Medical education and mental health during COVID-19: a survey across 9 countries

Objectives: To investigate students' experience with medical education alongside their mental and physical health since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic across nine countries. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was distributed by local collaborators to 2,280 medical students across 148 medical schools in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and Venezuela using non-probability convenience sampling from June 22 to July 24, 2020. Students answered questions regarding teaching, internet use, COVID-19, physical and mental well-being. A multivariate logistic regression examined factors associated with depressed mood, insomnia, and headache. Results: Academic teaching shifted to a virtual (67%, n=1,534) or hybrid environment (23%, n=531), whilst bedside teaching was suspended or cancelled (93%, n=2,120). Across all countries students were equally satisfied with the teaching modality, quantity, quality, and the evaluation system of in-person, hybrid, and online curricula. Negative changes in mental (40% (n=912) insomnia, 57% (n=1,300) emotional irritability, 47% (n=1,072) emotional instability, 41% (n=935) anhedonia, 40% (n=912) depressed mood) and physical (36% (n=821) headache, 57% (n=1,299) ocular tiredness, 49% (n=1,117) backache) health symptoms were frequently observed. Positive associations between the number of daily screen hours and depressed mood (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.09, 95%CI: 1.05-1.12, p<.001), insomnia (AOR=1.08, 95%CI: 1.05-1.11, p<.001), and headache (AOR=1.11, 95%CI: 1.07-1.14, p<.001) were identified. Conclusions: Students' experience with digital and hybrid medical curricula was diverse during the pandemic. Education modality, quantity, and quality were positively evaluated. However, students' mental and physical health worsened. Besides bedside teaching, faculties ought to digitalize and strengthen social communities and extend support services for students

The Impacts of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Family Relations among Saudi Family Members

The current research aimed at investigating the psychological, social and economic impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on family relations from parents’ viewpoints. In addition, it aimed at presenting proposed strategies to reduce the negative impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on family relations. To achieve the research objectives, the researcher followed the descriptive analytical research design. The research instruments included a questionnaire designed to verify the most significant psychological, social and economic impacts, and the most effective proposed strategies. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of parents of some Saudi families. Results showed that there was a high percentage of agreement ranged between (50.86: 84.20) about the negative psychological impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on family relations. Nevertheless, there was a high percentage of agreement ranged between (68.40: 85.93) about the positive social impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on family relations, whereas there was a high percentage of agreement ranged between (68.40: 80.99) about the negative economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemic on family relations. This meant that the pandemic had significant negative psychological and economic impacts on family relations, whereas it had considerable positive social impacts. Additionally, all the proposed strategies to reduce the negative impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on family relations indicated high percentage of agreement ranged between (80.74: 88.64). Furthermore, some recommendations were also presented, the most important of which is preparing group counseling programs to train all Family members, i.e. Parents and their children, on communication and problem-solving skills during Coronavirus pandemic

Impact of COVID-19 on Student’s Emotional and Financial Aspects in the Higher Learning Institutions

Purpose- This paper aims to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the student’s financial and emotional aspect at one of Malaysia's higher learning institutions (HLI). Design/Methodology- The data collected from the online questionnaires involved 397 students and were analyzed using SPSS. Findings- The findings showed a significant positive association between all variables where the strength range was from r=.556 to r=.565. The highest correlation is the financial aspect (r-value .565) and is followed by the emotional aspect (.556). Next, the results also revealed that both variables were significantly influenced where the R² value was 47.1% while other factors explained the additional 53% of the element. Practical Implications- There are some significant implications identified in this study. First, this study's findings directly impacted the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in terms of financial support and the emotional aspect. Second, the result indicated that the university should also consider other internal and external aspects rather than focus only on improving the learning process. Third, this study would enrich the current body of knowledge about the impact of COVID-19

The Law, Economics, and Governance of Generation COVID-19 Long-Haul

The SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus is an external shock to all societies with lasting impacts that have changed individual, political, and corporate decisions profoundly. Increasing evidence reveals that an estimated 10-50% of those previously infected with COVID-19 face a longer-term or long-term health impact and/or chronic debilitation that in many cases comes and goes in waves. This phenomenon has already been referred to as a pandemic within the pandemic. The broad-based and long-term impact of COVID Long Haulers have also holds the potential to change our world and modern society, lasting through the following three outlined speculative trends: (1) The coronavirus crisis has widened novel and already existing inequalities, of which the rather surprising finance performance versus real economy liquidity constraint gap led to unequal emotional and sociopsychological crisis fallout propensities. Corporate governance and political economy power dynamics may shift in the eye of Long Haulers’ relation to work and a healthy, productive environment. Employers will likely face pressure to create a safe and secure working environment but also have rising tort liability risks that may be mitigated by hiring health consulting agents. Proactive care for maintaining a healthy workforce and the overall long-term well-being of employees, including preventive care in teams, will become an essential corporate feature to attract qualified labor, whose bargaining power increased in the eye of labor shortages in direct contact industries and positions. (2) Long Haulers may initiate an artificial intelligence revolution of self-monitoring and constant health status tracking, but also democratization of healthcare information. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data offer essential complements to fill in for long-haul attention and productivity deficits that may occur in waves. Long Haulers have already found themselves in online self-help groups – such as Survivor Corps – for quick and unbureaucratic information exchange about an emerging group phenomenon. Social online media platforms served as an easy remedy during a time when a surge of severe COVID cases precluded COVID hospitalization. Nowadays, COVID long-haul patients have become – more than ever before – citizen scientists that bundle decentralized information on their health status and potential remedies in order to inform the medical profession about newly emerging trends. The rise in medical self-help and mutual support will have profound implications for the regulation of the medical profession and will likely stretch the medical remedy spectrum and boost alternative medicine. In the online exchange of sensitive information about one’s health status, citizen scientists are also particularly vulnerable in terms of their privacy, potentially even more susceptible to online marketing campaigns under medically impaired conditions, but also because of their sensitive information having been publicly disclosed online over time. (3) As historical precedents show, Generation COVID Long-Haul partially being recognized as a disability may result in increased pressures to reform social, healthcare, and retirement systems. Given waves of debilitation, the analysis of macroeconomic aggregates will have to change in order to reflect a more diversified and temporal view of social preferences. Future economic policy research may take inspiration from the legal concept of disparate impact. Behavioral insights on how to navigate the world with attention deficits and uncertainty may focus on developing an idea of the economic benefits of rest by incorporating preferences for minimalism in a turbulent world longing for recovery

Being a PhD student in the age of COVID-19: Reflections from the 2019 Faculty of Education cohort of the University of Ottawa

In March 2020, the University of Ottawa, like many other universities across Canada and the world, transitioned to online learning in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This shift resulted in confusion, anxiety, and uncertainty as students had to adjust their schedules, their study habits, and, for some, their living situation. Within the Faculty of Education, the 2019 PhD student cohort wondered how the shift to online learning would affect their work and their research. This paper outlines the experiences of 12 members of this cohort. By writing this paper, we hope to not only share our feelings with other scholars, but to validate the feelings of other students across Canada. Although this paper is intended for graduate students, we feel that the sentiments and experiences expressed here may also offer valuable insight for both University and College administration

COVID-19 induced psychosocial challenges in South African higher education: Experiences of staff and students at two rural universities

Although the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education and mental health of the university environment is relatively unknown, it is expected to be very significant considering the high incidence of emotional reactions amongst university students and staff. &nbsp;While fears around COVID-19 exposure, anxieties, and the challenges of support normalize stress, anxiety, and depression as emotional reactions in the face of the pandemic, this psychosocial impact has negative consequences for the university community. Thus, in order to salvage the higher education institutions from the debilitating effects of the pandemic, there is a clear need to safeguard the welfare of students and staff. Hence, it becomes vital to examine the experience of members of the university community during the COVID-19 crisis in order to develop measures and implement interventions that will assist in navigating psychosocial challenges. To achieve this objective, the study employed a mixed-method research approach in which data was collected using web-based survey and online interviews. Concurrent triangulation sampling technique was employed to select a sample of fifteen (15) students, five (5) university managers, and five (5) lecturers – making twenty-five (25) respondents at each of the two universities, thus making a cumulative total of fifty (50) at two (2) rural universities in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Thus, qualitative and quantitative data collected were analysed concurrently by first reporting the qualitative findings and then comparing them to the quantitative findings. Findings revealed that although the university environment traditionally provided opportunities for strengthening social ties which satisfy the universal need to belong to a community, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered rural university life, thus, significantly impacting on psychosocial wellbeing. The study recommends that rural institutions must facilitate psychosocial wellness programming with the assistance of wider stakeholders such as the government and the private sector who can assist in financing this initiative

Editorial: Beyond the Factory Paradigm: Digital Nomadism and the Digital Future(s) of Knowledge Work Post-COVID-19

What are the potential futures of knowledge work, given its transformation into almost exclusively digital work during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis? Our ongoing research program on digital nomadism informs a Hegelian dialectical analysis and an envisioning of the future(s) of knowledge work. We contrast the Factory paradigm of work (thesis), exemplified by the “ideal type” of the 9-to-5 corporate worker, with the Hypermobility paradigm of work (antithesis), exemplified by the ideal type of the digital nomad. Reflecting on this contrast, we envision the possible digital futures of knowledge work as a continuous spectrum, ranging from a future based on the Digital Taylorism paradigm of work to a future based on the Worker Autonomy paradigm of work. These futures are discussed in terms of different approaches to organizing work, working with technology, delineating work/life boundaries, and provisioning the social safety net. IS researchers are uniquely positioned to perform research and inform decision-making in all these areas, and thus make a difference in determining whether the future we end up with more closely resembles Digital Taylorism or the Worker Autonomy vision

The Effect of Psychological Well-Being on Students’ Perception of Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to a global lockdown, and universities have shifted to online learning. Despite the various efforts made by universities for students' online learning during the pandemic, not much has been identified about how students perceived online learning and how it affected their psychological well-being (PWB). This study examines the differences between male and female students' perceptions of online learning during the pandemic. A quantitative research design was used to measure the effect of PWB among students on online learning during the pandemic. The population consisted of first-year students in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) from Bachelor of Technology programs; hence, 127 respondents were sampled. A validated researcher-developed questionnaire was used to test the reliability of the study. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Spearman Rho correlation and Mann-Whitney U were used to test the hypotheses at a p-value less than 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed a PWB effect on students' perceptions of online learning. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between genders affected by PWB in students' perceptions of online learning during the pandemic. Therefore, it is recommended to focus on one of the six elements of PWB regarding the perception of online learning among students

Educational intervention on the Use of Zoom for Spanish speaking Families

Rebekah Children Services is a non-profit agency that implements the Family Resource Center to provide additional resources such as workshops and home items, for families in need of child and family behavioral services; especially to the low-income Spanish-speaking families in the Gilroy community. The macro level problem is clients not receiving assistance for their mental health needs. The micro level problem is the decrease in parent engagement with the FRC online services. The purpose of this project is to increase parent engagement with online workshops via zoom. The project will promote the knowledge of technology to be easily accessible to parents that are unsure of how to use these platforms. As a result of this project, parents\u27 knowledge about how to access online services and their engagement in FRC workshops increased by participating more in online workshops and classes. By providing this how to guide video to clients, children and staff