Fear of COVID-19: Psychological distress and coping among university students in Ghana

Psychological well-being and job performance of nurses and midwives amidst COVID-19 in Ghana; a multi-group analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of psychological well-being on job performance among nurses and midwives in rural and urban hospitals in Ghana amidst COVID-19. The study adopted a purely quantitative approach, using the explanatory research design. Data were collected from 262 nurses and midwives in two selected hospitals in the Central Region of Ghana. The Structural Equation Modelling was used to analyze the data collected. The results revealed that the levels of psychological well-being and job performance were high in both hospitals amidst the pandemic. Further, it was observed that although psychological well- being had significant influence on job performance among the nurses and midwives in both rural and urban communities, the effect was more significant in the urban settlements. Given these findings, the study recommended that in order to effectively improve the job performance of nurses and midwives, management must adopt policies such as, flexible work arrangements, leave policy, and counselling services to support their psychological well-being.

Study on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Chinese college students: a cross-sectional analysis

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health of college students, prompting the need for universities to implement measures to mitigate these adverse effects. This study aims to assess the mental health status and mitigation measures of college students, identify the primary factors contributing to their mental health challenges, and provide suggestions for educational institutions to reduce negative psychological impacts.

Methods

In February 2023, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 1,445 college students. Statistical analysis was performed on the survey results, and multiple regression models were used to identify significant influencing factors and optimize the model.

Results

The study revealed correlations between factors affecting mental health during the pandemic, with interactions observed among some factors. Significant differences in mental health status were found among different groups of college students based on their information-sharing habits through apps and engagement in thesis research. Multiple regression analysis indicated that conducting academic research related to COVID-19 significantly increased the psychological stress of college students during the pandemic (p = 0.043). Among all mitigation measures, playing games demonstrated significant effectiveness in model analysis (p = 0.047). The optimization of the model showed that the multiple regression model considering the interaction of factors was more effective.

Conclusion

Our research identifies crucial factors influencing the mental health of college students and investigates the mental health status of various student groups. We recommend that educational institutions adopt proactive strategies and a multifaceted approach to support the mental health of college students and address potential issues that may arise.

Coping, health anxiety, and stress among health professionals during Covid-19, Cape Coast, Ghana

The aim of this study is to investigate coping strategies, health anxiety and stress among healthcare professionals in selected hospitals in the Cape Coast Metropolis during the Covid 19 pandemic. This study adopted the Descriptive survey design. The Multistage sampling technique was used to select 322 health professionals. The health professionals included Medical Officers, Physician Assistants and Nurses. Data were gathered using the Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI-SF), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Brief-COPE Inventory. Analyses were conducted using mean and standard deviation, ANOVA as well as Independent Samples t-test. Results indicate that Health professionals adopted diverse coping strategies ranging from positive to negative coping style to overcome the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results also indicate that coping strategies significantly influenced health anxiety levels of health professionals, and that Active Coping is a significant determinant of stress among health professionals. Male health professionals had significantly more health anxiety than females. However, gender was not a significant factor in the experiences of stress. Lastly, age of health professionals does not determine the type of coping strategy they adopted during the pandemic.

Effects of smartphone-based hypnotic intervention for undergraduate students' shyness during the COVID-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, university students have been exposed to a heightened vulnerability towards developing psychological issues, such as psychological distress and shyness. Internet-based interventions offer a convenient avenue for scalability, thus prompting the development of a smartphone-based hypnotic intervention aimed at addressing shyness among university students.

OBJECTIVE

We devised an innovative smartphone-based hypnotic intervention called mHypnosis to examine its impact on shyness among undergraduate students. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate whether the apprehension of negative evaluations before treatment could serve as a predictor for the effectiveness of the intervention on shyness.

METHODS

Eighty students with high shyness scores were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. Another 40 participants with low shyness score were selected as the baseline group. The Shyness Scale (SS), Fear of Negative evaluation scale (FNE), Self-Acceptance Questionnaire (SAQ), and Self-Esteem Scale (SES) were used to evaluate the effect of hypnotic intervention.

RESULTS

Before the intervention, the scores of the experimental and control groups on the SS, FNE, SAQ, and SES were higher than those in the baseline group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in scores between the experimental and control group (p > 0.05). After the intervention, the scores of the SS, FNE, SAQ, and SES were significantly lower in the experimental group than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The pretest score of FNE could predict the shyness score after hypnotic intervention (B = 0.35, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Smartphone-based hypnotic intervention had a significant effect on ameliorating shyness during the COVID-19 pandemic; fear of negative evaluation can be a target for treating shyness.

Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Outcomes for Israelis With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Community

This study is among the first pre-post examinations to explore differences in subjective well-being, adaptive and maladaptive behavior, close relationships, community integration, family members' satisfaction with residential and community living settings, and family contact before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants demonstrated better life satisfaction and adaptive behavior before COVID-19 than after COVID-19. Participants reported closer relationships with family members and peers before COVID-19 and closer relationships with staff members after COVID-19. The findings reveal mixed, although mostly negative, effects of the pandemic on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the community in Israel, in accord with extant comparative research.

Postpandemic fear of COVID-19, psychological distress, and resilient coping among frontline health workers in Ghana: An analytical cross-sectional study

Background and Aims

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted the psychological well-being of healthcare workers globally. However, little is known about the mental health state of frontline health workers in the postpandemic era. The purpose of this study was to examine postpandemic COVID-19-related psychological distress and fear among frontline health workers in Ghana.

Methods

Data were collected from 245 frontline healthcare workers in the Western region of Ghana. COVID-19-related fear, psychological distress, and resilient coping were assessed with the fear of COVID-19 scale, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale, respectively. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the association between psychological distress and fear of COVID-19 as well as the moderating effects of resilient coping.

Results

Participants were mostly female (57.1%), aged between 21 and 30 years (50.6%), and not married (58.0%). We found that 52.2% of frontline healthcare workers experienced mild-to-severe fear, while 40% experienced psychological distress. Fear of COVID-19, previous contact with COVID-19 patients, and earning a monthly income between 501 and 1000 Ghanaian cedis were significantly associated with higher psychological distress. The positive association between fear of COVID-19 and psychological distress was stronger among frontline health workers who had higher resilient coping.

Conclusion

There is the need to provide frontline health workers with mental health support services to promote their psychological well-being and enhance their ability to provide quality care during the postpandemic era.

Crisis Experience and Purpose in Life in Men and Women: The Mediating Effect of Gratitude and Fear of COVID-19

AIM

This study investigated whether gratitude and fear of COVID-19 mediated the relationship between crisis experience during the pandemic and purpose in life in men and women.

METHODS

Six hundred and five participants aged between 18 and 60 years (M = 25.6; SD = 8.39) completed the Gratitude, Resentment, and Appreciation Scale-Short Form (GRAT-S), Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Purpose in Life Test (PIL). In addition, the respondents were questioned about life crises during the previous six months (e.g., the death of a loved one or illness).

RESULTS

Men and women differed in their endorsement of gratitude or fear of COVID-19 as a mediator. Women's experiences of the crisis related both directly and indirectly to purpose in life, with gratitude and fear of COVID-19 mediating this relationship. In men, only the indirect path, from crisis experience, through gratitude, to purpose in life, turned out to be significant.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study suggest that coping styles differ in men and women and, as a consequence, that crisis interventions need to take gender into account.

Exploring the linkage between workplace precaution measures, covid-19 fear and job performance: The moderating effect of academic competence

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has created emerging mental health challenges around the world. Like other countries, Pakistan is also confronted with covid-19 calamities. The aim of the study is to examine the impacts of workplace measures (WM) on the job performance (JP) and covid-19 fears (CF) along with the moderating role of academic competence (AC) based on the organizational support theory (OST) and job demand and resources (JDR) theory. A quantitative approach was applied to collect data from 333 banking employees in Gujranwala (Pakistan), and the hypothesis were tested via structural equation modeling using SPSS and AMOS. The study findings indicate that workplace measures significantly affect covid-19 fears except for individual preventive measures (IPM). Similarly, workplace measures significantly impact on job performance apart from information about the pandemic (IAP). Moreover, academic competence insignificantly moderates between workplace measures and covid-19 fears, but a significant moderation is found between information about pandemic (IAP) and covid-19 fears. Meanwhile, academic competence significantly moderates between workplace measures and job performance instead of a relationship between information about pandemic and job performance. However, this study was limited only to the banking sector of Pakistan. So, it will open the doors for future researchers to investigate other cultural contexts and sectors. This research gives a holistic understanding of workplace measures and contributes to the body of knowledge by enlightening the moderating role of academic competence in the banking sector of Pakistan. These useful insights would enable practitioners and policy makers to develop more efficient strategies and workplace measures to enhance job performance and reduce the fears of covid-19 among employees.

Fear of Covid-19 and perceived academic safety: the buffering role of personal resources

Purpose

The study investigates the moderating effect of personal resources, including optimism and resilience, on the link between fear of Covid-19 and perceptions of academic safety among university students in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 618 students took part in the research by completing an online self-reported questionnaire. The respondents were chosen using a simple random sample method. The data was processed and analysed using IBM SPSS version 24 and SEM-PLS, respectively.

Findings

Results reveal fear of Covid-19 positively influence students' perception of academic safety. Furthermore, both resilience and optimism mitigate the impact of fear of Covid-19 on students' perceptions of academic safety.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine personal resources as a moderator between fear of Covid-19 and students' perceptions of academic safety. Practical and theoretical implications are added to the text.

Fear of COVID-19, death depression and death anxiety: Religious coping as a mediator

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the well-being and mental health of populations worldwide. This study sought to examine whether religious coping mediated the relationship between COVID-19-related fear and death distress. We administered an online survey to 390 adult participants (66.15% females; Mage = 30.85 ± 10.19 years) across Turkey. Participants completed a series of questionnaires measuring the fear they had experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, their levels of religious coping and their levels of death anxiety and depression. Our findings revealed that (a) fear of COVID-19 was associated with positive religious coping, negative religious coping, death anxiety and death distress; (b) negative religious coping was associated with death anxiety and depression and (c) negative religious coping mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and death anxiety and depression. These results highlight the detrimental effect of negative religious coping in increasing the adverse effect of the COVID-19 fear on death depression.

A cross-sectional study of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on camped refugees in Ghana

Vulnerable populations such as camped refugees are often exposed to spread of infectious diseases because of their living conditions, limited resources available to them and exclusion from social services. This study examined the psychological state of camped refugees in Ghana during the COVID-19 pandemic and how their background characteristics predict the severity of the pandemic's psychological impact. It covered 763 refugees aged 15 years and above resident in two (Krisan = 316 and Ampain = 447) camps. Nine COVID-19 Anxiety Scale indicators were used to examine the psychological state of camped refugees. A composite indicator was derived to examine the overall psychological impact. Logistic regression was used to examine the factors that were associated with severe psychological impact. The multivariate analysis revealed that sex of the respondent, marital status and age of head of household were the only socio-demographic factors associated with having a severe psychological impact of the pandemic. There was very strong evidence that respondents who had moderate (OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.12, 2.7) and high (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.05, 2.63) knowledge of the disease had increased odds of severe psychological impact. Also, those with moderate (OR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.78, 4.97) and high (OR = 12.98, 95% CI = 7.86, 21.42) adherence had increased odds of severe psychological impact. None of the pre-existing health conditions and challenges were not significantly associated with severe psychological impact. The limited number of significant socio-demographic covariates suggests that severe psychological impact of the pandemic was a problem in the general population, and thus interventions should target the general population of camped refugees. Also, health education should not only focus on enhancing knowledge and promoting preventive measures but also on managing psychological distress.

Are Attitudes towards COVID-19 Pandemic Related to Subjective Physical and Mental Health?

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between a person's psychological distress, subjective physical health and their attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation was performed on the basis of data from two waves of the Saxon Longitudinal Study, carried out in 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2021. The number of study participants in both waves was 291. We tested in autoregressive cross-lagged models the stability of the respondents' health status before and during the pandemic and reviewed their influence on attitudes towards COVID-19. Our results show that COVID-19-related concerns are controlled by subjective physical health, while pandemic denial is linked to psychological distress. In an unknown and critical situation, with limited control over the situation, the strategy of avoidance or suppression may be used by individuals for protection by psychologically downplaying the stressor and danger.

Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of gender

Background

COVID-19 and its associated social restrictive measures and lockdowns exacerbated the use of social media and other technological facilities for communication. This study, therefore, examined Ghanaian students’ social media use and its relationship with fear of COVID-19, paying close attention to the moderating role of gender.

Methods

A correlational online survey was used to collect data from a purposive sample of 209 University students in June and July 2020. Participants completed online measures on social media use and fear of COVID-19. Statistical analyses including independent-t test, Pearson correlation test and moderation analysis in PROCESS were conducted using SPSS v.24.

Results

Findings revealed that the mean scores of social media use and fear of COVID-19 did not statistically differ by gender. However, social media use had a small and positive association with fear of COVID-19 (r = 0.18, p = 0.009). Furthermore, gender was a significant moderator of the relationship between social media use and fear of COVID-19. Specifically, the increased use of social media resulted in greater experiences of fearing COVID-19 for females (B = − 0.24, p = 0.034) compared to males.

Conclusion

Although social media was useful in connecting with people and accessing pandemic-related information, our findings clearly suggest that overuse or over-engagement with social media was problematic, especially for females. Aside from developing interventions to reduce students’ fears of COVID-19, appropriate usage of social media should be advocated.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Perception on Job Stress of Construction Workers

Construction has been regarded as one of the most stressful industries, and the COVID-19 pandemic has deteriorated this situation. This research developed and tested a model of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic perception on job stress of construction workers. Both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping were considered as mediators. Empirical data were collected using a detailed questionnaire from the Chinese construction industry. The results showed that pandemic perception was significantly related to psychological and physical stress. Emotion-focused coping was mainly triggered by pandemic fear and job insecurity, while problem-focused coping was mainly triggered by organizational pandemic response. Furthermore, the effects of pandemic fear and organizational pandemic response on job stress were mediated by problem-focused coping. Finally, the theoretical and practical significance, research limitations, and future research directions of this study are discussed.

Probable Bruxism and Psychological Issues among Dental Students in Serbia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the routine way of life, having consequences in many segments of life, including dental practice and education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of probable bruxism in a sample of dental students in Serbia and to estimate the potential association between psychological factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the presence of bruxism. A cross-sectional study included 178 dental students in Serbia, who were interviewed using a specially-designed self-administered online questionnaire, which consisted of three sections, and after that, a clinical examination for the presence of bruxism symptoms in the oral cavity. Psychological status was evaluated using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Saliva samples were taken to analyze salivary cortisol levels. The prevalence of probable bruxism was 34.8%. Respondents with probable bruxism had significantly higher DASS-21 and FCV-19S scores and mean values of salivary cortisol compared to non-bruxers. A history of COVID-19 infection, high stress, and fear of COVID-19 scores were associated with the presence of probable bruxism. The findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a great psychological impact and impact on the presence and worsening of bruxism symptoms in a sample of dental students in Serbia.

Development and Validation of an Inventory for Stressful Situations in University Students Involving Coping Mechanisms: An Interesting Cultural Mix in Ghana

Cognitive and behavioural coping strategies are relevant approaches for individuals such as university students as they attempt to manage stressful situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other academic-related pursuits within their social milieu. Although several instruments have been developed to measure the coping situations of such individuals, few studies have developed students’ specific coping inventories, with none in the African context. Of the few that exist, a culturally dominant code such as religion has been ignored by many scholars in the development of coping measures. In this study, a cultural-mix coping inventory was developed and validated using university students in Ghana. Two distinct interrelated objectives were addressed. First, the structure of the coping inventory was identified through principal component analysis. Further confirmatory factor as well as reliability analyses were then performed to provide evidence of construct validity of the scale. The outcome of the study revealed a sixteen-item psychometrically sound coping inventory with a four-dimensional structure, namely, active coping, religious coping, behaviour disengagement, and emotional support. The implications of the results are further discussed in detail.