1
|
Klasen CM, Teltrop L, Belau MH, Lohner L, Ondruschka B, Riecke K, Reuter S, Schmalfeldt B, Wilmes S, Witzel I. Differences in patterns of sexual assault among female victims preceding and during the COVID-19 pandemic: an analysis of encounters in an emergency department. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2024; 20:595-602. [PMID: 37816930 PMCID: PMC11297097 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-023-00725-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the number and patterns of sexual assault victims within a German metropolitan city. A retrospective single center analysis of the gynecology examination reports of all women presenting to the emergency department of a university hospital after a sexual offense between 03/2013 and 02/2021 (n = 1167). Comparison of the first year of the pandemic 03/2000-03/2021) to previous years (03/2017-02/2020) and comparison of periods of government-imposed social distancing (03/12/2020-05/23/2020 and 10/23/2020-02/28/2021) with corresponding periods of pre-pandemic years. The overall number of sexual assault cases did not change during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, during the stay-at-home orders, the number of women presenting to the emergency department decreased by 38% (n=45 vs. 72). Fewer victims filed a police report during the pandemic (49.5% vs. 73.9%, p<0.001) and the lockdown period (50% vs. 76.5%, p<0.001). Less genital injuries after sexual assault were detected during the pandemic (14.3% vs. 25.2%, p<0.02), but there was an increase of illegal substance abuse (19.5% vs. 9.3%, p<0.003). During the stay-at-home orders fewer victims reported alcohol consumption (42.4% vs. 62.5 %, p<0.023). Despite the decrease in sexual offense related police reports, the number of sexual assault cases remained consistent, and the usage of illegal drugs increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings represent the importance of providing support to sexual assault victims, as well as the implementation of preventative measures, especially in times of crisis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M Klasen
- Department of Gynecology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany.
| | - Leandra Teltrop
- Department of Gynecology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Matthias H Belau
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Larissa Lohner
- Institute for Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Ondruschka
- Institute for Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Riecke
- Department of Gynecology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Susanne Reuter
- Department of Gynecology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Barbara Schmalfeldt
- Department of Gynecology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Sandra Wilmes
- Institute for Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Isabell Witzel
- Department of Gynecology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
- Department of Gynecology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Breslin TM, Galvin R, Foran AM, Muldoon OT. A qualitative study examining young peoples' perceptions and adherence to COVID-19 public health guidelines in Ireland. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1864. [PMID: 37752581 PMCID: PMC10523624 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16757-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Public health measures are the main intervention to stop the spread of COVID-19. They rely on the adherence to everyday health behaviors, and depend on those at high and low personal risk of serious disease to comply. Young people are crucial to stemming community transmission, and are often living in shared housing and at a stage of their lives with more economic uncertainty than older groups. Public health messaging has relied on the mantra that we are 'in it together,' despite very diverse experiences of the pandemic across different groups. The central aim of this research is to understand and optimize young peoples' engagement with public health guidelines with the view to improve future adherence with public health initiatives. METHOD Twelve young people were interviewed as part of this research, ranging from 18 to 24 years. Interviewees were chosen to ensure that there was a diverse range of opinions within the participant pool. Interviews were semi-structured with open questions and the flexibility to explore the topics of interest that arose. All interviews were fully transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS This study found that participants deemed the consequences of lockdown a greater threat than infection with SARS-COV-2. Participants expressed concerns about the government's handling of the pandemic. Some felt young peoples' interests were not represented by authorities. There were concerns that messaging was inaccurate, difficult to understand, and filled with statistical and medical jargon. These perceptions underpinned a sense that the guidelines could be broken in good conscience as well as result in accidental breaches of the guidelines. Though wider community factors were often cited as having a positive influence on health behavior, differences and division were seen to inspire trust or adherence. CONCLUSION These findings provide an insight into the psychological, financial and physical difficulties young people face as a consequence of pandemic public health measures and lockdowns in particular. They highlight the need for better communication with young people to support and embed trust in authorities and the scientific and political community.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tara M Breslin
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Rose Galvin
- School of Allied Health, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, Ageing Research Centre, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Aoife Mare Foran
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education & Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Plassey Park Road, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Orla T Muldoon
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education & Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Plassey Park Road, Limerick, Ireland.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tanveer S, Schluter PJ, Beaglehole B, Porter RJ, Boden J, Sulaiman-Hill R, Scarf D, Dean S, Assad F, Hasnat MA, Bell C. The COVID Psychosocial Impacts Scale: A Reliable and Valid Tool to Examine the Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:5990. [PMID: 37297593 PMCID: PMC10252202 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20115990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This paper reports on the development and validation of the COVID Psychosocial Impacts Scale (CPIS), a self-report measure that comprehensively examines both positive and negative psychosocial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first part of the program of work in which the CPIS was administered and compared with a measure of psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, K-10) and wellbeing (World Health Organization Well-Being Index, WHO-5). The data were obtained online in 2020 and 2022 at two distinct time points to capture different exposures to the pandemic in the New Zealand population to a non-representative sample of 663 and 687 adults, respectively. Two hundred seventy-one participants took part in both surveys. Findings indicate a unidimensional structure within CPIS subscales and inter-relatedness among CPIS stress-related subscales. The scatter plots and correlation matrix indicate CPIS having a positive moderate correlation with K10 and a negative moderate correlation with WHO-5, indicative of construct validity. The paper outlines contextual factors surrounding CPIS development and makes suggestions for future iterations of CPIS. Further work will examine its psychometric properties across cultures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandila Tanveer
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch Campus, University of Otago, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
| | - Philip J. Schluter
- Te Kaupeka Oranga|Faculty of Health, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha|University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- School of Clinical Medicine, Primary Care Clinical Unit, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Ben Beaglehole
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch Campus, University of Otago, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
| | - Richard J. Porter
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch Campus, University of Otago, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
| | - Joseph Boden
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch Campus, University of Otago, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
| | - Ruqayya Sulaiman-Hill
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch Campus, University of Otago, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
| | - Damian Scarf
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Shaystah Dean
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Wellington Campus, University of Otago, Wellington 6021, New Zealand
| | - Fatima Assad
- Department of Psychiatry, HITEC Institute of Medical Sciences, Taxila 47078, Pakistan
| | | | - Caroline Bell
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch Campus, University of Otago, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Miller JD, Woods LT, Kalmbach J. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in a polarized political system: Lessons from the 2020 election. ELECTORAL STUDIES 2022; 80:102548. [PMID: 36311165 PMCID: PMC9595380 DOI: 10.1016/j.electstud.2022.102548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Given the deep polarization of the American political system in recent decades, was the 2020 presidential election an extension of the pre-existing partisan coalitions or did the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic consequences have a significant impact on the outcome? Using a national probability sample provided by AmeriSpeak and voter verification provided by Catalist, we construct a structural equation model to examine the relative influence of age, race, gender, education, religious fundamentalism, ideological partisanship, affective partisanship, and measures of Covid-19 experiences and understanding to predict the 2020 vote. We re-construct the partisan polarization landscape to examine the role of politically interested non-partisans in the center of the ideological spectrum and examine their ability to select candidates in response of specific issues. The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant marginal impact on the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jon D Miller
- International Center for the Advancement of Scientific Literacy, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106, USA
| | - Logan T Woods
- Department of Political Science, University of Michigan, 5700 Haven Hall, 509 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Imagining the Post-COVID-19 Polity: Narratives of Possible Futures. SOCIAL SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/socsci11080346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 crisis is arguably the most important development of the 21st century so far and takes its place alongside the great eruptions of the past century. As with any crisis, the current pandemic has stimulated visions and proposals for post-COVID-19 societies. Our focus is on narratives—both predictive and prescriptive—that envisage post-COVID-19 political societies. Combining narrative analysis with thematic analysis, we argue that societal changes conditioned by the pandemic have accelerated a turn toward five inter-related developments: A renaissance in rationality and evidence-based science; a return to social equality and equity, including wage equity and guaranteed incomes; a reimagining of the interventionist state in response to crises in the economy, society, the welfare state, and social order; a reorientation to the local and communitarian, with reference in particular to solidaristic mutual aid, community animation, local sourcing, and craft production; and the reinvention of democracy through deep participation and deliberative dialogical decision making. The empirical focus of our work is an analysis of predominantly legacy media content from the Canadian Periodicals Index related to life after the pandemic and post-COVID-19 society.
Collapse
|
6
|
Reicher S, Michie S, West R. The UK government's "personal responsibility" policy for covid is hypocritical and unsustainable. BMJ 2022; 378:o1903. [PMID: 35905989 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.o1903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Reicher
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, UK
| | - Susan Michie
- Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London, UK
| | - Robert West
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Gao J, Zhang P. Mechanisms of the Chinese Government's Efforts to Fight COVID-19: Integration of Top-down Interventions and Local Governance. Health Secur 2022; 20:348-356. [PMID: 35787156 DOI: 10.1089/hs.2021.0161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The experiences and lessons of China's response to COVID-19 have been described in several studies, but the mechanisms of the Chinese government's efforts to fight COVID-19 have not been well characterized. Despite strong policy directives and orders from the central government, the response and handling of the epidemic also reflected distinctive characteristics of local governments in terms of their governance systems and capacities. In this article, the authors analyze public health policies and mechanisms of the Chinese government's response to COVID-19 based on the integration of top-down and local governance. A compendium of key events and measures provides the foundation for our analysis. Mechanisms related to leadership, emergency response, centralized mobilization, and accountability fully reflect the decisive measures for top-down interventions in the face of emergencies. China's policies and mechanisms to address the COVID-19 pandemic are consistent with its party-state bureaucracy and socioeconomic context. However, lower levels of government have used "repeated increments" and "one-size-fits-all" practices in the implementation of antiepidemic policies. Conservative local officials are more averse to social innovation and favor strict controls to manage the pandemic. Moreover, even under a unified system, there are substantial differences in the capacity and level of crisis management among local governments, especially in the mobilization of nonprofit organizations and volunteers. In this case study, we aim to expand the existing understanding of the tension between top-down interventions and local governance innovations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinghua Gao
- Jinghua Gao, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre for Social Investment, Max Weber Institute of Sociology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg. Germany
| | - Pengfei Zhang
- Pengfei Zhang, PhD, School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Castillo JC, García-Castro JD, Venegas M. Perception of economic inequality: concepts, associated factors and prospects of a burgeoning research agenda (Percepción de desigualdad económica: conceptos, factores asociados y proyecciones de una agenda creciente de investigación). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/02134748.2021.2009275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Juan-Diego García-Castro
- Centro de Estudios de Conflicto y Cohesión Social (COES)
- Universidad de Costa Rica, Sede de Occidente
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Muldoon OT, Bradshaw D, Jay S, Kinsella EL, Maher P, Murphy R, Taaffe C, O'Donnell P. Vaccination roll-out: a time to develop and maintain trust in science and health care. Br J Gen Pract 2021; 71:518-519. [PMID: 34711570 PMCID: PMC8544138 DOI: 10.3399/bjgp21x717629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Orla T Muldoon
- Centre for Social Issues Research, University of Limerick, Limerick
| | - Daragh Bradshaw
- Centre for Social Issues Research, University of Limerick, Limerick
| | - Sarah Jay
- Centre for Social Issues Research, University of Limerick, Limerick
| | | | - Paul Maher
- Centre for Social Issues Research, University of Limerick, Limerick
| | - Robert Murphy
- Research Services and Policy Unit, Department of Health, Dublin
| | - Carol Taaffe
- Research Services and Policy Unit, Department of Health, Dublin
| | | |
Collapse
|