scholarly journals The Early Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Stress and Addictive Behaviors in an Alcohol-Consuming Student Population in France

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Flaudias ◽  
Oulmann Zerhouni ◽  
Bruno Pereira ◽  
Cheryl J. Cherpitel ◽  
Jordane Boudesseul ◽  
...  

Background: This study evaluated factors linked with perceived stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown and addictive behaviors prior to and during lockdown in a sample of students who indicated engaging in alcohol consumption behaviors before lockdown.Methods: Cross-sectional study. French students from four universities participated in this study, and 2,760 students reported alcohol use. During the first week of lockdown, students reported their perceived levels of stress regarding COVID-19. Substance use and addictive behaviors were reported before and during lockdown, and media exposure, demographical, living conditions, and environmental stressors were reported during lockdown.Results: Women reported greater levels of stress (95% CI: 1.18 to 1.93, p < 0.001). Highly-stressed students also report less social support (95% CI: −1.04 to −0.39, p < 0.001) and were more likely to worry about the lockdown (95% CI: 0.27 to −0.65, p < 0.001). Alcohol-related problemswere more prevalent among the most stressed students (95% CI: 0.02 to 0.09, p = 0.004) as well as eating problems (95% CI: 0.04 to 0.36, p = 0.016) and problematic internet use (95% CI, 0.06 to 0.14, p < 0.001). Students reporting the highest levels of stress also indicated more compulsive eating during the previous seven days (95% CI, 0.21 to 1.19, p = 0.005).Conclusions: The level of stress was strongly related to four categories of variables: (i) intrinsic characteristics, (ii) addictive behaviors before lockdown, (iii) lockdown-specific conditions, and (iv) addictive behaviors during the lockdown. Several variables linked to COVID-19 were not directly linked with perceived stress, while perceived stress was found to correlate with daily life organization-related uncertainty and anticipated consequences of lockdown. Importantly, social support seems to be a protective factor on high level of stress.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meriam Hafsia ◽  
Imene Kacem ◽  
Olfa El Maalel ◽  
Maher Maoua ◽  
Aicha Brahem ◽  
...  

Background. Stress has been recently implicated as a contributing factor of hand eczema (HE) severity. However, published data are both rare and contradictory justifying the need of further research. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation between stress and HE severity. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study enrolling all patients who have been attending the Dermato-allergology unit of Farhat Hached University Hospital of Sousse over a period of one year. The HE severity was assessed by the Osnabrück Hand Eczema Severity Index (OHSI). The stress level was assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) in its validated Arabic version. Results. During the study period, 109 participants meeting the inclusion criteria were identified. The mean age was 40 ± 9.9 years with a sex-ratio of 0.8. Severe eczema was found in 76 participants (69.7%). A high level of perceived stress was found in 18.3% of cases. A statistically significant association was noted between HE severity and the high level of perceived stress (p=0.039, OR = 4.46, 95% CI [0.96–20.59]) and the number of dependent children ≥3 (p=0.0039, OR = 1.92, 95% CI [0.51–7.22]). Leisure activity was found to be a protective factor against HE severity (p=0.031, OR = 0.27, 95% CI [0.09–0.80]). Conclusion. Although the link between the severity of eczema and atopy, wet work, and contact with irritants and allergens is well known, the relation remains questionable for other factors including stress.


Author(s):  
Chi-Hsuan Fan ◽  
Shih-Chieh Hsu ◽  
Fei-Hsiu Hsiao ◽  
Chia-Ming Chang ◽  
Chia-Yih Liu ◽  
...  

Schizophrenia is a mental disease that often leads to chronicity. Social support could reduce the severity of psychotic symptoms; therefore, its influence on remission should be examined. This study investigated the remission rates in community-dwelling schizophrenia patients and examined the association between social support and remission status. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 129 schizophrenia patients in Taiwan. Remission rates were evaluated, and the level of social support, clinical characteristics, sociodemographic variables, and healthy lifestyle status were compared between the remission and nonremission groups. The association between social support and remission was analyzed after adjusting for confounding factors. The mean illness duration is 12.9 years. More than 95% of the participants lived with their families, 63% were unemployed, and 43% achieved remission. Higher social support was observed in the remission group, and a significant correlation was observed between family domain of social support and remission status. Family support was a protective factor of symptomatic remission in community-dwelling schizophrenia patients in Taiwan. The results reflect the effects of a family-centered culture on patients during illness. Consequently, reinforcing family relationships and the capacity of families to manage the symptoms of patients and providing support to families are recommended.


2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 832-840
Author(s):  
Katti Sathaporn ◽  
Jarurin Pitanupong

Objective: To determine the level of and factors associated with empathy among medical students.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed all first- to sixth-year medical students at the Facultyof Medicines, Prince of Songkla University, at the end of the 2020 academic year. The questionnaires consisted of:1) The personal and demographic information questionnaire, 2) The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire, and 3) ThaiMental Health Indicator-15. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and factors associated with empathylevel were assessed via chi-square and logistic regression analyses.Results: There were 1010 participants with response rate of 94%. Most of them were female (59%). More than half(54.9%) reported a high level of empathy. There was a statistically significant difference in empathy levels betweenpre-clinical and clinical medical students; in regards to empathy subgroups (P-value < 0.001). The assessment ofemotional states in others by demonstrating appropriate sensitivity behavior, altruism, and empathic respondingscores among the pre-clinical group were higher than those of the clinical group. Multivariate analysis indicatedthat female gender, pre-clinical training level, and minor specialty preference were factors associated with empathylevel. The protective factor that significantly improved the level of empathy was having fair to good mental health.Conclusion: More than half of the surveyed medical students reported a high level of empathy. The protective factorthat improved the level of empathy was good mental health. However, future qualitative methods, longitudinalsurveillance, or long-term follow-up designs are required to ensure the trustworthiness of these findings.


Author(s):  
Lars Göran Wallgren

Using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this cross-sectional study tests whether the direct effects and interaction effects of job demand and motivators affect the level of perceived stress among information technology (IT) consultants. A web-based questionnaire survey was conducted among 380 IT consultants at ten IT consultancy companies in Sweden. The results showed that job demands, autonomy, and motivators are important factors that explain perceived stress among the IT consultants. Those consultants with a high level of job demands and a low level of autonomy had a four times higher risk of perceived stress than the consultants with the theoretically lowest level of strain. However, the interaction effect of job demands/autonomy and the interaction effect of job demands/motivators on perceived stress were non-significant. It is suggested that IT consultants’ autonomy exists within the demands dictated by others - Theory Y embedded in Theory X. Future avenues for research are suggested.


Author(s):  
Fatmah J. Alsolami ◽  
Pushpamala Ramaiah ◽  
Nahla A. Tayyib ◽  
Mohammad S. Alshmemri ◽  
Sanaa A. Alsulami ◽  
...  

Background: Nurses are the frontline health professional more likely to undergo various stressors during the pandemic Covid-19 situation. The ongoing unprecedented crisis causes more stress, especially among nurses, as they are the most vulnerable group who predominantly get impacted while delivering comprehensive care. Aim: This study explored the level of stress among nurses working in different healthcare settings. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study among nurses from developed and developing countries between 7 February and 7 April 2020 was adopted for this research. Sixty-four nurses working in different healthcare settings were included in the study. A self-developed online questionnaire using google documents was used to collect data that comprised baseline data, Cohen Perceived stress scale, simplified coping items, and items of psychosocial perception. Results: It was revealed that 75.64% of studied participants (N=64) had a high level of stress, with a mean anxiety score and Standard deviation of 3.52± 1.084, during the Covid-19 pandemic situation. A statistically significant association was found between the demographic variables such as experience and participation in the COVID-19 team at p<.05, whereas gender, age, and working unit do not show any significant associations. Conclusion: Heath institutions' effective and efficient protocols are required to enhance nurses' mental strength and alleviate their lack of coping strategies, particularly during a crisis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Szabolcs Garbóczy ◽  
Anita Szemán-Nagy ◽  
Mohamed S. Ahmad ◽  
Szilvia Harsányi ◽  
Dorottya Ocsenás ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The findings of previous literature showed that epidemics and the associated control measures can increase the level of stress experienced by people. The phenomenon of dissociation has been investigated by many studies, and some have found that stress and trauma may play a central role in its development. In our research study, we examined the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the mental health of students at the University of Debrecen in Hungary. We investigated whether or not the changes caused by the pandemic induced stress among students and whether or not it was accompanied by an increase in the number of dissociative experiences. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Debrecen in Hungary in the period April 30 - May 15, 2020, to assess levels of perceived stress as well as dissociative experiences among students at the time of the official nationwide lockdown. Our survey has adopted the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). A total of 1320 students have enrolled in our study. Results: Our results showed a high level of perceived stress among the students during the pandemic and lockdown. This elevation was found to have a significant correlation with the emergence of dissociative experiences among both the Hungarian and the international students. Also, these changes were significant among males and females and in all subscales. Female students’ levels of dissociative experiences were higher than of male students on all subscales and in both groups (Hungarian and international). Conclusion: According to our findings, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the quarantine situation increased the perceived stress level which has played a significant role in the development of dissociative experiences among the students. The increased frequency of dissociative experiences entails a higher risk to the appearance of dissociative disorders; thus, it is crucial to create a safety net for university students who are susceptible to high levels of stress.


BMC Nursing ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Fu ◽  
Yaru Ren ◽  
Guowen Wang ◽  
Xiuxin Shi ◽  
Fenglin Cao

Abstract Background Fear of workplace violence has become a critical issue worldwide, which can lead to burnout, low levels of job satisfaction, and turnover. However, to date, little attention has been directed toward fear of workplace violence among nurses. Accordingly, this study investigated the level of fear of future workplace violence and its influencing factors among nurses in Shandong, China. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 30 through September 30, 2020 in Shandong Province, China. A total of 1898 nurses were enrolled from 12 tertiary hospitals. Fear of future workplace violence was measured using the Fear of Future Violence at Work scale. Demographic information, employment characteristics, social support, and experience of workplace violence were assessed. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of fear of future workplace violence. Results The average score of fear of future violence at work was 67.43 ± 17.20 among nurses. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that higher fear of future violence at work scores were reported among nurses who were female (B = 7.10, p < 0.001), married (B = 3.50, p = 0.028), with a monthly income ≥5000 Chinese yuan (CNY) (B = 3.14, p = 0.007), working in the department of internal medicine (B = 2.90, p = 0.032), surgery (B = 5.03, p < 0.001), pediatrics (B = 5.38, p = 0.003), or emergency department (B = 4.50, p = 0.010), working as a contract employee (B = 2.41, p = 0.042), or who had experienced workplace violence (B = 7.02, p < 0.001). Lower fear of future violence at work scores were found among nurses who took vacations (1–14 days: B = − 2.52, p = 0.047; ≥15 days: B = − 3.69, p = 0.007) and had a high-level of social support (B = − 2.03, p = 0.020). Conclusions There was a high level of fear of future workplace violence among nurses in Shandong, China. This should be considered an important issue by hospital administrators and government officials. Effective interventions need to be enacted to address the influencing factors of fear of future workplace violence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (16) ◽  
pp. 145-151
Author(s):  
Akehsan Dahlan ◽  
Mahjabin Shahid ◽  
Mohamad Ghazali Masuri

Depression affects one's feeling and thinking, leading to a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities. Depression could lead to suicidal ideations, decrease a person's ability to functions and quality of life.  A cross-sectional study was conducted to 143 samples to determine the relationship between demographic variables, depression, suicidal ideation, social support and distress.  The findings show that the level of suicidal ideation is high, and there is a relationship between variables under study.  The main predictors of the suicidal ideation were the high level of distress and low social support level among the study participants. Keywords: Depression; suicidal ideations; mental health eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i16.2619


Author(s):  
Amirah Amiruddin ◽  
Nurul Fitri Mustapa ◽  
Azwanis Abdul Hadi ◽  
Muhammad ‘Adil Zainal Abidin

Introduction: Self-esteem is an essential aspect of wellbeing particularly for medical students who are susceptible to mental disorders. In Islam, self-esteem is built based on both revelation by Allah and human’s effort. With the increasing study in terms of religiosity and self-esteem, the role of religiosity as possible protective factor for Muslim medical students in their life, is a steppingstone towards becoming competent Muslim professionals.Objectives: This study aims to measure the level of self-esteem among medical students and its association with religiosity.Methods: This online cross-sectional study was conducted among 178 International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan medical students using validated 10-items IIUM Religiosity Scale (IIUMReIS), and 10-items Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Descriptive statistics was used to measure the level of self-esteem while chi-square, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman’s correlation, univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to explore the association between self-esteem with the predictors.Results: More than half of the students (58.5%) have a high level of self-esteem. They scored an average of 35 (IQR = 6) in terms of religiosity. Those with higher religiosity were predicted to have significantly high self-esteem (r = 0.345). Other significant factor includes, frequency of voluntary prayer where daily practice has 0.3 lower odds of having low self-esteem. (95% CI = 0.11, 0.85, p = <0.05)Conclusion: Majority of the students have a high level of self-esteem. Implications of the role of religiosity and the impact of voluntary prayer were suggested. Early and consistent strengthening of self-esteem via motivational, spiritual and religious programs may be advisable.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Supplementary Issue: 2021 Page: S27


Author(s):  
Sima Mirzaei-Moghadam ◽  
Farzane Zaheri ◽  
Leila Hasheminasab ◽  
Daem Roshani

Background and Objectives: In addition to physical and mental problems caused by perception of being impotent, social reactions in the society, and the economic and emotional burden of medical costs, infertility causes emotions such as fear, depression, guilty conscience, denial and uncertainty about the future. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 560 infertile couples referring to the Kurdistan Infertility Diagnosis and Therapeutic Center in 1397. Data were collected using a demographic checklist, Newton's Perceived Stress Questionnaire, and a Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale. Results: The results showed that gender variables, infertility factor and social support had a significant impact on perceived stress in infertile couples (P <0.05). Additionally, if other variables persist, as social support increases, the perceived stress decreases in the infertile couples. For the infertility cause variable, the stress levels of those who were the infertile spouse were high and the stress of the group whose wife was the infertile spouse was low, and those who were still not certain about the cause of infertility had a lower level of stress. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the perceived stress level in infertile men is more than infertile women and the perceived stress level of respondents who were infertile themselves was more than other factors.


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