Mental health during the COVID-19 quarantine in five countries

University Cooperativa of Colombia, Colombia, University of Pavia, ItaliaIntroduction. In the current COVID-19 pandemic governments and health entities urgently responded to the biological threat developing diagnostic tests, treatments, vaccines, additionally the economic concerns were approached, however there is little effort directed to the mental health, which is part of the holistic concept of health, and from where interventions for the prevention of contagion and coping with the disease and its consequences can be focused. The present study sought to describe, compare, and analyze the association of the perceived stress, coping strategies, emotional regulation, hopelessness, impact of the event, psychological distress, suicidality, as components of mental health, and sociodemographic characteristics during the quarantine in various countries in Europe and Latin America. Material and methods. Multicentric and epidemiological study approved by the Ethics Committee of the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. Convenience online snowball sampling of general population and university students. The questionnaire contained the informed consent, sociodemographic data, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Perceived Stress Scale, Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Symptom Check-List-90 Revised, Beck's Hopelessness Scale, and Okasha Suicidality Scale. Data were collected between April and June 2020. Statistical analysis: Internal consistency of scales was estimated by Cronbach's alpha. Normality of distribution was assessed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. Univariate (Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman correlation) and multivariate analyses (Generalized Linear Models) were performed using STATA 16. Results. 1.179 participants (27.48% male) aged between 15 to 76 years (M=33.52, SD=13.4) from Colombia (N=356), Brazil (N=364), Mexico (N=202), Italy (N=166), and Spain (N=91). The majority are students and workers, whit high level of education, and living with family during the quarantine. There are significant differences in the medians of all variables among countries and sociodemographic characteristics showing greater psychological affectation in young people, students, women, and inhabitants of Brazil, Italy and Spain. Most variables correlate with each other in a statistically significant way as theoretically expected. Conclusions. Due to the complexity of the pandemic, there are differences in terms of contagion containment measures, restrictions, laws and sanctions, government and health authorities’ management, type of information disseminated by media, resources available for diagnoses, treatments and aid, number of infections and deaths, job and economic losses, that significantly affect the impact in mental health worldwide. The results of the present research contribute to the understanding of mental, emotional and behavioral reactions of people across different countries and according to sociodemographic characteristics and underline the urgency of monitoring mental health in vulnerable groups, in order to design specific prevention and intervention programs

“Ten days of paid incarceration and mental torture” experiences of quarantined individuals arriving in the UK from red listed countries in southern Africa amid the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has affected many communities across the world prompting different strategies of containing it. The strategies to contain COVID-19 included restrictive environments such as self-isolation and quarantine. This research study was set to explore the experiences of quarantined individuals arriving in the United Kingdom (UK) from red listed countries in Southern Africa. This research study utilises an exploratory qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from twenty-five research participants. A thematic approach underpinning the four phases of data analysis in The Silence Framework (TSF) was used to analyse the data. The study found that the research participants reported confinement, dehumanisation, feeling swindled, depressed, anxious and stigmatised. Less restrictive and non-oppressive quarantine regimes should be considered to foster positive mental health outcomes on individuals undergoing quarantine during pandemics

Unintended health and societal consequences of international travel measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review

RATIONALE FOR REVIEW International travel measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic represent a relatively intrusive form of non-pharmaceutical intervention. To inform decision-making on the (re)implementation, adaptation, relaxation or suspension of such measures, it is essential to not only assess their effectiveness but also their unintended effects. This scoping review maps existing empirical studies on the unintended consequences, both predicted and unforeseen, and beneficial or harmful, of international travel measures. We searched multiple health, non-health and COVID-19-specific databases. The evidence was charted in a map in relation to the study design, intervention and outcome categories identified and discussed narratively. KEY FINDINGS Twenty-three studies met our inclusion criteria-nine quasi-experimental, two observational, two mathematical modelling, six qualitative, and four mixed-methods studies. Studies addressed different population groups across various countries worldwide. Seven studies provided information on unintended consequences of the closure of national borders, six looked at international travel restrictions, and three investigated mandatory quarantine of international travelers. No studies looked at entry and/or exit screening at national borders exclusively, however six studies considered this intervention in combination with other international travel measures. In total, eleven studies assessed various combinations of the aforementioned interventions. The outcomes were mostly referred to by the authors as harmful. Fifteen studies identified a variety of economic consequences, six reported on aspects related to quality of life, well-being, and mental health, and five on social consequences. One study each provided information on equity, equality, and the fair distribution of benefits and burdens, environmental consequences and health system consequences. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS This scoping review represents the first step towards a systematic assessment of the unintended benefits and harms of international travel measures during COVID-19. The key research gaps identified might be filled with targeted primary research, as well as the additional consideration of gray literature and non-empirical studies

Social consequences of mass quarantine during epidemics: a systematic review with implications for the COVID-19 response.

Four billion people worldwide have experienced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) confinement. Such unprecedented extent of mobility restriction to curb the COVID-19 pandemic may have profound impacts on how individuals live, travel and retain well-being. This systematic review aims to identify (i) the social consequences of mass quarantine-community-wide movement restrictions-during previous and current infectious disease outbreaks and (ii) recommended strategies to mitigate the negative social implications of COVID-19 lockdowns. Considering social determinants of health, we conducted a systematic review by searching five databases (Ovid-MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and the World Health Organization COVID-19 database) for publications from inception to 9 April 2020. No limitation was set on language, location or study type. Studies that (i) contained peer-reviewed original empirical evidence and (ii) focussed on non-epidemiological implications of mass quarantine were included. We thematically synthesized and reported data due to heterogeneous disease and country context. Of 3067 publications found, 15 original peer-reviewed articles were selected for full-text extraction. Psychological distress, heightened communication inequalities, food insecurity, economic challenges, diminished access to health care, alternative delivery of education and gender-based violence were identified as negative social consequences of community-based quarantine in six infectious disease epidemics, including the current COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, altruistic attitudes were identified as a positive consequence during previous quarantines. Diverse psychological and social consequences of mass quarantine in previous and current epidemics were evident, but individual country policies had been highly varied in how well they addressed the needs of affected individuals, especially those who are socially marginalized. Policymakers should balance the pros and cons of movement restrictions, facilitate multisectoral action to tackle social inequalities, provide clear and coherent guidance to the public and undertake time-bound policy evaluations to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 lockdowns and to establish preparedness strategies for future epidemics

Mental health, quality of life and optimism during the covid-19 pandemic: a comparison between Brazil and Portugal

Purpose Although there have been numerous studies investigating the mental health of individuals during the pandemic, a comparison between countries is still scarce in the literature. To explore this gap, the present study aimed to compare the mental health (i.e., anxiety and depression), quality of life (QoL), and optimism/pessimism among individuals from Brazil and Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated factors. Method A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and Portugal. Data collection was carried out between May and June 2020, using an online form which was sent through social networks. A total of 2069 participants (1156 from Brazil and 913 from Portugal) were included. Depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), Anxiety (GAD-7), optimism/pessimism (Revised Life Orientation Test – LOT), QoL (WHOQOL-Bref), and sociodemographic, health, and social distancing variables were assessed. Data was analyzed using univariate and multivariate models. Results There were remarkable diferences between Brazil and Portugal in all outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, including higher levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and optimism for the Brazilian individuals and higher levels of QoL and pessimism for the Portuguese individuals. The following factors were associated with the mental health and QoL in both Brazilian and Portuguese populations: gender, age, being a healthcare professional, and days in social distancing. Conclusion Despite the fact that Brazilians were more optimistic during the COVID-19 pandemic, they had lower levels of mental health and QoL as compared to the Portuguese individuals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio