Covid-19 and repercussions in mental health: a narrative review of literature

One Welfare: Assessing the Effects of Drought and the COVID-19 Pandemic on Farmers' Well-Being and Their Perception of Goats' Welfare

Considering the interconnections between human well-being, animal welfare, and the environment, this study aimed to investigate the impacts of drought and the COVID-19 pandemic on small-scale goat farmers' well-being and their perception of goats' welfare following the One Welfare framework. Using a telephone survey, close-ended questions, and Likert scales, we assessed the impacts of drought and the COVID-19 pandemic on human well-being and animal welfare in the Coquimbo region of Chile. The DASS-21 questionnaire was used to evaluate farmers' mental health. Goat farmers perceived the scarcity of water and food for animals as factors that negatively affected animal productivity and welfare and caused an increase in farmers' stress levels. Farmers who had not been visited by a veterinarian showed higher levels of stress than those who received one visit during the year (M = 10 vs. 2, p = 0.025). Additionally, farmers who perceived better welfare of their animals showed lower levels of depression (rs = -0.17, p = 0.048), anxiety (rs = -0.21, p = 0.016), and stress (rs = -0.33, p < 0.001). These findings emphasize the importance of addressing farmers' mental health and veterinary support as crucial aspects to ensure both goat welfare and farm productivity.

The covid-19 pandemic and hospital morbidity due to mental and behavioral disorders in Brazil: an interrupted time series analysis, from January 2008 to July 2021

OBJECTIVE

to analyze records of hospitalizations due to mental and behavioral disorders before and after the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic in Brazil, from January 2008 to July 2021.

METHODS

this was a descriptive ecological interrupted time series study, using secondary data retrieved from the Brazilian National Health System Hospital Information System; a time series analysis of hospitalizations was conducted based on a population-weighted Poisson regression model; relative risk (RR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated.

RESULTS

we identified 6,329,088 hospitalizations due to mental and behavioral disorders; hospitalization rates showed an 8% decrease (RR = 0.92; 95%CI 0.91;0.92) after the start of the pandemic, compared to the pre-pandemic period.

CONCLUSION

the pandemic changed the trend of hospitalizations due to mental and behavioral disorders in Brazil; the drop observed in the period is evidence that the pandemic affected the mental health care network.

The Burnout of Nurses in Intensive Care Units and the Impact of the Pandemic of SARS-CoV-2: Protocol of a Scoping Review

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has brought multiple challenges for health institutions and their professionals. The requirement of this disease forced nurses to confront organizational and clinical challenges to maintain the quality standards of care they provide. These requirements may have contributed to increased burnout symptoms. This study aims to map the scientific evidence related to nurses' burnout in intensive care units. Methods: A scoping review will be conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Relevant databases will be used as well as grey literature, where the following words will be used: burnout, nurses, intensive care units and SARS-CoV-2. Results: This scoping review will include all types of studies-quantitative, qualitative and mixed-and all types of reviews that focus on the objective of this review. Conclusions: It is vital to determine the impact of the burnout caused by the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 to assess amending measures of risk and protection factors. This will help in the implementation of guidelines according to the available evidence. Additionally, this will help to improve the skills of these professionals as well as to reduce their emotional and physical exhaustion. This protocol is registered with the Open Science Framework.

Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic Period in the European Population: An Institutional Challenge

The worldwide spread of SARS-CoV-2 has been responsible for an infectious pandemic, with repercussions on socio-economic aspects and on the physical and mental health of the general population. The present systematic review aimed to evaluate the data belonging to the European framework, analyzing the population by age group. Original articles and reviews on the state of mental health of the general European population have been researched starting from 2021. Initially, a total of 1764 studies were found, among which a total of 75 were selected. Youth were the age group most affected by pandemic consequences on mental health, with emotional and behavioral alterations observed from a third to more than a half of children and adolescents examined. Among both adolescents and adults, the female gender had a higher prevalence of psychopathological symptoms. The main risk factors were poor social support, economic difficulties, and, in particular, unemployment or job changes. Additional individual risk factors were the perception of loneliness, the presence of pre-pandemic mental illness/distress, and some personality traits, such as neuroticism, impulsiveness, and the use of maladaptive coping strategies. Unexpectedly, the elderly maintained good resilience towards change, even if a stress factor was represented by the feeling of loneliness and poor social contact. As regards suicidal behaviors, among adolescents, there was an increase in attempts of 25%, with a greater risk for the female gender. This risk increased also among adults, in association with symptoms of anxiety and depression, and poor socio-environmental conditions. In conclusion, some population groups were found to be at greater risk of psychological burden during pandemic waves, thus representing priority targets for socio-health interventions.

Influence of Sociodemographic and Emotional Factors on the Relationship between Self-Compassion and Perceived Stress among Men Residing in Brazil during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The analysis of sociodemographic and emotional factors is essential to understanding how men perceive stress and practice self-compassion. In health crises, this problem becomes an emergency for public health. This study aimed to analyze the influence of sociodemographic and emotional factors on the relationship between self-compassion and the perceived stress of men residing in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a nationwide cross-sectional study carried out between June and December 2020 with 1006 men who completed a semi-structured electronic questionnaire. Data were collected using the snowball technique. Perceived stress was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), and self-compassion was assessed using the Self-Compassion Scale. Most men had low self-compassion (51.5%; n = 516) and a moderate level of perceived stress (60.9%; n = 613), while 15.9% (n = 170) had a high level of stress. The prevalence of men in the combined situation of low self-compassion and high perceived stress was 39.4% (n = 334). Living with friends had a higher prevalence of low self-compassion and high perceived stress. The prevalence of common mental disorders was high (54.3%). Men with low levels of self-compassion reported higher levels of perceived stress; however, this association was moderated by emotional and sociodemographic variables. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual and contextual factors in public policies promoting men’s mental health.

Grupos de terapia ocupacional em telessaúde na pandemia de Covid-19: perspectivas de um Hospital-Dia de Saúde Mental

Resumo A pandemia de COVID-19 teve sério impacto ocupacional em pessoas com transtornos mentais pré-existentes. Para prestar o cuidado nesse contexto, os grupos de telessaúde foram uma opção terapêutica para terapeutas ocupacionais para o cuidado em saúde mental. Este artigo apresenta uma experiência de terapia ocupacional com grupos de telessaúde no Brasil, sustentada pelo Método Terapia Ocupacional Dinâmica, buscando discutir o uso da tecnologia durante a pandemia de Covid-19, além dos limites e das potencialidades do cuidado em terapia ocupacional diante da necessária mudança do trabalho com grupos. Trata-se de análise crítica da prática sustentada por uma perspectiva de produção de evidências baseadas na prática por meio de uma parceria colaborativa entre profissionais e acadêmicos do Brasil e do Reino Unido. Os profissionais refletiram sobre as habilidades necessárias no contexto online, destacando suas preocupações iniciais e suas descobertas neste novo cenário de prática. A prática de cuidado em grupo de terapia ocupacional em telessaúde na prática de saúde mental requer o uso de múltiplas ferramentas digitais. Além disso, a(o) terapeuta ocupacional precisa entender das questões de desigualdade digital (acesso digital e/ou habilidades digitais), aprimorar-se digitalmente para atender às necessidades das pessoas sob seu acompanhamento, além de possuir referenciais teórico-metodológicos claros que permitam sustentar práticas em telessaúde.