scholarly journals Gender Differences in Fear and Risk Perception During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelaziz Alsharawy ◽  
Ross Spoon ◽  
Alec Smith ◽  
Sheryl Ball
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Financial Risks ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Financial Consequences ◽  
The Government

The COVID-19 pandemic has led many people to suffer from emotional distress. Previous studies suggest that women process and express affective experiences, such as fear, with a greater intensity compared to men. We administered an online survey to a sample of participants in the United States that measures fear of COVID-19, perceptions about health and financial risks, and preventative measures taken. Despite the empirical fact that men are more likely to experience adverse health consequences from COVID-19, women report greater fear and more negative expectations about health-related consequences of COVID-19 than men. However, women are more optimistic than men regarding the financial consequences of the pandemic. Women also report more negative emotional experiences generally during the pandemic, particularly in situations where other people or the government take actions that make matters worse. Though women report taking more preventative measures than men in response to the pandemic, gender differences in behavior are reduced after controlling for fear. These results shed light on how differences in emotional experiences of the pandemic may inform policy interventions.

scholarly journals International citizen project to assess early stage adherence to public health measures for COVID-19 in South Africa

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248055
Author(s):  
Mohammed Majam ◽  
Alex Fischer ◽  
Jane Phiri ◽  
Francois Venter ◽  
Samanta T. Lalla-Edward
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Hand Washing ◽  
Strict Adherence ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
Vitamin Intake ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
The Government

Introduction With over 500 000 infections and nearly 12 000 deaths, South Africa (SA) is the African epicenter of the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. SA has implemented a 5-stage Risk-Adjusted Strategy which includes a phased national lockdown, requiring social distancing, frequent hand washing and wearing face masks. Strict adherence to this strategy is crucial to reducing COVID-19 transmission, flattening the curve, and preventing resurgence. As part of the 22-country International Citizens Project COVID-19 (ICPcovid), this study aimed to describe the SA adherence to the Risk-Adjusted Strategy and identify determinants of adherence. Method During 24 April-15 May 2020, people were electronically invited, through social media platforms and a text blast, to complete an online survey, accessible via www.icpcovid.com. The survey investigated COVID-19 testing and preventative adherence measures, then used logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of adherence. Results There were 951 participants, with 731(76.9%) 25 to 54 years. Most (672;70.7%) were female, and 705(74.1%) had a university degree. Since the epidemic started, 529(55.6%) and 436(45.9%) participants stated they were eating healthier and taking more vitamins, respectively. Only 82(8.6%) had been COVID-19 tested, and 1(1.2%) tested positive. In public, 905(95.2%) socially distanced, however 99(10.4%) participants had recently attended meetings with over ten people. Regular hand washing was practiced by 907(95.4%) participants, 774(81.4%) wore face masks and 854(89.8%) stayed home when they experienced flu-like symptoms. The odds of adhering to the guidelines were lower among men versus women (AOR 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.528, 0.971) and those who had flu-like symptoms (AOR 0.42, 95% CI = 0.277, 0.628). In contrast, increased odds were reported for those who reported increased vitamin intake (AOR 1.37, 95% CI = 1.044,1.798), and were either cohabiting or married (AOR 1.39, 95% CI = 1.042,1.847). Conclusion Despite high reported adherence, face mask use and symptomatic individuals not self-isolating, were areas for improvement. However, these factors cannot solely account for SA’s increasing COVID-19 cases. Larger general population studies are needed to identify other adherence predictors for a strengthened SA COVID-19 response. While the government must continue to educate the entire population on preventative measures, provide personal protective equipment and stress the importance of adherence, there also needs to be implementation of prioritised prevention strategies for men and single individuals to address their demonstrated lower adherence.

scholarly journals Concerns and Support after One Year of COVID-19 in Austria: A Qualitative Study Using Content Analysis with 1505 Participants

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 8218
Author(s):  
Yvonne Schaffler ◽  
Afsaneh Gächter ◽  
Rachel Dale ◽  
Andrea Jesser ◽  
Thomas Probst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Written Responses ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Government ◽  
One Year

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent governmental restrictions have had a major impact on the daily lives of Austrians and negatively affected their mental health. A representative sample of N = 1505 individuals was recruited via Qualtrics® to participate in an online survey between 23 December 2020 and 4 January 2021. A qualitative study design was used to determine the problem areas that emerged since the beginning of the pandemic (question 1), the factors that were the source of the greatest current concern (question 2), the biggest worries when thinking about the future (question 3), and what the most important source of support (question 4) during the pandemic was. The written responses were analyzed using conventional content analysis following a framework for qualitative research and reported in the form of descriptive statistics. Restrictions imposed by the government, sociopolitical developments, work- and health-related issues, and economic disruptions were identified as being the greatest concerns. Conversely, social contacts within and outside the family were the most important source of support, followed by recreational activities and distraction. Greater consideration should be given to psychosocial factors in future decisions to contain the pandemic. More detailed qualitative research, in particular, to collect the personal experience of more vulnerable groups such as young people, women, and the unemployed, is needed.

scholarly journals Exploring perceptions of healthcare technologies enabled by artificial intelligence: an online, scenario-based survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison L. Antes ◽  
Sara Burrous ◽  
Bryan A. Sisk ◽  
Matthew J. Schuelke ◽  
Jason D. Keune ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Psychosocial Variables ◽  
Perceived Benefit ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Healthcare Technologies ◽  
Trust In Technology

Abstract Background Healthcare is expected to increasingly integrate technologies enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) into patient care. Understanding perceptions of these tools is essential to successful development and adoption. This exploratory study gauged participants’ level of openness, concern, and perceived benefit associated with AI-driven healthcare technologies. We also explored socio-demographic, health-related, and psychosocial correlates of these perceptions. Methods We developed a measure depicting six AI-driven technologies that either diagnose, predict, or suggest treatment. We administered the measure via an online survey to adults (N = 936) in the United States using MTurk, a crowdsourcing platform. Participants indicated their level of openness to using the AI technology in the healthcare scenario. Items reflecting potential concerns and benefits associated with each technology accompanied the scenarios. Participants rated the extent that the statements of concerns and benefits influenced their perception of favorability toward the technology. Participants completed measures of socio-demographics, health variables, and psychosocial variables such as trust in the healthcare system and trust in technology. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the concern and benefit items identified two factors representing overall level of concern and perceived benefit. Descriptive analyses examined levels of openness, concern, and perceived benefit. Correlational analyses explored associations of socio-demographic, health, and psychosocial variables with openness, concern, and benefit scores while multivariable regression models examined these relationships concurrently. Results Participants were moderately open to AI-driven healthcare technologies (M = 3.1/5.0 ± 0.9), but there was variation depending on the type of application, and the statements of concerns and benefits swayed views. Trust in the healthcare system and trust in technology were the strongest, most consistent correlates of openness, concern, and perceived benefit. Most other socio-demographic, health-related, and psychosocial variables were less strongly, or not, associated, but multivariable models indicated some personality characteristics (e.g., conscientiousness and agreeableness) and socio-demographics (e.g., full-time employment, age, sex, and race) were modestly related to perceptions. Conclusions Participants’ openness appears tenuous, suggesting early promotion strategies and experiences with novel AI technologies may strongly influence views, especially if implementation of AI technologies increases or undermines trust. The exploratory nature of these findings warrants additional research.

scholarly journals “Know your epidemic, know your response”: Epidemiological assessment of the substance use disorder crisis in the United States

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251502
Author(s):  
Andrés Hernández ◽  
Minxuan Lan ◽  
Neil J. MacKinnon ◽  
Adam J. Branscum ◽  
Diego F. Cuadros
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Related Mortality

The United States (U.S.) is currently experiencing a substance use disorders (SUD) crisis with an unprecedented magnitude. The objective of this study was to recognize and characterize the most vulnerable populations at high risk of SUD mortality in the U.S., and to identify the locations where these vulnerable population are located. We obtained the most recent available mortality data for the U.S. population aged 15–84 (2005–2017) from the Centers for Diseases and Prevention (CDC). Our analysis focused on the unintentional substance poisoning to estimate SUD mortality. We computed health-related comorbidities and socioeconomic association with the SUD distribution. We identified the most affected populations and conducted a geographical clustering analysis to identify places with increased concentration of SUD related deaths. From 2005–2017, 463,717 SUD-related deaths occurred in the United States. White population was identified with the highest SUD death proportions. However, there was a surge of the SUD epidemic in the Black male population, with a sharp increase in the SUD-related death rate since 2014. We also found that an additional average day of mental distress might increase the relative risk of SUD-related mortality by 39%. The geographical distribution of the epidemic showed clustering in the West and Mid-west regions of the U.S. In conclusion, we found that the SUD epidemic in the U.S. is characterized by the emergence of several micro-epidemics of different intensities across demographic groups and locations within the country. The comprehensive description of the epidemic presented in this study could assist in the design and implementation of targeted policy interventions for addiction mitigation campaigns.

scholarly journals Shocks to the System: The Influence of COVID-19-related Stressors on Coparental and Family Functioning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Peltz ◽  
Dev Crasta ◽  
Jennifer Daks ◽  
Ronald D Rogge
Keyword(s):  
Family Functioning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Family Cohesion ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
The Us ◽  
Family Level ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
The Impact

In addition to the fears associated with contracting COVID-19, the pandemic has forced families across the United States to quickly transition to new patterns of living. These transitions present new stressors, including health related concerns, new demands placed on families by lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, and the possibility of losing a job or inability to pay bills. Such stressors have the potential to disrupt collaboration between coparents in addition to basic family functioning. Drawing upon a family systems perspective, the current study thus sought to examine links between COVID-19-related stressors and family cohesion through coparental functioning. A total of 1003 parents (97% from the US; 82% Caucasian, 74% female; M = 40.9 years old, SD = 8.5; Mincome = $83,631, SDincome = $36,320) of school-aged children completed an initial online survey from the end of March to the end of April of 2020. Of the initial sample, a total of 685 parents completed weekly diaries for a month. Based on multi-level modeling, results suggested that, at the between-family level, coparental conflict mediated the impact of the stress of parenting/work demands and financial stress on family cohesion. At the within-family level, weekly spikes in health-related stress were associated with corresponding spikes in coparental conflict, which, in turn, were associated with drops in family cohesion. Results from the current study suggest that beyond the fears associated with contracting the COVID-19 virus, other key stressors associated with the emerging pandemic played a role in increasing coparental conflict, ultimately exacerbating family functioning.

scholarly journals Differences in Stress and Anxiety Among Women With and Without Children in the Household During the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ally R. Avery ◽  
Siny Tsang ◽  
Edmund Y. W. Seto ◽  
Glen E. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Environmental Selection ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Anxiety Levels ◽  
Households With Children ◽  
Twin Children ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns have had a disproportionate impact on parents of children under 18, particularly women. Mandatory school closures and loss of childcare resulted in parents balancing work, teaching, and childcare needs. A number of studies have examined changes in mental health of parents, but to date no studies have compared the differences in stress and anxiety levels between women with and without children in the United States. Adult women from the Washington State Twin Registry (WSTR) (N = 1,014, pair N = 529) and mothers of twin children enrolled in the WSTR (N = 147) completed an online survey examining several health-related behaviors and outcomes and their self-reported changes due to COVID-19. We conducted two studies to examine the impact of children on stress and anxiety levels among women. In study 1, we assessed whether women living in households with children under the age of 18 have higher levels of stress and anxiety than those without children in their household. We found that perceived stress levels did not differ between women with and without children in the household, but anxiety levels were higher among women living with children than those without. In study 2, we assessed whether the correlation between children in the household and stress/anxiety is accounted for by non-random genetic and environmental selection effects, causal processes, or both using a sample of adult female twins. We found that the presence of children in the household was associated with higher levels of stress and anxiety. However, this association is confounded by genetic and shared environmental factors. Our findings highlight the need to provide supporting resources to women living with children in the household during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Attitudes to sexual health in the United States: results from a national survey of youth aged 15–25 years

Sexual Health ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Hogben ◽  
Christopher Harper ◽  
Melissa A. Habel ◽  
Kathryn Brookmeyer ◽  
Allison Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sexual Health Care ◽  
Sexual Behaviours ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Physical Intimacy

Background Several common global definitions of sexual health refer to physical, emotional and social well-being, with respect to sexuality, and also to the need for this well-being to be reflected for all individuals in relationships. How well sexual health definitions fit US youths’ attitudes to sexual health, and associations between these attitudes, sexual behaviours and sexual health care were assessed. Methods: In total, 4017 youth aged between 15 and 25 years via an online survey panel, weighted to be representative of the US population, were surveyed. Respondents reported their attitudes towards seven dimensions of sexual health that we abstracted from existing global definitions (emotional fulfillment, social connectedness, spirituality, overall pleasure, physical intimacy, mental fulfillment, reciprocal benefits). Respondents also reported on sexual health-related discussions with partners, sexual behaviours, and their use of sexual health care. Outcomes through weighted frequency estimates and ordinal regression models were reported. Results: Youth generally construed all seven dimensions as important to sexual health, with the emotional dimension rated most favourably. Attitudes to the dimensions of overall pleasure, physical intimacy and spirituality were most consistently related to sexual health discussions and behaviours. The behaviours most consistently related to sexual health attitudes were going for a sexual health check-up, discussing birth control/pregnancy and discussing risk before sex without a condom. Conclusions: Youth construal of sexual health fits well with global sexual health definitions. Attitudes to dimensions of sexual health were related to some sexual health-related behaviours, especially healthcare use and complex discussions.

Health Communication: Implications for Diverse Populations

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19
Author(s):  
Amy Hasselkus
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Good Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Health Care Decisions ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
Health Related

The need for improved communication about health-related topics is evident in statistics about the health literacy of adults living in the United States. The negative impact of poor health communication is huge, resulting in poor health outcomes, health disparities, and high health care costs. The importance of good health communication is relevant to all patient populations, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Efforts are underway at all levels, from individual professionals to the federal government, to improve the information patients receive so that they can make appropriate health care decisions. This article describes these efforts and discusses how speech-language pathologists and audiologists may be impacted.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document