scholarly journals Do Public Pensions Improve Mental Wellbeing? Evidence from the New Rural Society Pension Insurance Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2391
Author(s):  
Fang Wang ◽  
Haitao Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Rural Society ◽  
Rural Elderly ◽  
Public Pensions ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Pension Insurance ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Pension Income ◽  
The Impact

The causal effect of public pensions on the mental wellbeing of the elderly in lower and middle-income countries deserves further investigation. This paper first constructed a theoretical framework for the impact of New Rural Society Pension Insurance pensions in China on the mental wellbeing of the rural elderly, and described potential channels through which pension income may affect mental wellbeing. We then used the fixed effect model and the instrument variable approach to estimate the casual effects of pension income on the mental wellbeing of the rural elderly. The results reveal that pension income improves mental wellbeing by relieving depression of the rural elderly; however, the beneficial effects of pension income are very limited. Pension income has no beneficial effects on the mental health of the rural elderly in the east region, whereas it slightly relieves depression of those in the middle and west regions. We also found that pension income produces small improvements in the mental health of older females, elderly persons living independently, and those with relatively poor economic conditions.

The Relationship Between Highly Visual Social Media and Young People’s Mental Health: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alanna McCrory
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Young People ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
The Impact

UNSTRUCTURED Users of highly visual social media (HVSM), such as Snapchat and Instagram, share their messages through images, rather than relying on words. A significant proportion of people that use these platforms are adolescents. Previous research reveals mixed evidence regarding the impact of online social technologies on this age group’s mental wellbeing, but it is uncertain whether the psychological effects of visual content alone differ from text-driven social media. This scoping review maps existing literature that has published evidence about highly visual social media, specifically its psychological impact on young people. Nine electronic databases and grey literature from 2010 until March 2019 were reviewed for articles describing any aspect of visual social media, young people and their mental health. The screening process retrieved 239 articles. With the application of eligibility criteria, this figure was reduced to 25 articles for analysis. Results indicate a paucity of data that exclusively examines HVSM. The predominance of literature relies on quantitative methods to achieve its objectives. Many findings are inconsistent and lack the richness that qualitative data may provide to explore the reasons for theses mixed findings.

scholarly journals Emotional and Mental Wellbeing Following COVID-19 Public Health Measures on People Living With Dementia and Carers

2021 ◽  
pp. 089198872199681
Author(s):  
Kerry Hanna ◽  
Clarissa Giebel ◽  
Hilary Tetlow ◽  
Kym Ward ◽  
Justine Shenton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Social Support Services ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Background: To date, there appears to be no evidence on the longer-term impacts caused by COVID-19 and its related public health restrictions on some of the most vulnerable in our societies. The aim of this research was to explore the change in impact of COVID-19 public health measures on the mental wellbeing of people living with dementia (PLWD) and unpaid carers. Method: Semi-structured, follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with PLWD and unpaid carers between June and July 2020. Participants were asked about their experiences of accessing social support services during the pandemic, and the impact of restrictions on their daily lives. Results: 20 interviews were conducted and thematically analyzed, which produced 3 primary themes concerning emotional responses and impact to mental health and wellbeing during the course of the pandemic: 1) Impact on mental health during lockdown, 2) Changes to mental health following easing of public health, and 3) The long-term effect of public health measures. Conclusions: The findings from this research shed light on the longer-term psychological impacts of the UK Government’s public health measures on PLWD and their carers. The loss of social support services was key in impacting this cohort mentally and emotionally, displaying a need for better psychological support, for both carers and PLWD.

scholarly journals COVID-19 creating challenges in a rehabilitation facility in Australia: A discussion paper

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Janet Green ◽  
Joanne Vallance ◽  
Rebekah Choong ◽  
Georgina McBride ◽  
Jeyanthi Arockiam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Discussion Paper ◽  
Rehabilitation Care ◽  
Mental Health Patients ◽  
Rehabilitation Facilities ◽  
Communication Challenges ◽  
Mental Health Practices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sydney Australia

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many challenges and alterations to long-standing procedures within rehabilitation facilities. These updates of the processes undertaken by staff in such settings have been radical and ongoing. COVID-19 impact on the healthcare system should never be underestimated nor under appreciated. The impact that this pandemic has had on rehabilitation care is unique. This has been the catalyst to identifying significant challenges and subsequent changes within rehabilitation and mental health practices. Social measures that have been implemented in the community have had exaggerated and magnified effects both on the physical and mental wellbeing of rehabilitation and mental health patients. Over the course of these adaptations and implementations, impacts on communication, mental health, workload and care efficiencies were identified and explored. This paper is unique because different disciplines have shared their experiences of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they provide rehabilitation. The paper will focus on the communication challenges using masks, not being able to engage families and carers, restriction of group therapies, social isolation of patients and healthcare workers while adhering to guidelines set by NSW Health (Sydney, Australia).

Impact of Media and Time Management Pattern on Mental Wellbeing among the General Population during COVID-19 Lockdown in India – A Cross-Sectional, Respondent-Driven Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (19) ◽  
pp. 1432-1439
Author(s):  
Vishwak Reddy Vatte ◽  
Praveen Khairkar ◽  
Srinivas Kandrakonda ◽  
Tabitha Jezreel ◽  
Satya Revanth Karri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Management Pattern ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND In COVID-19 pandemic, nation-wide complete lockdown was enforced for about 10 weeks which was an unprecedented experience for all and potentially influenced mental wellbeing partly through infodemic mismanagements. This study intended to analyse the impact of media and time management pattern on mental wellbeing among general population during COVID-19 lockdown in India. METHODS An online study questionnaire was circulated among general population between 1 st April and 12th May 2020 using social networking site (s). The questionnaire included socio-demographic details, source of information and knowledge on COVID-19, impact of time spent on media, smart phone, productive and relaxation activities, general views on lockdown experience and further mental health status was screened using standardized DASS - 21 Scale. Appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics were done using SPSS statistic 26.0. RESULTS A total of 891 people responded from 11 states, mostly (89 %) from South India, and 27.5 % were having mental health problems on DASS - 21 scale. Most of the participants opined that COVID-19 information on traditional (53 %) and social media (85 %) were not completely authentic and perhaps amplifying perceptual responses. Excess time spent on media (46 %) and smart phone over exposure (61 %) had significant mental health issues and on contrary individuals who managed their time well, indulging in productive and relaxation activities were found to be psychologically stable (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the impact of media and time management pattern during lockdown emphasizing both positive and negative predictors of mental health. There is clearly a need for media regulation and working in collaboration with authorities for better mental wellbeing of the society in ongoing fight with COVID19. KEYWORDS COVID-19, Lockdown, Media, Smartphone, Time Management Pattern

Social Dimensions of Mental Illness among Rural Elderly Populations

1988 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Hendricks ◽  
Howard B. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Rural Elderly ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Elderly Populations

Despite growing concern with rural elderly populations, little attention has focused on their mental health, ways it may correlate with physical health, or how rural mental health patterns compare to urban. Popular wisdom contends that elderly people in general, and rural elderly persons in particular, are at increased risk for mental illness. This article examines these questions. A review of available literature suggests that elderly people may be at only slightly greater risk of mental illness than the population at large, though there are some indications that rates of depression may be somewhat higher among the elderly population. Much of this same literature implies that objective environmental conditions play a significant role in the incidence of depression. Analysis of data gathered in a statewide random poll ( N = 743) indicates that while physical health tends to be poorer among rural populations, when health is held constant there is actually an inverse relationship between age and depression. Therefore, rural elderly persons are no more likely to be depressed than their urban counterparts despite harsher living conditions. Both conceptual and policy implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Motivation to Improve Mental Wellbeing via Community Physical Activity Initiatives and the Associated Impacts—A Cross-Sectional Survey of UK parkrun Participants

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13072
Author(s):  
Allison Dunne ◽  
Steve Haake ◽  
Helen Quirk ◽  
Alice Bullas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Mental Health Conditions ◽  
The Impact

Participation in regular physical activity is a well-established strategy to support good mental wellbeing in adults with, and without, mental health conditions. The physical activity initiative parkrun is a free, weekly, timed, running and walking event which is attended by people from the local community of all abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental wellbeing of UK parkrun participants along with their motives for taking part and the impact of participation. Mental health conditions were self-reported in 2.5% of 60,000 respondents to an online survey of parkrunners, with the most prevalent being depression and anxiety. Those with mental health conditions were more motivated than those without to first participate in parkrun to manage their health conditions and improve their mental health. Those with mental health conditions were equally motivated to improve their physical health when compared to those without, and reported similar levels of improvement. Mental wellbeing scores for those with mental health conditions were close to the normal range, suggesting that engagement in parkrun may have had a role in limiting the effect of their illness. Community initiatives could replicate parkrun’s model, and use the potential for both mental and physical health improvement, as well as health condition management, as a motivation for participation.

scholarly journals Psychology of pandemics and fear of epidemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 2592
Author(s):  
M. Naveed Uddin ◽  
Mohsin Uddin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Psychodynamic Approach ◽  
1918 Influenza ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Psychological Threats

Infectious outbreaks have stirred the psychological health and mental wellbeing of individuals on a global basis. It is evident from the 1918 influenza in addition to the current COVID-19. Psychological factors are significant for comprehension and overseeing cultural issues related with pandemics, like the spreading of extreme dread, anxiety, and xenophobia that happen when individuals are compromised with infection. The research aims to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected individual’s psychological wellbeing and how the psychodynamic approach can resolve such an issue. Developing a sense of detachment from oneself and the growing fear of being infected significantly affects an individual psychological wellbeing. This analysis concentrates predominantly on applying the psychodynamic approach to ascertain individual’s psychological threats during the COVID-19 crisis. This research focuses on revealing the variations generated from the psyche of individuals due to the COVID-19. It also aims to highlight the impact that COVID-19 have created on the mental health of individual beings. Moreover, the pandemic consequence on the individual’s overall lifestyle has discussed in the study.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health of University Students in Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hafiz Muhammad Asif ◽  
Hafiz Abdul Sattar
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the cause of COVID-19 eventually led to the declaration of Public health emergency of international concern and a pandemic by WHO due to its exponential global spread. Present study was conducted to investigate the impact of second wave of pandemic on mental wellbeing and social behaviors among university students of Pakistan during this crucial period of COVID-19 infection. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was designed to evaluate the psychosocial impact during the current COVID-19 outbreak among the students of The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Snowball sampling or chain referral sampling procedure was adopted to recruit the participants in the study. Verbal informed consent was taken from all participants before recruitment in the study irrespective of their gender, age and socioeconomic status. Results: Mental health of university students during COVID-19 epidemic was affected to a varying degree revealing that 26.66% were recorded to have mild, 27.15% moderate and 17.04% suffering from severe anxiety out of total 1029 students. Students who were residing in urban areas with parents and having a steady family income were negatively associated and found protective factors against anxiety. However, having a relative or an acquaintance infected with COVID-19 was an independent risk factor for experienced anxiety. Positively associated factors with the level of anxiety symptoms included economic stressors, effects on daily-life, and academic delays whereas social support was negatively correlated with anxiety in COVID-19 related stressors. Conclusion: Public health emergencies and such pandemic are exerting serious psychological impacts on university students. It is recommended that the higher authorities should plan better policies to reduce this impact for the provision of high quality and timely crisis-oriented psychological services to university students.

scholarly journals A rapid review of home-based activities that can promote mental wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243125
Author(s):  
Joseph H. Puyat ◽  
Haroon Ahmad ◽  
Ana Michelle Avina-Galindo ◽  
Arminee Kazanjian ◽  
Aanchel Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Review Author ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Mental Wellness ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures such as isolation, quarantine, and social distancing are needed. Some of these measures can adversely affect mental health. Activities that can be performed at home may mitigate these consequences and improve overall mental well-being. In this study, home-based activities that have potential beneficial effects on mental health were examined. Methods A rapid review was conducted based on a search of the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PyscINFO, Global Health, epistemonikos.org, covid19reviews.org, and eppi.ioe.ac.uk/covid19_map_v13.html. Eligible studies include randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies published between 1/1/2000 and 28/05/2020 and that examined the impact of various activities on mental health outcomes in low-resource settings and contexts that lead to social isolation. Studies of activities that require mental health professionals or that could not be done at home were excluded. Two review authors performed title/abstract screening. At the full-text review stage, 25% of the potentially eligible studies were reviewed in full by two review authors; the rest were reviewed by one review author. Risk of bias assessment and data extraction were performed by one review author and checked by a second review author. The main outcome assessed was change or differences in mental health as expressed in Cohen’s d; analysis was conducted following the synthesis without meta-analysis guidelines (SWiM). PROSPERO registration: CRD42020186082. Results Of 1,236 unique records identified, 160 were reviewed in full, resulting in 16 included studies. The included studies reported on the beneficial effects of exercise, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, and listening to relaxing music. One study reported on the association between solitary religious activities and post traumatic stress disorder symptoms. While most of the included studies examined activities in group settings, particularly among individuals in prisons, the activities were described as something that can be performed at home and alone. All included studies were assessed to be at risk of bias in one or more of the bias domains examined. Conclusions There is some evidence that certain home-based activities can promote mental wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidelines are needed to help optimize benefits while minimizing potential risks when performing these activities.

EFFECT OF THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sulhi Alfakeh
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
University Students ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Psychological Status ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Full Time ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The continuous reporting of the latest confirmed COVID-19 cases in Saudi Arabia and globally, with the concomitant social distancing measures and university closures, is likely to affect the mental wellbeing of many university students. There have been many reports on the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public, hospital staff, patients, children, and older adults [4,5]. However, to date, only a few studies on the mental health effects of COVID-19 and the wellbeing of college students have been conducted during the pandemic [6]. In this study, we aimed to estimate the mental health impact of COVID-19 on university students in Saudi Arabia. We conducted our study to learn more about the psychological status of university students through the pandemic for the following reasons: to evaluate the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression of university students during the pandemic; and to provide a basis for universities and governmental policies to support university students affected by the impact of COVID-19. OBJECTIVE Objective: To estimate the psychological impact of COVID-19 on university students in Saudi Arabia. METHODS Method: The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21 (DASS-21) questionnaire was distributed via the university students’ accounts. Of the 71,945 full-time undergraduate university students, 3,515 respondents completed the questionnaires. The study questionnaire also included demographic information, including age, gender, source of income, living arrangements, smoking status, and weekly physical exercise. RESULTS Results: Nearly half of participants had normal stress (40.5%, n = 1425) and anxiety (42.4%, n = 1492) levels. In terms of depression, nearly one-third of subjects were classified as ‘normal’ (29.3%, n = 1031); however, one-fourth of them were classified as ‘extremely severe’ (23.8%, n = 838). There were significantly higher levels of stress among female students. Also, a significantly higher rate of male students (50.4%, n = 667) had normal anxiety levels, compared with female students (37.7%, n = 825). Finally. significantly higher proportion of female students had symptoms of depression (72.66%, n = 1,592) compared with the degrees of depression among male students (67.37%, n = 892). CONCLUSIONS Conclusion: We detected that stress, anxiety, and depression increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and university students were at more risk of developing mental health issues. Ongoing follow-up and monitoring of psychological consequences and their potential negative impact on academic performance and mental wellbeing are needed. CLINICALTRIAL none

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