Frozen conflict in the midst of a global pandemic: potential impact on mental health in Armenian border communities

The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain youth perspectives on consensual and non-consensual sexting. We began this study on young people’s (12–19) sexting practices in a large urban center. Before the study was put on pause due to COVID-19 physical distancing measures, we conducted 12 focus groups with 62 participants (47 girls, 15 boys). A key finding was that many girls had received unsolicited sexts (e.g., “dick pics”) or unwanted requests for sexts. Analysis revealed four interconnected themes: (1) unsolicited sexts; (2) unwanted requests for sexts; (3) complexity associated with saying “no”; and (4) general lack of adult support. Using our findings from before COVID-19, we discuss the potential impact of COVID-19 on teens’ sexting experiences and outline the ways in which social workers and other mental health practitioners can support adolescents and their parents in navigating this new context of sexting during and beyond the global pandemic.

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The COVID-19 Global Pandemic: Implications for People With Schizophrenia and Related Disorders

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sbaa051 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 (4) ◽

pp. 752-757 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Nicole Kozloff ◽

Benoit H Mulsant ◽

Vicky Stergiopoulos ◽

Aristotle N Voineskos

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Health Service Delivery ◽

Mental Health Service Delivery ◽

The Public ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Potential Impact ◽

Poor Outcomes ◽

Outpatient Settings

Abstract The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) global pandemic has already had an unprecedented impact on populations around the world, and is anticipated to have a disproportionate burden on people with schizophrenia and related disorders. We discuss the implications of the COVID-19 global pandemic with respect to: (1) increased risk of infection and poor outcomes among people with schizophrenia, (2) anticipated adverse mental health consequences for people with schizophrenia, (3) considerations for mental health service delivery in inpatient and outpatient settings, and (4) potential impact on clinical research in schizophrenia. Recommendations emphasize rapid implementation of measures to both decrease the risk of COVID-19 transmission and maintain continuity of clinical care and research to preserve safety of both people with schizophrenia and the public.

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Childhood adversity studies as an antidote to the predominance of neo-liberal thinking in the field of mental health

Scottish Affairs ◽

10.3366/scot.2020.0344 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 556-563

Author(s):

Adam Burley

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Childhood Adversity ◽

Sole Source ◽

Point Of View ◽

Early Adversity ◽

Potential Impact ◽

The Individual

This is a personal and reflective piece written from a clinician's point of view on the influence that the developing awareness around the consequences of childhood adversity has had upon the discussions, thinking and practice across the areas in which they are working. It seeks to argue that the increased understanding and recognition of the potential impact of early adversity can not only enhance and deepen the understanding of an individual's difficulties, but can serve to inform how services respond in a way that takes account of this. It suggests that the research and literature on childhood adversity can offer a route map away from a model of mental health that focuses predominantly on the individual as the sole source of interest.

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COVID-19 pandemic: A review of the global lockdown and its far-reaching effects

Science Progress ◽

10.1177/00368504211019854 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 104 (2) ◽

pp. 003685042110198

Author(s):

Helen Onyeaka ◽

Christian K Anumudu ◽

Zainab T Al-Sharify ◽

Esther Egele-Godswill ◽

Paul Mbaegbu

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Global Economy ◽

World Health ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The World ◽

Education Delivery ◽

Environmental Air ◽

Health Organization ◽

Almost All ◽

The Impact

COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 11th of March 2020, leading to some form of lockdown across almost all countries of the world. The extent of the global pandemic due to COVID-19 has a significant impact on our lives that must be studied carefully to combat it. This study highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on crucial aspects of daily life globally, including; Food security, Global economy, Education, Tourism, hospitality, sports and leisure, Gender Relation, Domestic Violence/Abuse, Mental Health and Environmental air pollution through a systematic search of the literature. The COVID-19 global lockdown was initiated to stem the spread of the virus and ‘flatten the curve’ of the pandemic. However, the impact of the lockdown has had far-reaching effects in different strata of life, including; changes in the accessibility and structure of education delivery to students, food insecurity as a result of unavailability and fluctuation in prices, the depression of the global economy, increase in mental health challenges, wellbeing and quality of life amongst others. This review article highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown across the globe. As the global lockdown is being lifted in a phased manner in various countries of the world, it is necessary to explore its impacts to understand its consequences comprehensively. This will guide future decisions that will be made in a possible future wave of the COVID-19 pandemic or other global disease outbreak.

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Are paramedic graduates effectively prepared for death? A scoping review

Journal of Paramedic Practice ◽

10.12968/jpar.2021.13.10.408 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 408-413

Author(s):

Anna Somers

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Literature Review ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Prehospital Setting ◽

Death Education ◽

Preparation Methods ◽

Scoping Literature Review ◽

Potential Impact ◽

New Research

Paramedics often come across death because of the nature of their work. Attending an incident involving the death of a patient could affect a paramedic's mental health. A scoping literature review surrounding the readiness and education regarding death in the prehospital setting for paramedic students was carried out. Given the potential impact upon practitioner mental health, the review aimed to determine the quality and extent of new research regarding education in death for paramedics. Four themes arose from the review: inadequate preparation; methods of death education; improved confidence; and implications for more research.

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Risks to Children under-five in India from COVID-19

10.1101/2020.05.18.20105239 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Isabel Frost ◽

Katie Tseng ◽

Stephanie Hauck ◽

Geetanjali Kappor ◽

Aditi Sriram ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Indoor Air Pollution ◽

Large Population ◽

Household Survey ◽

Access To Health Services ◽

Indian States ◽

Worst Case ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Potential Impact ◽

Access To Medical Care ◽

Novel Coronavirus

Objective: The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has rapidly emerged to become a global pandemic and is known to cause a high risk to patients over the age of 70 and those with co-morbidities, such as hypertension and diabetes. Though children are at comparatively lower risk compared to adults, the Indian population has a large young demographic that is likely to be at higher risk due to exposure to pollution, malnutrition and poor access to medical care. We aimed to quantify the potential impact of COVID-19 on Indias child population. Methods: We combined district family household survey data with data from the COVID-19 outbreak in China to analyze the potential impact of COVID-19 on children under the age of 5, under three different scenarios; each of which assumed the prevalence of infection to be 0.5%, 1%, or 5%. Results: We find that in the lowest prevalence scenario, across the most populous 18 Indian states, asymptomatic, non-hospitalized symptomatic and hospitalized symptomatic cases could reach 87,200, 412,900 and 31,900, respectively. In a moderate prevalence scenario, these figures reach 174,500, 825,800, and 63,800, and in the worst case, high prevalence scenario these cases could climb as high as 872,200, 4,128,900 and 319,700. Conclusion: These estimates show COVID-19 has the potential to pose a substantial threat to Indias large population of children, particularly those suffering from malnutrition and exposure to indoor air pollution, who may have limited access to health services.

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Modelling out-of-area admissions

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.2018.119 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 213 (4) ◽

pp. 615-616 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lewis W. Paton ◽

Paul A. Tiffin

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Community Services ◽

Referral Rate ◽

Referral Rates ◽

Admission Rates ◽

Department Of Health ◽

Potential Impact ◽

Using Data ◽

Out Of Area ◽

Health Trust

SummaryOut-of-area (OOA) placements occur when patients cannot be admitted to local facilities, which can be extremely stressful for patients and families. Thus, the Department of Health aims to eliminate the need for OOA admissions. Using data from a UK mental health trust we developed a ‘virtual mental health ward’ to evaluate the potential impact of referral rates and length of stay (LOS) on OOA rates. The results indicated OOA rates were equally sensitive to LOS and referral rate. This suggests that investment in community services that reduce both LOS and referral rates are required to meaningfully reduce OOA admission rates.Declaration of interestP.A.T. holds an honorary consultant contract with the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.

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A rapid review investigating the potential impact of a pandemic on the mental health of young people aged 12–25 years

Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/ipm.2020.106 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

A. O’Reilly ◽

M. Tibbs ◽

A. Booth ◽

E. Doyle ◽

B. McKeague ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Infectious Disease ◽

Young People ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Disease Outbreak ◽

World Health ◽

Rapid Review ◽

Clear Understanding ◽

Infectious Disease Outbreak ◽

Potential Impact

Abstract Objectives: In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic. Adolescence and early adulthood are peak times for the onset of mental health difficulties. Exposure to a pandemic during this vulnerable developmental period places young people at significant risk of negative psychological experiences. The objective of this research was to summarise existing evidence on the potential impact of a pandemic on the mental health of 12–25 year olds. Methods: A rapid review of the published peer-reviewed literature, published between 1985 and 2020, using PsycINFO (Proquest) and Medline (Proquest) was conducted. Narrative synthesis was used across studies to identify key themes and concepts. Results: This review found 3,359 papers, which was reduced to 12 papers for data extraction. Results regarding the prevalence of psychological difficulties in youth were mixed, with some studies finding this group experience heightened distress during an infectious disease outbreak, and others finding no age differences or higher distress among adults. Gender, coping, self-reported physical health and adoption of precautionary measures appear to play a role in moderating the psychological impact of an infectious disease outbreak. Most studies were conducted after the peak of an epidemic/pandemic or in the recovery period. Conclusions: More longitudinal research with young people, particularly adolescents in the general population, before and during the early stages of an infectious disease outbreak is needed to obtain a clear understanding of how best to support young people during these events.

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Communicating about suicide during a global pandemic: impact on journalists and media audiences

Media International Australia ◽

10.1177/1329878x20956415 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1329878X2095641

Author(s):

Alexandra Wake ◽

Elizabeth Paton ◽

Rebecca Pryor

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Occupational Safety ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Issues ◽

Media Audiences ◽

Mental Health Issues ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Personal Stress ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Accurate Reporting

COVID-19 has brought with it an increase in predictions of mental ill-health and suicide impacts in Australia. For journalists, it has been a period not only of personal stress about their economic livelihoods and occupational safety, but also balancing providing up to date information about the pandemic with safe, sensitive and accurate reporting on associated suicide and mental health issues. Mindframe offers guidelines, resources and individualised support to help manage the complexities of reporting on suicide in this global pandemic, working with media to protect people in their audience who are vulnerable to suicide while also helping journalists protect their own mental health and well being.

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Effectiveness of ICT-based intimate partner violence interventions: a systematic review

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-020-09408-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Christo El Morr ◽

Manpreet Layal

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Unintended Consequences ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Middle Income ◽

Global Pandemic

Abstract Background Intimate Partner Violence is a “global pandemic”. Meanwhile, information and communication technologies (ICT), such as the internet, mobile phones, and smartphones, are spreading worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries. We reviewed the available evidence on the use of ICT-based interventions to address intimate partner violence (IPV), evaluating the effectiveness, acceptability, and suitability of ICT for addressing different aspects of the problem (e.g., awareness, screening, prevention, treatment, mental health). Methods We conducted a systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines, using the following databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Key search terms included women, violence, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, information, communication technology, ICT, technology, email, mobile, phone, digital, ehealth, web, computer, online, and computerized. Only articles written in English were included. Results Twenty-five studies addressing screening and disclosure, IPV prevention, ICT suitability, support and women’s mental health were identified. The evidence reviewed suggests that ICT-based interventions were effective mainly in screening, disclosure, and prevention. However, there is a lack of homogeneity among the studies’ outcome measurements and the sample sizes, the control groups used (if any), the type of interventions, and the study recruitment space. Questions addressing safety, equity, and the unintended consequences of the use of ICT in IPV programming are virtually non-existent. Conclusions There is a clear need to develop women-centered ICT design when programming for IPV. Our study showed only one study that formally addressed software usability. The need for more research to address safety, equity, and the unintended consequences of the use of ICT in IPV programming is paramount. Studies addressing long term effects are also needed.

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