scholarly journals An assessment of the impact of COVID-19 related social distancing measures on the stress levels of students

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Edward Harding Bradley ◽  
Luke Reaper
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Mental Strain ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Teenagers And Young Adults ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Feeling Overwhelmed

Since the novel coronavirus was first reported in China in early 2020, governments have aimed to cull its spread and raise awareness of the symptoms of the infection.  These measures are collectively known as social distancing and self-isolation.  Prior to COVID-19, 85% of students in university reported feeling overwhelmed by everything they had to do at some point within the prior year (AADA, 2015).  Organizations treating teen anxiety and depression are highlighting the impact of isolation on teenagers and young adults and claim an association with a decline in self-care and a greater risk of suicide (Newport Academy, 2020).  Given the pre-existing high levels of stress and mental strain experienced by students, the consequences of social isolation may more significantly impact students in comparison with non-students.  This study uses the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) index to understand the impact that social distancing and self-isolation has on the mental health of students and non-students globally.  502 responses were gathered globally with most respondents residing in the United States of America, Italy and Ireland.  The results of this study suggest that the COVID-19 related Social Distancing and Self-isolation lead to a greater increase in stress among students than among adults as measured by STAI.  The reported stress was highest among high school age students and among female students generally.  The reported causes of this stress are primary related to the impact on education of the measures rather than directly related to the health consequences pandemic. 

scholarly journals The role of race and scientific trust on support for COVID-19 social distancing measures in the United States

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254127
Author(s):  
Sara Kazemian ◽  
Sam Fuller ◽  
Carlos Algara
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Institutional Trust ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Media ◽  
Racial Lines ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Pundits and academics across disciplines note that the human toll brought forth by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States (U.S.) is fundamentally unequal for communities of color. Standing literature on public health posits that one of the chief predictors of racial disparity in health outcomes is a lack of institutional trust among minority communities. Furthermore, in our own county-level analysis from the U.S., we find that counties with higher percentages of Black and Hispanic residents have had vastly higher cumulative deaths from COVID-19. In light of this standing literature and our own analysis, it is critical to better understand how to mitigate or prevent these unequal outcomes for any future pandemic or public health emergency. Therefore, we assess the claim that raising institutional trust, primarily scientific trust, is key to mitigating these racial inequities. Leveraging a new, pre-pandemic measure of scientific trust, we find that trust in science, unlike trust in politicians or the media, significantly raises support for COVID-19 social distancing policies across racial lines. Our findings suggest that increasing scientific trust is essential to garnering support for public health policies that lessen the severity of the current, and potentially a future, pandemic.

scholarly journals The impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on drug overdose-related deaths in the United States and Canada: a systematic review of observational studies and analysis of public health surveillance data

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sameer Imtiaz ◽  
Frishta Nafeh ◽  
Cayley Russell ◽  
Farihah Ali ◽  
Tara Elton-Marshall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Drug Overdose ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Public Health Surveillance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Surveillance ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background There are preliminary indications that the trajectory of drug overdose-related deaths in North America has been exacerbated due to the novel coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). As such, the impact of COVID-19 on drug overdose-related deaths was examined through a systematic review of the literature and percentage change analyses of surveillance data. Methods Systematic searches in electronic databases were conducted, a topical issue brief and bibliography were reviewed, reference lists of included studies were searched and expert consultations were held to identify studies (Registration # CRD42021230223). Observational studies from the United States and Canada were eligible for inclusion if drug overdose-related deaths were assessed in quantitative or qualitative analyses onwards from at least March 2020. In addition, percentage changes comparing drug overdose-related deaths in the second annual quarter (Q2 2020 [April to June]) with the first annual quarter (Q1 2020 [January to March]) were generated using national and subnational data from public health surveillance systems and reports from jurisdictions in the United States and Canada. Results Nine studies were included in the systematic review, eight from the United States and one from Canada. The maximum outcome assessment period in the included studies extended until September 2020. Drug overdose-related deaths after the onset of COVID-19 were higher compared with the months leading up to the pandemic in 2020 and the comparative months in 2019. In additional percentage change analyses, drug overdose-related deaths increased by 2 to 60% in jurisdictions in the United States and by 58% in Canada when comparing Q2 2020 with Q1 2020. Conclusions Drug overdose-related deaths increased after the onset of COVID-19. The current situation necessitates a multi-pronged approach, encompassing expanded access to substance use disorder treatment, undisrupted access to harm reduction services, emphasis on risk reduction strategies, provision of a safe drug supply and decriminalization of drug use.

scholarly journals Modelling the Potential Impact of Social Distancing on the COVID-19 Epidemic in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
F. Nyabadza ◽  
F. Chirove ◽  
C. W. Chukwu ◽  
M. V. Visaya
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Deterministic Model ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Policy Direction ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be a global health problem whose impact has been significantly felt in South Africa. With the global spread increasing and infecting millions, containment efforts by countries have largely focused on lockdowns and social distancing to minimise contact between persons. Social distancing has been touted as the best form of response in managing a rapid increase in the number of infected cases. In this paper, we present a deterministic model to describe the impact of social distancing on the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in South Africa. The model is fitted to data from March 5 to April 13, 2020, on the cumulative number of infected cases, and a scenario analysis on different levels of social distancing is presented. The model shows that with the levels of social distancing under the initial lockdown level between March 26 and April 13, 2020, there would be a projected continued rise in the number of infected cases. The model also looks at the impact of relaxing the social distancing measures after the initial announcement of the lockdown. It is shown that relaxation of social distancing by 2% can result in a 23% rise in the number of cumulative cases whilst an increase in the level of social distancing by 2% would reduce the number of cumulative cases by about 18%. The model results accurately predicted the number of cases after the initial lockdown level was relaxed towards the end of April 2020. These results have implications on the management and policy direction in the early phase of the epidemic.

scholarly journals Evaluating Classical Airplane Boarding Methods Considering COVID-19 Flying Restrictions

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liviu-Adrian Cotfas ◽  
Camelia Delcea ◽  
R. John Milne ◽  
Mostafa Salari
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Zone Method ◽  
Economic Productivity ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has imposed the need for a series of social distancing restrictions worldwide to mitigate the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic. This applies to many domains, including airplane boarding and seat assignments. As airlines are considering their passengers’ safety during the pandemic, boarding methods should be evaluated both in terms of social distancing norms and the resulting efficiency for the airlines. The present paper analyzes the impact of a series of restrictions that have been imposed or mooted worldwide on the boarding methods used by the airlines, featuring the use of jet-bridges and one-door boarding. To compare the efficacy of classical airplane boarding methods with respect to new social distancing norms, five metrics were used to evaluate their performance. One metric is the time to complete the boarding of the airplane. The other four metrics concern passenger health and reflect the potential exposure to the virus from other passengers through the air and surfaces (e.g., headrests and luggage) touched by passengers. We use the simulation platform in NetLogo to test six common boarding methods under various conditions. The back-to-front by row boarding method results in the longest time to complete boarding but has the advantage of providing the lowest health risk for two metrics. Those two metrics are based on passengers potentially infecting those passengers previously seated in the rows they traverse. Interestingly, those two risks are reduced for most boarding methods when the social distance between adjacent passengers advancing down the aisle is increased, thus indicating an unanticipated benefit stemming from this form of social distancing. The modified reverse pyramid by half zone method provides the shortest time to the completing boarding of the airplane and—along with the WilMA boarding method—provides the lowest health risk stemming from potential infection resulting from seat interferences. Airlines have the difficult task of making tradeoffs between economic productivity and the resulting impact on various health risks.

scholarly journals Maternal Adverse Childhood Experience Exposure and Resilience During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 104438942110023
Author(s):  
Catherine A. LaBrenz ◽  
Philip Baiden ◽  
Erin Findley ◽  
Patrick S. Tennant ◽  
Sreyashi Chakravarty
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

Since March 2020, families across the United States have faced challenges due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its subsequent restrictions. Although some experts have voiced concern over the impact of COVID-19 on family well-being, few studies have been conducted thus far. This study utilized n = 250 responses from an online survey that was administered between May and June 2020 to gauge family stress and resilience among mothers of children ages 0 to 5 during the pandemic. Adverse childhood experiences were negatively associated with parental resilience among this sample. Furthermore, frequency of child care was positively linked to protective factors and resilience. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed, with a particular focus on the role of child care and school openings during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Pandemic Politics: Timing State-Level Social Distancing Responses to COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Adolph ◽  
Kenya Amano ◽  
Bree Bang-Jensen ◽  
Nancy Fullman ◽  
John Wilkerson
Keyword(s):  
Event History Analysis ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Original Dataset ◽  
Political Partisanship ◽  
History Analysis ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

AbstractSocial distancing policies are critical but economically painful measures to flatten the curve against emergent infectious diseases. As the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 spread throughout the United States in early 2020, the federal government issued social distancing recommendations but left to the states the most difficult and consequential decisions restricting behavior, such as canceling events, closing schools and businesses, and issuing stay-at-home orders. We present an original dataset of state-level social distancing policy responses to the epidemic and explore how political partisanship, COVID-19 caseload, and policy diffusion explain the timing of governors’ decisions to mandate social distancing. An event history analysis of five social distancing policies across all fifty states reveals the most important predictors are political: all else equal, Republican governors and governors from states with more Trump supporters were slower to adopt social distancing policies. These delays are likely to produce significant, on-going harm to public health.

scholarly journals Intercultural Communication Challenges in the Period of the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) (The Case of Qatar Airways)

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margo Kublashvili
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Target Group ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Modern World ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Cabin Crew ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
The Impact

Under the conditions of the global threat of the modern world - the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the demand for social distancing as a commonly proven method of preventing fatal cases and stopping the virus has fundamentally changed the process of communication in an intercultural environment. Our research aims to study the impact of the pandemic on the intercultural communication process and its quality in a multicultural environment. Cabin Crew of Qatar Airways, as one of the largest multicultural/multinational companies, was selected as a target group. A qualitative method of data collection – interviewing – was used as a research technique. In particular, the target group was interviewed through a semistructured questionnaire – by a so-called "narrative interview" method. This research enabled us to obtain new narratives which were created on the coronavirus background – responses of the Qatar Airways Cabin Crew and the company's international passengers to the challenge of Covid-19. The study and analysis of these responses revealed that representatives of different cultures (Individualistic/Collectivist cultures, High/Low uncertainty avoidance cultures, Submissive orientation/Mastery orientation cultures, Tight/Loose cultures) have different attitudes towards the pandemic as an uncertain and unpredictable future; towards the Covid-19 vaccine; towards wearing a mask and eye contact related to it; in addition, they can be distinguished by different perceptions of territorialism as personal space (physical and social distancing); different feelings of fear and anxiety and readiness to obey/disobey introduced rules or restrictions (so-called Lockdown, Curfew). According to the research, these differences are due to the "mental program" of a society, i.e. a purely cultural factor. However, despite several intercultural differences, daily contact with groups having other cultures significantly increases opportunities for collaboration, which, in times of crisis, does not hinder the process of interaction between different cultures, but on the contrary, it increases the level of intercultural acceptance and sensitivity.

scholarly journals Untying the Precise Impact of COVID-19 Policy on Social Distancing Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 896
Author(s):  
Fakhar Shahzad ◽  
Jianguo Du ◽  
Imran Khan ◽  
Zeeshan Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad Shahbaz
Keyword(s):  
Causal Effect ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Voluntary Behavior ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Staying At Home ◽  
At Home

Social distancing has manifold effects and is used as a non-pharmacological measure to respond to pandemic situations such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), especially in the absence of vaccines and other useful antiviral drugs. Governments around the globe have adopted and implemented a series of social distancing strategies. The efficacy of various policies and their comparative influence on mechanisms led by public actions and adoptions have not been examined. The differences in types and effective dates of various social distancing policies in various provinces/territories of Pakistan constitute a pure ground to examine the causal effects of each COVID-19 policy. Using the location trends and population movement data released by Google, a quasi-experimental method was used to measure the impact of the government’s various social distancing policies on the people’s existence at home and their outside social mobility. Based on the magnitude and importance of policy influences, this research ranked six social distancing policies whose influence exceeded the effect of voluntary behavior. Our research outcomes describe that the trend of staying at home was firmly pushed by state-wide home order rather than necessary business closings and policies that were associated with public gathering restrictions. Strong government policies have a strong causal effect on reducing social interactions.

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