Social support as a mediator of stress and life satisfaction for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

The effects of lockdown of work and activities for adults with multiple, complex needs including sensory impairments during the pandemic in 2020

Sheltered work and leisure activities were locked down in at the Signo centre in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Signo centre is a Norwegian national centre for adults with multiple, complex needs, including severe sensory loss/impairments. Tension and uncertainty rapidly spread among relatives and workers. To explore the impacts of the pandemic on residents, 24 adults living in Signo Vivo answered a semi-structured interview together with their primary worker. Additionally, reports on staff injuries and PRN medication between April and Aug of 2020 were compared to the period before the lockdown. The reports from the interviews included fewer stressful events for the participants, more rest and sleep, more time spent in their own apartments, and more time with smaller groups of workers. The reports on staff injuries and PRN medication showed decreased occurrence.

An Equity-Based Research Agenda to Promote Social Inclusion and Belonging for People With IDD

Having a sense of social inclusion and belonging, typically characterized by our personal relationships and community participation, is the central essence of life for most people, yet it remains elusive for many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This article summarizes the work of a diverse group of researchers and advocates to propose 6 big-picture, equity-based goals to drive future research in the field: (1) understanding the role of intersectionality, (2) understanding intimate relationships, (3) promoting formation of communities of care to support social inclusion, (4) understanding life course trajectories of social inclusion, (5) understanding social inclusion in virtual spaces, and (6) understanding how to promote social inclusion in the entire research process.

An Accessible Web-Based Survey to Monitor the Mental Health of People With Mild Intellectual Disability or Low Literacy Skills During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparative Data Analysis

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic and related control measures affected the mental health of all populations. Particular subgroups are underrepresented in mainstream surveys because they are hard to reach, and study measurements are not adapted to their skills. These subgroups include people with lower cognitive and literacy skills, such as people with mild intellectual disability (MID), who were considered vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic given their low socioeconomic status, small social networks, increased risks of health problems, and difficulties understanding health-related information.

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among people with MID or low literacy skills compared with those predominantly represented in national surveys.

METHODS

A repeated cross-sectional study of people with MID or low literacy skills and a general population sample was conducted in the Netherlands. An easy-read web-based survey was co-designed with, and tested among, people with MID or low literacy skills and conducted in 3 rounds within 1 year of the COVID-19 pandemic (T1: November to December 2020, T2: March to April 2021, and T3: September to October 2021). The survey contained questions about demographics and 6 aspects of mental health: feeling happy, feeling energized, feeling stressed, worry, feeling lonely, and sleeping problems.

RESULTS

Our adapted survey and recruitment procedure enabled 1059 persons with MID or low literacy skills to participate (T1: n=412, 38.9%; T2: n=351, 33.1%; and T3: n=296, 28%). They were significantly younger, had a lower level of education, and more often than not were born outside the Netherlands compared to the general population sample (P<.001). Approximately half of them (604/1059, 57.03%) received professional care. They displayed poorer mental health scores than the general population sample. The percentages of people with MID or low literacy skills who reported more negative feelings in T1 ranged from 20.6% (85/412) reporting feeling lonely often or almost always to 57.8% (238/412) reporting feeling happy almost never or sometimes. The general population sample's percentages were 5.4% (160/2930) and 32.2% (941/2918), respectively. Although scores improved over time in both populations, the disproportional effects remained.

CONCLUSIONS

General COVID-19-related restrictions for the entire Dutch population affected people with MID or low literacy skills more negatively than the general population. Our study underscores the relevance of including these subpopulations in public health research because they are often overlooked in regular health data. An accessible web-based survey particularly targeted at this population enabled us to do so, and we reached a group of respondents significantly different from regular survey participants. This survey's results provided insights into the health of people with MID or low literacy skills and gained knowledge to be used by care organizations and policy makers to reduce health disparities during a pandemic and in general.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on jobs for people with intellectual disabilities and autism in Wales

BACKGROUND

The study reports the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns on jobs for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. The study focuses on the impact of the first and the fire-break lockdowns and the actions taken to support young people.

METHOD

Data was collected from the cohort of young people currently working in Wales, and that received job coach support from the Engage to Change Project, on furlough arrangements, job retainment and job losses. Innovative initiatives to support young people are described.

RESULTS

Review of the working situation during the pandemic was conducted for 184 jobs, evaluating the proportion of young people being furloughed or working remotely and compared with the general population in Wales.

CONCLUSIONS

Supported employment agencies adapted their practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering new and innovative ways to support young people and facilitate their return to work.

Meaning in Life and Loneliness as Mediators between COVID-19 Anxiety and Life Satisfaction in the Post-Pandemic among the General Population in Turkey: A Serial Mediation Model

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted global society, leading to negative well-being and mental health outcomes. However, little is known about how COVID-19-related anxiety affects life satisfaction through psychological factors. This study examined the mediating roles of meaning in life and loneliness in the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and life satisfaction in 333 Turkish general population (59.2% females; Mage = 33.9 ± 7.8). Participants completed measures of COVID-19 anxiety, life satisfaction, meaning in life, and loneliness. The results showed that COVID-19 anxiety predicted meaning in life, loneliness, and life satisfaction. Meaning in life predicted loneliness and life satisfaction, while loneliness predicted life satisfaction. Serial mediation analysis revealed that COVID-19 anxiety predicts life satisfaction through meaning in life and loneliness, even after controlling for age and gender. These findings contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms between COVID-19 anxiety and life satisfaction, with implications for future research and practice.

Mental Health of People with Intellectual Disabilities Living in Residential Care before, during, and after Lockdown

BACKGROUND

The impact of the COVID-19 on the well-being of people with intellectual disabilities (PID) has been little studied.

METHODS

We analyzed its impact with a cohort study quantitatively analyzing anxiety, depression, organic symptoms, quality of life, and support needs in 24 PID, aged 19-74 years (x¯ 40, σ = 13.09), living in a residential center, before, during, and after the pandemic.

RESULTS

Their mental health improved unexpectedly at the onset of the lockdown although there was an increase in organic symptoms. But, with the progress of the lockdown, their mental health deteriorated drastically. On the contrary, as expected, their quality of life and support needs worsened from the beginning of the lockdown until the country returned to normality, a time when there was a general recovery, without reaching pre-pandemic levels. These results show that the mental health of PID was affected differently to that of people without intellectual disabilities.

Perceived Social Support and Quality of Life of Children with and without Developmental Disabilities and Their Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Social support and Quality of life (QoL) are important aspects of life and should be explored during the specific scenario of the pandemic.

AIMS

(i) to compare the perceived social support (PSS) in caregivers and the domains of QoL of the caregiver and the child with developmental disabilities (DD) and typical development (TD); (ii) to verify the existence of the association, in each group, between the PSS, and the domain of QoL of the caregiver and the child.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

52 caregivers of children with DD and 34 with TD participated remotely. We assessed PSS (Social Support Scale), children's QoL (PedsQL-4.0-parent proxy) and caregivers' QoL (PedsQL-Family Impact Module). The groups were compared for the outcomes using the Mann-Whitney test, and Spearman's test evaluated the correlation between the PSS and the QoL (child and caregiver) in each of the groups.

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS

There was no difference between groups for PSS. Children with DD presented lower values in PedsQL total, psychosocial health, physical health, social activities, and school activity. Caregivers of children with TD presented lower values in PedsQL family total, physical capacity, emotional aspect, social aspect, daily activities, and higher value in communication. In the DD group, we found a positive relationship between PSS with child: Psychosocial Health (r = 0.350) and Emotional Aspect (r = 0.380), and with family: Total (r = 0.562), Physical Capacity (r = 0.402), Emotional Aspect (r = 0.492), Social Aspect (r = 0.606), Communication (r = 0.535), Concern (r = 0.303), Daily Activities (r = 0.394) and Family Relationships (r = 0.369). In the TD group, we found that PSS was positively associated with Family: Social Aspect (r = 0.472) and Communication (r = 0.431).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

During the COVID-19 pandemic, despite both groups presenting similar PSS, there are important differences in QoL between them. For both groups, greater levels of perceived social support are associated with greater caregiver-reported in some domains of the child's and caregiver's QoL. These associations are more numerous, especially for the families of children with DD. This study provides a unique view into the relationships between perceived social support and QoL during the "natural experiment" of living through a pandemic.

The relationship between fear of COVID-19 and depression, anxiety and stress in persons with disabilities: A cross-sectional study

AIM

This study aimed to determine the relationship between the fear of COVID-19 and the depression, anxiety and stress in persons with disabilities.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, the data were collected using an online survey from 178 persons with disabilities using the Personal Information Form, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S).

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 34.08 ± 11.8 years. The disability types that participants had were related to vision (47.2 %), hearing (25.8 %), mobility (24.7 %), cognitive (8.4 %), and chronic disease (10.1 %). It has been determined that 73.6 % of the participants stated that their access to healthcare services was restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mean DASS-21 was 10.24 ± 8.25 and the mean FCV-19S was 17.71 ± 5.05. A positive correlation was found between DASS-21 and FCV-19S.

CONCLUSION

The pandemic has created a need to provide appropriate interventions to improve the psychosocial health of persons with disabilities.

Cognitive and Emotional Motivation to Explain Infection-Prevention Behaviors with Social Support as a Mediator During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in Korea

Purpose

To predict the performance of infection-prevention behaviors among adults in Korea based on the health belief model, using social support as a mediator.

Patients and Methods

A nationwide cross-sectional survey of 700 participants from the local community was conducted using both online and offline methods from 8 metropolitan cities and 9 provinces in Korea from November 2021 to March 2022. The questionnaire was composed of 4 sections: demographic information, motivational factors for behavior change, social support, and infection-prevention behaviors. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with the AMOS program. The general least-squares method was applied to assess the fit of the model and the bootstrapping method was tested for indirect effect and the total effect.

Results

Motivation factors that directly affected infection-prevention behaviors were self-efficacy (γ=0.58, p<0.001), perceived barriers (γ=-.08, p=0.004), perceived benefits (γ=0.10, p=0.002), perceived threats (γ=0.08, p=0.009), and social support (γ=0.13, p<0.001), after controlling for related demographic variables. Cognitive and emotional motivation factors together explained 59% of the variance in infection-prevention behaviors. Social support exerted significant mediating effects between each cognitive and emotional motivation variable and infection-prevention behaviors, along with a significant direct effect on infection-prevention behaviors (γ=0.12, p<0.001).

Conclusion

The engagement of prevention behaviors among community-dwelling adults was influenced by their self-efficacy, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, and perceived threats with social support as a mediator. Prevention policy approaches could include providing specific information to improve self-efficacy and build awareness of the severity of the disease while establishing a supportive social environment for promoting health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perceived stress and humanistic care ability among Chinese healthcare workers: The chain mediating role of social support and life satisfaction

Previous studies have indicated high perceived stress and its relationship with life satisfaction among healthcare workers. However, most of the existing studies have focused on the investigation and evaluation of the humanistic care abilities among nurses, but few studies revealed the levels of humanistic care ability among other healthcare workers including doctors and technicians. The study aimed to investigate the perceived stress and humanistic care abilities among Chinese healthcare workers. In addition, we further examined the mediating and moderating effects of social support and life satisfaction. A convenience sample of 955 health professionals from 29 hospitals in China was recruited to fill out the questionnaires about perceived stress, humanistic care ability, social support, and life satisfaction. The correlation and multivariate logistic regression analysis were carried out by SPSS 24.0. The Hayes SPSS macro program process (version 2.16.3) was used to analyze the significance of mediating and moderating model. The findings indicated that humanistic care ability was negatively associated with perceived stress and positively correlated with social support and life satisfaction. The effect of the path “perceived stress → social support → humanistic care ability” was −0.017, and the path “perceived stress → life satisfaction → social support → humanistic care ability” was −0.129. The current study contributed to a better understanding of humanistic care abilities and influential factors in Chinese healthcare workers. Thus, it may suggest studies on interventions to interventions to alleviate or eliminate the negative impact of perceived stress and improve humanistic care abilities.