scholarly journals Mindfulness-Based Approaches for COVID-19 Mental Health in Working from Home

Author(s):  
Katia C. Vione ◽  
Yasuhiro Kotera

AbstractThe novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic spread rapidly since it was first identified in December 2019. A nation-level lockdown has been implemented in many countries, affecting workers of all sectors and forcing many to work from home. In this commentary, we discuss mental health difficulties that working from home might cause on non-key workers, based on research in New Ways of Working (NWW) and telecommuting. Moreover, we propose the use of mindfulness-based approaches to protect workforce from the potential negative impacts of working from home.

Author(s):  
Usung Isaac Akpan

Following the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) pandemic, both public and private sectors have put in place a number of measures, including those affecting workplaces, to fight the spread of the disease. The world of work is severely affected during this crisis, therefore, all sections of society including businesses, employers and social partners must play a role in order to protect workers, their families and society at large. The nature and extent of the restrictions and lockdown milestones, such as on suspension of non-essential activities, differ between service providers and different sectors , but a substantial proportion of workers either have to work from home, or if their work cannot be performed at a distance, they stay at home often under an income replacement arrangement. Drawing from this experience, various organisations have decided to restructure their workforce work routine which necessitate my curiosity to ponder and its application in the Nigerian context as it affects working from home philosophy. KEYWORDS: pandemic, employees, social distance, working from home, corona virus, workforce.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 268
Author(s):  
Christy L. Hoffman

In Spring of 2020, the novel coronavirus (SAR-CoV-2) prompted an unprecedented number of individuals across the United States to begin working from home. Prior research has identified both positive and negative impacts of teleworking on employee well-being, and this study built on that research to explore perceptions regarding how companion animals factor into the teleworking experience. Individuals who had experience working from home and from their employer’s office completed an online survey about those experiences. Participants reported spending more quality time with their companion animals and family members when they worked from home. Furthermore, when working from home, individuals with dogs were more likely than those without dogs to report they socialized with other people, got a healthy amount of physical activity, and took at least one 15-min walk during the workday. Some participants, particularly those in households containing both dogs and cats, indicated that their pets created distractions during the workday. Future studies can build on this research by investigating whether the findings persist once the novel coronavirus is no longer a threat, and by paying close attention to the characteristics of pets, owners, and household dynamics that may influence the effects of pet ownership on the teleworking experience.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianna Loose ◽  
Alejandro Vásquez-Echeverría

The novel coronavirus has taken a catastrophic toll worldwide on physical and mental health. We focused on the psychosocial impact among students in Uruguay, a country relatively protected from the pandemic. Our study had three main aims : 1) describe in detail the impact among university students, 2) identify relationships between different dimensions and 3) highlight the factors determinant of mental distress. We designed a multi-dimensional questionnaire to investigate the perceived impact on the lives of students. The questionnaire was administered to 144 undergraduates in Uruguay online while the university was closed. 38-66% of students indicated increases in signs of anxiety, depression or sleep disturbances. Independently of other related factors, increases in substance use, impairments in social relationships, negative impacts of school closures, and personal economic worries explained 41% of variance in psychological distress. Findings are discussed in terms of policies for public health and future directions for research on mental health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 340-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen R. Choi ◽  
MarySue V. Heilemann ◽  
Alex Fauer ◽  
Meredith Mead

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created an unprecedented global health challenge. There is risk that the outbreak will create a “second pandemic” of mental health crises in health systems and communities. Thus, a comprehensive public health response to the pandemic must include (a) attention to the psychological aspects of hospitalization for patients, families, and staff affected by COVID-19; (b) planning for emergency and acute psychiatric patient care if hospitals become overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients; and (c) innovations for providing mental health care in communities while social distancing is required and health system resources are strained. Nurses and nurse leaders must anticipate these mental health challenges, assist with preparedness in health systems and communities, and advocate for a coordinated response to promote mental wellness and resilience.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Qu ◽  
Doudou Zhao ◽  
Peng Jia ◽  
Shaonong Dang ◽  
Wenhao Shi ◽  
...  

Objective: To investigate the mental health of women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment during the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak in Xi'an, China.Methods: A repeated cross-sectional study was administered to women undergoing ART treatment during the outbreak period (599 women in February 2020) and the control period (892 women in May 2020) at the Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China.Results: Both the ART-treated women surveyed during the outbreak period and those surveyed during the control period had high scores on the fear dimension (0.88, 0.51). The total scores for mental health among the participants during the control period were lower than those during the outbreak period (difference = −0.22; 95% CI = −0.25, −0.18). Lower scores were also seen during the control period, compared to those in the outbreak period, for depression (difference = −0.18; 95% CI = −0.23, −0.13), neurasthenia (difference = −0.31; 95% CI = −0.36, −0.25), fear (difference = −0.37; 95% CI = −0.43, −0.31), compulsion anxiety (difference = −0.13; 95% CI = −0.16, −0.09), and hypochondriasis (difference = −0.09; 95% CI = −0.12, −0.06).Conclusions: During the COVID-19 global pandemic, the mental health of women undergoing ART treatment in Xi'an, China, was primarily manifested as fear. As the pandemic was brought under control, the mental health of ART-treated women improved. As evidenced by these results, the COVID-19 pandemic influences the mental health of women undergoing ART treatment, and clinicians should be aware of this for similar future situations.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas D. Hull ◽  
Jacob Levine ◽  
Niels Bantilan ◽  
Angel N. Desai ◽  
Maimuna S. Majumder

BACKGROUND The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has negatively impacted mortality, economic conditions, and mental health and these impacts are likely to continue after the pandemic comes to an end. OBJECTIVE At present, no method has characterized the mental health burden of the pandemic distinct from pre-COVID-19 levels. Accurate detection of illness is critical to facilitate pandemic-related treatment to prevent worsening symptoms. METHODS An algorithm for the isolation of pandemic-related concerns on a large digital mental health service is reported that utilized natural language processing (NLP) on unstructured therapy transcript data, in parallel with brief clinical assessments of depression and anxiety symptoms. RESULTS Results demonstrate a significant increase in COVID-related intake anxiety symptoms, but no detectable difference in intake depression symptoms. Transcript analyses identified terms classifiable into 24 symptoms in excess of those included in the diagnostic criteria for anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS Findings for this large digital therapy service suggest that treatment seekers are presenting with more severe intake anxiety levels than before the COVID-19 outbreak. Importantly, monitoring additional symptoms as part of a new COVID-19 Syndrome category could be advised to fully capture the effects of COVID019 on mental health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balasankar Ganesan ◽  
Adel Al-Jumaily ◽  
Kenneth N. K. Fong ◽  
Palak Prasad ◽  
Surendra Kumar Meena ◽  
...  

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has made a huge impact on people's physical and mental health, and it remains a cause of death for many all over the world. To prevent the spread of coronavirus infection, different types of public health measures (social isolation, quarantine, lockdowns, and curfews) have been imposed by governments. However, mental health experts warn that the prolonged lockdown, quarantine, or isolation will create a “second pandemic” with severe mental health issues and suicides. The quarantined or isolated people may suffer from various issues such as physical inactivity, mental health, economic and social problems. As with the SARS outbreak in 2003, many suicide cases have been reported in connection with this current COVID-19 pandemic lockdown due to various factors such as social stigma, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, fear of COVID infection, loneliness, and other mental health issues. This paper provides an overview of risk factors that can cause suicide and outlines possible solutions to prevent suicide in this current COVID-19 pandemic.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Anwar Hossain ◽  
Sanjida Rahman ◽  
Md Rezaul Karim

During this epidemic of COVID-19, children are in need of much concentration and profound love of the senior family members. Although the measures taken by the organizations are necessary to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, they may be causing widespread mental health issues, including depression and loneliness. Therefore, it is imperative that parents have to spend the lion-share of time with children while listening to them cordially. Parents can participate in sports with them to help them stay fit so that they can enjoy commemorating moments. However, in this additional time, the parents can also make them habituated to practice the rules of health, so does social distancing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdiyeh Sarraf-Razavi ◽  
Seyyed Mohammad Tabatabaei ◽  
Mahboubeh Eslamzadeh ◽  
Marjan Moradi ◽  
Zhaleh Feyzi ◽  
...  

The infection caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) started from China and spread out to the whole world, and became a pandemic as the world health organization declared. COVID-19 has caused many challenges in all aspects of life, including mental health for the entire human beings. The current study has reviewed some important strategies based on individual care and social support. Maintaining healthy lifestyle and doing regular life activities such as enough sleeping, doing art, listening to music, doing yoga, and meditation could be practical for individual care. Some social support strategies may include talking to trusty people or counselors to share emotions, keeping in touch with family, friends, and colleagues, supporting people via calls and texts warmly, and taking care of the elderly, children, and especially medical workers. [GMJ.2021;10:e2008]


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Skalski ◽  
Patrycja Uram ◽  
Paweł Dobrakowski ◽  
Anna Kwiatkowska

Background. Earlier reports have shown that anxiety over the novel coronavirus may predict mental functioning during the pandemic. The objective of this study was to assess the links between persistent thinking about COVID-19, anxiety over SARS-CoV-2 and trauma effects. For the purpose of this study, the Polish adaptation of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS) was implemented. Participants and procedure. The study involved 356 individuals aged 18–78 (58% females). In addition to OCS, the participants completed the following questionnaires: the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale and the Short Form of the Changes in Outlook Questionnaire. Results. OCS was characterized by satisfactory psychometric properties (α = .82). Regression analysis indicated that persistent thinking about COVID-19 was associated with increased coronavirus anxiety and negative trauma effects. In addition, anxiety served as a partial mediator in the link between persistent thinking about COVID-19 and negative trauma effects. Conclusions. The data obtained suggest that persistent thinking about the pandemic may be dysfunctional for mental health during the spread of the infectious disease.


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