Effect of workplace infection control practices on workers' psychological distress: a large-scale cohort study during the COVID-19 second state of emergency in Japan

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically transformed the work environment and work practices worldwide. Long-term infection control practices may increase the psychological stress on workers, and conversely, inadequate infection control practices at the working place may increase the fear of infection. This study aimed to determine the relationship between infection control practices at the workplace and employee mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Methods: This study was conducted in December 2020 and February 2021. The participants had undergone a preliminary survey, which revealed that they were in good mental health. Their psychological distress was investigated via a second survey, and the factors associated with distress were studied using a logistic model. Results: The results of the second survey indicated that 15.1% of participants demonstrated psychological distress. This was associated with leave-of-absence instructions, instructions for shortening business hours, and requests to avoid the workplace in case of any symptoms. Conclusion: The study found that while some infection control practices reduce workers' distress, others worsen it. Employers need to consider infection control practices as well as the worsening mental health of employees following a decrease in income caused by such measures. Follow-up studies may be necessary to clarify the long-term effects on workers' mental health.

Mental Health, College Athletics, and the Media Framing of D. J. Carton’s Announcement to Step Away From his Team

This research analyzed the media framing of the decision by D. J. Carton, a collegiate men’s basketball player from Ohio State University, to take a leave of absence from his team due to mental health issues. While prior research has examined media framing of public mental health disclosures by professional athletes, this has yet to occur for a collegiate athlete, which is a necessary area of inquiry due to the prevalence of mental health issues among college students as well as the many differences that exist between professional and collegiate athletics. A media framing analysis of 63 press articles for Carton revealed five frames used to discuss Carton’s situation. Of those frames, four were largely positive in nature focusing on areas such as the support Carton received at Ohio State, his role as a mental health advocate, and the shedding stigma of mental illness in collegiate athletics. However, one frame within the coverage treated Carton as a commodity by focusing on his athletic value rather than him as a person or his personal issues. Overall, the positive types of news frames can normalize mental health disclosure on the college campus and set expectations for the level of support athletes will receive.

Study of the quality of life in kidney donors at a transplant center in Urmia, Iran

Introduction: Maintaining and enhancing the quality of life (QOL) of living kidney donors are an essential measure for expressing health outcomes and consequences. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate kidney donors’ QOL at the transplant center of the Imam Khomeini hospital, Urmia, Iran. Patients and Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 30 kidney donors between the years 1997-2014 at the Imam Khomeini Hospital, Urmia. To this end, a QOL questionnaire was completed and data analysis was performed with SPSS version 22. Results: In this study, 90% (27) of the donors were male. The mean age of the donors at the time of examination and the duration of nephrectomy was 38 ± 9.48 and 7.36 ± 4.62 years, respectively. Fifty percent of the donors had a leave of absence more than 4 weeks after nephrectomy. The mean score of physical function, physical role, emotional role, vitality, mental health, social functioning, bodily pain, and general health was 77.66±25.88, 69.16±35.16, 54.44±45.04, 61.33±17.06, 64.26±19.56, 66.25±22.54, 81.25±18.75, and 61.83±21.83, respectively. However, none of the variables had a significant statistical relationship with QOL (P<0.05). Conclusion: Donors’ QOL is lower in Iran than in other countries. It is suggested to conduct studies with a larger sample size and an appropriate control group.

Focusing on Diversity: A Regional Internal Medicine Residency Viewpoint on Underrepresented Minority Support, Retention, and Mentoring

ABSTRACT Background While the overall percentage of residents who withdraw (2.7%) or take extended leave (1.0%) are low, subgroup analysis has found that minority physicians are approximately 30% more likely to withdraw from residency than their white counterparts and 8 times more likely to take extended leave of absence. With ongoing national efforts to support diversity in medical education through increased recruitment of underrepresented in medicine (UiM) students to residency programs, there is paucity of data identifying specific experiences challenging or contributing to their overall resiliency. Better understanding of the lived experience of UiM residents will allow residency programs to create successful curricular programing and support structures for residents to thrive. Objective We sought to understand UiM internal medicine residents' experiences during residency training. Methods We used a retrospective review of focus group transcripts of UiM internal medicine residents from 5 academic institutions in 2017 (4 in North Carolina and 1 in Georgia). Results Of 100 self-identified UiM residents from 5 institutions, 59 participated in the focus groups. Using a consensus-based review of transcripts, 25 distinct codes in 8 parent code categories were determined. Two primary themes emerged: resilience and isolation. Three secondary themes—social support, mentorship, and external expectations and/or biases—served as mediators for the primary themes. Conclusions UiM residents who became or were already resilient commonly experienced isolation at some time in their medical career, specifically during residency. Moreover, they could be influenced and positively or negatively affected by social support, mentorship, and external expectations and biases.

Cohort profile: the COVID-19 Coping Study, a longitudinal mixed-methods study of middle-aged and older adults’ mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in early 2020, has resulted in massive social, economic, political and public health upheaval around the world. We established a national longitudinal cohort study, the COVID-19 Coping Study, to investigate the effects of pandemic-related stressors and changes in life circumstances on mental health and well-being among middle-aged and older adults in the USA.ParticipantsFrom 2 April to 31 May 2020, 6938 adults aged ≥55 years were recruited from all 50 US states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico using online, multi-frame non-probability-based sampling.Findings to dateMean age of the baseline sample was 67.3 years (SD: 7.9 years) and 64% were women. Two in three adults reported leaving home only for essential purposes in the past week (population-weighted proportion: 69%; 95% CI: 68% to 71%). Nearly one in five workers aged 55–64 years was placed on a leave of absence or furloughed since the start of the pandemic (17%; 95% CI: 14% to 20%), compared with one in three workers aged ≥75 years (31%; 95% CI: 21% to 44%). Nearly one-third of adults screened positive for each of depression (32%; 95% CI: 30% to 34%), anxiety (29%; 28% to 31%) and loneliness (29%; 95% CI: 27% to 31%), with decreasing prevalence of each with increasing age.Future plansMonthly and annual follow-ups of the COVID-19 Coping Study cohort will assess longitudinal changes to mental health, cognitive health and well-being in relation to social, behavioural, economic and other COVID-19-related changes to life circumstances. Quantitative and in-depth qualitative interview data will be collected through online questionnaires and telephone interviews. Cohort data will be archived for public use.