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Weis C, Spiliopoulos G, Ignatowicz A, Conroy S, Mannion R, Lasserson D, Tarrant C. Help-seeking and access to care for stroke and heart attack during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2024. [PMID: 39302039 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
In this article we explore how people who experienced a stroke, transient ischaemic attack, or heart attack sought health care during the COVID-19 lockdown periods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 patients admitted to hospital between March 2020 and May 2021, and one carer who was recruited from cardiac and stroke rehabilitation services in two large acute NHS trusts in England. Drawing on concepts of candidacy, illness and moral work, we discuss how people's sense-making about their symptoms fundamentally shaped both their decisions about seeking help and the impact of COVID-19 on help seeking. Risk perception and interactional ritual chain theory allow further exploration of constructing symbols of national identity in times of crises, managing risk and levels of acceptable risk and critique of ambiguous national messaging over accessing health-care services for people with emergency health-care needs. Our findings have wider implications for supporting access into health care for those with life-threatening conditions under highly publicised strain on the health system, including winter pressure and staff strikes, as well as policymaking and public messaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Weis
- School of Allied Health Sciences, Centre for Reproduction Research, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
| | - Georgia Spiliopoulos
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (GM PSRC), School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Agnieszka Ignatowicz
- Murray Learning Centre, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Simon Conroy
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK
| | - Russell Mannion
- School of Social Policy, HSMC, Park House, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Carolyn Tarrant
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (GM PSRC), School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Tan CM, Owuamalam C, Sarma VJ, Ng PK. Confidence in COVID-19 vaccines moderates the association between vaccination status and mental distress. Stress Health 2023; 39:744-752. [PMID: 36574671 PMCID: PMC9880626 DOI: 10.1002/smi.3216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that becoming vaccinated with the Coronavirus vaccine may lower mental distress. However, it remains uncertain whether this relationship holds amid concerns of vaccine side effects and doubts of the vaccine's protective capabilities. We presented three studies that showed how vaccine confidence negatively influences the relationship between vaccine uptake and mental distress. Using two-way fixed effects regression models, Study 1 analyzes longitudinal survey of respondents from Los Angeles County in the US, while Study 2 uses the same analytical strategy but generalises findings by analysing longitudinal data of participants across all 50 US states. Main results of both studies show that (i) vaccination uptake is linked with reduced mental distress among individuals with high vaccine confidence (ii) vaccine uptake has no effect on mental distress among individuals with low vaccine confidence. Lastly, Study 3 applies multilevel analysis to a large-scale pseudo-panel study of 15 developed countries. Results for the third study corroborate finding (i) but not (ii) in that the multinational study finds that vaccine uptake is actually associated with higher mental distress among individuals with low vaccine confidence. In sum, our paper shows that the palliative effect of vaccination on mental health only exists when vaccine confidence is high. Results are mixed on whether vaccination affects mental distress when individual vaccine confidence is low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chee Meng Tan
- Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Chuma Owuamalam
- Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Vengadeshvaran J Sarma
- Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Pek Kim Ng
- Centre for English Language and Foundation Education, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia
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Cheng C, Jiang WM, Fan B, Cheng YC, Hsu YT, Wu HY, Chang HH, Tsou HH. Real-time forecasting of COVID-19 spread according to protective behavior and vaccination: autoregressive integrated moving average models. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1500. [PMID: 37553650 PMCID: PMC10408098 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16419-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mathematical and statistical models are used to predict trends in epidemic spread and determine the effectiveness of control measures. Automatic regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models are used for time-series forecasting, but only few models of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have incorporated protective behaviors or vaccination, known to be effective for pandemic control. METHODS To improve the accuracy of prediction, we applied newly developed ARIMA models with predictors (mask wearing, avoiding going out, and vaccination) to forecast weekly COVID-19 case growth rates in Canada, France, Italy, and Israel between January 2021 and March 2022. The open-source data was sourced from the YouGov survey and Our World in Data. Prediction performance was evaluated using the root mean square error (RMSE) and the corrected Akaike information criterion (AICc). RESULTS A model with mask wearing and vaccination variables performed best for the pandemic period in which the Alpha and Delta viral variants were predominant (before November 2021). A model using only past case growth rates as autoregressive predictors performed best for the Omicron period (after December 2021). The models suggested that protective behaviors and vaccination are associated with the reduction of COVID-19 case growth rates, with booster vaccine coverage playing a particularly vital role during the Omicron period. For example, each unit increase in mask wearing and avoiding going out significantly reduced the case growth rate during the Alpha/Delta period in Canada (-0.81 and -0.54, respectively; both p < 0.05). In the Omicron period, each unit increase in the number of booster doses resulted in a significant reduction of the case growth rate in Canada (-0.03), Israel (-0.12), Italy (-0.02), and France (-0.03); all p < 0.05. CONCLUSIONS The key findings of this study are incorporating behavior and vaccination as predictors led to accurate predictions and highlighted their significant role in controlling the pandemic. These models are easily interpretable and can be embedded in a "real-time" schedule with weekly data updates. They can support timely decision making about policies to control dynamically changing epidemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chieh Cheng
- Department of Life Science & Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Ming Jiang
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan
| | - Byron Fan
- Brown University, RI, Providence, USA
| | - Yu-Chieh Cheng
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Ting Hsu
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Yu Wu
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Han Chang
- Department of Life Science & Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Hui Tsou
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan.
- Graduate Institute of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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Burger MJ, Veenhoven R. Editorial: Special Issue on Subjective Well-being and Mental Health in the Early Days of COVID-19. APPLIED RESEARCH IN QUALITY OF LIFE 2023; 18:1-8. [PMID: 36714662 PMCID: PMC9869320 DOI: 10.1007/s11482-022-10111-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Martijn J. Burger
- Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, Netherlands
- Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organization (EHERO), Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ruut Veenhoven
- Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organization (EHERO), Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- NorthWest University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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Chen JH. State containment measures, living arrangements, and mental health of U.S. older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aging Ment Health 2022; 26:2100-2111. [PMID: 34969341 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2021.2021142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Early in the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. states implemented several different types of containment measures to slow the disease's spread. Early evidence indicates containment measures were associated with changes in individuals' mental health. This study explores the associations between U.S. state containment measures and older adults' mental health and importantly, whether the associations vary by living arrangement and gender. METHODS The study analyzed national sample of adults aged 50 or older from 12 waves (April-July 2020) of the U.S. Household Pulse Survey (N = 394,934). State fixed-effects models linked four state containment measures (stay-at-home order, restaurant closure, bar closure, and movie theater closure) to levels of depression and anxiety across different types of living arrangements, net of controls. Men and women were analyzed separately. RESULTS Stay-at-home order and restaurant and bar closure, but not movie theater closure, were associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety in older adults. Living arrangements moderated the associations for women but not men. For women, compared to living alone, living with a spouse or intergenerational family was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression during stay-at-home order and restaurant closure. CONCLUSION The associations between containment measures and mental health vary by type of living arrangement and were gendered, likely because household situations create different demands and supports that men and woman experience differently. Although containment measures are necessary to protect public health, paying attention to these underlying dynamics can inform policymakers' efforts to implement policies that balance harms and benefits for older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jen-Hao Chen
- Department of Sociology & Department of Psychology, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Alghamdi NS, Alghamdi SM. The Role of Digital Technology in Curbing COVID-19. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19148287. [PMID: 35886139 PMCID: PMC9320375 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19148287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Using digital technology to provide support, medical consultations, healthcare services, and to track the spread of the coronavirus has been identified as an important solution to curb the transmission of the virus. This research paper aims to (1) summarize the digital technologies used during the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate the transmission of the COVID-19; (2) establish the extent to which digital technology applications have facilitated mitigation of the spread of COVID-19; and (3) explore the facilitators and barriers that impact the usability of digital technologies throughout the pandemic. Methods: A rapid electronic search following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted of available records up to June 2022 on the medical databases PubMed, Ovid, Embase, CINHAIL, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Results: An increasing number and variety of digital health applications have been available throughout the pandemic, such as telehealth, smartphone mobile health apps, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Each technology has played a particular role in curbing COVID-19 transmission. Different users have gained benefits from using digital technology during the COVID-19 pandemic and different determinants have contributed to accelerating the wheel of digital technology implementation during the pandemic. Conclusion: Digital health during the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved very rapidly, with different applications and roles aimed at curbing the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saeed M. Alghamdi
- National Heart and Lung Institution, Imperial College London, London SW3 6LY, UK
- Respiratory Care Program, Clinical Technology Department, College of Applied Medical Science, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence:
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Ambrosini F, Truzoli R, Vismara M, Vitella D, Biolcati R. The effect of cyberchondria on anxiety, depression and quality of life during COVID-19: the mediational role of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and Internet addiction. Heliyon 2022; 8:e09437. [PMID: 35600442 PMCID: PMC9107336 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the global pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), online health information-seeking behaviors have notably increased. Cyberchondria can be a vulnerability factor for the worsening of anxiety-depressive symptoms and quality of life. The current study aims to understand the predictive effect of cyberchondria on health anxiety, anxiety, depression and quality of life considering the mediating effect of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and Internet addiction and the moderating effect of COVID anxiety. 572 Italian participants (66% female; Mean age = 34; SD = 15) took part in a cross-sectional online survey involving CSS-12, MOCQ-R, IAT, SHAI, HADS, WHOQoL-BREF and CAS. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and Internet addiction were found to partially mediate the cyberchondria-health anxiety and the cyberchondria-anxiety links and to totally mediate the cyberchondria-depression and the cyberchondria-quality of life links. COVID anxiety was found to moderate the relationship between cyberchondria and anxiety. The findings suggest that compulsivity may have a key role in the explanation of the underlying mechanisms of cyberchondria. Healthcare practitioners should provide additional support for individuals with cyberchondria. As such, cyberchondria is a contributing factor to the exacerbation of anxiety-depressive disorders and may impact on the quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Ambrosini
- Department of Education Studies “Giovanni Maria Bertin”, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Roberto Truzoli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Clinics Luigi Sacco, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Vismara
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Clinics Luigi Sacco, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan, Italy
- Aldo Ravelli Center for Neurotechnology and Brain Therapeutics, University of Milan, Italy
| | | | - Roberta Biolcati
- Department of Education Studies “Giovanni Maria Bertin”, University of Bologna, Italy
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