The global SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and subsequent lockdown had a significant impact on people’s daily lives, with strong implications for stress levels due to the threat of contagion and restrictions to freedom. Given the link between high stress levels and adverse physical and mental consequences, the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly a global public health issue. In the present study, we assessed the effect of the pandemic on stress levels in N = 2053 Italian adults, and characterized more vulnerable individuals on the basis of sociodemographic features and stable psychological traits. A set of 18 psycho-social variables, generalized regressions, and predictive machine learning approaches were leveraged. We identified higher levels of perceived stress in the study sample relative to Italian normative values. Higher levels of distress were found in women, participants with lower income, and participants living with others. Higher rates of emotional stability and self-control, as well as a positive coping style and internal locus of control, emerged as protective factors. Predictive learning models identified participants with high perceived stress, with a sensitivity greater than 76%. The results suggest a characterization of people who are more vulnerable to experiencing high levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. This characterization may contribute to early and targeted intervention strategies.
The unexpected COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown impositions are having a significant impact on people’s day-to-day life, confronting Western countries with hitherto unknown contagion threats and restrictions on freedoms. Given the serious effects of stress on physical and mental health, the stressful impact of the COVID-19 emergency represents an important public health issue. The present study assessed the stressful impact of the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy, identifying possible mediators of perceived stress (sociodemographic variables and stable psychological traits). High levels of perceived stress were found in the Italian population. Being female, having low income and living with other people were associated with higher levels of stress. Higher rates of emotional stability, self-control, positive coping style and internal locus of control were protective factors against psychological distress. These results may provide indications for early and targeted prevention and intervention programs.
The authors share the responsibility of the whole paper, though A. Dal Ben wrote the first section and the results on the orientation in child welfare, B. Segatto the second section and the results on factors guiding the choice of intervention, and, S. Giacomin wrote aim and method and the results on the lack of common criteria and the emergence of operational discretion, finally the conclusions are the outcome of a common reflection.
The decisions taken by social workers in the field of child protection are influenced not only by factors related to the child and his/her life contex but also by organizational-contextual fac-tors of the social service and personal factors of the professionals (Baumann et al., 2011; Fluke et al., 2014; Benbenishity et al., 2015). The present research wanted to investigate how the organizational and professional variables affect the decisions of social workers in the child protection services in the area of the Veneto Region. 3 focus group were conducted, involving 22 social workers working in the protection services of 3 large municipalities in the Veneto Region were interviewed. The results highlight the presence of plural organizational structures and the lack of shared good practices with a shift in the decision axis towards the discretion of individual social worker.
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