scholarly journals Coronavirus Pandemic: Coping with the Psychological Outcomes, Mental Changes, and the “New Normal” During and After COVID-19

2020 ◽  
pp. 07-19
Author(s):  
Hiba Takieddine ◽  
Samaa AL Tabbah
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
New Normal ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease that has rapidly swept across the world, inducing a considerable degree of fear, worry and concern in the population at large and among certain groups in particular, such as older adults, healthcare providers and people with underlying health conditions. Authorities around the world tried to prevent the virus spread by imposing social distancing measures, quarantining citizens and isolating infected persons. Apart from its physical impact, COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous changes to people’s lives. It changed daily routines, caused worldwide economic crisis, increased unemployment, and placed people under emotional and financial pressures. It affected people psychologically and mentally especially in terms of emotions and cognition. During the acute crisis, everyone to varying degrees experienced fear of infection, somatic concerns, worries about the pandemic’s consequences, loneliness, depression, stress, as well as increased alcohol and drug use. As part of its public health response, the World Health Organization (WHO) has worked with partners to develop a set of new guidelines and messages that can be used to prevent, manage, and support mental and psychological well-being in different vulnerable target groups during the outbreak. Whether people like it or not, the psychological sequela of this pandemic will emerge and persist for months and years to come leading to long-term consequences. New lifestyles and “New Normals” will surely emerge. The main purpose of this review is to summarize the impact of coronavirus pandemic on the psychological and mental health of people around the world especially vulnerable groups. It also presents the relevant intervention actions and recommendations to cope efficiently and effectively with the psychological short-term and long-term outcomes, mental changes, and the “New Normal” during and after COVID-19. Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus, Psychological; Mental; New Normal

scholarly journals The Seminar on the Impact of Islamic Lifestyles on the Health and Development of Mankind

1989 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 354-357
Author(s):  
IIIT - USA
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Regional Office ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

The Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization,the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences, and the Royal Academyfor Islamic Civilization Research (the Aal Al-Bayt Foundation) jointly sponsoreda seminar on “Islamic Lifestyles and their Impact on Health and theGeneral Development of Mankind” in order to put this Islamic heritage inthe service of all human beings.The idea of.holding this Seminar was first conceived by the EasternMediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization becauseof its profound conviction that:1. Health constitutes the physical, psychological, and social wellbeingof the individual.2. Particular lifestyles have a major impact on the health ofthe individual and the society at large.3. Islam views the concept of well-being as a pre-requisite of‘Aqidah (creed) and Shari’ah which the Muslims fully appliedand implemented in their Golden Age -thus, providingliving proof of its success in real life.The first task undertaken by the participants involved the exhaustive listingand description of Islamic lifestyles in all spheres, and, the determiningof their Islamic roots on the basis of evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith.The second task focused on exploring the benefits to be acquired and theharms to be avoided through the adoption of these Islamic lifestyles by theindividual, the family, the society, and all human beings especially in thespheres of mental and physical health, and the well-being of social and humanrelationships. The third task involved devising plans of action for utilizingand applying all or part of the knowledge gained about Islamic lifestylesin order to demonstrate their beneficial influence as a means of reforminglife and setting mankind on the straight path.The Seminar participants also formed a smaller committee to exatninethe results of its research and deliberations so as to prepare, as soon as possible ...

scholarly journals Considerations for assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 1067-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J Tan ◽  
Denny Meyer ◽  
Erica Neill ◽  
Andrea Phillipou ◽  
Wei Lin Toh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
First Case ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

During this unprecedented novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there is an urgent need for empirical data to characterise its impact on the mental health and well-being of Australians. In this viewpoint, we outline a number of considerations for research on this topic, highlighting areas necessitating special attention, consideration of particular vulnerable groups and the need for longitudinal studies to track mental health fluctuations in the general population. We conclude by introducing the COLLATE (COvid-19 and you: mentaL heaLth in AusTralia now survEy) project, outlining its aims, addressing some considerations raised herein and detailing avenues for future research. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020 (WHO, 2020), the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major upheaval both in Australia and globally. While the search for a vaccine continues, current efforts towards tackling the virus and limiting contagion in several nations have focused on social distancing and the shutdown of non-essential services. In Australia, the first case was reported on 13 January 2020 (COVID-19 National Incident Room Surveillance Team, 2020), the first death occurred on 24 February and a spate of progressive restrictions were enforced throughout the 2 weeks leading up to 31 March 2020 (COVID-19 National Incident Room Surveillance Team, 2020a).

Characterizing the effectiveness of COVID-19 mitigation measures: A data-centric approach (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukman Olagoke ◽  
Ahmet E. Topcu
Keyword(s):  
Control Measure ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
World Health ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
The World ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND COVID-19 represents a serious threat to both national health and economic systems. To curb this pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a series of COVID-19 public safety guidelines. Different countries around the world initiated different measures in line with the WHO guidelines to mitigate and investigate the spread of COVID-19 in their territories. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of these control measures using a data-centric approach. METHODS We begin with a simple text analysis of coronavirus-related articles and show that reports on similar outbreaks in the past strongly proposed similar control measures. This reaffirms the fact that these control measures are in order. Subsequently, we propose a simple performance statistic that quantifies general performance and performance under the different measures that were initiated. A density based clustering of based on performance statistic was carried out to group countries based on performance. RESULTS The performance statistic helps evaluate quantitatively the impact of COVID-19 control measures. Countries tend show variability in performance under different control measures. The performance statistic has negative correlation with cases of death which is a useful characteristics for COVID-19 control measure performance analysis. A web-based time-line visualization that enables comparison of performances and cases across continents and subregions is presented. CONCLUSIONS The performance metric is relevant for the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 control measures. This can help caregivers and policymakers identify effective control measures and reduce cases of death due to COVID-19. The interactive web visualizer provides easily digested and quick feedback to augment decision-making processes in the COVID-19 response measures evaluation. CLINICALTRIAL Not Applicable

scholarly journals Psychometric validation of the Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales among elderly residents in long-term care facilities with joint contractures

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-chang Chen ◽  
Keh-chung Lin ◽  
Chen-Jung Chen ◽  
Shu-Hui Yeh ◽  
Ay-Woan Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Chinese Version ◽  
World Health ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Joint Contractures ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Background Joint contractures, which affect activity, participation, and quality of life, are common complications of neurological conditions among elderly residents in long-term care facilities. This study examined the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales in a population with joint contractures. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used. The sample included elderly residents older than 64 years with joint contractures in an important joint who had lived at one of 12 long-term care facilities in Taiwan for more than 6 months (N = 243). The Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales for joint contractures was generated from the English version through five stages: translation, review, back-translation, review by a panel of specialists, and a pretest. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity were evaluated, and the results were compared with those for the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule. Results The Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales had excellent reliability, with a Cronbach α coefficient of 0.975 (mean score, 28.98; standard deviation, 17.34). An exploratory factor analysis showed three factors and one factor with an eigenvalue > 1 that explained 75.176 and 62.83 % of the total variance in the Activity subscale and Participation subscale, respectively. The subscale-to-total scale correlation analysis showed Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.881 for the Activity subscale and 0.843 for the Participation subscale. Pearson’s product-moment correlation revealed that the correlation coefficient (r) between the Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule was 0.770, whereas that for the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale was − 0.553; these values were interpreted as large coefficients. Conclusions The underlying theoretical model of the Chinese version of the PaArticular Scales functions well in Taiwan and has acceptable levels of reliability and validity. However, the Chinese version must be further tested for applicability and generalizability in future studies, preferably with a larger sample and in different clinical domains.

scholarly journals COVID-19 pandemic: A review of the global lockdown and its far-reaching effects

2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 003685042110198
Author(s):  
Helen Onyeaka ◽  
Christian K Anumudu ◽  
Zainab T Al-Sharify ◽  
Esther Egele-Godswill ◽  
Paul Mbaegbu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
World Health ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The World ◽  
Education Delivery ◽  
Environmental Air ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 11th of March 2020, leading to some form of lockdown across almost all countries of the world. The extent of the global pandemic due to COVID-19 has a significant impact on our lives that must be studied carefully to combat it. This study highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on crucial aspects of daily life globally, including; Food security, Global economy, Education, Tourism, hospitality, sports and leisure, Gender Relation, Domestic Violence/Abuse, Mental Health and Environmental air pollution through a systematic search of the literature. The COVID-19 global lockdown was initiated to stem the spread of the virus and ‘flatten the curve’ of the pandemic. However, the impact of the lockdown has had far-reaching effects in different strata of life, including; changes in the accessibility and structure of education delivery to students, food insecurity as a result of unavailability and fluctuation in prices, the depression of the global economy, increase in mental health challenges, wellbeing and quality of life amongst others. This review article highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown across the globe. As the global lockdown is being lifted in a phased manner in various countries of the world, it is necessary to explore its impacts to understand its consequences comprehensively. This will guide future decisions that will be made in a possible future wave of the COVID-19 pandemic or other global disease outbreak.

scholarly journals Deafening silence on a vital issue: The World Health Organization has ignored the sexuality of persons with disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Peta
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
The Public ◽  
National Priority ◽  
Social Welfare System ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

In 2016, the World Health Organization, through the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology Initiative, issued the Priority Assistive Products List which is meant to be a guide to member states of the 50 assistive products needed for a basic health care and/or social welfare system; it is also a model from which nations can develop their national priority assistive products lists. The aim of this opinion paper is to share my views about the Priority Assistive Products List on the grounds that it makes no distinct mention of sexual assistive devices, yet research has indicated that sexuality is an area of great concern for persons with disabilities. In any case, sexuality forms a core part of being human, and it impacts on both the physical and mental well-being of all human beings. I conclude in part that, in its present format, the list perpetuates the myth that persons with disabilities are asexual beings who are innocent of sexual thoughts, feelings and experiences. The list also propagates the stereotype that sexuality is a sacred, private, bedroom matter that should be kept out of the public domain, to the detriment of the health and well-being of persons with disabilities.

scholarly journals A review of post infectious pulmonary fibrosis in the era of COVID-19 and potential treatment options

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (40) ◽  
pp. 37-46
Author(s):  
Medha Ghose ◽  
Maehali Patel
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
World Health ◽  
Potential Treatment ◽  
Pulmonary Injury ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Post Infectious

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement characterizing COVID-19 as a pandemic that has, as of October 2020, caused almost 36 million confirmed global cases and over 1 million deaths. One of the long-term complications suggested by researchers is fibrosis. It has been hypothesized that the combination of ongoing pulmonary injury caused by COVID-19 and the inability to promptly repair damage results in interstitial matrix widening and eventual compression and destruction of alveoli and capillaries. Here we focus on pathogenesis, risk factors, different infectious causes of fibrosis along with COVID-19, and potential treatment options that might reduce its effects. Key words: COVID-19, pulmonary fibrosis, mechanism, treatment

scholarly journals Exploring the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education: an international cross-sectional study of medical learners

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Brown ◽  
Aliya Kassam ◽  
Mike Paget ◽  
Kenneth Blades ◽  
Megan Mercia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The World ◽  
Geographic Regions ◽  
The Impact

Background: The evidence surrounding the impact of COVID-19 on medical learners remains anecdotal and highly speculative despite the anticipated impact and potential consequences of the current pandemic on medical training. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent that COVID-19 initially impacted medical learners around the world and examine global trends and patterns across geographic regions and levels of training. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of medical learners was conducted between March 25–June 14, 2020, shortly after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Results: 6492 learners completed the survey from 140 countries. Most medical schools removed learners from the clinical environment and adopted online learning, but students reported concerns about the quality of their learning, training progression, and milestone fulfillment. Residents reported they could be better utilized and expressed concerns about their career timeline. Trainees generally felt under-utilized and wanted to be engaged clinically in meaningful ways; however, some felt that contributing to healthcare during a pandemic was beyond the scope of a learner. Significant differences were detected between levels of training and geographic regions for satisfaction with organizational responses as well as the impact of COVID-19 learner wellness and state-trait anxiety. Conclusions: The disruption to the status quo of medical education is perceived by learners across all levels and geographic regions to have negatively affected their training and well-being, particularly amongst postgraduate trainees. These results provide initial empirical insights into the areas that warrant future research as well as consideration for current and future policy planning.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document