COVID-19 Induced Economic Slowdown and Mental Health Issues

Gong, Yan; Liu, Xiaoxing; Zheng, Yong-Bo; Mei, Huan; Que, Jian-Yu; Yuan, Kai; Yan, Wei; Shi, Le; Meng, Shi-Qiu; Bao, Yanping; Lü, Lin

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.777350

Cited by 27 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 122 publications

(135 reference statements)

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“…19 Mental health challenges including psychological distress have been reported during the pandemic, likely due to increased isolation, continued inflation, job instability, substance use, poor health service provision, and economic instability. [20][21][22][23] Moreover, COVID-19 has also affected access to routine healthcare due to government mitigation measures such as travel bans and lockdowns, patients' fear of infection at health centers, and supply chain challenges. 24,25 Several previous studies early in the pandemic (in 2020) reported that substantial proportions of adults in SSA faced difficulty in accessing routine maternal and childcare services due to fear of contracting COVID-19, lockdowns, and service disruptions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Preventive Practices, Psychological Distress, and Reported Barriers to Healthcare Access during the Pandemic among Adult Community Members in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Phone Survey

Assefa

Abdullahi

Hemler

et al. 2023

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious negative health and economic impacts in sub-Saharan Africa. Continuous monitoring of these impacts is crucial to formulate interventions to minimize the consequences of COVID-19. This study surveyed 2,829 adults in urban and rural sites among five sub-Saharan African countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ghana. Participants completed a mobile phone survey that assessed self-reported sociodemographics, COVID-19 preventive practices, psychological distress, and barriers to healthcare access. A modified Poisson regression model was used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% CIs to investigate potential factors related to psychological distress and barriers to reduced healthcare access. At least 15.6% of adults reported experiencing any psychological distress in the previous 2 weeks, and 10.5% reported that at least one essential healthcare service was difficult to access 2 years into the pandemic. The majority of participants reported using several COVID-19 preventive methods, with varying proportions across the sites. Participants in the urban site of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (aPR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.74–3.03) and in the rural site of Kintampo, Ghana (aPR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.21–2.34) had a higher likelihood of experiencing any psychological distress compared with those in the rural area of Nouna, Burkina Faso. Loss of employment due to COVID-19 (aPR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.47–2.11) was also associated with an increased prevalence of psychological distress. The number of children under 5 years in the household (aPR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.14–1.33) and participant self-reported psychological distress (aPR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.48–2.27) were associated with an increased prevalence of reporting barriers to accessing health services, whereas wage employment (aPR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.49–0.90) was associated with decreased prevalence of reporting barriers to accessing health services. Overall, we found a high prevalence of psychological distress and interruptions in access to healthcare services 2 years into the pandemic across five sub-Saharan African countries. Increased effort and attention should be given to addressing the negative impacts of COVID-19 on psychological distress. An equitable and collaborative approach to new and existing preventive measures for COVID-19 is crucial to limit the consequences of COVID-19 on the health of adults in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Preventive Practices, Psychological Distress, and Reported Barriers to Healthcare Access during the Pandemic among Adult Community Members in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Phone Survey

Assefa

Abdullahi

Hemler

et al. 2023

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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“…As explained earlier, in the current economic and social context, people's subjective perceptions of government performance should not be ignored. Therefore, an advantage of this study is that, compared with previous studies [22][23][24][25][26][27][28], our evaluation index system can better reflect people's actual feelings towards the government's work on improving people's livelihood, and the subsequent evaluation results can also lay the foundation for the improvement of people's sense of well-being and stable social development. In terms of evaluation methods, this study adopted a PCA-DEA-Tobit method.…”

Section: Discussion Of Model Evaluation Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Owing to the severe global shortage of health resources, it is difficult to secure people's health, and this is especially evident in developing countries [22][23][24][25]. These factors also contribute to greater anxiety, which has led to mental health issues in residents of countries such as Israel and China [26,27] and has resulted in the intensification of social conflicts in some European countries [25,28]. Policy analysts at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have pointed out that the challenges of social crises can be addressed by improving the efficiency of public sector governance [29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data-Driven Evaluation and Optimisation of Livelihood Improvement Efficiency

Luo

Wu²

2022

Sustainability

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In this study, we developed a data-driven approach for the evaluation and optimisation of livelihood improvement efficiency (LIE) to address slowing global economic growth and the decline in well-being in the broader population, enhance the quality of people’s livelihoods, and promote sustainable social development. We designed a questionnaire survey and constructed an evaluation index system based on a comprehensive consideration of economic resources, social security and employment, education, and health. Using principal component analysis, entropy weighting, and data envelopment analysis, we optimised the evaluation indicators and quantitatively assessed LIE. We used a Tobit regression model to analyse the factors influencing LIE and provide decision-making support for proposing countermeasures to optimise LIE. Based on the research data, we administered the questionnaire survey to 3125 residents in 16 cities in China’s Anhui Province and demonstrated the applicability of the aforementioned method. The results indicate that there is room for optimising LIE in cities in Anhui Province, which needs to be achieved through the following steps: controlling costs and avoiding waste, encouraging entrepreneurship, increasing income, guiding the direction of industrial growth, optimising regional population structure, and promoting public participation to enhance people’s livelihoods.

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“…Even before the pandemic, mental health disorders were among the leading reasons for the global health-related burden, and COVID-19 intensified this global crisis for mental health. Stressors such as fear of infection, persistent social distancing measures, and associated secondary economic and social burdens all contribute to mental health problems, especially among vulnerable populations such as patients with COVID-19, survivors of infection, the bereaved, healthcare workers, pregnant women, older adults, university students, children, and adolescents [1] , [2] . Although effective in controlling virus transmission, measures such as lockdowns and restrictions may have negative psychological effects [3] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%