Cyberchondria, Coronavirus, and Cybercrime

Humans are adapting to and increasingly relying on technology particularly in times of global crisis. As online audiences increase, so does the risk of cybercrime. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is discussed in the context of health anxiety, the infodemic and cyberchondria, along with cybercriminal exploitation of pandemic-induced human anxiety and psychological vulnerability. Health anxiety, uncertainty, social isolation, changes to work-life practices, information seeking, mistrust of public health organisations, and the spread of false information all arguably intersect – leading to a global state of human vulnerability and therefore presenting opportunities for cybercriminals. There is a requirement for global agencies such as the United Nations, the WHO, INTERPOL, and governments to take action. Police agencies worldwide need to extrapolate learnings regarding the current pandemic and attendant increase in cybercrime and based on those findings move to form a global coalition with industry partners to investigate, predict, and prevent a potential future cybercrime pandemic.

Violences liées aux accusations de sorcellerie et vulnérabilité de la femme âgée en contexte burkinabé

Cette recherche s’inscrit dans le cadre des études sur les violences psychologiques et sociales au Burkina Faso. L’objectif vise à appréhender le lien entre les violences et la vulnérabilité psychologique chez la femme âgée. Soixante-deux femmes exclues de leur communauté suite à des accusations de sorcellerie ont été interrogées par questionnaire et par entretien. Les résultats mettent en évidence la multiplicité des violences vécues, associées à une vulnérabilité psychologique. Ces violences, plus fréquemment, prennent la forme d’une non approbation d’un acte positif en faveur des victimes, d’un refus de dénoncer un acte susceptible de nuire aux victimes ou de leur assurer une quelconque protection, d’insultes ou d’autres moqueries. Ces violences sont des facteurs de vulnérabilité psychologique se traduisant, notamment, par un sentiment d’abandon et un regard peu valorisant porté sur soi. This research is a part of other studies on psychological and social violence in Burkina Faso. This paper focuses on understanding the link between violence and psychological vulnerability in the context of elderly women. Sixty-two women who had been excluded from their communities on charges of witchcraft were interviewed using a questionnaire. The results highlight the multiplicity of lived violence associated with psychological vulnerability. More frequently, such violence takes the form of non-approval of a positive act in favor of the victims, refusal to report an act likely to harm the victims or provide them with any protection, insults or other mockery. This violence is one of the factors of psychological vulnerability, resulting in a feeling of abandonment and a lack of self-esteem.

A Eficácia do ECA e Sua Aplicação na Saúde Emocional e Psicológica de Crianças e Adolescentes / The Efficacy of ECA and Its Application in Emotional and Psychological Health of Children and Adolescents

Resumo: A presente artigo terá por escopo, em sua análise e objetivo, trazer uma breve reflexão acerca da “A eficácia do ECA e sua aplicação na saúde emocional e psicológica de crianças e adolescentes, buscando avaliar seus limites, alcances e possibilidades, bem como os principais fatores que tornam raras as experiências exitosas dessas medidas do ECA na consecução de seus objetivos proposto. Indagaremos a lei menino Bernardo, que diante da negligência, a situação, não exitosa, concluiu-se em um desfecho com reflexo negativo, resultando um grande impacto social. Não podemos deixar de destacar e rever os determinantes literários relacionados ao ECA no que tange a saúde emocional e psicológica do sujeito pesquisado. É sabido o reconhecimento das crianças e dos adolescentes como sujeitos de direitos protegidos pela lei. Destarte, a importância do ECA deriva exatamente disso: reafirmar a proteção de crianças e adolescentes que vivem em períodos de intenso desenvolvimento psicológico, físico, moral e social. Para tanto, ao adentrarmos no tema em questão, precisamos compreender as fases do desenvolvimento humano. Por fim, resgatará em sua síntese, qual impacto dessas medidas promovidas pelo ECA na vida de crianças e adolescente em situação de negligência e vulnerabilidade emocional e psicológica, quando bem-sucedidas em suas avaliações e aplicabilidade. Palavras-chave: ECA; Saúde Emocional; Crianças; Adolescentes. Abstract: The scope of this article, in its analysis and objective, will be to bring a brief reflection on "The effectiveness of ECA and its application in the emotional and psychological health of children and adolescents, seeking to assess its limits, scope and possibilities, as well as the main factors that make successful experiences of these ECA measures rare in achieving its proposed objectives. We will inquire about the Bernardo boy law, which, due to negligence, the situation, which was not successful, ended in an outcome with a negative impact, resulting in a great social impact. We cannot fail to highlight and review the literary determinants related to ECA regarding the emotional and psychological health of the researched subject. The recognition of children and adolescents as subjects of rights protected by law is well known. Thus, the importance of the ECA derives precisely from this: to reaffirm the protection of children and adolescents who live in periods of intense psychological, physical, moral and social development. Therefore, when we enter the subject in question, we need to understand the phases of human development. Finally, in its synthesis, it will recover the impact of these measures promoted by ECA in the lives of children and adolescents in situations of neglect and emotional and psychological vulnerability, when successful in their assessments and applicability. Keywords: ECA; Emotional Health; Kids; Teenagers.

Geographic variability of post-disaster mental health: case study after the 2017 flood in Bangladesh

Every year Bangladesh faces enormous damages due to flooding. Facing these damages the Government adopts various recovery approaches. However, the psychological dimension of any disaster is generally overlooked in disaster management. Researchers have found that the spatial distribution of post-disaster mental health can help the authorities to apply recovery procedures where they are most needed. For this research, Posttraumatic Stress Checklist (PCL-5), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were used to estimate posttraumatic stress, major depressive disorder and anxiety following three episodes of severe floods in 2017 that affected at least 8 million people. To better understand the spatial pattern of psychological vulnerability and reach a comprehensive scenario of post-disaster mental health, Moran’s I was applied for spatial autocorrelation and Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis for a study of the relationship between the psychological aspects. It was found that psychological vulnerability showed a spatial clustering pattern and that there was a strong positive linear relationship among psychological aspects in the study area. This research might help to adopt disaster management policies that consider the psychological dimension and spatial distribution of various psychological aspects to identify areas characterized by high vulnerability and risk so that they can be reached without delay.

Parental migration and psychological well-being of children. Longitudinal evidence from Ghana

There is limited evidence on the time-varying effects of migration on the psychological well-being of children who stay behind in African contexts. This study is the first to employ panel data to examine this nexus in the context of Ghana. Data were collected in 2013, 2014, and 2015 from school-going children in the age group of 12-21 years. Using children’s self-reports, an analysis was conducted separately for boys (N=781) and girls (N=705). Results indicate that girls and boys with the mother away internally or internationally are equally or more likely to have higher levels of psychological well-being when compared to boys and girls of nonmigrants. Higher level of well-being is observed amongst girls when parents migrate and divorce. However, parental migration and divorce is more likely to increase the psychological vulnerability of boys. In Ghana, the psychological well-being of children is nuanced by which parent has migrated, marital status of migrant parent, and the gender of the child.

Relationship Between Personality Traits and Psychological Vulnerability: Mediating Role of Smartphone Social Network Usage

Background: According to the spread and popularity of social networks and easy access to them through smartphones, the impact of these networks’ long-term application and consequences, including psychological vulnerability, could not be ignored. Objectives: The present study investigated the mediating role of using smartphone social networks considering personality traits and psychological vulnerability. Methods: The research population included all users (over 18 years of age) of social networks in Isfahan, Iran, from which 250 individuals (i.e. 96 male and 154 female subjects) were selected. The research method was descriptive and causal-correlational. For data collection, the short-form five-factor personality questionnaire neuroticism-extraversion-openness (NEO), the smartphone social media addiction questionnaire, and a psychological vulnerability questionnaire were used. The Pearson correlation coefficient and the path analysis of structural equation modeling were employed to analyze the data. Results: The findings revealed that among personality factors, neuroticism and low extraversion could explain the use of social networks in a significant and desirable way. Moreover, using social networks could explain psychological vulnerability in the form of causal-structural relationships. Conclusions: The findings indicated a relatively good fit of the measurement model. Accordingly, the variable of social network usage plays a mediating role in the relationship between psychological vulnerability and some personality traits.