Examining the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic: an international cross-sectional study protocol

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed people to significant and prolonged stress. The psychosocial impacts of the pandemic have been well recognised and reported in high-income countries (HICs) but it is important to understand the unique challenges posed by COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where limited international comparisons have been undertaken. This protocol was therefore devised to study the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in seven LMICs using scales that had been designed for or translated for this purpose.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This cross-sectional study uses an online survey to administer a novel COVID Psychosocial Impacts Scale (CPIS) alongside established measures of psychological distress, post-traumatic stress, well-being and post-traumatic growth in the appropriate language. Participants will include adults aged 18 years and above, recruited from Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Somalia and Turkey, with a pragmatic target sample size of 500 in each country.Data will be analysed descriptively on sociodemographic and study variables. In addition, CPIS will be analysed psychometrically (for reliability and validity) to assess the suitability of use in a given context. Finally, within-subjects and between-subjects analyses will be carried out using multi-level mixed-effect models to examine associations between key sociodemographic and study variables.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval was granted by the Human Ethics Committee, University of Otago, New Zealand (Ref. No. 21/102). In addition, international collaborators obtained local authorisation or ethical approval in their respective host universities before data collection commenced.Participants will give informed consent before taking part. Data will be collected and stored securely on the University of Otago, New Zealand Qualtrics platform using an auto-generated non-identifiable letter-number string. Data will be available on reasonable request. Findings will be disseminated by publications in scientific journals and/or conference presentations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT05052333.

Exploring the Facilitators and Barriers of Social Integration of Patients With Spinal Cord Injuries in Rofeideh Rehabilitation Hospital: A Qualitative Study

Objective People's lives change after unfortunate events such as spinal cord injury, and the people with this injury, as a citizen, face various obstacles and challenges to participate in society. This study explores the barriers and facilitators of social integration of patients with spinal cord injuries in Rofeideh Rehabilitation Hospital. Materials & Methods This research was conducted using Granheim and Lundman's (2004) conventional content analysis. The participants comprised 13 people with spinal cord injury, 4 family caregivers of patients, and 5 rehabilitation service providers in Rofeideh Rehabilitation Hospital, which were selected by purposive sampling. Sampling was continued until data saturation. Data were collected and analyzed using semi-structured in-depth interviews. To evaluate the stability of the data, four criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability proposed by Guba and Lincoln were used. Results Facilitators of social integration of people with spinal cord injury were identified in the 3 main categories and 8 subcategories. The main categories were "social support," "social participation," and "individual beliefs." The barriers to social integration were extracted from participants' experiences and consist of 3 main categories of "environmental and structural barriers," "physical and motor barriers," and "contextual factors" and 6 related subcategories. Conclusion According to the findings of this study, patients with spinal cord injuries face various barriers in order to re-integrate into the community. On the other hand, helpful factors at different levels of individual, family, and social facilitate their social integration process. Recognizing these factors, derived from the deep and rich experiences of people with spinal cord injury, family caregivers, and rehabilitation service providers, can be useful to patients, families, professionals, and policymakers. They can use these experiences to program, design, and implement related interventions to reduce barriers and strengthen facilitators to the social integration of the target group.

Complicated Grief: The Lived Experiences of Those Bereaved By COVID-19

The morbidity and mortality rates of COVID-19 pandemic are increasing, and many families have lost their loved ones. This study explored the experiences of families living in Iran who lost a loved one to COVID-19. The researchers apply a descriptive phenomenological approach and draw on in-depth interviews with 18 family members who had lost at least one family member because of COVID-19. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method. After reviewing and comparing the consistency of the codes, crisis in crisis, circumstances of death and its consequences, and lack of preservation of patient dignity were extracted as main categories. Neglecting grieving families and related issues can lead to delays and difficulties in the process of recovery and intensification of their psychosocial pressures. Acquiring more knowledge about different impacts of COVID-19 will be helpful for providing timely and better rehabilitation.

Reintegration of Ex-Offenders Convicted of Violent Crimes into the Community in the Iranian Context: A Qualitative Study

Community reintegration of ex-offenders is a main issue for reducing recidivism. This article aims to explain the process of reintegration into the community based on the experiences of people who have been convicted of violent crimes in Iran. A qualitative study based on grounded theory was conducted in 2020 in Tehran/Iran. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 26 participants. An institutional review board approved the study. Results indicate that the "worry trap" is the main challenge that those convicted of violent crimes face upon reentry into society. If these individuals are provided with governmental and non-governmental services and support, they can move toward "restoring their lost social capital." The "redefinition of an independent identity" is a consequence of released individuals' struggle to restore their lost social capital. Further research exploring the causality of social capital and improved outcomes after release from prison and reentry to community is needed.

Planning and Implementing the Protocol for Psychosocial Interventions by Social Workers in Iranian Healthcare Centers against COVID-19

The present study aims to plan the protocol for providing psychosocial support by social workers in Iranian healthcare centers and reaching consensus in terms of implementing and offering comprehensive service to individuals dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study consists of four phases. The first phase, the literature review involved studying valid databases, while the second and third phases consisted of collecting data through the Focus Group Discussions with 23 specialists and experts in the field of social work and mental health. Having been designed, the protocol was then applied and assessed for two months in all the state health centers around Iran (633 hospitals). In the present study, Interventions used by the social workers were divided into 9 types: psychosocial assessment, counseling, training, working with the family, intervention in the crisis, intra- and extra-organizational support-seeking, referral and safe discharge. Interventions used by social workers were also divided based on the health center (psychosocial support for the target groups and bereavement intervention for the survivors) and the services offered in convalescent care facilities. This protocol leading social workers into the fields of bereavement interventions, inter-organizational interventions, working with families and working with the medical staff.

Guide to Social Work Intervention for Community Re-entry of Offenders With a History of Violence Against Individuals

Objective: The re-entry of offenders to the community after their imprisonment is a sensitive and important stage and should always be considered by governmental and non-governmental organizations. The proper transition from prison to the community occurs when rehabilitation and social reintegration programs are developed and implemented based on the real needs of individuals. Social work is one of the professions that can help the judicial system with this issue. Many graduates of this profession provide social work services to prisoners and their families. Therefore, it is necessary to identify effective operational solutions in accordance with the conditions of the country and formulate a specific framework. This study aims to prepare a guideline for specialized social work intervention for community re-entry of offenders with a history of violence against individuals. Materials & Methods: In this study, a qualitative approach was used to prepare the specialized guideline. First, the initial barriers and facilitators of successful community re-entry for offenders with a history of violence against individuals were prepared using thematic analysis. Then, based on the protocols of the social work process, the initial draft was developed. Next, at a focus group discussion session with faculty members and experts, the draft was reviewed and improved. To assess its applicability, we used the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) tool. Results: Intertwined concerns, protective shields, welfare/economic security, social support, and achieving relative independence were identified as the five dimensions of successful community re-entry. The specialized social work interventions were presented after approval in four main stages: preparation for the case plan, development of the case plan, interventions and actions, and monitoring and review of interventions. The results of evaluation by AGREE tool showed an overall acceptable average of 58.7% (82.9% for scope and purpose, 88.1% for stakeholder involvement, 85.6% for rigor of development, 83% for clarity of presentation, 84.9% for applicability, and 89.8% for editorial independence). The users of this guideline are social workers and other professions related to prisons and training and security organizations, especially after-release care centers. Conclusion: Investing in rehabilitation programs for prisoners is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to prevent the reoccurrence of violence, which not only has beneficial effects on those concerned but also promotes public safety. This issue becomes important when social reintegration and rehabilitation programs are developed based on scientific approaches and perspectives. Future studies on the effectiveness of the developed guideline, considering the local conditions, can help identify the effective factors of re-entry to the community in newly released prisoners. The skills and capabilities of social workers in presenting specialized interventions and establishing professional and inter-organizational communication, supporting rules and programs, motivation, and enthusiasm of the offender to change can all contribute to the success of this guideline in achieving the defined goals.

Are older people more vulnerable to long-term impacts of disasters?

BACKGROUND

Despite the growing interest in the study of disasters, there is limited research addressing the elderly population that lead to prejudiced beliefs that older adults are more vulnerable to disasters than younger adults. This study aimed to compare positive mental health between elderly and young earthquake survivors.

METHOD

Data for this study, consisting of 324 earthquake survivors, were obtained from a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted in Iran, 2015. The long-term effect of earthquake was assessed using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form questionnaire. A one-way multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) using SPSS (version 22) was used in data analysis.

RESULTS

Older adults scored significantly a higher level of overall positive mental health (mean [M]=34.31, standard deviation [SD]=10.52) than younger age group (M=27.48, SD=10.56, t=-4.41; P<0.001). Results of MANCOVA revealed a statistically significant difference between older and young adults on the combined positive mental health subscales (F_(3,317)=6.95; P<0.001), after controlling for marital status, sex, and employment status.

CONCLUSION

The present findings showing a higher level of positive mental health among elderly earthquake survivors compared with their younger counterparts in the wake of natural disasters suggest that advancing age per se does not contribute to increasing vulnerability.