The impact of economic crisis on mental and physical health in Italy

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (02) ◽  
pp. 103-110
Author(s):  
S. Tomassi ◽  
M. Ruggeri

Summary Background: The global crisis that began in 2007 has been the most prolonged economic recession since 1929. It has caused worldwide tangible costs in terms of cuts in employment and income, which have been widely recognised also as major social determinants of mental health (1, 2). The so-called “Great Recession” has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable part of society of the whole Eurozone (3). Across Europe, an increase in suicides and deaths rates due to mental and behavioural disorders was reported among those who lost their jobs, houses and economic activities as a consequence of the crisis.

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-54
Author(s):  
Kedar Bahadur Rayamajhi

Stress is the mental phenomenon; caused from the various environmental factors. The main aim of this study is to explore relationship between the role-stress and mental health of government officer working under the different ministries of Nepal. The study was conducted among the 284 government officers comprising level I to III. Standard structured questionnaires were used to measure the role-stress and mental health. The study found that there was no significant difference between position regarding the impact of organizational role stress on their mental and physical health. There was no significant difference found between the class I and III at P = 1.000 followed by class I and II at P = 1.000 and class III and class II at P = 1.000. Data shows that perception of mental and physical health has no different on the basis of their position and job roles. The study observed that there is relationship between the role-stress and mental health. If role stress increased then it negatively effect in mental health. Government employee reported the effect of role stress in their daily life but study has not found the serious effect of role stress in mental health of employees because of their practices of coping mechanism. So, there is need to explore their coping mechanism to manage the stress.  Journal of Advanced Academic Research Vol. 3, No. 2, 2016, Page: 40-54


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 731-731
Author(s):  
Judith Scott ◽  
Sara Qualls ◽  
Stacy Yun

Abstract Indirect effects of stay-at-home guidelines may negatively affect mental health by reducing health self-care behaviors and engagement in social participation. This study reports on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community-dwelling older adults’ perceived physical and mental health and everyday health behaviors. 126 older adults participated in a county-wide telephone survey during June-July of 2020, asking about changes in mental and physical health, and adaptations in health behaviors. We investigated the effects of three negative everyday health behavior changes during the pandemic (changes in health services access, perceived changes in health, and increased social isolation) as well as two positive everyday health behaviors (adherence to stay-at-home guidelines to reduce risk, and adaptive coping activities) on mental health and COVID-related distress. Examples of active coping strategies were stockpiling resources, spiritual practices, or outreach to others. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multiple regressions characterized the impact of COVID-19 on perceived mental health. Descriptive data included changes in health service access, changes in mental and physical health, reduced social engagement, increased adherence to guidelines, and increased adaptive coping activities. Significant predictors of mental health impact of the pandemic were changes in health service access (β = .18, p < .05), health changes (β = .25, p < .01), and adaptive coping activities (β = .21, p < .05). Findings suggest COVID-19 distress may be alleviated with improved health care access and increased social contact. Mental health challenges may also benefit from increased engagement in adaptive coping activities.


Author(s):  
Sung S Park

Abstract Objectives This study examines differences in the mental and physical health of the U.S. population during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic among 3 groups: noncaregivers, short-term caregivers (1 year or less), and long-term caregivers (greater than 1 year). Methods Data from the Understanding America Study are used to describe group differences in reports of psychological distress and somatic symptoms. Logistic and negative binomial regression models are used to examine whether these differences persist after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and prepandemic health conditions. To understand within-group differences in caregiving demands, the intensity of care provided by short-term and long-term caregivers, as well as selected patients’ health conditions are summarized. Results Adults’ mental and physical health varied substantially by caregiver status. Caregivers continued to fare worse than noncaregivers in terms of mental health and fatigue, and long-term caregivers were more likely to report headache, body aches, and abdominal discomfort than both short-term caregivers and noncaregivers, net of controls. The nature of caregiving differed between short-term and long-term caregivers, with the latter more likely to provide greater hours of care, and to be looking after patients with permanent medical conditions. Discussion Efforts to understand and mitigate the impact of the pandemic on population health should include caregivers, whose mental and physical health were already vulnerable before COVID-19.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 308-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian Chen ◽  
Stephen Lawrie

Aims and methodMedia portrayals of mental illness have long been recognised as being misleading and stigmatising. Following the campaigns of several advocacy groups to address this issue, we aimed to evaluate the impact on mental health reporting over time. We repeated a survey we did 15 years ago using the same methods. Nine UK daily newspapers were surveyed over a 4-week period and coded with a schema to analyse the reporting of mental health compared with physical health.ResultsIn total, 963 articles – 200 on mental health and 763 on physical health – were identified. Over half of the articles on mental health were negative in tone: 18.5% indicated an association with violence compared with 0.3% of articles on physical health. However, there were more quotes from patients with mental disorders than physical disorders (22.5% v. 19.7%) and an equal mention of treatment and rehabilitation.Clinical implicationsMental health in print media remains tainted by themes of violence, however some improvement in reporting in recent years is evident, in particular by providing a voice for people with mental illness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara A. Jahnke ◽  
Christopher K. Haddock ◽  
Nattinee Jitnarin ◽  
Christopher M. Kaipust ◽  
Brittany S. Hollerbach ◽  
...  

Intro. Both discrimination and harassment directly impact mental and physical health. Further, workplace discrimination degrades workplace culture and negatively impacts health behaviors, job-related outcomes, and family dynamics. Women represent a small proportion of the fire service and are often the targets of discrimination/harassment, yet little research documents the impact of such experiences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between chronic work discrimination and/or harassment and women firefighters’ (FFs) physical and mental health, substance abuse, and job efficacy, stress, and satisfaction. Methods. Snowball sampling was used to solicit participation from women career FFs. Participants completed an online survey regarding physical and mental health, health behavior, job efficacy/stress/satisfaction, and family well-being. Logistic regression examined the impact of work discrimination-harassment severity on dichotomous variables. Results. 1,773 had complete data on their experiences with work-related discrimination and harassment. Women reported experiencing verbal (37.5%) and written (12.9%) harassment, hazing (16.9%), sexual advances (37.4%), and assaults (5.1%) in the fire service. FFs in the highest tertile of work discrimination-harassment severity reported over 40% more poor health days in the last 30 days (OR=1.42; 95%CI=1.33-1.51; p<0.001). Women who experienced moderate and severe discrimination/harassment had negative mental health outcomes including higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Those who experienced high rates of discrimination and/or harassment also were more likely to report issues with alcohol consumption. Conclusion. The impact of discrimination and harassment, related negative physical and mental outcomes, low levels of job satisfaction, and negative impact of these experiences on family/home stress likely take a significant toll on women in the fire service. Findings confirm and extend previous work suggesting there is a need to improve the mental and physical health of women FFs. Future work should examine the prospective relationship between discrimination/harassment and poor health outcomes and potential policies/practices to reduce these negative behaviors.


2002 ◽  
Vol 181 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Stansfeld

To be unemployed when you want to be working is indisputably bad for both mental and physical health. Job insecurity too is bad for health (Ferrie et al, 1995). Because work itself can be both hazardous and beneficial to mental health and because most adults spend a lot of their life working, and because the nature of work is potentially modifiable, it is worthwhile gaining a more thorough understanding of the impact of work on mental health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 989-989
Author(s):  
Rivera R ◽  
Carballea D ◽  
Ardila A

Abstract Objective The purpose of this systematic review was to examine how emodiversity affects mental and physical health. Emodiversity has been described as an integral component of the human emotional ecosystem that can serve as a predictor for mental and physical health. Data Selection This review was conducted using the following databases: Taylor & Francis, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Central. Inclusion criteria consisted of peer-reviewed articles published in English between the years of 2011–2019. Keywords for the search included emodiversity, emotional diversity, emotion, neuroscience, physical health, and mental health. A total number of 20 articles were reviewed and 8 articles were retained. Data Synthesis Research indicated that lack of differentiated emotional experiences, specifically the continuity of negative emotional states, stimulates inflammatory responses that are associated with negative moods and traits, such as depression and anxiety. Furthermore, heightened systemic inflammation has been associated with poor health conditions, such as Type II Diabetes, insulin resistance, rheumatoid disease, and oxidative stress. On the other hand, the presence of differentiation in emotions may lead to adaptive coping and adjustment. Emodiversity is also considered a predictor of habits that may contribute positively to physical health, such as healthy diets, regular exercise, and refraining from smoking. Conclusion Articles reviewed suggest that emodiversity is a fundamental criterion for evaluating the human emotional ecosystem. Reviewed literature showed that the absence of emodiversity may be related to different mental health conditions and physical illnesses. Studies have shown that diverse emotional experiences are beneficial for mental and physical health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-92
Author(s):  
Enikő Albert-Lőrincz ◽  
Csanád Albert-Lőrincz

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it necessary to focus on health care. In our study, we discuss how the curfew has affected the mental health, health status and health behavior of a group of Hungarian social worker students from Transylvania. We are looking at what they have done to protect their health, what protective factors have allowed them to remain resilient, and maintain their good mental and physical health. We point out the values and ways that enabled them to handle the situation. Our goal was to draw attention to the fact that crisis situations can be dealt with awareness, conscious use of techniques and purposeful allocation of resources. Keywords: pandemic, crisis, resilience, protective factors, health behavior


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Knolle ◽  
Lisa Ronan ◽  
Graham K Murray

In March 2020 the SARS-CoV-2infection (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic. In response to its world-wide outbreak radical measures were taken by governments across the world including curfew, quarantine, travel bans, social distancing, work place and school closures, etc, to reduce the transmission of the virus. These measures led to dramatic social and economic changes for the general population, in addition to the fears and worries related to the disease and its contraction. First studies report the impact of the pandemic on mental well-being of the general population showing increased levels of anxiety, stress and depression. In this study, we compare the impact of the pandemic on two European countries: the UK and Germany, which reported their first cases within a week. 241 residents of the UK and 541 residents of Germany filled in an online survey, including questions on COVID-19 exposure, impact on financial situation and work, substance and media consumption, self-reported mental and physical health, as well as including two clinical questionnaires, the general mental health Symptom Check List-27 (SCL-27) and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. Data collection was completed between 27/04/20-31/05/20. We found distinct differences between the two countries. UK responders reported a stronger direct impact on their health, financial situation and their families. UK responders had higher clinical scores on the SCL-27, with a higher percentage being above cut-off. Interestingly, however, we found that German responders were less hopeful for an end of the pandemic and more concerned about their life-stability. Generally, we found that a younger age, being female, lower education, poorer mental and physical health before the pandemic, as well as more social media and substance consumption was associated with a higher clinical risk. This research shows strong differences between two economically and culturally similar countries, but as 25% of both German and UK responders reported a subjective worsening of the general psychological symptoms and 20-50% of German and UK responders reached the clinical cut-off for depressive, dysthymic and anxieties, it specifically shows the need for health emergency tailored intervention systems to assist not only people vulnerable for mental health problems, but also large proportions of the general public.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumiko Kamiya ◽  
Virpi Timonen ◽  
Rose Anne Kenny

ABSTRACTBackground:The aim of this study is to examine the long-term association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and mental and physical health, especially with conditions related to hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysfunction such as mood disorders, cardiovascular disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, pain disorders, and measures of frailty and functional mobility. In addition, we examined the impact of CSA on self-reported health and healthcare utilization.Methods:Data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing were employed (N = 8,178). The effects of CSA on mental health, physical health, and healthcare utilization in old age population were estimated by ordinal least square, logistic regression, and Poisson regression, controlling for demographic factors, childhood adversities, and behavioral health.Results:Six percent of respondents reported CSA with little variation by gender. A significant association was found between CSA and mental health. Those who reported CSA were more likely to have depression, anxiety, worry, loneliness, and low quality of life. Poor self-reported health, lung disease, arthritis, peptic ulcer, chronic pain as well as high levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein were associated with CSA. Further, those who reported CSA were more likely to report doctor and hospital visits than those without a history of CSA.Conclusions:Findings from the present study show that CSA has significant long-term mental and physical consequences, whereby early life events are linked to later life health outcomes.


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