Mental wellbeing in a pandemic: the role of solidarity and care

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the existence of social solidarity: evidence from rural-urban communities in Lombok Island, Indonesia

The COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the entire world since the beginning of 2020 is an unimaginable phenomenon. The pandemic is disastrous because it has caused loss of life and livelihood for a large part of the population. People lose their jobs, spaces for social interaction are closed, and social relationships are disrupted. Several studies show that social solidarity should be a major concern for people to sustain the future quality of their lives. Social solidarity dimensions in this study include gotong royong (local culture of mutual help), marriage banjars (local association), cooperation, and sharing of information. This study aims to examine the existence of social solidarity during the pandemic in rural and urban areas and to know the level of community exposure to COVID-19 in Lombok Island, Indonesia. This research adopted a quantitative approach to identify and analyse the existence of social solidarity in rural and urban communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. A set of questionnaires was distributed and shared by enumerators with 1,100 targeted-respondents from Lombok Island. The survey was carried out from 14th October to 28th October 2021, that is, during a recovery period from the pandemic while restrictions implemented by the government were still in full force. Chi square statistical analysis was used to test whether there were differences in social solidarity between those who lived in rural areas and those who lived in urban areas. This research found the existence of social solidarity in both rural and urban communities during the pandemic. The level of social solidarity in rural areas is higher than in urban areas. While related to the number of those who were exposed and died, conditions were higher in rural areas than in urban areas. However, in terms of the death rate, the level of death rate in urban areas is higher than in rural areas. This condition indicates differences in the characteristics of rural and urban communities, which can be considered in implementing policies during a future pandemic. This research provides evidence for local governments in formulating policies with a social solidarity perspective by taking into account the different characteristics of rural and urban communities.

Relationship dynamics of trailing spouses before and during a time of crisis

Purpose

This qualitative study explores how trailing spouses form their relationships before and after a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic and what patterns can be observed. It explores their significant relationships with friends and extended family, focusing on dynamics and change.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with seven trailing spouses in Malaysia: before the pandemic, in the beginning and at the end of the first year of the pandemic. The authors used longitudinal interpretative phenomenological analysis (LIPA).

Findings

Being aware of the limits of resources emerged as a key factor in how trailing spouses develop and maintain relationships with friends and extended family. The fact that the pandemic changed the dynamics of their social networks illuminates how crucial these relationships or their absence are in their adjustment and readjustment process. Children play a significant role in these relationships.

Research limitations/implications

Comparative research into the friendships and relationships of different groups of trailing spouses in various locations could capture more specificity of the relationship dynamics.

Practical implications

The explored patterns can promote a better understanding of the relationship dynamics of trailing spouses' networks, which can, in turn, support and facilitate both adjustment and repatriation processes. They can help explain how and what kind of social networks best support trailing spouse transition during a time of crisis or adjustment. These findings could be incorporated into intercultural training programs.

Originality/value

No current study that the authors know of has explored trailing spouses' relationship dynamics in a longitudinal study before and during a crisis.

In it together?: Exploring solidarity with frontline workers in the United Kingdom and Ireland during COVID-19

The phrase 'in it together' has been used liberally since the outbreak of COVID-19, but the extent that frontline workers felt 'in it together' is not well understood. Here, we consider the factors that built (or eroded) solidarity while working through the pandemic, and how frontline workers navigated their lives through periods of disconnection. Semi-structured interviews with 21 frontline workers, across all sectors, were conducted in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The qualitative data were analysed systematically using reflexive thematic analysis. The three themes identified in the data were: (1) Solidarity as central to frontline experiences; (2) Leadership as absent, shallow and divisive: highlighting 'us-them' distinctions and (3) The rise of 'us' and 'we' among colleagues. Our research offers insights into how frontline workers make sense of their experiences of solidarity and discordance during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with relevance for government and organizational policy-makers shaping future conditions for frontline workers.

Redefining nursing solidarity

The idea of solidarity is in vogue, especially since the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the term "solidarity," as used in nursing, is imprecise and vague, lacking clear definition and connoting a variety of general meanings. Based on the original meaning of "solidarity" in ancient Roman law, this article captures the archetypical idea of solidarity from a historical and interdisciplinary perspective. This archetypical or primary meaning comes before the development of any other meanings of the word, and it is therefore authentic and genuine because it does not derive from something else. After establishing the archetypical meaning of solidarity, the article translates this meaning into the area of nursing and demonstrates a deep connectivity between healthcare and solidarity. The second part of the article offers and develops a new definition of nursing solidarity as the responsibility for the healthcare of a person (unit) shared as a whole (entirety) by that person and a nurse or a nursing team (plurality). This new definition has some implications for nursing practice and education, since the definition emphasizes the idea that solidarity helps to (a) foster respect and avoid discrimination, (b) promote cohesion in health communities, (c) increase individual responsibility and a spirit of service, (d) stimulate motivation, (e) improve communication, (f) create an engaging workplace, and (g) develop leadership.

COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown and Wellbeing: Experiences from Aotearoa New Zealand in 2020

In 2020, in the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Aotearoa New Zealand consistently maintained stringent public health measures including stay-at-home lockdowns and distancing responses. Considering the widespread disruption to social functioning caused by the pandemic, this paper aimed to explore environmental and social factors that influenced the wellbeing of individuals during the first lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our mixed-methods study involved a survey (n = 1010) and semi-structured interviews of a subset of surveyed individuals undertaken at the tail end of the first 2020 lockdown. Survey participants were recruited through social media-driven snowball sampling, less than 50% were aged under 45 years and 85% identified as female. Of those interviewed, 63% identified as female. Qualitative interview findings and open-ended survey results were analysed thematically. Participants described a variety of factors influencing wellbeing, largely related to the community and household; physical, behavioural, and lifestyle factors; access to health services; and social and economic foundations. While much of the focus of COVID-19 recovery was on reversing the economic and physical toll of the pandemic, our findings emphasise the need to empower individuals, families, and communities to mitigate the pandemic’s negative implications on wellbeing.

Beyond Surviving to Thriving: The Case for a ‘Compassion towards Thriving’ Approach in Public Mental Health Ethics

In this article, I argue for a novel understanding of compassion—what I call a ‘compassion towards thriving’ approach—to inform public mental health ethics. The argument is developed through two main parts. In the first part, I develop an account of compassion towards thriving that builds upon Martha Nussbaum’s philosophical work on compassion. This account expands the ambit of compassion from a focus on the alleviation of existing suffering to the prevention of potential future suffering through the facilitation of personal growth based on a ‘psychosocial’ understanding of mental health. In the second part of the article, I discuss the aims of public mental health and examine compassion towards thriving’s normative synergies with existing approaches in public health ethics. I explain how compassion towards thriving supports a vision of public health ethics which is concerned with solidarity, social justice and flourishing. I then apply this compassion towards thriving approach to evaluate the ‘Every Mind Matters’ public mental health campaign in England, highlighting its affinities with the ethos of the campaign. I also identify and explain two ways in which the application of a compassion towards thriving approach could enhance its delivery.