scholarly journals Proximity to people with COVID-19 and anxiety among community residents during the epidemic in Guangzhou, China

BJPsych Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinghua Su ◽  
Xiyuan Chen ◽  
Ning Yang ◽  
Meng Sun ◽  
Liang Zhou

Summary The recent outbreak of a novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) may have acute psychological consequences, both in relation to the impact of the virus itself and the restrictions imposed to tackle its spread. We conducted an online survey of 403 residents in Guangzhou, China. We found the prevalence of anxiety (defined as Generalized Anxiety Disorder–7 score ≥5) was 37.7%, and anxiety was significantly and moderately correlated with worry about COVID-19. Higher anxiety levels in community residents was associated with the presence of individuals with COVID-19 in the same building; a longer time spent each day gathering information about the virus; and choosing social media as their preferred source of information. Our findings provide an insight into the psychological support and guidance about information sources that are required in this type of public health emergency.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saima Majeed ◽  
Elizabeth Maria Schwaiger ◽  
Abia Nazim ◽  
Ivan Suneel Samuel

Background: In the wake of the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus and the resultant restrictive measures, mental health has become a crucial issue. Physical health is not the only aspect of humans that is at risk. Globally, the rates and severity of mental illness are being significantly impacted by this pandemic. Two scales have been validated to measure the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the levels of anxiety and obsessional thinking in clinical and non-clinical populations. The present study was designed to investigate the levels of anxiety and obsessions related to COVID-19 in the general public of Lahore, Pakistan.Materials and Methods: Data were collected via snowball sampling from May 9 to May 19. An online survey consisting of a demographic profile and two scales, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) and Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS), was sent through email, WhatsApp, and Facebook groups to adults (18 years and above) of Lahore, Pakistan.Results: A total of 240 individuals (20% men and 80% women) recorded their responses. The majority belonged to a nuclear family system (60%), and their education level ranged from high school to Ph.D. The cut-off score for probable dysfunctional coronavirus anxiety and obsession levels was not met within this sample (CAS, M = 3.24, SD = 4.21; OCS, M = 4.14, SD = 3.15), suggesting that the general population of Lahore, Pakistan is not suffering from dysfunctional anxiety or obsessions related to COVID-19. Forty-seven participants' score on OCS and 35 participants' scores on CAS were above the cut-off, i.e., ≥7 and ≥9, respectively. The results of the correlation analysis showed a significant positive relationship (**p < 0.619) between anxiety and obsessions related to COVID-19.Conclusion: One important, yet surprising, conclusion of this study is that the average adult in Lahore does not show much anxiety or obsessions related to COVID-19. Other studies around the world using these measurement tools have indicated significantly high levels of both anxiety and obsessions related to COVID-19. These findings may demonstrate the resilience of Pakistanis or perhaps the lack of understanding of the seriousness of the situation.


Author(s):  
Iris A. Lesser ◽  
Carl P. Nienhuis

A global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) resulted in restrictions to daily living for Canadians, including social distancing and closure of city and provincial recreation facilities, national parks and playgrounds. The objective of this study was to assess how these preemptive measures impacted physical activity behaviour and well-being of Canadians. An online survey was utilized to measure participant physical activity behavior, nature exposure, well-being and anxiety levels. Results indicate that while 40.5% of inactive individuals became less active, only 22.4% of active individuals became less active. Comparatively, 33% of inactive individuals became more active while 40.3% of active individuals became more active. There were significant differences in well-being outcomes in the inactive population between those who were more active, the same or less active (p < 0.001) but this was not seen in the active population. Inactive participants who spent more time engaged in outdoor physical activity had lower anxiety than those who spent less time in outdoor physical activity. Public health measures differentially affected Canadians who were active and inactive and physical activity was strongly associated with well-being outcomes in inactive individuals. This suggests that health promoting measures directed towards inactive individuals may be essential to improving well-being.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Imbriano ◽  
Emmett M. Larsen ◽  
Daniel M. Mackin ◽  
Akaisha Kaixuan An ◽  
Christian C. Luhmann ◽  
...  

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is associated with elevated rates of anxiety and relatively lower compliance with public health guidelines in younger adults. To develop strategies for reducing anxiety and increasing adherence with health guidelines, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to anxiety and health compliance in the context of COVID-19. Earlier research has shown that greater perceived risk of negative events and their costs are associated with increased anxiety and compliance with health behaviors, but it is unclear what role they play in a novel pandemic surrounded by uncertainty. In the present study we measured (1) perceived risk as the self-reported probability of being infected and experiencing serious symptoms due to COVID-19 and (2) perceived cost as financial, real-world, physical, social, and emotional consequences of being infected with COVID-19. Worry was assessed using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PWSQ) and health compliance was measured as endorsement of the World Health Organization (WHO) health directives for COVID-19. Our results showed that greater perceived risk and costs of contracting the COVID-19 virus were associated with greater worry and while only costs were associated with greater compliance with health behaviors. Neither self-reported worry nor its interaction with cost estimates was associated with increased engagement in health behaviors. Our results provide important insight into decision making mechanisms involved in both increased anxiety and health compliance in COVID-19 and have implications for developing psychoeducational and psychotherapeutic strategies to target both domains.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Widya Lestari ◽  
Nur Hazirah Yazid ◽  
Zawin Najah Azhar ◽  
Azlini Ismail ◽  
Cortino Sukotjo

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has spread across the world at unprecedented speed and gained worldwide attention. The pandemic proved to hold an impact to humankind including dental students in all aspects of life. Dental students’ performances may indirectly be affected following the preventive measures in containing the disease. This study aims to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on physical, mental, financial health and academic concern among dental students in Malaysia. Methods The current research implemented a cross sectional study among dental students in Malaysia. Assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on dental education was done by the distribution of a set of online survey consisting of 28 questions to dental students (n = 353) from public and private universities in Malaysia. The questionnaires include sociodemographic backgrounds and assessment on the 4 main domains. Results A total number of 353 respondents was recorded and 76.2% comprised of female. 59.7% were clinical students and 40.3% were preclinical students. 55.8% of the respondents attended hybrid mode of study. 78.0%, 76.5% and 91.8% students were concerned about their own emotional, physical health and the amount of clinical skill they acquire respectively. Year 3 students were found to be more concerned about their mental and financial health concern (p < 0.05). Conclusions COVID-19 pandemic had indeed significantly affected Malaysian dental students mainly due to fear of the quality of online learning and the amount of clinical skills acquired.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahmir H Ali ◽  
Joshua Foreman ◽  
Yesim Tozan ◽  
Ariadna Capasso ◽  
Abbey M Jones ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a heightened need to understand health information seeking behaviors to address disparities in knowledge and beliefs about the crisis. OBJECTIVE This study assessed sociodemographic predictors of the use and trust of different COVID-19 information sources, as well as the association between information sources and knowledge and beliefs about the pandemic. METHODS An online survey was conducted among US adults in two rounds during March and April 2020 using advertisement-based recruitment on social media. Participants were asked about their use of 11 different COVID-19 information sources as well as their most trusted source of information. The selection of COVID-related knowledge and belief questions was based on past empirical literature and salient concerns at the time of survey implementation. RESULTS The sample consisted of 11,242 participants. When combined, traditional media sources (television, radio, podcasts, or newspapers) were the largest sources of COVID-19 information (91.2%). Among those using mainstream media sources for COVID-19 information (n=7811, 69.5%), popular outlets included CNN (24.0%), Fox News (19.3%), and other local or national networks (35.2%). The largest individual information source was government websites (87.6%). They were also the most trusted source of information (43.3%), although the odds of trusting government websites were lower among males (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.58, 95% CI 0.53-0.63) and those aged 40-59 years and ≥60 years compared to those aged 18-39 years (AOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.74-0.92; AOR 0.62, 95% CI 0.54-0.71). Participants used an average of 6.1 sources (SD 2.3). Participants who were male, aged 40-59 years or ≥60 years; not working, unemployed, or retired; or Republican were likely to use fewer sources while those with children and higher educational attainment were likely to use more sources. Participants surveyed in April were markedly less likely to use (AOR 0.41, 95% CI 0.35-0.46) and trust (AOR 0.51, 95% CI 0.47-0.56) government sources. The association between information source and COVID-19 knowledge was mixed, while many COVID-19 beliefs were significantly predicted by information source; similar trends were observed with reliance on different types of mainstream media outlets. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 information source was significantly determined by participant sociodemographic characteristics and was also associated with both knowledge and beliefs about the pandemic. Study findings can help inform COVID-19 health communication campaigns and highlight the impact of using a variety of different and trusted information sources.


Author(s):  
Berru Amalianita ◽  
Ifdil Ifdil ◽  
Rima Pratiwi Fadli ◽  
Nilma Zola ◽  
Yola Eka Putri

A novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak began in Wuhan, China, has been named corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December 2019. The first cases of  COVID-19 was reported in Indonesia on 2 March 2020. All caused global panic, fears, anxiety  around the coronavirus have been especially amplified by social media. During coroan virus outbreak, disinformation and false reports have bombarded social media and stoked unfounded anxiety among Indonesian society. This research, therefore, aims to analyze the impact social media and anxiety level during COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia. This research Cross-Sectional research was online conducted  during March 22 -25, 2020. The procedure of this research is  Indonesian citizens old were invited to participant online survey thought Survey Monkey platform. There are 1543  participant  form aged 17 to 60 Year and form several province and region in Indonesia. The instrumen useing  the DASS was to modify patients’ anxiety. Data analyzed using JASP (Jeffrey's Amazing Statistics Program). The research showed that respondents anxiety in the very haviness category with the highest anxiety when the duration of social media access more than 6 hours in a day. The anxiety base of aspect in watching/reading  have a higher, then Imagine and  listening when access social media about corona virus among Indonesia society. Social media use is complex reading or watching  lots of news about coronavirus has led to anxiety.


Author(s):  
Robert Stanton ◽  
Quyen G. To ◽  
Saman Khalesi ◽  
Susan L. Williams ◽  
Stephanie J. Alley ◽  
...  

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has enforced dramatic changes to daily living including economic and health impacts. Evidence for the impact of these changes on our physical and mental health and health behaviors is limited. We examined the associations between psychological distress and changes in selected health behaviors since the onset of COVID-19 in Australia. An online survey was distributed in April 2020 and included measures of depression, anxiety, stress, physical activity, sleep, alcohol intake and cigarette smoking. The survey was completed by 1491 adults (mean age 50.5 ± 14.9 years, 67% female). Negative change was reported for physical activity (48.9%), sleep (40.7%), alcohol (26.6%) and smoking (6.9%) since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Significantly higher scores in one or more psychological distress states were found for females, and those not in a relationship, in the lowest income category, aged 18–45 years, or with a chronic illness. Negative changes in physical activity, sleep, smoking and alcohol intake were associated with higher depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. Health-promotion strategies directed at adopting or maintaining positive health-related behaviors should be utilized to address increases in psychological distress during the pandemic. Ongoing evaluation of the impact of lifestyle changes associated with the pandemic is needed.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fayyaz Ahmad Faize ◽  
Waqar Husain

Purpose COVID-19 generated extensive fear and anxiety across the globe. This study aims to explore the psychological dynamics of students during COVID-19 lockdown, its impact and students’ management strategies. Design/methodology/approach This paper collected data from 891 students in Islamabad (Pakistan) using an online survey consisting of the generalized anxiety disorder scale and items on academic variables. After measuring the anxiety levels, this paper interviewed 20 students diagnosed with severe anxiety. The objective was to seek a deeper understanding of the impact of COVID-19 and students’ management. Findings This paper found students with different anxiety levels. Most students had no anxiety; however, 8.2% of students had severe anxiety. These students reported psychological, social and physical problems during the interview. The students shared their activities and avoidance behavior to manage their anxiety levels. Originality/value The study helped in understanding the psychological dynamics during the pandemic and students’ management strategies. Some students express their inability to cope with their problems. This paper recommends the intervention of clinical practitioners, policymakers and researchers to work for the mental health of such students.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1248-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yüksel Ürün ◽  
Syed A. Hussain ◽  
Ziad Bakouny ◽  
Daniel Castellano ◽  
Saadettin Kılıçkap ◽  
...  

PURPOSE To understand readiness measures taken by oncologists to protect patients and health care workers from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and how their clinical decision making was influenced by the pandemic. METHODS An online survey was conducted between March 24 and April 29, 2020. RESULTS A total of 343 oncologists from 28 countries participated. The median age was 43 years (range, 29-68 years), and the majority were male (62%). At the time of the survey, nearly all participants self-reported an outbreak in their country (99.7%). Personal protective equipment was available to all participants, of which surgical mask was the most common (n = 308; 90%). Telemedicine, in the form of phone or video encounters, was common and implemented by 80% (n = 273). Testing patients with cancer for COVID-19 via reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction before systemic treatment was not routinely implemented: 58% reported no routine testing, 39% performed testing in selected patients, and 3% performed systematic testing in all patients. The most significant factors influencing an oncologist’s decision making regarding choice of systemic therapy included patient age and comorbidities (81% and 92%, respectively). Although hormonal treatments and tyrosine kinase inhibitors were considered to be relatively safe, cytotoxic chemotherapy and immune therapies were perceived as being less safe or unsafe by participants. The vast majority of participants stated that during the pandemic they would use less chemotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and steroids. Although treatment in neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and first-line metastatic disease was less affected, most of the participants stated that they would be more hesitant to recommend second- or third-line therapies in metastatic disease. CONCLUSION Decision making by oncologists has been significantly influenced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjarie Dharmastuti ◽  
Fressi Apriliyanti ◽  
Fitri Wahyuni

Hoaxes keep existing during this COVID-19 pandemic. They are indicated to be capable of heightening anxiety levels. Current works of literature about hoax-health impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic are still limited. Millennial, young generations, who are attached to the Internet technology, has the highest anxiety level. Millennial women or moms are already familiar with gadgets. They are surely exposed to hoaxes during this pandemic. Moms are the center of family defense. COVID-19 hoax influences these millennial moms’ mental health. Therefore, it is important to be studied because it contributes to mental health literature during this pandemic. This research applied a qualitative method. The data were taken from an online survey and processed by thematic analysis techniques. The findings showed that the greatest impacts of COVID-19 hoaxes on moms’ mental health were health-institutional distrust and apparatus-government distrust. Thus, it led to a lack of cooperation to promote the protocol and influenced the COVID-19 pandemic preventive efforts. Keywords: hoax, anxiety, pandemic, qualitative survey


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