scholarly journals Distance Learning Effects Among Italian Children and Parents During COVID-19 Related School Lockdown

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Crisci ◽  
Irene C. Mammarella ◽  
Ughetta M. M. Moscardino ◽  
Maja Roch ◽  
Lisa B. Thorell
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Italian Children ◽  
Child Age

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, both children and their parents experienced consequences related to distance learning (DL). However, positive and negative effects have varied greatly among families, and the specific factors explaining these differences in experiences are still underexplored. In this study, we examined children's executive functions (EF) and parents' psychological well-being in relation to negative and positive effects of DL on both children and their parents.Method: Participants were 637 Italian parents (92% mothers) with a child (48% male) aged between 6 and 19 years involved in DL due to school closures during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected using an online survey. We performed three fixed-order hierarchical multiple regression analyses with child age and sex, children's EF deficits, and parents' psychological well-being as independent variables, and DL-related negative effects (on the child and on the parent) and DL-related positive effects as dependent variables.Results: The results of the regression analyses showed that for negative effects of DL, younger age and greater EF deficits explained most part of the variance. Specifically, regarding negative effects on children, the most important factor was EF deficits, whereas regarding negative effects on parents, child age was the most important factor. For positive effects of DL, all variables explained only a small part of the variance. Child age was the most important factor, but EF deficits and parents' psychological well-being also had a significant impact.Conclusions: The effects of DL during school closures vary widely across families. Our findings indicate that intervention efforts need to consider background variables, child factors, as well as parent factors when supporting families with homeschooling in times of pandemic.

scholarly journals Psychological Well-Being, Marital Satisfaction, and Parental Burnout in Iranian Parents: The Effect of Home Quarantine During COVID-19 Outbreaks

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyyedeh Fatemeh Mousavi
Keyword(s):  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Family Interactions ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Satisfaction Scale ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
The World

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as an infectious disease, is now prevalent in many countries around the world, which has recently led many governments to home quarantine and impose penalties for violating quarantine. Concerns and stress caused by lockdown and social isolation led to personal and interactive reactions in some families, which are also culturally important to address. This study was administrated to study the psychological well-being and the effect of home quarantine on marital satisfaction (MS) and parental burnout (PB) from parenting responsibilities during the prevalence of COVID-19 in Iranian parents. A total of 213 parents (140 mothers and 73 fathers) voluntarily participated in the online survey in the period of February to mid-April 2020 and completed the 5-item index of the well-being of the World Health Organization (WHO-5), the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (KMSS), and the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA). The results showed that the effect of home quarantine on MS and PB was not significant in parents (p > 0.01). The interactive effect of home quarantine and gender was not significant on MS and PB (p > 0.01). In addition, the mothers significantly reported higher PB than the fathers, but the fathers had higher scores in MS and psychological well-being (p < 0.01). The effect of some demographic factors on the studied variables was also significant. Supportive resources in family-based culture may play an essential role to reduce the negative effects of stressful situations on family interactions.

scholarly journals Post-traumatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic in carers of children in Portugal and the UK: cross-sectional online survey

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Stallard ◽  
Ana Isabel Pereira ◽  
Luísa Barros
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Spiritual Change ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Uk

Background Although the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health have attracted interest, little attention has focused on its positive effects and possible post-traumatic growth. Aims To assess anxiety, well-being and post-traumatic growth in carers of children aged 6–16 years in Portugal and the UK. Method A cross-sectional online survey of volunteers conducted at the peak of the first wave of COVID-19 during lockdown (1 May to 27 June 2020). Results A total of 385 caregivers (Portuguese, n = 185; UK, n = 200), predominantly mothers (n = 341, 88.6%), completed the survey. The majority were working exclusively from home (n = 271, 70.4%), almost half reported a reduction in income (n = 174, 45.2%), most children were home taught (n = 358, 93%), and 75 (19.5%) identified a family member with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection. In total, 341 caregivers (88.6%) identified positives arising from COVID-19, most commonly related to the post-traumatic growth domains of improved relationships, a greater appreciation of life, discovering and embracing new possibilities, and positive spiritual change. A comparison of those who did (n = 341) and did not (n = 34) report any positives found a significant difference in well-being scores (t373 = 2.24, P = 0.025) but not in anxiety scores (t373 = 0.75, P = 0.45). Conclusions Despite experiencing considerable adversity, examples of post-traumatic growth during the lockdown were common. Although the voluntary online nature of our survey is a limitation, our findings suggest that further research exploring post-traumatic growth following pandemics is warranted.

Social Contribution and Psychological Well-Being among Midlife Adults with Chronic Pain: A Longitudinal Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1591-1601
Author(s):  
Nguyen P. Nguyen ◽  
Shin Ye Kim ◽  
Jacob Daheim ◽  
Ashley Neduvelil
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Social Contribution ◽  
Negative Effect

Objectives: Contributing to the welfare of others has been shown to have positive effects on people’s social and psychological well-being (PWB). The current study examined whether social contribution (SC) could alleviate the negative effects of chronic pain on PWB through perceived social support (PSS) among midlife and older adults. Methods: The study consisted of 520 participants with chronic pain from the two waves of the Midlife in the United States dataset (MIDUS II and III). Results: Results from the longitudinal moderated mediation analysis indicated that SC at Time 2 (T2) significantly buffered the negative effect of pain interference (PI) at Time 1 (T1) on PSS at T2, which indirectly alleviated the negative effect of PI at T1 on PWB at T2. Discussion: The study suggested the protective role of SC and prosocial behaviors in mitigating the detrimental effects of chronic pain on social support and PWB.

scholarly journals Psychosocial and Behavioural Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children with Autism and their Families: A Systematic Review and Initial Data from a Multinational Online Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Kreysa ◽  
Dana Schneider ◽  
Andrea Erika Kowallik ◽  
Samaneh Sadat Dastgheib ◽  
Cem Dogdu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
High Functioning Autism ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Older Children ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Positive Effects

Background: Since COVID-19 has become pandemic, everyday life has seen dramatic changes affecting individuals, families, and children with and without autism. These entail, among other things, more time at home, digital forms of communication, school closures, and reduced support and intervention. Aim: Here we aim to systematically assess the effects of the pandemic on autistic and neurotypical (NT) children, and pursue a pre-registered hypothesis suggested by initial observations that some children with autism might respond comparatively well to a situation of constrained, predictable, and digital social communication during the pandemic. Methods: We provide a systematic review of current relevant work, including 76 papers selected from a database search until February 1, 2021. We then report survey data from several countries assessing activities, well-being (PedsQLTM), and social life in families with autism, and their respective change at various stages of the pandemic. We focus on differences between children with and without autism from within the same families, and on different outcomes for children with high- or low-functioning autism. Results: While children with autism scored lower in emotional and social functioning than their NT siblings, comparable decreases in well-being and increases in anxiety were seen for both groups, compared to before the pandemic. By contrast, decreases in adaptability were significantly more pronounced in autistic than NT children. Preliminary results suggest that changes were comparable for children with high- and low-functional autism overall, but individual differences prevail. Conclusions: Overall, although individual families do report some positive effects of pandemic restrictions, our data give no clear evidence that these generalize across children with autism, or even just to children with high-functioning autism. We discuss significant challenges for children with and without autism that need to be addressed to protect childrens’ well-being under pandemic conditions but also point to potential in the present situation that could be used towards social participation and success in older children and young adults with autism.

scholarly journals Psychological distress during COVID-19 pandemic in low-income and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study of older persons in Thailand

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e047650
Author(s):  
Wiraporn Pothisiri ◽  
Paolo Miguel Manalang Vicerra
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Ageing Society ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
The Impact

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 situation in Thailand was controlled with various social measures. Much of the information covered in the media and in studies focused on the public health and economic aspects of the pandemic. This study aimed to explore the psychological well-being of older people, which is important especially in an ageing society categorised as low income or middle income due to the limits of economic and healthcare resources.SettingThe impact of COVID-19 on older persons in Thailand, an online survey, taken across nine provinces within the five regions of the country.ParticipantsInformation was collected from 1230 adults aged at least 60 years old.If an older person was illiterate, unable to access the internet or had a disability preventing them from responding to the survey, an intermediary residing in the community conducted the survey interview.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe analysis focused on the worries of older adults and the factors associated with psychological distress experienced during the pandemic using logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe majority of people aged at least 60 years old experienced psychological distress during COVID-19. Employment loss (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.38), inadequate income (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.44) and debt incursion (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.57 to 4.80) were detrimental to psychological well-being. The negative changes in the perception of their health status (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.99) and decreased life satisfaction (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.45 to 1.87) also weighed on older Thais. The protective factors for psychological well-being were residing in rural areas (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.61) and being married (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.01).ConclusionObserving the concerns of the older population is important for introducing policies that can alleviate their precarious financial and health statuses.

Emotion Regulation Strategies Predict Emotional Distress during the COVID-19 Outbreak among Parents of Children with Special Needs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mor Keleynikov ◽  
Joy Benatov ◽  
Noga Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Children With Special Needs ◽  
Emotion Regulation Strategies ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Raising Children ◽  
Regulation Strategies

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been declared a global pandemic. The consequences of this pandemic, among them changes in routine, quarantine, school closures and more, place children with special needs and their families at risk of severe emotional distress. Therefore, the present study used an online survey to measure stress, anxiety and depression levels as well as concerns related to the COVID-19 outbreak among 94 parents of children with special needs (mean age = 41.6 years, SD = 6.59; 83% female) and 79 parents raising a typically developing child (mean age = 40.85 years, SD = 7.40; 85% female). We also examined whether the use of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) strategies (reappraisal and suppression, respectively) predicts emotional distress among the two parent groups. The results indicate that compared to parents of TD children, parents of children with special needs reported more concerns about the COVID19 outbreak and more symptoms of emotional distress (depression, anxiety and stress). The use of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies moderated the association between concerns arising from the COVID-19 outbreak and emotional distress. In addition, the habitual use of emotion regulation strategies predicted distress only among parents of children with special needs but not among parents of TD children. These findings highlight the role played by emotion regulation in maintaining well-being at times of crisis among vulnerable populations, such as families raising children with special needs.

scholarly journals COVID-19 as a Stressor: Pandemic Expectations, Perceived Stress, and Negative Affect in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda R Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Stress And Coping ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
And Coping

Abstract Objectives The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic is appraised as a stressor influences perceived stress (PS) and psychological well-being during the event. Here, the association of older adults’ expectations concerning the pandemic’s duration and impact with PS and negative affect (NA) is investigated. Based on the stress and coping framework, PS is expected to mediate the association between COVID-19 expectations and NA. Methods Seven hundred fourteen residents of the United States and aged 60 and older completed an anonymous online survey in late March 2020 reporting PS, NA, and expectations regarding the pandemic. Results Regression analyses controlling for demographic factors revealed that more dire pandemic expectations significantly predicted PS and NA directly, and the effects on NA were significantly mediated by PS. Discussion Findings provide evidence that expectations about a pandemic influence the extent to which older adults experience stress and NA in the midst of a pandemic event. Implications for mental health are discussed.

scholarly journals Psychological Well-Being in Chinese College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Roles of Resilience and Environmental Stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanfa Tan ◽  
Chienchung Huang ◽  
Yun Geng ◽  
Shannon P. Cheung ◽  
Shuyan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Chinese College Students ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Using Data

Psychological well-being is an important indicator of well-being and has been found to be associated with a multitude of positive life outcomes. Using data collected from 1,871 Chinese college students from September 23 to October 5, 2020, this study examined students' psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigated how resilience and pandemic-related environmental stress may affect psychological well-being. Results showed that resilience had strong positive effects on psychological well-being during the pandemic. Meanwhile, environmental stress had a moderate effect and marginally reduced psychological well-being. The magnitudes of the estimates suggested that increasing resilience can effectively buffer the negative effect of environmental stress on psychological well-being.

scholarly journals Fungal traits important for soil aggregation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anika Lehmann ◽  
Weishuang Zheng ◽  
Masahiro Ryo ◽  
Katharina Soutschek ◽  
Rebecca Rongstock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Soil Aggregation ◽  
Aminopeptidase Activity ◽  
Aggregate Formation ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Saprobic Fungi ◽  
Positive Effects

AbstractSoil health and sustainability is essential for ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Soil structure, the complex arrangement of soil into aggregates and pore spaces, is a key feature of soils under the influence of soil life. Soil biota, and among them filamentous saprobic fungi, have well-documented effects on soil aggregation. However, it is unclear what fungal properties, or traits, contribute to the overall positive effect on soil aggregation. So far, we lack a systematic investigation of a broad suite of fungal species for their trait expression and the relation of these traits to their soil aggregation capability.Here, we apply a trait-based approach to a set of 15 traits measured under standardized conditions on 31 fungal strains including Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Mucoromycota, all isolated from the same soil.We found a spectrum of soil aggregate formation capability ranging from neutral to positive and large differences in trait expression among strains. We identified biomass density (positive effects), leucine aminopeptidase activity (negative effects) and phylogeny as important modulators of fungal aggregate formation capability. Our results point to a typical suite of traits characterizing fungi that are good soil aggregators; this could inform screening for fungi to be used in biotechnological applications, and illustrates the power of employing a trait-based approach to unravel biological mechanisms of soil aggregation, which could now be extended to other organism groups.

scholarly journals Relationship between self-care activities, stress and well-being during COVID-19 lockdown: a cross-cultural mediation model

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e048469
Author(s):  
Elkin Luis ◽  
Elena Bermejo-Martins ◽  
Martín Martinez ◽  
Ainize Sarrionandia ◽  
Cristian Cortes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Sociodemographic Variables ◽  
The Impact

ObjectivesTo examine the mediation role of self-care between stress and psychological well-being in the general population of four countries and to assess the impact of sociodemographic variables on this relationship.DesignCross-sectional, online survey.ParticipantsA stratified sample of confined general population (N=1082) from four Ibero-American countries—Chile (n=261), Colombia (n=268), Ecuador (n=282) and Spain (n=271)—balanced by age and gender.Primary outcomes measuresSociodemographic information (age, gender, country, education and income level), information related to COVID-19 lockdown (number of days in quarantine, number of people with whom the individuals live, absence/presence of adults and minors in charge and attitude towards the search of information related to COVID-19), Perceived Stress Scale-10, Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale-29 and Self-Care Activities Screening Scale-14.ResultsSelf-care partially mediates the relationship between stress and well-being during COVID-19 confinement in the general population in the total sample (F (3,1078)=370.01, p<0.001, R2=0.507) and in each country. On the other hand, among the evaluated sociodemographic variables, only age affects this relationship.ConclusionThe results have broad implications for public health, highlighting the importance of promoting people’s active role in their own care and health behaviour to improve psychological well-being if stress management and social determinants of health are jointly addressed first. The present study provides the first transnational evidence from the earlier stages of the COVID-19 lockdown, showing that the higher perception of stress, the less self-care activities are adopted, and in turn the lower the beneficial effects on well-being.

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