scholarly journals Understanding Burnout in Indian Housewives Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charvi Pareek ◽  
Nandani Agarwal ◽  
Yash Jain

COVID-19 Pandemic has brought the world underwaters. All over the world, people were affected. The focus during this period was mostly on patients and frontline workers, with some attention also towards working adults. One cohort that has not gained much light during this pandemic is of housewives. Housewives had to manage household chores along with managing family relations – especially in India, where societal expectations lie on the female to provide family members with care and manage the household. Dealing with uncertainty, decreased availability of personal space, increased presence of and interaction with people in the household due to work from home scenarios, shifting to the online world and adapting to the change, economic disturbances, absence of domestic help, managing parental responsibility, increased stress about one’s own and family members’ health and lack of social interaction have contributed to their inconvenience. Existing evidence supports that housewives have been experiencing burnout in their homes. This qualitative study was conducted to see how the added pressure of COVID – 19 and social isolation has affected housewives mentally, leading to burnout. This narrative study includes participants of Indian origin, between the ages of 34 to 50 years. Participants were shortlisted on the basis of their scores obtained on the COVID-19 Burnout Scale, designed by Murat Yıldırım and Fatma Solmaz. The themes generated through this research study are related to understanding the impact of burnout on the mental health of housewives along the areas of physical health, financial well-being, digitization, uncertainty regarding COVID-19, parental responsibilities, social & emotional health, relationship management, and coping mechanisms. The findings of this study suggest that the mental health of housewives has significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic due to constant exposure to certain stressors.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charvi Pareek ◽  
Nandani Agarwal ◽  
Yash Jain

COVID-19 Pandemic has brought the world underwaters. All over the world, people were affected. The focus during this period was mostly on patients and frontline workers, with some attention also towards working adults. One cohort that has not gained much light during this pandemic is of housewives. Housewives had to manage household chores along with managing family relations – especially in India, where societal expectations lie on the female to provide family members with care and manage the household. Dealing with uncertainty, decreased availability of personal space, increased presence of and interaction with people in the household due to work from home scenarios, shifting to the online world and adapting to the change, economic disturbances, absence of domestic help, managing parental responsibility, increased stress about one’s own and family members’ health and lack of social interaction have contributed to their inconvenience. Existing evidence supports that housewives have been experiencing burnout in their homes. This qualitative study was conducted to see how the added pressure of COVID – 19 and social isolation has affected housewives mentally, leading to burnout. This narrative study includes participants of Indian origin, between the ages of 34 to 50 years. Participants were shortlisted on the basis of their scores obtained on the COVID-19 Burnout Scale, designed by Murat Yıldırım and Fatma Solmaz. The themes generated through this research study are related to understanding the impact of burnout on the mental health of housewives along the areas of physical health, financial well-being, digitization, uncertainty regarding COVID-19, parental responsibilities, social & emotional health, relationship management, and coping mechanisms. The findings of this study suggest that the mental health of housewives has significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic due to constant exposure to certain stressors.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S258-S258
Author(s):  
Mahfuja Islam ◽  
Philip George ◽  
Sindhu Sankaran ◽  
Janet Leu Su Hui ◽  
Tzun Kit

AimsThe global health system is facing a serious challenge after the recent outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus infection which was first identified in Wuhan, China in November 2019 and declared as a pandemic in March 2020 by WHO. There is a wide consensus that this pandemic has negative psychosocial consequences as well as unforeseeable provision of mental health care services and just not on physical health alone. The aim of this research study is to determine the prevalence of psychological distress and to identify the sociodemographic variables with the main attributable factors associated with the psychological distress among healthcare workers and suggestions on how to reduce the impact on the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in different regions of the world.MethodWe performed a cross-sectional study from September-November 2020. We used a self-administered survey tool which was distributed electronically to healthcare workers across the globe. The data were stored on an online database with password protected devices where survey responses were restricted to investigators exclusively.Data collected were: 1) Socio-demographic data (age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, religion, role in the healthcare, region of practice); 2) Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) questionnaire which contains 22 standardized items. This is a subjective assessment to score the degree of psychological well-being by focusing on 6 domains: depression; anxiety; positive-well-being; self-control; vitality and general health; 3) Subjective assessment from respondents of the main attributable factors causing psychological distress and suggested methods to help reduce the impact on mental health on health care workers.ResultMajority out of the 217 respondents were from a younger age group; females and married/domestic partnership, mainly from Western Pacific Region, South East Asian and the African Region. More than half the respondents were moderate-severely psychologically distressed and the three main attributable factors causing psychological distress were: fear of family/friends contracting COVID-19 followed by lack of PPE and discomfort caused by wearing PPE for long hours. Respondents suggested that the distress would be reduced if: more resources were provided in hospital; protocols and guidelines were implemented and counselling facilities with recreational activities were available to frontline workers.ConclusionThis study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of healthcare workers and more support or strategies need to come in place to protect frontline workers at the time of crises.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S258-S259
Author(s):  
Mahfuja Islam ◽  
Philip George ◽  
Sindhu Sankaran ◽  
Janet Leu Su Hui ◽  
Tzun Kit

AimsThe global health system is facing a serious challenge after the recent outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus infection which was first identified in Wuhan, China in November 2019 and declared as a pandemic in March 2020 by WHO. There is a wide consensus that this pandemic has negative psychosocial consequences as well as unforeseeable provision of mental health care services and just not on physical health alone. The aim of this research study is to determine the prevalence of psychological distress and to identify the sociodemographic variables with the main attributable factors associated with the psychological distress among healthcare workers and suggestions on how to reduce the impact on the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in different regions of the world.MethodWe performed a cross-sectional study from September-November 2020. We used a self-administered survey tool which was distributed electronically to healthcare workers across the globe. The data were stored on an online database with password protected devices where survey responses were restricted to investigators exclusively.Data collected were: 1) Socio-demographic data (age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, religion, role in the healthcare, region of practice); 2) Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) questionnaire which contains 22 standardized items. This is a subjective assessment to score the degree of psychological well-being by focusing on 6 domains: depression; anxiety; positive-well-being; self-control; vitality and general health; 3) Subjective assessment from respondents of the main attributable factors causing psychological distress and suggested methods to help reduce the impact on mental health on health care workers.ResultMajority out of the 217 respondents were from a younger age group; females and married/domestic partnership, mainly from Western Pacific Region, South East Asian and the African Region. More than half the respondents were moderate-severely psychologically distressed and the three main attributable factors causing psychological distress were: fear of family/friends contracting COVID-19 followed by lack of PPE and discomfort caused by wearing PPE for long hours. Respondents suggested that the distress would be reduced if: more resources were provided in hospital; protocols and guidelines were implemented and counselling facilities with recreational activities were available to frontline workers.ConclusionThis study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of healthcare workers and more support or strategies need to come in place to protect frontline workers at the time of crises.


Author(s):  
Zhuang Wei ◽  
Ming-Yue Gao ◽  
Mary Fewtrell ◽  
Jonathan Wells ◽  
Jin-Yue Yu

Abstract Background The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on breastfeeding women and to identify predictors of maternal mental health and coping. Methods Mothers aged ≥ 18 years with a breast-fed infant ≤ 18 months of age during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China, completed a questionnaire. Descriptive analysis of lockdown consequences was performed and predictors of these outcomes were examined using stepwise linear regression. Results Of 2233 participants, 29.9%, 20.0% and 34.7% felt down, lonely, and worried, respectively, during the lockdown; however, 85.3% felt able to cope. Poorer maternal mental health was predicted by maternal (younger age, higher education) and infant (older age, lower gestation) characteristics, and social circumstances (husband unemployed or working from home, receiving advice from family, having enough space for the baby, living close to a park or green space). Conversely, better maternal mental health was predicted by higher income, employment requiring higher qualifications, more personal space at home, shopping or walking > once/week and lack of impact of COVID-19 on job or income. Mothers with higher education, more bedrooms, fair division of household chores and attending an online mother and baby group > once/week reported better coping. Conclusion The findings highlight maternal characteristics and circumstances that predict poorer mental health and reduced coping which could be used to target interventions in any future public health emergencies requiring social restrictions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongsheng Chen ◽  
Zhenjun Zhu

Abstract BackgroundChina is becoming an aging society. The emotional health of the elderly is gaining importance. Social trust is an important factor affecting emotional health, but existing studies have rarely considered the various effects of different types of social trust on rural elderly emotional health. Few studies have analysed the role of subjective well-being and subjective social status in the relationship between social trust and elderly emotional health.MethodsUsing the data of the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey 2016 (CLDS 2016) and regression models, this study selected 2084 rural respondents aged 60 years and above to analyse the impact of social trust on their emotional health. Social trust was divided into three categories: trust in family members, trust in friends, and trust in neighbours. This study also examined the mediating and moderating effects of subjective well-being and subjective social status on the relationship between social trust and emotional health.ResultsTrust in family members was significantly and positively associated with emotional health (coefficient=0.194, P<0.01) and subjective well-being (coefficient=0.177, P<0.01). Trust in friends was significantly and positively associated with emotional health and subjective well-being (coefficient=0.097, P<0.01; coefficient=0.174, P<0.01, respectively). Trust in neighbours was significantly and positively associated with emotional health and subjective well-being (coefficient=0.088, P<0.01; coefficient=0.177, P<0.01; respectively). Subjective well-being effectively reduced the impact of social trust in family, friends, and neighbours on the emotional health of the elderly by 0.023, 0.022, and 0.023, respectively. Trust in friends and neighbours significantly and positively affected respondents’ subjective social status (coefficient=0.120, P<0.05; coefficient=0.090, P<0.10; respectively). Subjective social status effectively reduced the impact of social trust in friends and neighbours on the emotional health of the elderly both by 0.004. The positive relationship between trust in family members and emotional health is weakened by subjective well-being.ConclusionsSocial trust, especially family relationships, play an important role in maintaining the emotional health of the rural elderly. In response to population ageing, more social policies must be introduced to care for the rural elderly and help them lead a happy and satisfactory life.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 404-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. McGraw ◽  
Christopher R. Deubert ◽  
Holly Fernandez Lynch ◽  
Alixandra Nozzolillo ◽  
Lauren Taylor ◽  
...  

This qualitative study examined how NFL players and their family members characterized the impact of an NFL career on the mental and emotional health of NFL players. We interviewed 25 NFL players (23 former and 2 current) and 27 family members (24 wives and 3 others) to elicit players’ experiences during and following their time in the NFL. While players experienced positive outcomes from their careers, they also described important mental health challenges including feelings of depression, loneliness, and stress. Many of their concerns during their careers were linked to anxiety about job performance and job security. Post-career concerns were linked to loss of social identity and connections. Players had difficulty finding help for their concerns. We conclude with eight recommendations, including improved resources, confidentiality, and support.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 839-841
Author(s):  
Libby Byrne

A positive diagnosis for COVID-19 is a threat not only to the health of an individual but also to the community where the disease manifests. Rather than being the discreet experience of a few or some, many people now appreciate our shared vulnerability with the threat of uncontained and incurable illness in our midst. “In this era of unspecified isolation, contagious disease, and with no sign of returning to normal life soon, coronavirus is putting an adverse effect on people’s mental health” (1). While managing the spread of COVID-19 has necessitated the use of social distancing and isolation a means of expressing care, equating care with the experience of fear and isolation can place unseen mental health burdens on inner resources for supporting the well-being of patients and those who care for them. Art can offer a remedy for this experience, lending the quality of durability to our fragile human experience and inviting us to extend the ways in which we see, think, and make sense of the world.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Kenneth Hitchcott ◽  
Maria Chiara Fastame ◽  
Jessica Ferrai ◽  
Maria Pietronilla Penna

Self-reported measures of psychological well-being and depressive symptoms were examined across differently aged family members, while controlling for the impact of marital status and personal satisfaction about family and non-family relations. Twenty-one grandchildren (i.e., ages 21-36 years) were recruited with their parents (i.e., 48-66 years old) and grandparents (i.e., 75-101 years of age) in the ‘blue zone’ of Ogliastra, an Italian area known for the longevity of its inhabitants. Each participant was individually presented a battery of questionnaires assessing their lifestyle and several perceived mental health indices, including the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS, Tennant et al., 2007), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (i.e., CES-D, Radloff, 1977). After assessing the level of concordance among adults sharing the same context, the Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) approach was used to assess the nested dataset. It was found that family membership (i.e., grandchildren versus parents and grandparents) predicted the WEMWBS score but not the CES-D when the impact of marital status and personal satisfaction about social (i.e., family and non-family) ties was controlled for. Moreover, two separate repeated-measure Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) documented similar level of personal satisfaction about social relationships across the three family groups. In conclusions, satisfying social ties with friends and family members together with an active socially oriented life style seems to contribute to the promotion of mental health in adult span.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 725-725
Author(s):  
Solymar Rivera-Torres ◽  
Elias Mpofu ◽  
M Jean Keller ◽  
Stan Ingman

Abstract Older adults (OA) experience psychosocial distress from the COVID-19 pandemic mitigations. While their participation in leisure and recreation activities (LRA) would be ameliorating, we do not know how LRA OA engages for their mental health (MH) well-being with COVID-19 mitigation. This scoping review aimed to trend the evidence on the types of LRA OA engage for their MH well-being across the young-old continuum (60-69 years) through to older-old (80 years and above) in the COVID-19 pandemic. We searched the following electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane, JBI-ES, and Epistemonicos for LRA studies by OA with COVID-19 mitigation. To be included, we considered empirical articles published in English on LRA of OA 55+ years-old. Another criterion required articles describing those activities' qualities and the impact of LRA on MH and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. We resulted in seven empirical studies, two of which implemented in the USA and one from the USA and Canada, Spain, Israel, and Japan. Findings following narrative synthesis revealed trending evidence on OA to engage in online LRA for social, cognitive /intellectual, and emotional health. Leisure-time physical activity reduced negative MH symptoms as anxiety and depression in OA under COVID-19 threat. In conclusion, the present review's trending evidence suggests that OA engagement in social, physical, mental, and cognitive LRA enhanced their MH and overall well-being. Activities delivered by way of the Internet and television provided a cluster of beneficial opportunities for the OA mental health needs under the COVID-19 pandemic.


10.2196/22581 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e22581
Author(s):  
Peter Phiri ◽  
Gayathri Delanerolle ◽  
Ayaat Al-Sudani ◽  
Shanaya Rathod

Emerging evidence has indicated a negative and disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) communities. Previous studies have already reported that biological and social risk factors increase disease susceptibility, particularly in BAME communities. Despite frontline workers in ethnic minority communities in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service attempting to quell the pandemic, disproportionate numbers of BAME physicians and other health care workers have died of COVID-19. This unprecedented situation highlights ethical and moral implications, which could further augment the impact of the pandemic on their mental health. While the government attempts to mitigate the rate of virus transmission, certain key factors inadvertently augment the negative impact of the pandemic on the mental health and general well-being of BAME communities. This study examined the available literature to explore the association between, and the wider impact of, COVID-19 on BAME communities. Furthermore, this study aims to raise awareness and provide a deeper insight into current scientific discussions.


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