnerabilities, social, and work-related stressors and resources as predictors of workers' well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants were 594 workers in Italy. Results showed that personality predispostions, such as positivity, neuroticism and conscientiousness as well as key aspects of the individuals' relationship with their work (such as job insecurity, type of employment contract or trust in the organization) emerged as factors promoting (or hampering) workers' adjustment during the COVID -19 outbreak. Interactions between stressors and resources were also found and discussed. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02408-w.
ABSTRACT
Online therapy sessions and other forms of digital mental health services (DMH) have seen a sharp spike in new users since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having little access to their social networks and support systems, people have had to turn to digital tools and spaces to cope with their experiences of anxiety and loss. With no clear end to the pandemic in sight, many of us are likely to remain reliant upon DMH for the foreseeable future. As such, it is important to articulate some of the specific ways in which the pandemic is affecting our self and world-relation, such that we can identify how DMH services are best able to accommodate some of the newly emerging needs of their users. In this paper I will identify a specific type of loss brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and present it as an important concept for DMH. I refer to this loss as loss of perceptual world-familiarity. Loss of perceptual world-familiarity entails a breakdown in the ongoing effortless responsiveness to our perceptual environment that characterizes much of our everyday lives. To cash this out I will turn to insights from the phenomenological tradition. Initially, my project is descriptive. I aim to bring out how loss of perceptual world-familiarity is a distinctive form of loss that is deeply pervasive yet easily overlooked-hence the relevance of explicating it for DMH purposes. But I will also venture into the space of the normative, offering some reasons for seeing perceptual world-familiarity as a component of well-being. I conclude the paper with a discussion of how loss of perceptual world-familiarity affects the therapeutic setting now that most if not all therapeutic interactions have transitioned to online spaces and I explore the potential to augment these spaces with social interaction technologies. Throughout, my discussion aims to do justice to the reality that perceptual world-familiarity is not an evenly distributed phenomenon, that factors like disability, gender and race affect its robustness, and that this ought to be reckoned with when seeking to incorporate the phenomenon into or mitigate it through DMH services.
ABSTRACT
The Great Recession and the unfolding COVID-19 Pandemic Recession-two major disruptions to the economy that occurred just one decade apart-unequivocally confirm the importance of the economy and economic environments for understanding families' financial stress and well-being. However, recent published literature places too little emphasis on the economy and economic environments and instead focuses on explanations rooted within individuals and families. In this article, we review research on families' financial stress and well-being published in JFEI between 2010 and 2019, which analyzed data collected during the Great Recession and were subsequently published in the shadow of the economic downturn. We discuss the economy and economic environments as gaps in the literature and encourage future research to focus on these explanations of stress and well-being, especially in response to the pandemic recession.
ABSTRACT
The global burden of TB disease is characterised by inequalities throughout the cascade of care. These inequalities are evident across regions and within countries. Indeed, populations with the highest burden of TB disease have the least access for TB health services for prevention, timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment and follow-up. In the face of global health emergencies such as COVID-19, these inequalities increase, resulting in worse outcomes for key populations that are already disproportionately affected by TB disease. Children bear the biggest brunt of the inequalities in the TB cascade of care. There is therefore an urgent need to address these, in line with the United Nations SDGs for improving health and well-being for all.Copyright © ERS 2023.
ABSTRACT
Objective: The purpose of this review is to define the feeling of loneliness within a couple while taking into consideration the factors that lead a person to feel lonely in a couple or in a romantic relationship. Our goal is to understand the effects of the feeling of loneliness on these individuals during the global health crisis brought on by COVID-19 and to take these factors into account in designing effective therapeutic care. The different manifestations of loneliness in a couple should also be highlighted. Method(s): We used the PRISMA methodology to select the relevant studies. The keywords ("Solitude" or "Loneliness") and ("Couple" or "Married" or "Partnership") allowed us to select 19 references dealing with the theme. We conducted searches of the following databases: "Cairn", "PsychInfo and Psycarticle", "PubMed and Medline", "ScienceDirect" and finally, "Web of Science" in order to find articles covering a ten-year period. Result(s): There are different definitions for the subjective experience of loneliness. The review of the literature highlights the fact that loneliness can lead to positive or negative psychological consequences (it can lead to the development of creative capacity or, on the contrary, result in depression in some cases). Attachment patterns have been shown to be the basis for the tolerance of feelings of loneliness. Indeed, an anxious attachment would encourage the couple to avoid the feeling of loneliness. According to the literature, this defensive mechanism of seeking presence in the couple would make it possible to limit the impact of loneliness. This solitude depends on the level of relational quality within the couple. A poor relational quality would lead to greater loneliness and would impact intimate relationships. Loneliness is supposedly not experienced in the same way by men and women: Men seem to be more protected by marriage while women's level of loneliness may be higher because of the household chores they have to do. Men and women would nevertheless remain subject to the phenomena of contamination, i.e., when one of the partners feels lonely, the other will also be lonely. However, it seems that marriage protects against feelings of loneliness and its negative consequences. Loneliness does not have only negative effects. It can be beneficial for developing creativity and finding oneself. The periods of confinement during the COVID-19 crisis provided people with an increase in the amount of time they didn't normally have on a daily basis. This may have been beneficial for some people and can be associated with positive emotions. Individuals who spent the lockdowns with others felt less alone and experienced less psychological distress. However, confinements did produce some negative effects on couples. The increased stress of the pandemic and the constant proximity led to an increase in spousal abuse. The consequences of confinement for couples whose relationships were already troubled resulted in frequent separation and/or divorce. The potential for conflict was related to limited financial resources, not working, and the significant risk of contracting SARS COV-2. Conclusion(s): The articles dealing with the feeling of loneliness that we reviewed presented quantitative methods to the detriment of qualitative aspects and focused largely on the negative aspects of the feeling of loneliness. Other academic disciplines, such as sociology, demonstrate a lack of understanding concerning what is at stake with the feeling of loneliness. The articles intersect and tend to highlight the attachment relationships that are formed in childhood as a determining factor in the feeling of solitude later in life. The quality of the relationship, gender, and marital status are also factors to be considered. Loneliness has a clear influence on the well-being of the relationship but it is not an individual characteristic of the relationship itself. It finally appears as an individual characteristic with an impact on the assessment of the quality of the relationship and on the appreciatio of the spouse.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS
ABSTRACT
The objective of this article is to examine the impact of macro-extreme emotional experience (MEEE) and the new societal norms during the COVID-19 pandemic on health and well-being and their situational consequences on emotional labour of frontline employees. The vast literature on emotional labour in the past has focused on several situational cues, and individual and organizational factors as antecedents. We did a systematic review of available literature on emotional labour, literature on sentiment analysis and emotional experience during the pandemic and analysed COVID-19 related blogs using Natural Language Processing (NLP) in RStudio. At the same time, we attempted to look at the possible intervention of individual factors of MEEEs and social aspects of the new societal norms as antecedents on emotion regulation process and its outcome and propose a conceptual framework for future research on emotional labour under the ‘new normal'. It was concluded that perceived risk, fear and anxiety are extreme emotions that individuals are experiencing during the pandemic. © 2023 XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources.
ABSTRACT
Undertaking a doctoral degree is a challenging but worthwhile endeavour where PhD students invest years of academic, physical, and emotional energy contributing to their specialist field. The emotional toll upon doctoral students' wellbeing has been highlighted in recent years. More recently, another issue has impacted PhD students—the COVID-19 pandemic. While emerging research has highlighted doctoral students' struggles and coping mechanisms, we offer our experience as two PhD students navigating our ways through the unknown terrain of doctoral study as a couple during a pandemic. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were forced to retreat from our allocated offices at the university and write together within the same vicinity at home during the sudden lockdown. During this time, we found that even though writing a thesis was stressful and our future was uncertain due to the pandemic, we found comfort and solace in each other. Writing together, in isolation, has brought us together. As we are in different disciplines—Medicine and Education, we also learnt how to approach our theses from different perspectives and became more resilient in our development as researchers. We discuss how our research backgrounds influenced the way we experienced academia and what we learnt from each other. We employ Vygotsky's term of perezhivanie to capture our emotional journey and academic development together to represent the unique environmental conditions experienced. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.
ABSTRACT
During the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, South Korean men exhibited greater affective risk perceptions than women, displaying anxiety and fear of COVID-19 infection as well as emotional distress. Such negative psychological states can be reduced through exposure to natural environments. Natural settings often provide restorative environments promoting individual mental health, psychological stability, and well-being. Therefore, this study aims to examine the roles of restorativeness as perceived by men in mitigating the affective risk perception of COVID-19, improving well-being, and increasing the willingness to pay a premium to camp in the context of nature-based camping. An online survey was conducted with South Korean men who experienced camping during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 208 responses were used for data analysis. The results of structural equation modeling indicated significant relationships between affective risk perception and perceived restorativeness, perceived restorativeness and well-being, and well-being and willingness-to-pay-a-premium. The mediating effect of well-being was also significant. The findings of a multi-group analysis indicated a significant moderating effect of having children on the relationship between perceived restorativeness and well-being, but not on the relationship between well-being and willingness-to-pay-a-premium. The results of this study provide enhanced insight into restorative experiences in nature as a coping mechanism for increased affective risks as perceived by men during the pandemic. In particular, this study examined the psychological benefits of a natural environment in the context of camping and empirically identified the role of camping in promoting a feeling of restorativeness and inducing men's well-being perception by easing negative emotions. This study also provides practitioners with an understanding of changes in men's perceptions and emotional and behavioral responses through positive restorative experiences.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by MRE Press.
ABSTRACT
This section of the book synthesises authors' contributions by reflecting on the key themes identified in the various stories told within the chapters. It briefly describes the impact that marginalisation, parenthood, mental health, and virtual participation had on the formation of academic identity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The section ends with the editors' thoughts on what was achieved in this volume, in addition to the challenges that lie ahead. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.
ABSTRACT
Background: People living with HIV are disproportionately affected by psychological wellbeing and sleep issues which can detrimentally impact their quality of life, adherence and health outcomes. Despite monitoring and assessment being imperative to improve long-term health;evidence indicates a variation in incidence of this and absence in guidance for sleep issues. To support generation of evidence in this field, a market research study was designed to gain insights into current interventions for psychological wellbeing and sleep assessment within HIV services in UKI. Method(s): The study was managed by a market research agency where an online survey link was disseminated to healthcare professionals (HCPs) in multiple HIV centres across UKI. To ensure accuracy of data, HCPs randomly selected a maximum 20 patient notes reviewed between 2020 to 2022. No identifiable patient information was recorded or shared with resulting data presented at an aggregate level. Result(s): 39 clinics participated contributing 665 patient notes with demographics reflective of UKI population. Since Covid- 19 77% of HCPs perceived an increasing demand for mental health support with 64% stating they routinely assess mental health;however, the majority express issues with capacity and resourcing to sufficiently support these patients. 33% of patients included were identified as experiencing a decline in psychological wellbeing, the majority of which self-reported during face to face (F2F) routine appointments;14% of these patients had a PHQ9. 78% received support with the majority signposted to external resources. For those who did not receive support, the primary driver was patient request. 46% of services state they do not routinely assess for sleep issues. A lower proportion of patients (17%) were identified as having such issues;however, of those identified the primary method was self-reporting during F2F routine appointments. 6% of these patients had a PSQI. Of those who did not receive sleep support, a lack of guidance was the main cited reason. Conclusion(s): This study indicates high variation between local management of psychological wellbeing and sleep in HIV, in addition to key gaps in clinical guidance, identifying, managing and ongoing monitoring which is required to ensure long term health.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the rise of remote working worldwide and less central areas have become more and more attractive for these workers. Consequently, remote workers started working from home, in new working spaces, and from everywhere. These changes have affected workers' wellbeing, and cities, peripheral are rural areas. The chapter explores why people decided to keep working remotely even after the pandemic restrictions were cancelled. Furthermore, we give an empirical snapshot of the actual situation of remote workers and how this has and will change geographical patterns. The impact of remote working on wellbeing is described, according to the literature, and some thoughts on how remote working affects the future of coworking spaces and hybrid spaces are presented. © 2023, The Author(s).
ABSTRACT
Past research revealed concerns over the depressive symptoms and psychological well -being of university students. The present study utilizes a stratified random sampling to examine the role of perceived social support on psychological wellbeing between depressed and non-depressed university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. This study recruited a total of 244 university students from different universities across Malaysia from November 2021 to July 2022 through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. A prevalence rate of 50.4% of university students was found to present significant depressive symptoms. There is a significant correlation between perceived social support and psychological wellbeing (r = 0.769, p < 0.05). Non-depressed university students reported significantly higher on their perceived social support and psychological well -being than university students with significant depressive symptoms with values of p<0.001 and p<0.043. Among depressed university students, perceived social support from friends and significant others was reported to be significantly lower than non-depressed university students with a value of p<0.001 and p<0.023. Overall, the present study discovered that a higher level of perceived social support could predict greater psychological well-being and reduced depressive symptoms among university students. Hence, perceived social support should be promoted as an effective intervention for university students due to its accessibility and cost. Future research should look into the effectiveness of perceived social support and other psychological resources for university students with di fferent mental health concerns. © 2023 Australasian College of Health Service Management. All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
PurposeThe post-COVID-19 era is characterised in the professional field by a deterioration in the psychological health of employees and by "The Great Resignation". These phenomena require managers to rethink both organisational and HR strategies to protect their workers' health, to retain them in their job and, in fine, to ensure the sustainability of the organisation. However, studies have demonstrated that high performance work systems (HPWS), which are currently the dominant approach in human resource management, are related to an intensification of work and consequently a deterioration of employees' health (conflicting outcomes perspective). At the same time, workers' well-being has been shown to be associated with numerous organisational outcomes, such as individual performance. However, relatively few articles have investigated win-win organisational practices or programmes that promote the well-being and consequently performance of workers. These include virtuous organisational practices (VOPs), which specifically aim to enhance employees' well-being, considered not as a means to an end, but as an end in itself (mutual gains perspective). This paper aims to develop the general hypothesis that VOPs could increase employees' performance by protecting their health and thus offer an alternative to HPWS. Design/methodology/approachWe review relevant current research on psychological well-being and work performance and present innovative systems of organisational practices such as VOPs that create psychologically healthy workplaces and enhance workers' optimal functioning (well-being and performance). FindingsBased on theoretical arguments and empirical studies, we hypothesise that alternative practices such as VOPs can increase employees' performance while protecting their health and encouraging them to stay in the organisation. Research limitations/implicationsAfter this review, we discuss future avenues for research to encourage the scientific community to test this hypothesis. Practical implicationsFinally, we make a number of specific recommendations about how to (1) appraise, design and implement VOPs, (2) enhance organisational communication and managerial adherence to VOPs, and (3) train managers in R.I.G.H.T leadership behaviours. Originality/valuePresentation of an original approach in this research field: the VOPs.
ABSTRACT
This research has two objectives: 1) examine the average daily time of screen-based activities (SBAs), the most used devices, types of SBAs, and reasons for SBAs use in children;and 2) examine differences in these aspects of SBAs regarding the age of children in Croatia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data came from 60 children's paper-and-pencil media diaries. Children on average spend more time during the day in SBAs than recommended by the literature (up to 1.5 or 2 hours). Older children spend more time in SBAs compared to younger children during the workweek. The most popular devices among children were TVs and smartphones, regardless of age. The most frequent types of children's SBAs were watching content and playing, but watching was more prevalent among younger children and playing among older children during the workweek. The most common reason for SBAs was to have fun, regardless of the children's age. All conclusions mainly apply to children from middle- to upper-socioeconomic- class families and the specific period of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Psychological & Educational Research is the property of University of Oradea Publishing House 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.)
ABSTRACT
Using digital technology to adapt to their host country is an integral part of social inclusion for migrant and refugee populations. However, researchers have not empirically examined how digital technology use may affect subjective well-being among migrant populations. This study aimed to examine the association between increased digital technology use, technological self-efficacy, and subjective well-being. Using the 2020 Digital Divide Survey in Korea, our sample consists of 6520 native South Koreans and 699 North Korean migrants aged 18 years and older. We examined the three-way interaction of technological self-efficacy and being North Korean migrants in the relationship between the increase in the use of five types of digital technology, technological self-efficacy, and subjective well-being, using hierarchical linear regressions. North Korean migrants were statistically lower than South Korean natives in all types of increased digital technology use. Moderation analysis showed that technological self-efficacy positively moderated the relationship between increased digital technology use and subjective well-being. A three-way interaction showed that this relationship was stronger in North Korean migrants for three types of utilization, networking, information sharing, and life services. Considering the potential benefits of technological self-efficacy for North Korean migrants and what psychosocial digital technology education would be considered. © The Author(s) 2023.
ABSTRACT
PurposeTo explore the value in reminiscing about past festivals as a potential way of improving wellbeing in socially isolated times.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses previous research on reminiscence, nostalgia and wellbeing to underpin the analysis of self-recorded memory narratives. These were gathered from 13 pairs of festivalgoers during Covid-19 restrictions and included gathering their individual memories and their reminiscences together. The participant pairs were a mix of friends, family and couples who had visited festivals in the UK, Finland and Denmark.FindingsFour key areas that emerged through the analysis were the emotions of nostalgia and anticipation, and the processes of reliving emotions and bonding through memories.Research limitations/implicationsFuture studies could take a longitudinal approach to see how memory sharing evolves and the impact of this on wellbeing. The authors also recommend undertaking similar studies in other cultural settings.Practical implicationsThis study findings have implications for both post-festival marketing and for the further development of reminiscence therapy interventions.Originality/valueThe method provides a window into memory sharing that has been little used in previous studies. The narratives confirm the value in sharing memories and the positive impact this has on wellbeing. They also illustrate that this happens through positive forms of nostalgia that centre on gratitude and lead to hope and optimism. Anticipation, not emphasised in other studies, was also found to be important in wellbeing and was triggered through looking back at happier times.
ABSTRACT
Background/Aims First Contact Physiotherapists (FCPs) assess, diagnose and manage patients presenting with musculoskeletal disorders in primary care, without the need for prior GP consultation. Prior to COVID-19 almost every consultation was conducted in-person. Since the pandemic, many consultations are now undertaken remotely, a trend that is set to continue in line with the 'Digital first' strategy which seeks to enhance patient access to appointments. This aim of this study was to explore FCP views of remote consultations and how this impacted their role satisfaction and wellbeing. Methods This mixed methods two phase study consisted of an online survey investigating distributed via professional networks and through social media. The phase one survey explored consultation methods;levels of training;challenges and benefits;and a stress appraisal. Data were analysed descriptively. Respondents were invited to take part in phase two which included a semi-structured interview to gain an in-depth understanding of FCPs lived experience of remote consultation ways of working. Transcripts were thematically analysed. Results The online survey received n=109 responses from UK-based FCPs. Data revealed that despite the 'Digital First' push for continued remote consultations, the majority of FCPs (62%) used them for less than a quarter of their appointment slots. Whilst recognising that many patients found this format convenient, FCPs highlighted their own stress levels, citing poor efficacy, anxiety of misdiagnosis, feelings of isolation and increased administrative workload. Nearly two thirds (66%) of respondents had not received any training in how to conduct effective remote consultations. Follow-up interviews with n=16 FCPs highlighted coping strategies including following up with an in-person consultation and directing patients to other community health and wellbeing resources. In areas of high socioeconomic deprivation and poor health literacy additional problems associated with communication difficulties, poor IT access and capability, and digital poverty were all cited. Conclusion Remote consultations may offer a convenient alternative for some patients. FCP responses suggest that the continued offer of remote consultation is decreasing now pandemic restrictions have been lifted, despite the push for continued digital working practices. The perceived lack of efficacy, and fear of missing important diagnostic information means that many FCPs are either returning to in-person consultation or following up with a second face-to-face assessment resulting in potential service inefficiencies. Additional challenges were identified in areas of high deprivation and low health literacy, and the value of this consultation format needs to be considered in this context. Future work should focus on the training and support needs of FCP staff who are engaging with remote working to ensure clinical effectiveness and staff wellbeing.