Young People's Risk Perception and Experience in Connection with COVID-19

Acceptability of restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based survey in Denmark and Sweden

Introduction

Denmark and Sweden initially adopted different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic although the two countries share many characteristics. Denmark responded swiftly with many mandatory restrictions. In contrast, Sweden relied on voluntary restrictions and a more "relaxed" response during the first wave of the pandemic. However, increased rates of COVID-19 cases led to a new approach that involved many more mandatory restrictions, thus making Sweden's response similar to Denmark's in the second wave of the pandemic.

Aim

The aim was to investigate and compare the extent to which the populations in Denmark and Sweden considered the COVID-19 restrictions to be acceptable during the first two waves of the pandemic. The study also aimed to identify the characteristics of those who were least accepting of the restrictions in the two countries.

Materials and methods

Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in Denmark and Sweden in 2021. The study population was sampled from nationally representative web panels in the two countries, consisting of 2,619 individuals from Denmark and 2,633 from Sweden. The questionnaire captured key socio-demographic characteristics. Acceptability was operationalized based on a theoretical framework consisting of seven constructs and one overarching construct.

Results

The respondents' age and gender patterns were similar in the two countries. The proportion of respondents in Denmark who agreed with the statements ("agree" alternative) that captured various acceptability constructs was generally higher for the first wave than the second wave of the pandemic. The opposite pattern was seen for Sweden. In Denmark, 66% in the first wave and 50% in the second wave were accepting of the restrictions. The corresponding figures for Sweden was 42% (first wave) and 47% (second wave). Low acceptance of the restrictions, defined as the 25% with the lowest total score on the seven acceptability statements, was associated with younger age, male gender and lower education levels.

Conclusion

Respondents in Sweden were more accepting of the restrictions in the second wave, when the country used many mandatory restrictions. In contrast, respondents in Denmark were more accepting of the restrictions in the first wave than in the second wave, implying an increased weariness to comply with the restrictions over time. There were considerable socio-demographic differences between those who expressed low acceptance of the restrictions and the others in both countries, suggesting the importance of tailoring communication about the pandemic to different segments of the population.

Suicide risk among undergraduate students in Brazil in the periods before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: results of the SABES-Grad national survey

BACKGROUND

Undergraduate students present high rates of psychological distress, including suicide risk. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this scenario may have been aggravated. Thus, the objective of the current study was to evaluate changes in the suicide risk rate from the period before to during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the factors associated with this outcome among Brazilian undergraduate students.

METHODS

This was a nationwide survey carried out in Brazil with a cross-sectional design, including two data collection periods: a single-center in-person collection in 2019 and another multicenter online collection in 2020/2021. Data were collected using self-administered instruments. The outcome was a high risk of suicide, measured through the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Analyses were carried out on data from two periods, i.e. before and during the pandemic (bivariate analysis and interaction tests), and a model of associated factors (multivariate analysis using Poisson regression) was developed including all participating universities distributed in the five regions of Brazil.

RESULTS

In total, 6716 Brazilian undergraduate students participated (996 in 2019 and 5720 in 2020/2021). The prevalence of a high suicide risk rose from 11.3% to 17.0%, especially among women and poorer individuals. The prevalence of a high risk of suicide among Brazilian undergraduates was 19.6% and was associated with several socioeconomic, academic, pandemic, and mental health factors.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of a high suicide risk increased from prepandemic to during the pandemic, appearing to be largely influenced by social determinants, in conjunction with the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic.

'We are unlikely to return to the same world, and I do not want it to destroy my future.' Young people's worries through the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic

This study aims to explore what worries youth were having during the seventh to ninth week of the COVID-19 lockdown. Our findings build on the responses to an open-ended survey question from 1314 youths. The worries covered three main themes: 'That my mom dies, then I am left all alone': worries related to COVID-19 virus infection; 'To me, this is lost youth': worries about the consequences of measures for the present life and near future; and 'I will face a very difficult life in the future': worries about the consequences of measures for the outlook on life. Young people worried that the measures would have a huge impact on their present life and outlook on life. The costs of restriction measures were unevenly distributed and indicated that the measures affected their mental health. Listening to youth voices during the pandemic is important for practitioners, educators and policymakers. The results indicate that the threshold for closing schools also including the provision of distance learning should be kept high. Social and health services for youth should offer early intervention and be prepared for an escalation in mental health problems in the imminent future.

Assessing Student Perceptions of a Norwegian University's COVID-19 Response Strategy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aim: This study aims to investigate Norwegian students' perceptions toward a higher education institution (HEI)'s COVID-19 response strategy, differentiating between three behavioral techniques: informing (i. e., email updates about COVID-19), nudging (i.e., visual cues as reminders), and creating novel opportunities (i.e., provision of antibacterial dispensers). In addition, the study assesses to what extent these perceptions are influenced by COVID-19 related psychological factors: risk perception; attitudes toward infection prevention and control (IPC) behaviors; perceived behavior control; institutional trust.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among a student population. The survey was developed to evaluate the HEI's response strategy, and distinct perceptions of COVID-19 and related practices. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to estimate the effect of the psychological factors on the attitude toward different behavioral techniques.

Results: Creating novel opportunities was perceived most positively from the students, secondly, informing the students through email updates about COVID-19, finally, reminders through visual cues. Institutional trust presented the largest positive effect on informing the students through email updates, while no effect was measured for reminders. Attitudes toward IPC behaviors showed the strongest effect on students' perceptions of new opportunities and reminders, whereas providing email updates about COVID-19 is less affected by pre-existing perceptions.

Conclusions: A host of factors such as institutional trust, and perceptions concerning IPC measures and risk severity, influence students' perceptions of different behavior change techniques. This type of knowledge can contribute to understanding how perceptions can impact acceptance and adoption of specific preventive measures within a pandemic response. An assessment as such may result in more ethical and relevant future efforts.

An Examination of COVID-19-Related Stressors among Parents

The circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic have taken a psychological toll on parents. Thus, understanding the impact of these contextual stressors on parents is important to help inform the development of family-based health promotion interventions. The present study examined parents' perception of various sources of stress resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N = 294) completed an open-ended question about their primary source of stress during the pandemic, which we coded into one or more of the following categories: family, work, health, and finance. We used chi-square tests to determine whether gender, marital status, financial strain, and education level were significantly related to each of the four primary sources of stress. We found that female, married, and financially strained participants were more likely to report family-related stressors. Further, we found that participants who expressed concern over health-related stressors were more likely to have pre-existing health conditions. Finally, we found that single participants were more likely to express concerns over financial stressors. Our findings shed light on parental concerns following the pandemic and inform new research directions, clinical approaches, and policy issues at the individual, community, and societal levels.