BACKGROUND: Using the perspective of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which represents a public health challenge that also affects education and the psychological well-being of students, this paper aims to assess the vulnerability to anxiety and stress of the Romanian students from the Faculty of Administration and Business of the University of Bucharest pursuing their degrees in administration and business. METHODS: Our study is based on the results of the survey that was administered to a sample of 422 students (39.6% females and 60.4% males) selected from the pool of 2000 recruited respondents. We employed the ANOVA/linear Dependent Dirichlet Process mixture model to explain the causes of stress and anxiety after various grouping variables represented by gender, specialisation, as well as labour market status. RESULTS: Our results revealed that more than 80% of the students in the sample yielded medium and high vulnerability to stress, while 64% of the respondents were affected by severe anxiety (high frequency of psychological, social, and physical problems that were difficult for them to control). The most important stressors were the fear of getting infected and social distancing, while self-control was considered the most effective coping strategy by 62.6% of employed students. CONCLUSIONS: These results allow us to provide practical recommendations for effectively coping with stress and anxiety among students in Romania and beyond and to help stakeholders and policymakers design strategies for strengthening students' resilience, mental health, and well-being in case of future pandemics or other extreme contexts.
- MeSH
- adaptace psychologická * MeSH
- copingové dovednosti MeSH
- COVID-19 * epidemiologie psychologie MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- psychický stres * epidemiologie psychologie MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- studenti * psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- univerzity MeSH
- úzkost * epidemiologie psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Rumunsko MeSH
The university student population is particularly vulnerable to depression, which was identified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding how depressive symptoms are interrelated with mental and physical health in students is essential. The aim of this study was to reveal the network of depressive and anxiety symptoms with respect to well-being (life satisfaction, physical health, physical activity, and perceived stress) during a difficult situation-the COVID-19 pandemic-at two measurement points of different pandemic severities. A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2020 (T1) (lower pandemic severity) and March 2021 (T2) (higher pandemic severity) among 592 and 1230 Czech university students, respectively. The measurements used were the PHQ-9, GAD-7, PSS-10, SWLS, self-rated physical health (SRH), and sociodemographic survey. The network analysis approach was utilized. For the significance of differences, the χ2 test, Student's t test, and ANOVA were performed. The results revealed that scale-level depression, stress, and worse SRH increased over time, whereas life satisfaction decreased. Scale-level anxiety and physical activity were stable over time. PHQ2 Sad mood was the most central and influential node at T1 and T2. PHQ9 Suicidal Ideation was closely related to other variables at T1, whereas PHQ1 Anhedonia was closely related to other variables at T2. The most influential risk factors were the PHQ-2 score and the GAD-2 score, which are associated with uncontrollable worrying, whereas life satisfaction, physical health, and physical activity were the most protective factors. It is crucial to recognize and decrease the PHQ2 score and increase life satisfaction to improve the mental health of university students.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * psychologie epidemiologie MeSH
- cvičení psychologie MeSH
- deprese * epidemiologie psychologie MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- duševní zdraví MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- osobní uspokojení MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- psychický stres epidemiologie psychologie MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 izolace a purifikace MeSH
- sebevražedné myšlenky MeSH
- studenti * psychologie MeSH
- univerzity MeSH
- úzkost * epidemiologie psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
INTRODUCTION: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in communication, social interaction, and repetitive behavior. The declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 resulted in significant changes in daily life due to restrictive measures. This period posed particular challenges for families with children living with autism, given the limitations in medical care and social services. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to understand how families with autistic children perceive stress during the pandemic and the coping strategies employed in unexpected situations. METHOD: A total of 44 families with children with ASD and 300 control families, including 44 control families in a matched subsample, were included in the study. To assess stress and parental coping with COVID-19-related stress, the Responses to Stress Questionnaire (Adult Self-Report RSQ-COVID-19) was utilized. RESULTS: Caregivers of autistic children experienced significantly higher stress levels (p = .027, d = 0.479) during the pandemic, with notable stressors such as limited access to medical care and challenges associated with remote work. Despite expectations, coping strategy differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Families and supporters of children with autism naturally encounter various experiences and challenges stemming from their additional needs. Our study's results highlight an accentuation of stress during challenging situations. As these situations may recur in the future, there is a need to design and implement support plans for these families, appropriate intervention programs, and preparations for the utilization of telemedicine tools.
- MeSH
- adaptace psychologická * MeSH
- COVID-19 * psychologie epidemiologie MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- osoby pečující o pacienty psychologie MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- poruchy autistického spektra * psychologie MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- psychický stres * psychologie MeSH
- rodiče * psychologie MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- MeSH
- adherence pacienta psychologie MeSH
- COVID-19 psychologie MeSH
- hospitalizovaní pacienti psychologie MeSH
- infekce dýchací soustavy * psychologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- postakutní syndrom COVID-19 psychologie MeSH
- psychoterapie * metody MeSH
- úzkost etiologie patologie terapie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- přehledy MeSH
Despite extensive evidence on the impact of various mental health issues including smartphone/internet addiction, and personality traits on academic achievement, little is known about the complex interactions between multiple of these factors simultaneously, as well as cross-country differences in these nuanced relationships. In particular, understanding the role of the mentioned addictions has become increasingly important in recent years in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this cross-country study was to investigate, using path analysis, the complex relationships between mental health determinants (depression, anxiety, stress, resilience, and smartphone/internet addiction) and academic achievement in 1785 Czech and Chinese university students using an online battery of psychological tests. The results confirmed the previously described effect of multiple factors (anxiety, stress, resilience, smartphone/internet addiction, personality traits, and sex, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness) on academic achievement, overlapping in most cases for both groups of students. At the same time, however, different country-dependent patterns of interactions emerged. For the Czech students, the variables formed a complex network of interacting factors, whereas for the Chinese students, the effect of each cluster of factors was separate for individual domains of academic achievement. These cross-country differences have implications particularly for planning and targeting the most effective interventions to promote and develop academic achievement.
- MeSH
- chytrý telefon MeSH
- COVID-19 * psychologie epidemiologie MeSH
- deprese psychologie MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- duševní zdraví MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- návykové chování psychologie MeSH
- netholismus * psychologie MeSH
- osobnost * MeSH
- školní úspěšnost * MeSH
- srovnání kultur MeSH
- studenti * psychologie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- univerzity MeSH
- úzkost psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Čína MeSH
There is no multi-country/multi-language study testing a-priori multivariable associations between non-modifiable/modifiable factors and validated wellbeing/multidimensional mental health outcomes before/during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, studies during COVID-19 pandemic generally do not report on representative/weighted non-probability samples. The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) is a multi-country/multi-language survey conducting multivariable/LASSO-regularized regression models and network analyses to identify modifiable/non-modifiable factors associated with wellbeing (WHO-5)/composite psychopathology (P-score) change. It enrolled general population-representative/weighted-non-probability samples (26/04/2020-19/06/2022). Participants included 121,066 adults (age=42±15.9 years, females=64 %, representative sample=29 %) WHO-5/P-score worsened (SMD=0.53/SMD=0.74), especially initially during the pandemic. We identified 15 modifiable/nine non-modifiable risk and 13 modifiable/three non-modifiable protective factors for WHO-5, 16 modifiable/11 non-modifiable risk and 10 modifiable/six non-modifiable protective factors for P-score. The 12 shared risk/protective factors with highest centrality (network-analysis) were, for non-modifiable factors, country income, ethnicity, age, gender, education, mental disorder history, COVID-19-related restrictions, urbanicity, physical disorder history, household room numbers and green space, and socioeconomic status. For modifiable factors, we identified medications, learning, internet, pet-ownership, working and religion as coping strategies, plus pre-pandemic levels of stress, fear, TV, social media or reading time, and COVID-19 information. In multivariable models, for WHO-5, additional non-modifiable factors with |B|>1 were income loss, COVID-19 deaths. For modifiable factors we identified pre-pandemic levels of social functioning, hobbies, frustration and loneliness, and social interactions as coping strategy. For P-scores, additional non-modifiable/modifiable factors were income loss, pre-pandemic infection fear, and social interactions as coping strategy. COH-FIT identified vulnerable sub-populations and actionable individual/environmental factors to protect well-being/mental health during crisis times. Results inform public health policies, and clinical practice.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * epidemiologie psychologie prevence a kontrola MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- duševní zdraví * MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- multivariační analýza MeSH
- ochranné faktory * MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- rizikové faktory MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
BACKGROUND: Long-term deterioration in the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs) has been reported during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Determining the impact of COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates on the mental health of HCWs is essential to prepare for potential new pandemics. This study aimed to investigate the association of COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates with depressive symptoms over 2 years among HCWs in 20 countries during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This was a multi-country serial cross-sectional study using data from the first and second survey waves of the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) global study. The HEROES study prospectively collected data from HCWs at various health facilities. The target population included HCWs with both clinical and non-clinical roles. In most countries, healthcare centers were recruited based on convenience sampling. As an independent variable, daily COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates were calculated using confirmed cases and deaths reported by Johns Hopkins University. These rates represent the average for the 7 days preceding the participants' response date. The primary outcome was depressive symptoms, assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. A multilevel linear mixed model (LMM) was conducted to investigate the association of depressive symptoms with the average incidence and mortality rates. RESULTS: A total of 32,223 responses from the participants who responded to all measures used in this study on either the first or second survey, and on both the first and second surveys in 20 countries were included in the analysis. The mean age was 40.1 (SD = 11.1), and 23,619 responses (73.3%) were from females. The 9323 responses (28.9%) were nurses and 9119 (28.3%) were physicians. LMM showed that the incidence rate was significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms (coefficient = 0.008, standard error 0.003, p = 0.003). The mortality rate was significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms (coefficient = 0.049, se = 0.020, p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to show an association between COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates with depressive symptoms among HCWs during the first 2 years of the outbreak in multiple countries. This study's findings indicate that additional mental health support for HCWs was needed when the COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates increase during and after the early phase of the pandemic, and these findings may apply to future pandemics. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04352634.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * mortalita epidemiologie psychologie MeSH
- deprese * epidemiologie MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- incidence MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- zdravotnický personál * psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- multicentrická studie MeSH
BACKGROUND: Delivering serious news is usually challenging for healthcare professionals and the pandemic of COVID-19 and related restrictions brought additional challenges in this process. AIMS: To explore the experience of bereaved relatives with receiving serious news from healthcare professionals during the pandemic COVID-19. DESIGN: A qualitative study using thematic analysis and a codebook approach of data collected in semi-structured interviews with bereaved relatives. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected from July to August 2022 in person/via phone with bereaved relatives who lost their relatives during the pandemic (from March 2020 to March 2022). Participants were recruited using a convenience sample and snowball method through social media and through one university hospital palliative care unit that invited bereaved relatives of deceased patients treated at the unit to participate in this study. RESULTS: A total of 22 participants, consisting of 4 men and 18 women, were interviewed for this study. Most of the participants were sons or daughters of individuals who had died (5 grandchildren, 14 sons/daughters, 2 spouses, 1 great-niece). Six themes were identified: Burden caused by visit ban, Fear of COVID-19, Inappropriate behaviour and communication of healthcare professionals, High need for emotional support, Need for detailed and honest communication, Tendency to make excuses for mistakes and lapses by healthcare professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Delivering serious news during a pandemic was negatively influenced by a lack of contact with patients and a lack of support and empathetic communication with staff. Overcoming these circumstances can be achieved by frequent communication using various communication tools (such as videoconferences or phone calls), and maintaining empathy and honesty in the communication process.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * psychologie epidemiologie MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- komunikace MeSH
- kvalitativní výzkum * MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pandemie * MeSH
- rodina * psychologie MeSH
- rozhovory jako téma metody MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- sociální opora MeSH
- ztráta blízké osoby * MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
A theoretical perspective on grandiose narcissism suggests four forms of it (sanctity, admiration, heroism, rivalry) and states that these forms conduce to different ways of thinking and acting. Guided by this perspective, we examined in a multinational and multicultural study (61 countries; N = 15,039) how narcissism forms are linked to cognitions and behaviors prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As expected, differences in cognitions and behaviors across narcissism forms emerged. For example, higher narcissistic rivalry predicted lower likelihood of enactment of COVID-19 prevention behaviors, but higher narcissistic sanctity predicted higher likelihood of enactment of COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Further, whereas the heroism, admiration, and rivalry narcissism forms acted in a typically antisocial manner, with high narcissism predicting greater endorsement of unfounded health beliefs, the sanctity form acted in a prosocial manner, with higher narcissism being linked to lower endorsement of unfounded COVID-19 health beliefs. Thus, the findings (a) support the idea of four narcissism forms acting differently, and (b) show that these differences reflect a double-edged sword, sometimes linking to an anti-social orientation, and sometimes linking to a pro-social orientation.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * psychologie epidemiologie MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- narcismus * MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Background and objective: Nursing homes are threatened by external and internal threats, effect of which may result in a crisis situation (state of emergency). While managing an already existing emergency, it is necessary to create conditions allowing the elderly to maintain their fundamental human and civil rights. Any interference with human and civil rights is acceptable only in a state of emergency when crisis measures are applied. Social isolation was one of the emergency measures within the Covid-19 pandemics and involuntary social isolation may result in one ́s state of depression. To eliminate this prediction, it is necessary to create such conditions that enable the elderly to maintain their basic human needs as well as civil rights. The authors therefore aim to identify and evaluate the effectiveness of possible alternative communication tools and strategies in the nursing homes along with the ways of a potential reduction of negative effects of social contacts restrictions.Methods: On the basis of an online questionnaire, a community of experts evaluated alternative communication tools on a scale from 1 to 5, considering three factors: 1. benefit for the elderly; 2. financial requirements for purchasing/provision for a nursing home; 3. organization requirements for a nursing home. A cost-benefit evaluation was performed to determine a ranking of individual alternative tools.Results: The acquired results of questionnaire survey served as a tool to determine the ranking of importance of individual alternative communication tools that are feasible depending on specific conditions of a nursing home.Conclusion: The research identified useful tools that may help in the nursing homes to mitigate the impacts resulting from restrictions applied in the state of emergency and associated initiatives in the field of mental health.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 psychologie MeSH
- duševní zdraví MeSH
- komunikace * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pečovatelské domovy organizace a řízení MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- sociální izolace * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- Publikační typ
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH