Emotional “inflection point” in public health emergencies with the 2019 new coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) in China

et al. 2021

Preprint

Background: The recent outbreak of COVID-19 impacts the mental health of people worldwide. The mental conditions and the associated predictors of adults in Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, during the COVID-19 remains understudied. We aim to investigate distress, anxiety, and overall mental health and their associated predictors among Pakistani adults in this pandemic. We specifically examine the mental health issues based on the distance to the epicenter, a predictor that has revealed opposing evidence in other countries based on the theories of typhoon eye effect and ripple effect. The samples consist of 601 adults who were surveyed online about 2.5 months into the outbreak across Pakistan with varying distance to the epicenter of COVID-19 of Karachi in Pakistan. Results: The results showed that 9.2% and 19.0% of the participants surpassed the cut-off of distress and anxiety disorders, respectively. Overall, the distance to the epicenter positively predicted the mental health of adults in Pakistan, and family size negatively moderated this effect. The distance to the epicenter negatively predicted distress and anxiety disorders for adults in large families, which are quite common in Pakistan. Conclusion: The evidence of the study interestingly finds the prediction of the mental health of people by their distance to the epicenter depends on the family. The evidence of this study can help to provide the initial indicator for mental health care providers to screen vulnerable groups in Pakistan, a populous country that continues struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Typhoon Eye Effect Vs. Ripple Effect: the Role of Family Size on the Mental Health Under the COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

Zhang

et al. 2021

Preprint

“…As COVID-19 spreads, a psychological panic among the public happened across the country, as it has happened in other countries as well such as China, Iran, Italy, Peru, Bolivia, etc. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. For instance, one study of students has shown moderate anxiety and distress as pandemic affects daily life activities in Pakistan [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the opposite theories of psychological typhoon eye effect and ripple effect have been reported [3,[16][17][18][19]. The survey findings of China and Brazil documented that people far from the epicenter had worse anxiety and distress [18][19][20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Typhoon Eye Effect vs. Ripple Effect: The Role of Family Size on the Mental Health under the COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

Tahir

et al. 2020

Preprint

BackgroundThe recent outbreak of COVID-19 impacts the mental health of people worldwide. The mental conditions and the associated predictors of adults in Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, during the COVID-19 remains understudied. We aim to investigate distress, anxiety and overall mental health and their associated predictors among Pakistani adults in this pandemic. We specifically examine the mental health issues based on the distance to the epicenter, a predictor that has revealed opposing evidence in other countries based on the theories of typhoon eye effect and ripple effect. The samples consist of 601 adults who were surveyed online about 2.5 months into the outbreak across Pakistan with varying distance to the epicenter of COVID-19 of Karachi in Pakistan.ResultsThe results showed that 9.2% and 19.0% of the participants surpassed the cut-off of distress and anxiety disorders, respectively. Overall, the distance to the epicenter positively predicted the mental health of adults in Pakistan, and family size negatively moderated this effect. The distance to the epicenter negatively predicted distress and anxiety disorders for adults in large families, which are quite common in Pakistan.ConclusionThe evidence of the study interestingly finds the prediction of the mental health of people by their distance to the epicenter depends on the family. The evidence of this study can help to provide the initial indicator for mental health care providers to screen vulnerable groups in Pakistan, a populous country that continues to struggle to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the opposite theories of psychological typhoon eye effect and ripple effect have been reported [3,[16][17][18][19]. The survey ndings of China and Brazil documented that people far from the epicenter had worse anxiety and distress [18][19][20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Typhoon Eye Effect Vs. Ripple Effect: The Role of Family Size on the Mental Health Under the Covid-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

Tahir

et al. 2020

Preprint

Background: The recent outbreak of COVID-19 impacts the mental health of people worldwide. The mental conditions and the associated predictors of adults in Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, during the COVID-19 remains understudied. We aim to investigate distress, anxiety and overall mental health and their associated predictors among Pakistani adults in this pandemic. We specifically examine the mental health issues based on the distance to the epicenter, a predictor that has revealed opposing evidence in other countries based on the theories of typhoon eye effect and ripple effect. The samples consist of 601 adults who were surveyed online about 2.5 months into the outbreak across Pakistan with varying distance to the epicenter of COVID-19 of Karachi in Pakistan. Results: The results showed that 9.2% and 19.0% of the participants surpassed the cut-off of distress and anxiety disorders, respectively. Overall, the distance to the epicenter positively predicted the mental health of adults in Pakistan, and family size negatively moderated this effect. The distance to the epicenter negatively predicted distress and anxiety disorders for adults in large families, which are quite common in Pakistan. Conclusion: The evidence of the study interestingly finds the prediction of the mental health of people by their distance to the epicenter depends on the family. The evidence of this study can help to provide the initial indicator for mental health care providers to screen vulnerable groups in Pakistan, a populous country that continues to struggle to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.