scholarly journals Impact of the COVID-19 national lockdown on pharmacy students’ productivity and their coping strategies in a developing country: An online survey in Nigerian universities

2021 ◽  
pp. 249-259
Author(s):  
Abdulmuminu Isah ◽  
Deborah Oyine Aluh ◽  
Abubakar Abba ◽  
Patrick Ogbonna Chukwu ◽  
Ebere Mercy Okpara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
School Life ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
The Impact

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria led to a national lockdown that resulted in the suspension of academic activities. Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 national lockdown on pharmacy students’ productivity and their coping strategies. Methods: This study involved the cross-sectional collection of responses from undergraduate students of six Nigerian schools of pharmacy. Data was collected using a structured, validated questionnaire in the form of Google form. The data was entered into a statistical product and service solutions software (SPSS, version-25) for analysis. Results: A total of 808 students responded to the questionnaire. The majority of the students’ responses (757, 93.7%) showed that their reading duration had decreased during the lockdown. The most missed variable during the closure by students was ‘school life’ (303, 37.5%). The use of social media (133, 16.5%) was the most common coping strategy. The majority of the students, 544 (67.3%), agreed to participate in the virtual mode of learning. The cost of data was the main challenge to online learning by the students (288, 36.0%). Conclusion: This study shows that the productivity of pharmacy students decreased during the COVID-19 lockdown. Social media and business activities were the most common coping mechanisms of pharmacy students. Pharmacy students were willing to accept virtual learning despite possible challenges.

scholarly journals Young adults’ coping strategies against loneliness during the COVID-19-related quarantine in Greece

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrianos Golemis ◽  
Panteleimon Voitsidis ◽  
Eleni Parlapani ◽  
Vasiliki A Nikopoulou ◽  
Virginia Tsipropoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Cross Sectional

Summary COVID-19 and the related quarantine disrupted young adults’ academic and professional life, daily routine and socio-emotional well-being. This cross-sectional study focused on the emotional and behavioural responses of a young adult population during the COVID-19-related quarantine in April 2020, in Greece. The study was conducted through an online survey. A total of 1559 young adults, aged 18−30 years, completed Steele’s Social Responsibility Motivation Scale and the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and answered questions about compliance with instructions, quarantine-related behaviours and coping strategies. According to the results, participants displayed a relatively high sense of social responsibility (M = 16.09, SD = 2.13) and a trend towards moderate feeling of loneliness (M = 2.65, SD = 1.62); young women reported significantly higher levels of loneliness than men. The majority complied with instructions often (46.4%) or always (44.8%). Significantly more women created a new social media account and used the social media longer than 5 h/day, compared with men. Resorting to religion, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted higher levels of social responsibility; humour, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted lower levels of loneliness. Conclusively, COVID-19 is expected to have a significant psychological impact on young adults. Currently, Greece is going through the second quarantine period. This study raises awareness about loneliness in young adults during the COVID-19-related quarantine and highlights the importance of developing online programmes, attractive to younger people, to nurture adaptive coping strategies against loneliness.

Resilience, pessimism, and depression in undergraduates in Hong Kong during Covid-19: A cross-sectional online survey study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Yi Sum ◽  
Sherry Kit Wa Chan ◽  
Gloria Hoi Yan Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Adolescence and young adulthood is a period of heightened risk of mental disorders onset. The Covid-19 pandemic may have impacted the daily lives and learning of students, exposing them to risks of emotional distress. Understanding factors associated with individual differences in distress can inform remedial strategies for schools. OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of Covid-19 on undergraduate students’ lifestyle and learning, and explore relationship between depressive symptoms, resilience, and optimism/pessimism bias in undergraduate students in Hong Kong. METHODS Cross-sectional online survey of undergraduate students in a university (n=1020) before and during the third wave of Covid-19 outbreak in Hong Kong between May and August 2020. Changes in habits and family conflicts, depressive symptoms (measured using Patient Health Questionnaire-9), resilience (measured using Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), optimism/pessimism towards Covid-19 risks, and knowledge about Covid-19 were recorded. Multivariable linear regression and mediation analyses were used to explore relationships with depressive symptoms. RESULTS 61.7% of respondents have mild to severe depressive symptoms. The regression model found that 18.5% of the variance in depressive symptoms was explained by resilience, pessimism bias, changes in sleep, decrease in study at home, and increase in family conflict. Mediation analysis showed that resilience is indirectly related to depressive symptoms through its relationship with pessimism (ab = -0.042, CI = -0.057 to -0.013). Higher resilience was associated with lower depressive symptoms even after accounting for resilience’s indirect effect through pessimism (c’ = 0.311, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the mental health vulnerability of undergraduate students. Measures to reduce family conflict, maintain healthy daily habits, adjust optimism/pessimism bias, and enhance resilience may be useful for improving the mental wellbeing of undergraduate students during the pandemic.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic adults – a survey

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor James Davidson ◽  
Keri Lodge ◽  
Alwyn Kam
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Significant Deterioration ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
The Impact

Purpose To date there has been limited research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic people. This study aims to present the results of a survey of autistic people (n = 51) conducted by a UK specialist autism team. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional online survey. Findings A total of 72% respondents reported either some or significant deterioration in mental health during the pandemic. The issues that caused most negative impact were uncertainty over what will happen next and disruption of normal routine. Respondents reported a variety of coping strategies to help them through the pandemic. Originality/value To date there has been little research looking specifically at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic people. This paper adds weight to the evidence that the pandemic has had a particularly severe impact on autistic adults and includes useful information on potential coping strategies for this population.

scholarly journals SASS: South African Simulation Survey – a review of simulation-based education

2019 ◽  
pp. 12-20
Author(s):  
R Swart ◽  
R Duys ◽  
ND Hauser
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
The Impact

Background: Simulation-based education (SBE) has been shown to be an effective and reproducible learning tool. SBE is used widely internationally. The current state of SBE in South Africa is unknown. To the best of our knowledge this is the first survey that describes the use and attitudes towards SBE within South Africa. Methods: An online survey tool was distributed by email to: i) the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists (SASA) members; and ii) known simulation education providers in South Africa. The respondents were grouped into anaesthesia and non-anaesthesia participants. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Ethics approval was obtained: HREC REF 157/2017. Results: The majority of the respondents provide SBE and integrate it into formal teaching programmes. There is a will amongst respondents to grow SBE in South Africa, with it being recognised as a valuable educational tool. The user groups mainly targeted by SBE, were undergraduate students, medical interns, registrars and nurses. Learning objectives targeted include practical skills, medical knowledge, critical thinking and integrated management. Amongst anaesthesia respondents: the tool most commonly used to assess the quality of learner performance during SBE, for summative assessment, was ‘expert opinion’ (33%); the most frequent methods of evaluating SBE quality were participant feedback (42%) and peer evaluation (22%); the impact of SBE was most frequently assessed by informal discussion (42%) and learner feedback (39%). In anaesthesia SBE largely takes place within dedicated simulation facilities on site (47%). Most respondents report access to a range of SBE equipment. The main reported barriers to SBE were: finance, lack of trained educators, lack of equipment and lack of protected time. A limited number of respondents report engaging in SBE research. There is a willingness in both anaesthesia and non-anaesthesia groups (96% and 89% respectively) to collaborate with other centres. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge this publication provides us with the first cross-sectional survey of SBE in anaesthesia and a selection of non-anaesthetic respondents within South Africa. The majority of respondents indicate that SBE is a valuable education tool. A number of barriers have been identified that limit the growth of SBE within South Africa. It is hoped that with a commitment to ongoing SBE research and evaluation, SBE can be grown in South Africa.

scholarly journals The Impact of Grit on Health Outcomes in College Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 455-455
Author(s):  
Amelia Sullivan ◽  
Leigh Neptune ◽  
Kayla Parsons ◽  
Ashley Reynolds ◽  
Carol Byrd-Bredbenner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Experiment Station ◽  
College Undergraduate ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives The objective was to examine the relationship between grit and health outcomes in college undergraduate students. Methods A cross-sectional convenience sample of college undergraduate students completed an online survey assessing Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), the National Cancer Institute Fruit and Vegetable Screener, and the 2-item Hager Food Insecurity Screener. Grit was assessed by generating a mean score using the 8-item short grit scale. Independent t-tests were used to compare health outcomes between students who reported above/below the average grit score of the sample. Chi-square tests were used to examine group differences between grit level and prevalence of food insecurity. Results Participants (N = 655) were 19.8 ± 1.5 years old, mostly female (63%), and white (84%). The average grit score was 3.27 ± 0.54 out of 5. Results indicated that students who were grittier than average (n = 372) reported fewer days/months (d/m) with poor mental health (8.1 ± 8.5 vs. 11.6 ± 9.6, P &lt; 0.001), fewer d/m feeling sad/depressed (6.2 ± 7.7 vs. 9.9 ± 9.3, P &lt; 0.001), more d/m with restful sleep (12.9 ± 9.8 vs. 10.3 ± 8.6, P &lt; 0.001), more d/m feeling very healthy and full of energy (12.6 ± 8.8 vs. 8.4 ± 7.5, P &lt; 0.001), and ate more servings of fruits and vegetables per day (2.4 ± 1.3 vs. 2.1 ± 1.32, P &lt; 0.01). Grittier participants were also less likely to report being food insecure (16.0%) vs. less grittier participants (23.3%), P &lt; 0.05. Conclusions This data indicates that students who were grittier than average reported better HRQOL, consumed a more healthful diet, and were more likely to be food secure. This provides justification for future research to explore grit as a mediating factor that may contribute to better health outcomes, especially in populations particularly susceptible to experiencing poor HRQOL and food insecurity. Funding Sources This project was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project number #ME0022104 through the Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station. NJ Agriculture Experiment Station.

scholarly journals The Impact of using social media in a sample of Iraqi medical students in 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Almawashee ◽  
Qaswer Yousif ◽  
Karrar Ali Idan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Educational Values ◽  
Research Committee ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background:  Social media are tools that supports electronic conversation. suggested , social media are “a group of internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content. Aim of the study: Is to identify the pattern of usage of social media among a sample of Iraqi medical students including the devices used, the time consumed, and   the purpose of usage. Materials &Methods: The study, which is a retrospective cross-sectional, was conducted among medical students at college of Medicine\Baghdad University at 2019 as an online survey for duration of 3 months Data was entered and analyzed using spss version 24.Informed consent was obtained from the participants and the study was approved by the research committee in the college. Results The mean age of the participants in this study was 20.8 with sd 1.78. Results had shown no significant association between the usefulness of social media for educational values and type of social media, device used, and the time spent on these media. Results had shown that those who use social media more frequently were not significantly worried about the potential of social media abuse. Conclusions A study exploring more objectively the relationship between students’ use of social media with their academic achievements and what sort of social media interventions associated with better learning are probably needed. Such knowledge may be useful to guide medical educators to better utilize social media in their instructional strategies.

scholarly journals Learning styles preferences among graduate and undergraduate pharmacy students in Pakistan: Does it matter?

2021 ◽  
pp. 397-402
Author(s):  
Madeeha Malik ◽  
Mahjabeen Ahmad ◽  
Azhar Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Aural Learning ◽  
Common Learning

Introduction: The quality of student learning depends on the approaches that are used for learning. An association exists between different learning methodologies and learning outcomes. Objective: The present study was designed to assess preferences for different learning styles among pharmacy students in Islamabad, Pakistan. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. A self-administered pre-validated questionnaire VARK version 8.0 was distributed to 387 undergraduate students from both public and private pharmacy schools located in Islamabad and 100 graduate students selected from public sector pharmacy schools using the convenience sampling technique. After data collection, it was cleaned, coded, and analysed using SPSS version 21. Results: The results of the present study showed that the most common learning style among graduate students was Aural (Total Score = 492), followed by kinesthetic (Total Score = 467), read/write (Total Score = 351), and visual (Total Score = 290). On the other hand, the most common learning style among undergraduate students was Aural (Total score = 1926), followed by kinesthetic (Total score = 1859), read/write (Total score = 1241), and visual (Total score = 1166). Conclusion: The result of the present study concluded aural as the most preferred learning style followed by kinesthetic among both undergraduate and graduate pharmacy students. Graduate female pharmacy students showed more preference towards kinesthetic learning style as compared to graduate male students who showed more preference towards aural learning modality. However, both undergraduate and graduate male and female students preferred aural learning style. Identifying the learning style at the start of pharmacy degree can help mentors to assess the appropriate field for them after graduation. Moreover, information regarding such styles would be helpful for stakeholders to devise effective strategies for teaching and introduce changes accordingly into the curriculum.

scholarly journals Coping Strategies and Psychopathological Responses Among Medical and Non-medical Professionals – a Cross-Sectional Online Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Ciułkowicz ◽  
Julian Maciaszek ◽  
Błażej Misiak ◽  
Anna Pałȩga ◽  
Joanna Rymaszewska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Medical Career ◽  
The Impact

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was announced on March 11th, 2020, due to a surge of newly confirmed cases that significantly impacted populations worldwide, both directly and indirectly. Based on past epidemics research, the mental health implications of introduced restrictions should be expected and adequately addressed irrespective of the practiced profession.Objective: The study aimed to explore psychopathological responses, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), concerning coping strategy clusters during the COVID-19 pandemic among medical and non-medical workers.Methods: A cross-sectional web survey of the general population of internet users was performed from March 16th to April 26th, 2020, in Poland during the first peak of COVID-19 cases. A sample of 1,831 professionally active respondents, 64.0% of which pursuing a medical career, filled out General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and MiniCOPE, along with the socio-demographic questionnaire exploring personal as well as the work-related possibility of direct exposure to contagion and availability of proper protection, contact with the infected without accurate protective measures as well as the adequacy of workers when compared settings.Results: Individuals labeled with specific clusters had significantly different psychopathological manifestations. Irrespective of performed job maladaptive cluster was associated with significantly higher GHQ-28 and IES-R scores on total subscales and all subscales compared to those representing the non-specific and adaptive cluster. Similar findings were observed concerning the frequency of the GHQ-28 positive score. Moreover, the non-specific cluster was associated with significantly higher GHQ-28 total scores among medical professionals. However, GHQ-28 positive scores were significantly more frequent in medical workers using adaptive clusters when compared to non-specific. Such relations were not observed in the non-medical group.IES-R total and subscales' scores did not significantly vary within medical and non-medical groups when adaptive and non-specific clusters were compared. Pursuing a non-medical career was found to be a determinant of lower scores, while female sex was observed to be determinant of higher scores in both GHQ-28 and IES-R scales.Conclusions: Positive screening for psychopathological and PTSD symptoms was expected regardless of the analyzed groups' coping strategies. Given the dramatically developing situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, support initiatives grounded in research evidence may be essential for maintaining the mental well-being and resilience of both the medical and non-medical workforce.

scholarly journals The impact of social media access and anxiety among indonesia society during covid-19 outbreak

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berru Amalianita ◽  
Ifdil Ifdil ◽  
Rima Pratiwi Fadli ◽  
Nilma Zola ◽  
Yola Eka Putri
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Media Access ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Corona Virus ◽  
Survey Monkey ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

A novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak began in Wuhan, China, has been named corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December 2019. The first cases of  COVID-19 was reported in Indonesia on 2 March 2020. All caused global panic, fears, anxiety  around the coronavirus have been especially amplified by social media. During coroan virus outbreak, disinformation and false reports have bombarded social media and stoked unfounded anxiety among Indonesian society. This research, therefore, aims to analyze the impact social media and anxiety level during COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia. This research Cross-Sectional research was online conducted  during March 22 -25, 2020. The procedure of this research is  Indonesian citizens old were invited to participant online survey thought Survey Monkey platform. There are 1543  participant  form aged 17 to 60 Year and form several province and region in Indonesia. The instrumen useing  the DASS was to modify patients’ anxiety. Data analyzed using JASP (Jeffrey's Amazing Statistics Program). The research showed that respondents anxiety in the very haviness category with the highest anxiety when the duration of social media access more than 6 hours in a day. The anxiety base of aspect in watching/reading  have a higher, then Imagine and  listening when access social media about corona virus among Indonesia society. Social media use is complex reading or watching  lots of news about coronavirus has led to anxiety.

The impact of the COVID-19 "Infodemic" on Well-being: Social media practices during the pandemic - a cross-sectional study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iffat Elbarazi ◽  
Basema Saddik ◽  
Michal Grivna ◽  
Faisal Aziz ◽  
Deena Al Souri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Media Practices

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis in the world of information and digital literacy. The amount of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 that has circulated through social media (SM) since January 2020 is notably significant and it has been linked to rising levels of anxiety and fear amongst SM users. The COVID-19 'infodemic' was singled out by the World Health Organization (WHO) and several newly published studies as one of the causes of anxiety, depression, and fear amongst the global population OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess SM practices during COVID-19 and investigates their impact on well-being. METHODS An online infodemic cross-sectional survey was distributed via different SM platforms in the United Arab Emirates and other countries. Adults above 18 years of age were invited to complete an online survey that covered multiple domains, including the WHO-5 Well-being Index. RESULTS The study sheds light on the use of SM during the pandemic and its impact on well-being throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic. Out of 993 participants, 73% were females, 76% were non-Emirati, 91% university graduates, and 50% were employed in various occupations, of which 20% were health care professionals. Participants indicated that they acquired COVID-19 related information primarily from social media, of which WhatsApp was the most accessed. Most participants reported sharing the information after the verification. The mean well-being score was 12.6 ±5.6 with 49% of participants had poor well-being (WHO-5 score <12.5). The adjusted linear regression showed that Facebook usage was negatively associated with well-being score. Also, high time-usage was associated with poorer well-being. When adjusting for other factors, including low confidence in information around COVID-19 and poor knowledge overall, SM usage was significantly associated with poorer well-being CONCLUSIONS Social media practices during emergencies and disasters may impact public well-being. Authorities are advised to step in to minimize the spread of misinformation and more frequent use of social media, as it may influence well-being leading to increased levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. Public health specialists, information technology and communication experts should collaborate to limit the infodemic effect on communities.

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