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Jaffar A, Mohd Sidik S, Rashid MRA, Lugova H. Editorial: Self-harm behaviors from young adults to the elderly: prevalence, prevention and treatment following the COVID-19 pandemic. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1331376. [PMID: 38106997 PMCID: PMC10722496 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1331376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Aida Jaffar
- Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, Sg Besi, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Sherina Mohd Sidik
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - M. Radzniwan A. Rashid
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai, Malaysia
| | - Halyna Lugova
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UCSI University (Springhill Campus), Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
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Sacco MA, Gualtieri S, Ricci P, Aquila I. The Risk of Suicide in the Post-COVID-19 Emergency Era: Psychological and Forensic Implications. Cureus 2023; 15:e49081. [PMID: 38125261 PMCID: PMC10731125 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.49081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought numerous challenges, including the management of psychological and psychiatric disorders, leading to an increased risk of suicide. At the end of the COVID-19 emergency, we wonder what the impact of the pandemic has been, and still is, on the state of public mental health with respect to the phenomenon of suicide. Therefore, this review aims to explore the psychological and forensic aspects of suicide in the post-COVID-19 emergency era. The paper will delve into the various psychiatric disorders associated in the literature with COVID-19, the risk factors for suicide during the pandemic, and measures that can be taken to prevent suicide in the post-COVID-19 era. Additionally, the paper will look at how forensic experts investigate suicide cases due to COVID-19 and the legal implications of suicide due to the pandemic. The findings of this study will provide insights into the psychological and forensic aspects of suicide in the post-COVID era, and emphasize interventions and policy development to address this growing public health concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Antonio Sacco
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, ITA
| | - Saverio Gualtieri
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, ITA
| | - Pietrantonio Ricci
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, ITA
| | - Isabella Aquila
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, ITA
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Damghanian H, Hedayati S, Farhadinejad M, Rastgar AA. Lessons learned from behaviors of the employees in Iranian banks during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis: A phenomenological study. Heliyon 2023; 9:e21445. [PMID: 38045175 PMCID: PMC10692766 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this research is to analyze the experiences of employees during the Covid-19 pandemic cri-sis and conceptualize the lessons learned to deal with similar crises in the future. To achieve this, a qualitative approach with a phenomenological strategy was conducted through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 16 front-line employees of Bank Melli, the largest state bank in Iran. The study found that employee behavior plays a critical role in crisis management, with functional behaviors such as preventive measures, stress management, and sharing valid information being essential. Dysfunctional behaviors such as resistance to change and inconsistent behaviors were also identified. The prevention of infection and stress management were identified as key behaviors to cope with the crisis, while media literacy and acceptance of change were crucial for correct information analysis and crisis management. Overall, the study highlights the challenges faced by employees during the Covid-19 crisis and provides valuable lessons from a behavioral perspective for managers in the banking industry to manage disruptions caused by current and future pandemics. The study emphasizes the importance of learning from the lessons of the Covid-19 crisis to reduce negative effects on physical and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Damghanian
- Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
| | - Sadegh Hedayati
- Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
| | - Mohsen Farhadinejad
- Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
| | - Abbas Ali Rastgar
- Faculty of Economics, Management and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
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Hincapié Pinzón J, da Silva AMB, Machado WDL, Moret-Tatay C, Ziebell de Oliveira M. Transcultural Comparison of Mental Health and Work-Life Integration Blurring in the Brazilian and Spanish Populations during COVID-19. J Pers Med 2023; 13:955. [PMID: 37373944 PMCID: PMC10302008 DOI: 10.3390/jpm13060955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The study aimed to compare the impact of Role Blurring on mental health and Work-Life Integration in the Brazilian and Spanish populations during COVID-19. Role Blurring, which is related to resources and demands in the work context, affects coping with stressors arising from role overlapping and impacts individuals' perception of work overload and mental health. The sample consisted of 877 adults from Spain (n = 498) and Brazil (n = 372), and various statistical analyses were conducted to compare the groups. Results showed that Role Blurring is linked to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as suicidal ideation. Therefore, it is essential to promote working conditions that limit expectations on availability and favor disconnection from work during leisure time. Public policies that intervene, promote, and prevent psychosocial risk factors in emergent contexts are crucial to prevent suicidal ideation and attempts. Considering the high expected influence of Blurring as a focus of interventions can be reflected in the medium term in the indicators of well-being and satisfaction of companies, institutions and organizations. This can result in the reduction of health costs aimed at cushioning post-COVID-19 impacts on mental health. The study is relevant to understand the impact of the pandemic and technology on mental health and suggests the need for interventions to promote work-life balance and prevent psychosocial risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juanita Hincapié Pinzón
- Escuela de Doctorado, Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, San Agustín 3, Esc. A, Entresuelo 1, 46002 Valencia, Spain
- Postgraduate Psychology Program, School of Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90619-900, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Wagner de Lara Machado
- Postgraduate Psychology Program, School of Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90619-900, RS, Brazil
| | - Carmen Moret-Tatay
- MEB Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, 46100 Valencia, Spain
| | - Manoela Ziebell de Oliveira
- Postgraduate Psychology Program, School of Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90619-900, RS, Brazil
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Tepe ÇŞ, Eker F. Content analysis of suicide prevention web pages from perspective of preventive psychiatric approaches. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2023:1-8. [PMID: 37359652 PMCID: PMC10008009 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-023-04496-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Suicide is a serious public health problem; however, suicides are preventable with evidence-based and often low-cost interventions. This study analyzes the online content of suicide prevention and helps websites in the context of preventive psychiatry. The universe and sample of the research consisted of 147 web pages whose links can be found on the most widely used international social media platforms and websites dedicated to suicide prevention. To conduct the content analysis, the crisis hotline guide prepared by the World Health Organization for suicide prevention and the guide prepared for media professionals were used in the data collection form created by the researchers. The majority of the websites were of European origin and were prepared by mental health and suicide prevention associations for suicide prevention and crisis intervention. Telephone helplines were the most common means of communicating with consultants via the web page. On the basis of the research findings, suggestions were generated regarding the scope, content, and sustainability of web pages for crisis intervention and suicide prevention prepared at the national and international levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Çiğdem Şen Tepe
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey
| | - Fatma Eker
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Cyprus International University, Nicosia, North Cyprus
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Rajapakse T, Silva T, Hettiarachchi NM, Gunnell D, Metcalfe C, Spittal MJ, Knipe D. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdowns on Self-Poisoning and Suicide in Sri Lanka: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1833. [PMID: 36767200 PMCID: PMC9914278 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20031833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Evidence from high-income countries suggests that the impact of COVID-19 on suicide and self-harm has been limited, but evidence from low- and middle-income countries is lacking. Using data from a hospital-based self-poisoning register (January 2019-December 2021) and data from national records (2016-2021) of suicide in Sri Lanka, we aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on both self-poisoning and suicide. We examined changes in admissions for self-poisoning and suicide using interrupted time series (ITS) analysis. For the self-poisoning hospital admission ITS models, we defined the lockdown periods as follows: (i) pre-lockdown: 01/01/2019-19/03/2020; (ii) first lockdown: 20/03/2020-27/06/2020; (iii) post-first lockdown: 28/06/2020-11/05/2021; (iv) second lockdown: 12/05/2021-21/06/2021; and (v) post-second lockdown: 22/06/2021-31/12/2021. For suicide, we defined the intervention according to the pandemic period. We found that during lockdown periods, there was a reduction in hospital admissions for self-poisoning, with evidence that admission following self-poisoning remained lower during the pandemic than would be expected based on pre-pandemic trends. In contrast, there was no evidence that the rate of suicide in the pandemic period differed from that which would be expected. As the long-term socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic are realised, it will be important to track rates of self-harm and suicide in LMICs to inform prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thilini Rajapakse
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
- South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
| | - Tharuka Silva
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
- South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
| | | | - David Gunnell
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK
- National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Oakfield House, Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Chris Metcalfe
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK
| | - Matthew J. Spittal
- Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Duleeka Knipe
- South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK
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Zarowsky Z, Rashid T. Resilience and Wellbeing Strategies for Pandemic Fatigue in Times of Covid-19. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 8:1-36. [PMID: 36196257 PMCID: PMC9523176 DOI: 10.1007/s41042-022-00078-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is truly one of the greatest collective health crises in history which have altered our life and living. For years, people have felt fatigued from following public health directives such as social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and working or studying remotely without in-person interactions. In this paper, we explore strategies for resilience and wellbeing which can mitigate pandemic-caused stress and behavioural fatigue. We start with individual level strategies including reworking stress appraisals, the importance of psychological flexibility, reducing loneliness through adaptive online platform use, optimizing familial relationships when living in close quarters for a prolonged period, reducing symptoms of burnout and using adaptive distractions, using specific evidence-based resilience strategies. We discuss specific considerations which tap on our shared identities and shared responsibilities which can enhance a sense of community, especially for individuals from marginalized backgrounds and how suicide risks can be minimized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Zarowsky
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trial, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4 Canada
| | - Tayyab Rashid
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trial, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4 Canada
- Centre for Wellbeing Science, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, Melbourne, Australia
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Balcombe L, De Leo D. The Potential Impact of Adjunct Digital Tools and Technology to Help Distressed and Suicidal Men: An Integrative Review. Front Psychol 2022; 12:796371. [PMID: 35058855 PMCID: PMC8765720 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.796371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Suicidal men feel the need to be self-reliant and that they cannot find another way out of relationship or socioeconomic issues. Suicide prevention is of crucial importance worldwide. The much higher rate of suicide in men engenders action. The prelude is a subjective experience that can be very isolating and severely distressing. Men may not realize a change in their thinking and behaviors, which makes it more difficult to seek and get help, thereby interrupting a "downward spiral". Stoicism often prevents men from admitting to their personal struggle. The lack of "quality" connections and "non-tailored" therapies has led to a high number of men "walking out" on traditional clinical approaches. But there are complicated relationships in motivations and formative behaviors of suicide with regards to emotional state, psychiatric disorders, interpersonal life events and suicidal behavior method selection. Middle-aged and older men have alternated as the most at-risk of suicide. There is no one solution that applies to all men, but digital tools may be of assistance (e.g., video conferences, social networks, telephone calls, and emails). Digital interventions require higher levels of effectiveness for distress and suicidality but self-guided approaches may be the most suitable for men especially where linked with an integrated online suicide prevention platform (e.g., quick response with online chats, phone calls, and emails). Furthermore, technology-enabled models of care offer promise to advance appropriate linking to mental health services through better and faster understanding of the specific needs of individuals (e.g., socio-cultural) and the type and level of suicidality experienced. Long-term evidence for suicidality and its evaluation may benefit from progressing human computer-interaction and providing impetus for an eminent integrated digital platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Balcombe
- Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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