scholarly journals Psychological Distress in Nepalese Residents during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Community Level Survey 

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhan Bahadur Shrestha ◽  
Bikash Bikram Thapa ◽  
Nagendra Katuwal ◽  
Bikal Shrestha ◽  
Chiranjibi Pant ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundCOVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented health and economic impact. Psychological stress, anxiety and depression are affecting not only COVID-19 patients but also health professionals, and general population. Fear of contracting COVID-19, forced restrictive social measures, and economic hardship are causing mental trauma. Nepal is a developing country from South Asia where the COVID-19 pandemic is still evolving. This online survey has been carried out to understand impact of COVID- 19 on mental health of Nepalese community dwellers.MethodsThe COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) questionnaire adapted from the Shanghai Mental Health Centre was used for online data collection from 11 April-17 May 2020. Collected data were extracted to Microsoft excel-13 and imported and analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version-22. An initial univariate analysis was conducted for all variables to assess the distribution. Logistic regression analyses were done to estimate the odds ratios of relevant predicting variables.ResultsA total of 410 participants completed the self-rated questionnaires. Mean age of study participants was 34.8 ±11.7 years with male preponderance. 88.5% of the respondents were not in distress (score less than 28) while, 11% had mild to moderate distress and 0.5% had severe distress. The prevalence of distress is higher among age group >45 years, female gender, and post-secondary education group. Health professional were more likely to get distressed. Respondents with post-secondary education had higher odds (OR= 3.32; p=0.020) of developing distress as compared to respondents with secondary education or lower.ConclusionThere is lower rate of psychological distress in city dwellers and people with low education. Adequate intervention and evaluation into mental health awareness, and psychosocial support focused primarily on health care workers, female and elderly individuals is necessary.

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhan Bahadur Shrestha ◽  
Bikash Bikram Thapa ◽  
Nagendra Katuwal ◽  
Bikal Shrestha ◽  
Chiranjibi Pant ◽  
...  

Abstract Background COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented health and economic impact. Psychological stress, anxiety and depression are affecting not only COVID-19 patients but also health professionals, and general population. Fear of contracting COVID-19, forced restrictive social measures, and economic hardship are causing mental trauma. Nepal is a developing country from South Asia where the COVID-19 pandemic is still evolving. This online survey has been carried out to understand impact of COVID- 19 on mental health of Nepalese community dwellers. Methods The COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) questionnaire adapted from the Shanghai Mental Health Centre was used for online data collection from 11 April-17 May 2020. Collected data were extracted to Microsoft excel-13 and imported and analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version-22. An initial univariate analysis was conducted for all variables to assess the distribution. Logistic regression analyses were done to estimate the odds ratios of relevant predicting variables. Results A total of 410 participants completed the self-rated questionnaires. Mean age of study participants was 34.8 ± 11.7 years with male preponderance. 88.5% of the respondents were not in distress (score less than 28) while, 11% had mild to moderate distress and 0.5% had severe distress. The prevalence of distress is higher among age group > 45 years, female gender, and post-secondary education group. Health professional were more likely to get distressed. Respondents with post-secondary education had higher odds (OR = 3.32; p = 0.020) of developing distress as compared to respondents with secondary education or lower. Conclusion There is lower rate of psychological distress in city dwellers and people with low education. Adequate intervention and evaluation into mental health awareness, and psychosocial support focused primarily on health care workers, female and elderly individuals is necessary.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhan Bahadur Shrestha ◽  
Bikash Bikram Thapa ◽  
Nagendra Katuwal ◽  
Bikal Shrestha ◽  
Chiran Pant ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented health and economic impact. Psychological stress, anxiety and depression are affecting not only COVID-19 patients but also health professionals, and general population. Restrictive measures; fear of contracting COVID-19; hardship to carry out livelihood is causing traumas to mental health. Nepal is a developing country from South Asia where the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to reach at peak. This online survey has been carried out to understand impact of COVID 19 on mental health of Nepalese community dwellers.Methods: The COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) questionnaire adapted from the Shanghai Mental Health Centre was used for collecting data in this online survey. Data were collected from 11 April-17 May 2020. Collected data extracted to Microsoft excel-13 and imported and analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version-22. An initial univariate analysis was conducted for all variables to assess the distribution and logistic regression analyses were done to estimate the odds ratios of relevant predicting variables.Results: A total of 410 participants completed the whole self-rated questionnaires. Mean age of study participants was 34.8 (± 11.7) with male preponderance. Overall 88.5% of the respondents were not in distress (score less than 28) while, 11% had mild to moderate distress and 0.5% had severely distress. The prevalence of distress is higher among age > 45 years age group, female gender, and post-secondary educated. Health professional were more likely to get distressed. Respondents with post-secondary education higher odds (OR = 3.32 (p = 0.020) of developing distress as compared to respondents with secondary education or lower.Conclusion: There is lower rate of psychological distress in city dwellers and people with low education. Adequate and timely focus should be directed to mental health awareness, psychosocial support with extra focus on vulnerable groups like health care workers, female and elderly individuals.


Author(s):  
Jenny Martin ◽  
Elspeth McKay

The primary aim of this chapter is to explore the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in post-secondary education to provide opportunities for students with mental health difficulties to remain engaged in their studies during times of mental illness. Higher incompletion rates are particularly concerning amongst this group. The authors discuss how improved outcomes can be achieved through effective use of ICT. This is particularly important from a human rights perspective so that people diagnosed with mental illness are afforded the same opportunities as other members of the community. Strategies afforded by ICT tools that are essential for supporting students with mental illness to optimise their chances of success in their post-secondary education outcomes are outlined. The authors combine mental health and human-computer interaction (HCI) to argue for the need to design appropriate instructional ICT strategies to support students experiencing mental illness to remain engaged with their studies. ICT has evolved with powerful and unique features, offering special applications such as educational software, eCommerce, and healthcare. Yet, very little is being said about how to streamline these applications as effective HCI environments to enhance mental health and wellbeing. The chapter explores the positive and negative impact of ICT tools on teaching and learning. In considering mental health and post-secondary education, it focuses on human rights issues of access and equity, disclosure, and stigma. Authors suggest that ICT can enable students to remain engaged with their learning in general, while at the same time promote a deep sense of community.


2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 231-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Lynch ◽  
Shirley Gay

Telehealth coordinators practising in Canada were invited to respond to an online survey and participate in a telephone interview. For the present study, the definition of 'telehealth' was limited to the use of videoconferencing. The coordinators were recruited with the assistance of the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) and the Canadian Telehealth Forum (CTF). The response rate to the online survey from the OTN cohort was 4% ( n = 13) and from the CTF cohort was 36% ( n = 34). Of the 47 people who completed the survey, 16 also participated in a telephone interview. Most respondents were female; their mean age was 40 years. Most telehealth coordinators had some form of post-secondary education. Most, 66% ( n = 31) coordinated both clinical and educational videoconferences. About half of the telehealth coordinators (55%, n = 26) indicated that their job was dedicated solely to telehealth, although 32% ( n = 15) reported that their jobs involved responsibilities outside telehealth. About half of the respondents worked full-time (51%, n = 24). Most respondents either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement that ‘If a telehealth coordinator's role involves patient care then that individual should be a member of a regulated health profession’. The need for organizations to more clearly define the role, better recognize and support telehealth coordinators and develop mechanisms for continuing professional education and certification were recurrent themes in the interviews.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malte Sandner ◽  
Alex Patzina ◽  
Silke Anger ◽  
Sarah Bernhard ◽  
Hans Dietrich

This study examines the immediate and intermediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of two high school graduation cohorts (2020 and 2021). We also investigate how changes in well-being at the transition to post-secondary education affect educational plans and outcomes. Our unique panel data contain prospective survey information on three dimensions of well-being: mental health problems, self-rated health, and life satisfaction for 3,697 students. Data is collected several months before (fall 2019), shortly before and soon after (spring 2020), and several months after (fall/winter 2020/21) the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Applying difference-in-differences designs, random effect growth curve models, and linear regression models, we find that school closures had a positive immediate effect on students’ well-being. Over the course of the pandemic, however, well-being strongly declined, mainly concentrated among the 2021 graduation cohort. Finally, we show that a strong decline in mental health is associated with changes in educational and career plans and transition outcomes. As adverse life experiences in adolescence are likely to accumulate over the life course, this study is the first to exhibit potential long-lasting negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and careers of young individuals.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Britt

This is a qualitative narrative study of the impact that white time within post-secondary educational institutions has on the mental health of students. White time can be described as the concept of time that has been created to favour the experiences of the dominant white community. Using a narrative approach, the researcher interviewed several participants to understand how current and/or past post-secondary students understand time within these academic institutions. After interviewing two students, and analyzing the data, it was found that both students found the temporal constraints within post-secondary education to be overwhelming. Both participants described situations in which they have experienced white time within their academic careers. Additionally, both participants linked their experiences of white time and of temporal constraints to a negative impact on their mental health.


Author(s):  
Moriah Sallaffie ◽  
Maria Cherba ◽  
Gwen K. Healey Akearok ◽  
Jessica Penney

Little is known about Nunavut students’ experiences in high school and post-secondary education, in particular their self-defined determinants of success. This study aimed to understand factors that influence secondary school completion, post-secondary education, and education success for students from Nunavut. An online survey was conducted with 91 current post-secondary students in 2018–19. Results found that students articulated complex support needs that influence their success, with roles for parents, teachers, and the community. Students identified support needs gaps, primarily in the form of funding distribution and delivery. Recommendations include increased financial, counselling, and mental health support for Nunavut students. Keywords: Inuit education, Nunavut education, Indigenous post-secondary students


2013 ◽  
pp. 1209-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Martin ◽  
Elspeth McKay

The primary aim of this chapter is to explore the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in post-secondary education to provide opportunities for students with mental health difficulties to remain engaged in their studies during times of mental illness. Higher incompletion rates are particularly concerning amongst this group. The authors discuss how improved outcomes can be achieved through effective use of ICT. This is particularly important from a human rights perspective so that people diagnosed with mental illness are afforded the same opportunities as other members of the community. Strategies afforded by ICT tools that are essential for supporting students with mental illness to optimise their chances of success in their post-secondary education outcomes are outlined. The authors combine mental health and human-computer interaction (HCI) to argue for the need to design appropriate instructional ICT strategies to support students experiencing mental illness to remain engaged with their studies. ICT has evolved with powerful and unique features, offering special applications such as educational software, eCommerce, and healthcare. Yet, very little is being said about how to streamline these applications as effective HCI environments to enhance mental health and wellbeing. The chapter explores the positive and negative impact of ICT tools on teaching and learning. In considering mental health and post-secondary education, it focuses on human rights issues of access and equity, disclosure, and stigma. Authors suggest that ICT can enable students to remain engaged with their learning in general, while at the same time promote a deep sense of community.


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