ORCID Profile
0000-0001-6123-1193
Current Organisation
University of Adelaide
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Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2015
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-2021
DOI: 10.2147/RMHP.S326051
Publisher: Academy of Management
Date: 08-2019
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-11-2020
Beyond Predicting the Number of Infections: Predicting Who is Likely to Be COVID Negative or Positive
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2020
DOI: 10.2147/RMHP.S273755
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 05-2016
DOI: 10.1111/ETAP.12212
Abstract: Scholars use the theoretical lens of bias to research various behavioral phenomena in entrepreneurship. We assess this body of research, focusing on definitional issues and relationships. Furthermore, we discuss how the study of bias in entrepreneurship can be advanced, given the new development in related fields such as cognitive sciences. The assessments and discussions help reveal as well as address tensions in the literature, identify numerous research opportunities that may not be obvious by looking at previous work in idually, and contribute to how the theory of bias can further help to understand entrepreneurship.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-08-2020
DOI: 10.1111/PCN.13114
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-11-2022
DOI: 10.1111/PCN.13306
Abstract: The Covid‐19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on the mental health of the general public and high‐risk groups worldwide. Due to its proximity and close links to China, Southeast Asia was one of the first regions to be affected by the outbreak. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety, depression and insomnia in the general adult population and healthcare workers (HCWs) in Southeast Asia during the course of the first year of the pandemic. Several literature databases were systemically searched for articles published up to February 2021 and two reviewers independently evaluated all relevant studies using pre‐determined criteria. The prevalence rates of mental health symptoms were calculated using a random‐effect meta‐analysis model. In total, 32 s les from 25 studies with 20 352 participants were included. Anxiety was assessed in all 25 studies and depression in 15 studies with pooled prevalence rates of 22% and 16%, respectively. Only two studies assessed insomnia, which was estimated at 19%. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was similar among frontline HCWs (18%), general HCWs (17%), and students (20%) while being noticeably higher in the general population (27%). This is the first systematic review to investigate the mental health impact of the Covid‐19 pandemic in Southeast Asia. A considerable proportion of the general population and HCWs reported mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety and depression the pooled prevalence rater, however, remain significantly lower than those reported in other areas such as China and Europe.
Publisher: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Date: 12-2021
Abstract: Wearing a face mask has been a key approach to contain or slow down the spread of COVID-19 in the ongoing pandemic. However, there is huge heterogeneity among in iduals in their willingness to wear face masks during an epidemic. This research aims to investigate the in idual heterogeneity to wear face masks and its associated predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic when mask-wearing was not mandatory. Based on a survey of 708 Malaysian adults and a multivariate least-squares fitting analysis, the results reveal a significant variance among in iduals in wearing masks, as 34% of the in idual adults did not always wear masks in public places. Female in iduals, in iduals who wash their hands more frequently, and those who reported more availability of personal protective equipment were more likely to practice mask-wearing. The identification of less-compliant groups of mask wearing has critical implications by enabling more specific health communication c aigns.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-04-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.04.03.20052571
Abstract: Early papers on the mental health of the public during the Covid-19 pandemic surveyed participants from China. Outside of China, Iran has emerged as one of the most affected countries with a high death count and rate. The paper presents the first empirical evidence from Iranian adults during the Covid-19 pandemic on their level of distress and its predictors. On March 25–28, 2020, a dire time for Covid-19 in Iran, we surveyed 1058 adults from all 30 provinces in Iran using the Covid-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI). The distress level of Iranian adults (mean: 34.54 s.d.: 14.92) was significantly higher (mean difference: 10.9 t =22.7 p .0001 95% CI : 10.0 to 11.8) than that of Chinese adults (mean: 23.65 s.d.: 5.45) as reported in a prior study with the same measure of Covid-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI). We also found the predictors of distress in Iran vary from those in China. Our findings that the predictors of distress in Iran vary from those in China suggest the need to study the predictors of mental health in in idual countries during the Covid-19 pandemic to effectively identify and screen for those more susceptible to mental health issues. None
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-01-2022
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 12-06-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.11.20128132
Abstract: The emerging body of research on the predictors of mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed contradictory findings, which prevent effective psychiatry screening for mental health assistance. This study aims to identify the predictors of nonsomatic pain, depression, anxiety, and distress, especially focusing on age as a nonlinear predictor. We conducted a survey of 474 adults in Iran during April 1–10, 2020, when Iran had just passed its first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic with new confirmed cases. We found that Age had a curvilinear relationship with nonsomatic pain, depression, and anxiety. Age was associated with pain, depression, and anxiety disorders negatively among adults younger than 45 years, but positively among seniors older than 70 years. Adults who were female, unsure about their chronic diseases, and exercised less per day were more likely to have mental health issues. This study advances the use of age as an effective predictor by uncovering a curvilinear relationship between in iduals’ age and mental health issues by using a s le of adults across a wide spectrum of ages. We hope future research on mental health during COVID-19 pays more attention to nonlinear predictors.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-02-2009
DOI: 10.1111/J.1539-6924.2008.01160.X
Abstract: Complex engineering systems are usually designed to last for many years. Such systems will face many uncertainties in the future. Hence the design and deployment of these systems should not be based on a single scenario, but should incorporate flexibility. Flexibility can be incorporated in system architectures in the form of options that can be exercised in the future when new information is available. Incorporating flexibility comes, however, at a cost. To evaluate if this cost is worth the investment a real options analysis can be carried out. This approach is demonstrated through analysis of a case study of a previously developed static system-of-systems for maritime domain protection in the Straits of Malacca. This article presents a framework for dynamic strategic planning of engineering systems using real options analysis and demonstrates that flexibility adds considerable value over a static design. In addition to this it is shown that Monte Carlo analysis and genetic algorithms can be successfully combined to find solutions in a case with a very large number of possible futures and system designs.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 21-09-2018
Abstract: This study focuses on the identification of business opportunities when entrepreneurs’ perceived level of environmental uncertainty changes. We suggest that within persons, exploration mediates this relationship and entrepreneurial self-efficacy moderates whether entrepreneurs explore more or less with increasing uncertainty. To test our moderated mediation model we conducted a monthly field study with 121 early-stage entrepreneurs. Multilevel regression analyses reveal that an increase in the level of perceived uncertainty within entrepreneurs predicted the identification of opportunities through exploration for entrepreneurs high in self-efficacy, but not for those low in self-efficacy. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy acts as a personal resource that helps entrepreneurs to transform increasing perceptions of uncertainty into exploration and opportunity identification.
Publisher: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Date: 07-10-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-08-2021
DOI: 10.1002/SEJ.1355
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 17-01-2022
Abstract: Background: General population, frontline healthcare workers (HCWs), and adult students in Spain are at risk of anxiety, depression, and insomnia symptoms during the COVID-19 crisis. A meta-analysis of the in idual studies on these symptoms would provide systematic evidence to aid policymakers and researchers in focusing on prevalence, risk, and best interventions. Objective: This paper aims to be the first meta-analysis and systematic review to calculate the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and insomnia symptoms in Spain’s adult population (general population, frontline healthcare workers (HCWs), and adult students) during the Covid-19 epidemic. Method: Random-effect meta-analysis was used to estimate the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Results: The meta-analysis includes 28 studies with 38 in idual s les in Spain. The pooled prevalence of anxiety symptoms in 22 studies comprising a s le population of 82,024 was 20% (95% CI: 15–25%), that of depression symptoms in 22 articles with a total s le comprising 82,890 in iduals was 22% (95% CI: 18–28%), and that of insomnia symptoms in three articles with a s le population of 745 was 57% (95% CI: 48–66%. Conclusions: The accumulative evidence reveals that adults in Spain suffered higher prevalence rates of mental symptoms during the COVID-19 crisis, with a significantly higher rate relative to other countries such as China. Our synthesis also reveals a relative lack of studies on frontline and general HCWs in Spain.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1017/S0950268820002575
Abstract: Although handwashing is an effective way to prevent infections, there is scarce evidence on predictors of handwashing during a pandemic. This paper aims to identify behavioural and demographic predictors of handwashing. The study surveyed 674 adults in Malaysia in May 2020 regarding whether the time spent on social media predicted handwashing contingent on gender and number of children. More time spent on social media was positively associated with handwashing for males with three or more children. However, for males without children, social media use was negatively associated with handwashing. The association was not significant for males with one or two children. For females, more time spent on social media was significantly linked to more handwashing only for females with one child. Gender, a traditional predictor of handwashing, was a useful predictor only for those who spent more than three hours per day on social media and had at most one child. Number of children was a novel negative predictor for males who did not use social media and who averaged one hour per day on social media, a positive predictor for males who spent lots of time on social media, but not a predictor for females. In sum, social media use predicts handwashing, and is thus a helpful variable for use in targeted health communication during a pandemic – particularly through social media. Further, more conventional predictors like gender and number of children exhibit contingency effects with social media use.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-2021
DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S297503
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 23-11-2020
DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-112018/V1
Abstract: 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 s les 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.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 10-10-2021
Abstract: We aim to provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence rates of mental health symptoms among major African populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We include articles from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and medRxiv between 1 February 2020 and 6 February 2021, and pooled data using random-effects meta-analyses. We identify 28 studies and 32 independent s les from 12 African countries with a total of 15,071 participants. The pooled prevalence of anxiety was 37% in 27 studies, of depression was 45% in 24 studies, and of insomnia was 28% in 9 studies. The pooled prevalence rates of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in North Africa (44%, 55%, and 31%, respectively) are higher than those in Sub-Saharan Africa (31%, 30%, and 24%, respectively). We find (a) a scarcity of studies in several African countries with a high number of COVID-19 cases (b) high heterogeneity among the studies (c) the extent and pattern of prevalence of mental health symptoms in Africa is high and differs from elsewhere—more African adults suffer from depression rather than anxiety and insomnia during COVID 19 compared to adult populations in other countries/regions. Hence, our findings carry crucial implications and impact future research to enable evidence-based medicine in Africa.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2021
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 14-04-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.11.21255274
Abstract: This paper systematically reviews and assesses the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and insomnia symptoms in the general population, frontline healthcare workers (HCWs), and adult students in Spain during the COVID-19 crisis. Articles in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and medRxiv from March 2020 to February 6, 2021. The pooled prevalence of anxiety symptoms in 23 studies comprising a total s le of 85,560 was 20% (95% CI: 15% - 25%, I2 = 99.9%), that of depression symptoms in 23 articles with a total s le comprising of 86,469 in iduals was 23% (95% CI: 18% - 28%, I2 = 99.8%), and that of insomnia symptoms in 4 articles with a total s le of 915 were 52% (95% CI: 42-64%, I2 = 88.9%). The overall prevalence of mental illness symptoms in frontline HCWs, general population, and students in Spain are 42%, 19%, and 50%, respectively. The accumulative evidence from the meta-analysis reveals that adults in Spain suffered higher prevalence rates of mental illness symptoms during the COVID-19 crisis with a significantly higher rate relative to other countries such as China. Our synthesis reveals high heterogeneity, varying prevalence rates and a relative lack of studies in frontline and general HCWs in Spain, calling future research and interventions to pay attention to those gaps to help inform evidence-based mental health policymaking and practice in Spain during the continuing COVID-19 crisis. The high prevalence rates call for preventative and prioritization measures of the mental illness symptoms during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 23-06-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.21.20137000
Abstract: Research identifying adults’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic relies solely on demographic predictors without examining adults’ health status during the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential predictor. An online survey of 669 adults in Malaysia was conducted during May 2–8, 2020, six weeks after a Movement Control Order (MCO) was issued. Adults’ health condition had curvilinear relationships (horizontally reversed J-shaped) with insomnia, anxiety, depression and distress. Reported test availability for COVID-19 (from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”) also had curvilinear relationships (horizontally reversed J-shaped) with anxiety and depression. Younger adults reported worse mental health, but people from various religions and ethnic groups did not differ significantly in reported mental health. Adults with worse health conditions had more mental health problems, especially adults at the lower end of the health spectrum. Test availability negatively predicted anxiety and depression, especially for adults experiencing poor COVID-19 test availability. The significant predictions of health condition and COVID-19 test availability suggest a new direction for the literature to identify psychiatric risk factors directly from health related variables during a pandemic. Tsinghua University-INDITEX Sustainable Development Fund (Project No. TISD201904).
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 12-04-2011
Abstract: Water supply has become a priority for developed and developing nations of the world. Conventional water resources alone cannot meet the growing demand for water in urban cities. Management of the problem is lified by uncertainty associated with different development strategies. Singapore has limited conventional water resources and progressively architects its water supply system through acquiring and sustaining multiple (alternative) water resources through innovative technologies. The full rationale and merits of such a policy cannot be properly understood based on traditional project valuation methods alone. This paper provides decision support using a real options approach by evaluating innovative water technologies from multiple perspectives under uncertainty. This paper demonstrates that incorporating innovative water technologies into water supply systems can concurrently improve water supply from the financial, political and socioeconomic perspectives. The development of innovative water technologies provides flexibility to the water supply system, and is a fundamental and effective means of risk management. The evaluation of innovative water technologies is based on an integrated real options approach, which provides decision support for architecting water supply systems under uncertainty. The approach gives specific tangible values for the water technologies and complements the general prescriptive Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework.
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 05-01-2021
DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-139095/V1
Abstract: 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 s les 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.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2021
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 28-06-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.21.21259299
Abstract: There is a lack of evidence related to the prevalence of mental disorder symptoms as well as their heterogeneities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America, a continent across the equators. The current study aims to provide meta-analytical evidence on mental disorder symptoms during COVID-19 among frontline healthcare workers, general healthcare workers, the general population, and university students in Latin America. Bibliographical databases, such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Sciences, PsycINFO , and medRxiv , were systematically searched to identify pertinent studies up to Februry 6, 2021. Two coders performed the screening using predefined eligibility criteria. Studies were assigned quality scores using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The double data extraction method was used to minimize data entry errors. A total of 33 studies with 101,772 participants in Latin America were identified. The pooled prevalence of anxiety, depression, distress, and insomnia was 32%, 27%, 32%, and 35%, respectively. There was a higher prevalence of mental health symptoms in South America compared to Central America (33% vs. 27%, p .001). The pooled prevalence of mental health symptoms in the general population, general healthcare workers, frontline healthcare workers, and students in Latin America was 33%, 31%, 37%, and 36%, respectively. The high yet heterogenous level of prevalence of mental disorder symptoms emphasizes the need for appropriate identification of psychological interventions in Latin America.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.2139/SSRN.3634892
Publisher: Academy of Management
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: Royal College of Psychiatrists
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1192/J.EURPSY.2022.2335
Abstract: The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has led many Ukrainians to fight for their country, either in the regular army or as civilian members of voluntary territorial defense forces. There is, however, a dearth of knowledge on the mental health of combatants in this conflict. Prior research on the mental health of combatants is unlikely to translate to the situation at hand because such research is focused on combatants fighting abroad and neglects civilian combatants. This study provides the first attempt to investigate the mental health of Ukrainian combatants in the regular army and voluntary territorial defense forces by analyzing the prevalence rates of common mental health issues, as well as their demographic and socioeconomic predictors. Between March 19 and 31, 2022, the initial period of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a s le of 178 Ukrainian combatants (104 in the regular army and 74 civilian combatants) participated in a survey on symptoms of anxiety (GAD-2), depression (PHQ-2), and insomnia (ISI). A sizable portion of Ukrainian combatants reached cut-off levels for clinical symptoms of anxiety (44·4%), depression (43·3%), and insomnia (12·4%). Importantly, the mental health of Ukrainian combatants varied between professional soldiers and civilian combatants, as well as by gender, marital status, by whether or not they were located in Russian-occupied/active-combat areas, and dependent on whether they were personally involved in combat. This study provides early evidence on the mental health of Ukrainian combatants, pointing to their urgent need for mental health assistance in the ongoing war.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 29-09-2022
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-06-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.03.21258001
Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on the mental health of the general public and high-risk groups worldwide. Due to its proximity and close links to China, Southeast Asia was one of the first regions to be affected by the outbreak. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety, depression and insomnia in the general adult population and healthcare workers (HCWs) in Southeast Asia during the course of the first year of the pandemic. Several literature databases were systemically searched for articles published up to February 2021 and two reviewers independently evaluated all relevant studies using pre-determined criteria. The prevalence rates of mental health symptoms were calculated using a random-effect meta-analysis model. In total, 32 s les from 25 studies with 20,352 participants were included. Anxiety was assessed in all 25 studies and depression in 15 studies with pooled prevalence rates of 22% and 16% respectively. Only two studies assessed insomnia, which was estimated at 19%. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was similar amongst frontline HCWs (18%), general HCWs (17%), and students (20%) whilst being noticeably higher in the general population (27%). This is the first systematic review to investigate the mental health impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia. A considerable proportion of the general population and HCWs reported mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety and depression the pooled prevalence rater, however, remain significantly lower than those reported in other areas such as China and Europe.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2020
Publisher: Academy of Management
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-06-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-03-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12992-021-00685-5
Abstract: The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted adversely upon the mental health of millions of people worldwide. Impacts on the mental health conditions and the associated predictors relating to adults in Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, during the COVID-19 remain understudied. Our aim was to investigate distress, anxiety, and overall mental health and their associated predictors among Pakistani adults in this pandemic. We specifically examine mental health issues based on the distance from the epicenter, (a predictor that has revealed opposing evidence in other countries) based on the theories of typhoon eye effect and ripple effect. The s le consisted of 601 adults who were surveyed online about 2.5 months into the outbreak across Pakistan with varying distances from the epicenter of COVID-19 of Karachi. The results showed that 9.2 and 19.0% of the participants surpassed the cut-off criteria for distress and anxiety disorders, respectively. Overall, the distance from the epicenter positively predicted the mental health of adults in Pakistan, and family size negatively moderated this effect. The distance from the epicenter negatively predicted distress and anxiety disorders for adults in large families, which are quite common in Pakistan. The evidence of the study interestingly finds that the prediction of the mental health of people by their distance from the epicenter depends on family size. The evidence of this study can help to provide initial indicators for mental health care providers to screen vulnerable groups in Pakistan, a populous country that continues struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 12-2011
Publisher: Academy of Management
Date: 08-2018
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 06-04-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.04.02.20051128
Abstract: COVID-19 originated in Wuhan and rippled across China. We investigate how the geographical distance of working adults to the epicenter of Wuhan predicts their burnout. Preliminary results of a survey of 308 working adults in 53 cities showed working adults’ distance to the epicenter of Wuhan had an inverted U-shaped relationship with their burnout. Such results help to identify regions where people would need more psychiatric assistance, carrying direct implications to healthcare practitioners and policymakers.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2020
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 2023
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 23-02-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.21.21252147
Abstract: Policymakers and researchers describe the COVID-19 epidemics by waves without a common vocabulary on what constitutes an epidemic wave, either in terms of a working definition or operationalization, causing inconsistencies and confusions. A working definition and operationalization can be helpful to characterize and communicate about epidemics. We propose a working definition of epidemic waves in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and an operationalization based on the public data of the effective reproduction number R . Our operationalization characterizes the numbers and durations of waves (upward and downward) in 179 countries and reveals patterns that can enable healthcare organizations and policymakers to make better description and assessment of the COVID crisis to make more informed resource planning, mobilization, and allocation temporally in the continued COVID-19 pandemic. A working definition and operationalization of waves to enable common ground to understand and communicate COVID-19 crisis.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 23-04-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.04.18.20070896
Abstract: We aim to provide early evidence of mental distress and its associated predictors among adults one month into the COVID-19 crisis in Brazil. We conducted an online survey of 638 adults in Brazil on March 25–28, 2020, about one month (32 days) cross-sectionally after the first COVID-19 case in South America was confirmed in São Paulo. The 638 adults were in 25 states out of the 26 Brazilian states, with the only exception being Roraima, the least populated state in the Amazon. Of all the participating adults, 24%, 20%, and 18% of them were located in Rio de Janeiro state, Santa Catarina state, and São Paulo state respectively. In Brazil, 52% (332) of the s led adults experienced mild or moderate distress, and 18.8% (120) suffered severe distress. Adults who were female, younger, more educated, and exercised less reported higher levels of distress. Each in idual’s distance from the Brazilian epicenter of São Paulo interacted with age and workplace attendance to predict the level of distress. The “typhoon eye effect” was stronger for people who were older or attended their workplace less. The most vulnerable adults were those who were far from the epicenter and did not go to their workplace in the week before the survey. Identifying the predictors of distress enables mental health services to better target finding and helping the more mentally vulnerable adults during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1017/S2045796021000767
Abstract: There is a lack of evidence related to the prevalence of mental health symptoms as well as their heterogeneities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Latin America, a large area spanning the equator. The current study aims to provide meta-analytical evidence on mental health symptoms during COVID-19 among frontline healthcare workers, general healthcare workers, the general population and university students in Latin America. Bibliographical databases, such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO and medRxiv , were systematically searched to identify pertinent studies up to August 13, 2021. Two coders performed the screening using predefined eligibility criteria. Studies were assigned quality scores using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The double data extraction method was used to minimise data entry errors. A total of 62 studies with 196 950 participants in Latin America were identified. The pooled prevalence of anxiety, depression, distress and insomnia was 35%, 35%, 32% and 35%, respectively. There was a higher prevalence of mental health symptoms in South America compared to Central America (36% v . 28%, p 0.001), in countries speaking Portuguese (40%) v. Spanish (30%). The pooled prevalence of mental health symptoms in the general population, general healthcare workers, frontline healthcare workers and students in Latin America was 37%, 34%, 33% and 45%, respectively. The high yet heterogenous level of prevalence of mental health symptoms emphasises the need for appropriate identification of psychological interventions in Latin America.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-02-2022
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 27-06-2020
Abstract: ealthcare workers are under such a tremendous amount of pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic that many have become concerned about their jobs and even intend to leave them. It is paramount for healthcare workers to feel satisfied with their jobs and lives during a pandemic. his study aims to examine the predictors of job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and turnover intention of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. etween 10 to 30 April, 2020, 240 healthcare workers in Bolivia completed a cross-sectional online survey, which assessed their job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and turnover intention in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. he results revealed that their number of office days predicted job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and turnover intention, but the relationships varied by their age. For ex le, healthcare workers’ office days negatively predicted job satisfaction for the young (e.g. at 25 years old: b=-0.21 95% CI: -0.36 to -0.60) but positively predicted job satisfaction for the old (e.g. at 65 years old: b=0.25 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.44). hese findings provide evidence to enable healthcare organizations to identify staff concerned about job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and turnover intention to enable early actions so that these staff can remain motivated to fight the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
Publisher: International Global Health Society
Date: 23-05-2022
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 29-05-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.26.20113258
Abstract: Social media are becoming hotbeds of conspiracy theories, which aim to give resolute explanations on the cause of COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, no research has investigated whether in iduals’ belief in conspiracy theory about COVID-19 is associated with mental health and well-being issues. This association enables an assessable channel to identify and reach people with mental health and well-being issues during the pandemic. We aim to provide the first evidence of belief in conspiracy theory regarding the COVID-19 virus as a predictor of the mental health and well-being of healthcare workers. We conducted a survey of 252 healthcare workers in Ecuador from April 10 to May 2, 2020. We analyzed the data of distress and anxiety caseness with logistic regression and life and job satisfaction with linear regression. Among the s led healthcare workers in Ecuador, 24.2% believed that the virus was developed intentionally in a lab 32.54% experienced distress disorder, and 28.17% had anxiety disorder. Compared to healthcare workers who were not sure where the virus originated, those who believed the virus was developed intentionally in a lab were more likely to have distress disorder and anxiety disorder and had lower levels of job satisfaction and life satisfaction. This paper identifies belief in a COVID-19 conspiracy theory as an important predictor of distress, anxiety, and job and life satisfaction of healthcare workers. It enables mental health services to better target and help mentally vulnerable healthcare workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 20-04-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.19.21255755
Abstract: In this paper, we aim to provide a systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence rates of mental health symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia among the major populations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. A systematic review and meta-analysis. We search and include articles using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and medRxiv databases between Feb 202 and Feb 6th, 2021. The meta-analysis targets the prevalence rates of mental health symptoms of major populations including frontline/general healthcare workers (HCWs), the general adult population, and medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. To estimate the prevalence rates of anxiety, depression, and insomnia, we pooled data using random-effects meta-analyses. In this meta-analysis, we identify and include 28 studies and 32 independent s les from 12 countries with a total of 15,072 participants in Africa. Ethiopia (7) and Egypt (6) had the largest number of studies. While many countries including, but not limited to, Algeria, Kenya, and Ghana had a high number of COVID-19 cases, as many as three quarters of African countries have no studies. The pooled prevalence of anxiety in 27 studies was 37% (95%CI: 31-43%, I 2 = 99.0%) and that of depression in 24 studies was 45% (95%CI: 36-51%, I 2 = 99.5%) and that of insomnia in 9 studies was 28% (95%CI: 20-41%, I 2 = 99.2%). The pooled prevalence rates of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in North Africa (44%, 55%, and 31%, respectively) are higher than the rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (31%, 30%, and 24%, respectively). Our analysis indicated high heterogeneity and varying prevalence rates of mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. We discuss our findings that a) a scarcity of studies in several African countries with a high number of COVID-19 cases, b) high heterogeneity among the studies, c) the extent of prevalence of mental health symptoms in Africa to be high, and d) the pattern of mental health symptoms in Africa differs from elsewhere, i.e., more African adults suffer from depression rather than anxiety and insomnia during COVID 19 compared to adult population in other countries or regions. Hence, our findings carry crucial implications for healthcare organizations and future research to enable evidence-based medicine in Africa. Our findings also call for increased scholarly attention on Africa, the least studied continent with a limited amount of research on mental health symptoms under the COVID 19 pandemic. CRD42020224458
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 28-10-2013
DOI: 10.1108/JSBED-03-2012-0039
Abstract: – The main purpose of this paper is to study the benefits that an Asian company can achieve by using e-commerce. Another objective is to identify and rank the barriers influencing the application of e-commerce by innovative small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India, Malaysia, and Iran – The survey design uses a s le of 601 SMEs from three countries. In this study, data were collected by sending out questionnaires electronically and by mail. The Friedman test is used to analyse questionnaire data in conjunction with SPSS 16 software. – The results indicate that an “enhanced company brand and corporate image” is the most important e-commerce advantage from the perspective of East Asian SMEs, whereas “doubts about the security and privacy” is the most important barrier. – Differences between the three countries in terms of electronic structure and infrastructure are the most important limitations for the study. – As the company brand and the image of the company are very important in this region, companies should strategically invest into these areas. Nowadays, in times of social media, this is not as cost intensive as it was ten years before. So particularly, SMEs have a good chance to succeed in this area. – This paper offers researchers a broader and more comprehensive view of the benefits of and barriers to electronic commerce application by SMEs. Researchers, educators, and practitioners will benefit from this paper. The analyses are more complex and varied than the methodologies used in most of the limited previous research.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 16-03-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.03.13.20034496
Abstract: What are the health and wellbeing of people during the COVID-19 outbreak? We aim to assess the health and wellbeing of normal adults living and working after one month of confinement to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in China. On Feb 20–21, 2020, we surveyed 369 adults in 64 cities in China that varied in their rates of confirmed coronavirus cases on their health conditions, distress and life satisfaction. The participants also reported their work status, whether they had chronic health issues, and the number of hours they exercised per day in the past week. 27% of the participants worked at the office, 38% resorted to working from home, and 25% stopped working due to the outbreak. Those who stopped working reported worse mental and physical health conditions as well as distress. The severity of COVID-19 in an in idual’s home city predicts their life satisfaction, and this relationship is contingent upon in iduals’ existing chronic health issues and their hours of exercise. Our evidence supports the need to pay attention to the health of people who were not affected by the virus epidemiologically, especially for people who stopped working during the outbreak. Our results highlight that physically active people might be more susceptible to wellbeing issues during the lockdown. Policymakers who are considering introducing restrictive measures to contain COVID-19 may benefit from understanding such health and wellbeing implications.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 29-04-2023
DOI: 10.1177/10422587231170213
Abstract: Integrating the family embeddedness perspective with research on commensality and family meals, we develop a framework that explains why some families are more likely to fuel entrepreneurship than others. Inspired by the ersity literature and the role of the Chinese Confucian culture in shaping family dynamics, we explore how two demographic (i.e., age and gender) and two knowledge-based (i.e., education and industry) sources of ersity within family households predict a family member starting a business. We further theorize that these relationships are contingent on the frequency of family meals, as family meals serve as a conduit for how family ersity affects entrepreneurship by providing the setting where socialization and interaction take place. Using data from a representative s le of 8,162 in iduals via the China Family Panel Studies in the 2014 to 2018 period, our findings demonstrate that although greater age and gender ersity h er entrepreneurship, family meals “feed the fire” of entrepreneurship for families with greater industry and education ersity.
Publisher: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Date: 12-2021
Abstract: Poor public health information is a hurdle in infectious disease control. The study aims to examine whether healthcare workers adhere to hand hygiene and mask-wearing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore their exposure to misinformation about the pandemic as a predictor. A cross-sectional survey was sent to 518 healthcare workers across Indonesia, the fourth largest nation in the world, in September 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents reported whether they adhered to the guidelines of hand hygiene and mask wearing and whether they believed in four pieces of misinformation about the origin, severity, contagion, and prevention of COVID-19. The association between misinformation and hand hygiene and mask wearing was tested with logistic regression models controlling for demographic and health-related covariates. Approximately 25% of healthcare workers did not always adhere to hand hygiene guidelines and approximately 5% did not adhere to mask-wearing guidelines. There are significant associations between all four pieces of misinformation and hand hygiene and mask wearing. It is important to improve public health information about COVID-19, which may hold key to healthcare workers’ hand hygiene and mask wearing and to protect their health and patients’ safety.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/JOMS.12806
Abstract: The literature on the CEO–TMT interface has called for research on the implications of CEO–TMT congruence or fit. We examine the effect of CEO–TMT degree of congruence , forms of congruence , and forms of incongruence in growth‐need strength on firm growth based on decades of research on leader–team congruence. Using five‐wave survey data from the CEOs and other TMT members of 128 new firms, we find CEO–TMT incongruence in growth‐need strength is negatively related to firm growth by reducing CEO openness to the TMT. Our study charts a new avenue for upper echelons research, particularly on the CEO–TMT interface, by providing a nuanced theoretical framework and evidence on CEO–TMT congruence.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 06-07-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.07.02.21257837
Abstract: Wearing a face mask has been a key approach to contain or slow down the spread of COVID-19 in the ongoing pandemic. However, there is huge heterogeneity among in iduals in their willingness to wear face masks during an epidemic. This research aims to investigate the in idual heterogeneity to wear face masks and its associated predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic when mask-wearing was not mandatory but in iduals’ choices. Based on a survey of 708 Malaysian adults and a multivariate least-squares fitting analysis, the results reveal a significant variance among in iduals in wearing masks, as 34% of the in idual adults did not always wear masks in public places. Female, in iduals who wash their hands more frequently, and those who reported more availability of personal protective equipment were more likely to practice mask-wearing. The identification of less compliant groups of mask-wearing has critical implications by enabling more specific health communication c aigns.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 25-06-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.21.21259227
Abstract: To perform a systematic and meta-analysis on the prevalence rates of mental health symptoms including anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population in Eastern Europe, as well as three select sub-populations: students, general healthcare workers, and frontline healthcare workers. Studies in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Psycinfo, and medRxiv up to February 6, 2021. Prevalence rates of mental health symptoms in the general population and key sub-populations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Europe. Data were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence rates of anxiety and depression. The meta-analysis identifies and includes 21 studies and 26 independent s les in Eastern Europe. Poland (n=4), Serbia (n=4), Russia (n=3), and Croatia (n=3) had the greatest number of studies. To our knowledge, no studies have been conducted in eleven Eastern European countries including Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The pooled prevalence of anxiety in 18 studies with 22 s les was 30% (95% CI: 24% – 37%) and pooled prevalence of depression in 18 studies with 23 s les was 27% (95% CI: 21% – 34%). The cumulative evidence from the meta-analysis reveals high prevalence rates of clinically significant symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Europe. The findings suggest evidence of a potential mental health crisis in Eastern Europe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our synthesis also reveals a relative lack of studies in certain Eastern European countries as well as high heterogeneities among the existing studies, calling for more effort to achieve evidence-based mental healthcare in Eastern Europe. The pooled prevalence of anxiety and depression were 30% and 27% in Eastern Europe, respectively. CRD42020224458
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-06-2022
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 02-05-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.04.28.20083667
Abstract: Although some studies suggest the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is associated with negative consequences on physical health, our knowledge about the detrimental effects of COVID-19 on people’s mental health is still nascent. This study uses typhoon eye theory to offer insights in helping clinical psychiatrists to screen people with well-being issues during COVID-19 outbreak. We collected survey data from working adults across different geographical areas in China on 20 and 21 February 2020 during the outbreak of COVID-19. The s le contains 308 working adults, who were in various parts of China, with varying distance to the epicenter of Wuhan. In idual adults’ distance to the epicenter was negatively associated with life satisfaction (β = −0.235, 95% CI −0.450 to −0.020, p = 0.032). This association between distance and life satisfaction was significant only for adults who were young or had smaller family sizes. For ex le, the negative relationship was strongest when the in iduals were in the age bracket of 20 years old (15.7% β = −0.703, 95% CI −1.098 to −0.307 p = 0.001) and single (32.3% β = −0.767, 95% CI −1.125 to −0.408 p 0.001). Our results that people’s well-being deteriorates by the distance from the epicenter for specific groups of people help guide mental healthcare providers towards the regions that are further away from the epicenter in the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, our results indicate the practitioners should be cautious of using typhoon eye effect for in iduals who were older or had a larger family size.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 05-05-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.04.30.20086348
Abstract: This study provides the first attempt to identify people at greater risk of COVID-19 infection, enabling more targeted infectious disease prevention and control, which are especially important in the ongoing shortage of COVID-19 testing. We conducted a primary survey of 521 adults on April 1-10, 2020 in Iran, where the official infection rate was 0·08%. In our s le, 3% reported being COVID-19 positive and 15% were unsure of their status. This relatively high positive rate enabled us to conduct the analysis at the 5% significance level. At the time of the survey, 44% of the adults worked from home 26% still went to work in their workplaces 27% had stopped working due to the COVID-19 pandemic and 3% were unemployed. Adults who exercised more were more likely to be COVID-19 negative. Each additional hour of exercise per day predicted a 78% increase in the likelihood of being COVID-19 negative. Adults with chronic medical illnesses were 48% more likely to be COVID-19 negative. In terms of work situation, those who worked from home were the most likely to be COVID-19 negative, and those who had stopped working were the most likely to be COVID-19 positive. In iduals in larger organizations were less likely to be COVID-19 positive. Given the testing shortage in many countries, we identify a novel approach to predict the likelihood of COVID-19 infection by a set of personal and work situation characteristics, in order to help to identify in iduals with more or less risk of contracting the virus. We hope this research opens a new research avenue to identify the in idual risk factors of COVID-19 infection to enable more targeted infectious disease prevention, communication, testing, and control to complement the effort to expand testing capacity.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.2139/SSRN.3592641
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2020
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 30-07-2020
Abstract: Research identifying adults’ mental health during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic relies solely on demographic predictors without examining adults’ health condition as a potential predictor. This study aims to examine in iduals’ perception of health conditions and test availability as potential predictors of mental health—insomnia, anxiety, depression, and distress—during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey of 669 adults in Malaysia was conducted during 2–8 May 2020, six weeks after the Movement Control Order (MCO) was issued. We found adults’ perception of health conditions had curvilinear relationships (horizontally reversed J-shaped) with insomnia, anxiety, depression, and distress. Perceived test availability for COVID-19 also had curvilinear relationships (horizontally reversed J-shaped) with anxiety and depression. Younger adults reported worse mental health, but people from various religions and ethnic groups did not differ significantly in reported mental health. The results indicated that adults with worse health conditions had more mental health problems, and the worse degree deepened for unhealthy people. Perceived test availability negatively predicted anxiety and depression, especially for adults perceiving COVID-19 test unavailability. The significant predictions of perceived health condition and perceived COVID-19 test availability suggest a new direction for the literature to identify the psychiatric risk factors directly from health-related variables during a pandemic.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 29-07-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2011
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-08-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S10900-023-01273-X
Abstract: The study compared the mental health of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A repeated online cross-sectional study was performed twice among university students in Ukraine: in November 2020 (Pre-war s le, n = 752) and September-October 2022 (During-war s le, n = 862). The survey measured life satisfaction (SWLS), perceived stress (PSS-10), anxiety (GAD-7), and depression (PHQ-9). Stress, anxiety, and life satisfaction levels were similar during the war and pandemic, while symptoms of depression decreased during the war, compared to the pandemic. Network analysis showed that anxiety has a crucial effect on depression and stress, and stress is most closely related to life satisfaction. The association of life satisfaction with anxiety and depression disappeared in wartime, in contrast to the pandemic. The priority of prevention and intervention programs in wartime Ukraine should focus on anxiety as the most influential factor in other mental health and well-being problems. The results showed high resistance and adaptation to war conditions among university students in Ukraine.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 02-05-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.04.27.20082149
Abstract: This study reports the physical health, mental health, anxiety, depression, distress, and job satisfaction of healthcare staff in Iran when the country faced its highest number of total active COVID-19 cases. In a s le of 304 healthcare staff (doctors, nurses, radiologists, technicians, etc.), we found a sizable portion reached the cutoff levels of disorders in anxiety (28.0%), depression (30.6%), and distress (20.1%). Age, gender, education, access to PPE (personal protective equipment), healthcare institutions (public vs. private), and in idual status of COVID-19 infection each predicted some but not all the outcome variables of SF-12, PHQ-4, K6, and job satisfaction. The healthcare workers varied greatly in their access to PPE and in their status of COVID-19 infection: negative (69.7%), unsure (28.0%), and positive (2.3%). The predictors were also different from those identified in previous studies of healthcare staff during the COVID-19 crisis in China. This study helps to identify the healthcare staff in need to enable more targeted help as healthcare staff in many countries are facing peaks in their COVID-19 cases.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 21-08-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.18.20173500
Abstract: Healthcare staff are the forefront of fight against COVID-19 and they are under enormous pressure due to the fast growth in the number and severity of infected cases. This creates their mental issues such as distress, depression and anxiety. Exploring healthcare staff’s mental health during the pandemic contributes to improving their persistence in the growing challenges created by COVID-19 and enabling effective management of their mental health. An online survey of 280 healthcare staff in all the 31 provinces of Iran was conducted during April 5–20, 2020. The survey assessed staff’s distress, depression and anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly a third of healthcare staff suffered from distress, depression and anxiety. Females and more educated healthcare staff were more likely to experience distress. Compared to personnel who did not have COVID-19, those who were unsure whether they had COVID-19 were more likely to experience distress and depression. The number of COVID-19 cases among the staff’s colleagues or friends positively predicted their anxiety. Compared to radio technologists, doctors were less likely to experience distress and anxiety. Technicians and obstetrics experienced less anxiety. Analysis the interaction between weekly working days and age of the staff indicated the chance of experiencing distress and depression varied greatly by working days among younger but not older healthcare staff. The predictors of mental health issues assists healthcare organizations to identify healthcare staff with mental health issues in sever crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research highlight the need to identify more working characteristics as predictors for healthcare staff at different ages. This work was supported by Tsinghua University-INDITEX Sustainable Development Fund (No. TISD201904).
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 28-05-2020
Abstract: uring the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, social media platforms have become active sites for the dissemination of conspiracy theories that provide alternative explanations of the cause of the pandemic, such as secret plots by powerful and malicious groups. However, the association of in iduals’ beliefs in conspiracy theories about COVID-19 with mental health and well-being issues has not been investigated. This association creates an assessable channel to identify and provide assistance to people with mental health and well-being issues during the pandemic. ur aim was to provide the first evidence that belief in conspiracy theories regarding the COVID-19 pandemic is a predictor of the mental health and well-being of health care workers. e conducted a survey of 252 health care workers in Ecuador from April 10 to May 2, 2020. We analyzed the data regarding distress and anxiety caseness with logistic regression and the data regarding life and job satisfaction with linear regression. mong the 252 s led health care workers in Ecuador, 61 (24.2%) believed that the virus was developed intentionally in a lab 82 (32.5%) experienced psychological distress, and 71 (28.2%) had anxiety disorder. Compared to health care workers who were not sure where the virus originated, those who believed the virus was developed intentionally in a lab were more likely to report psychological distress and anxiety disorder and to have lower levels of job satisfaction and life satisfaction. his paper identifies belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories as an important predictor of distress, anxiety, and job and life satisfaction among health care workers. This finding will enable mental health services to better target and provide help to mentally vulnerable health care workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2021
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 03-02-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.01.21250929
Abstract: This paper provides a systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence rate of mental health issues of general population, general and frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) in China over one year of the COVID-19 crisis. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Medrxiv at November 16th, 2020, pooled data using random-effects meta-analyses to estimate the prevalence rates, and ran meta-regression to tease out the heterogeneity. The meta-regression results uncovered several predictors of the prevalence rates, including severity, type of mental issues, population, s ling location, and study quality. Pooled prevalence rates are significantly different from, yet largely between, the findings of previous meta-analyses, suggesting the results of our larger study are consistent with yet more accurate than the findings of the smaller, previous meta-analyses. The prevalence rates of distress and insomnia and those of frontline HCWs are higher suggest future research and interventions should pay more attention to those mental outcomes and populations. Our findings suggest a need to examine the prevalence rates at varying levels of severity. The one-year cumulative evidence on s ling locations (Wuhan vs. non-Wuhan) corroborates the typhoon eye effect theory. CRD4202022059
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 21-07-2020
DOI: 10.2196/20737
Abstract: During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, social media platforms have become active sites for the dissemination of conspiracy theories that provide alternative explanations of the cause of the pandemic, such as secret plots by powerful and malicious groups. However, the association of in iduals’ beliefs in conspiracy theories about COVID-19 with mental health and well-being issues has not been investigated. This association creates an assessable channel to identify and provide assistance to people with mental health and well-being issues during the pandemic. Our aim was to provide the first evidence that belief in conspiracy theories regarding the COVID-19 pandemic is a predictor of the mental health and well-being of health care workers. We conducted a survey of 252 health care workers in Ecuador from April 10 to May 2, 2020. We analyzed the data regarding distress and anxiety caseness with logistic regression and the data regarding life and job satisfaction with linear regression. Among the 252 s led health care workers in Ecuador, 61 (24.2%) believed that the virus was developed intentionally in a lab 82 (32.5%) experienced psychological distress, and 71 (28.2%) had anxiety disorder. Compared to health care workers who were not sure where the virus originated, those who believed the virus was developed intentionally in a lab were more likely to report psychological distress and anxiety disorder and to have lower levels of job satisfaction and life satisfaction. This paper identifies belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories as an important predictor of distress, anxiety, and job and life satisfaction among health care workers. This finding will enable mental health services to better target and provide help to mentally vulnerable health care workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 12-02-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.09.21251280
Abstract: Wearing a face mask has been recognised as an effective way of slowing down the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there is scarce evidence on predictors of face mask wearing during a pandemic. This research aims to investigate which demographic and hygienic factors could predict the compliance for face mask wearing in Malaysia. We employed a structured online survey of 708 Malaysian adult respondents. Among the factors examined, we found gender, hand washing and wearing of personal protective equipment significantly predicted face mask wearing.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 30-06-2021
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil is extremely severe, and Brazil has the third-highest number of cases in the world. The goal of the study is to identify the prevalence rates and several predictors of depression and anxiety in Brazil during the initial outbreak of COVID-19. We surveyed 482 adults in 23 Brazilian states online on 9–22 May 2020, and found that 70.3% of the adults (n = 339) had depressive symptoms and 67.2% (n = 320) had anxiety symptoms. The results of multi-class logistic regression models revealed that females, younger adults, and those with fewer children had a higher likelihood of depression and anxiety symptoms adults who worked as employees were more likely to have anxiety symptoms than those who were self-employed or unemployed adults who spent more time browsing COVID-19 information online were more likely to have depression and anxiety symptoms. Our results provide preliminary evidence and early warning for psychiatrists and healthcare organizations to better identify and focus on the more vulnerable sub-populations in Brazil during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 12-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-05-2021
DOI: 10.1002/SMI.3059
Abstract: There is little research examining how in iduals’ daily experience during a pandemic affects their daily mental health status and work performance. To address this knowledge gap, we invoke conservation of resources theory to propose a resource‐based framework explaining how in iduals’ daily COVID‐19 intrusive experience affects their daily mental health status (depression and anxiety) and work performance via its effect on daily psychosocial resource loss and gain We further examine whether their supervisors’ daily visionary leadership behaviour alleviates the adverse impacts of daily COVID‐19 intrusive experience. Results, based on daily diary data from 139 football players (or soccer players) at 15 professional football clubs over 5 days during the COVID‐19 pandemic, provided support for our predictions. Our study extends the literature by providing previously undocumented evidence on daily within‐person variations in mental health status and work performance during a pandemic and by offering theory‐driven insights into the mediating and moderating mechanisms involved in within‐person variations.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 09-05-2020
Abstract: he current COVID-19 pandemic and the severe shortage of testing kits in many countries pose a first and foremost problem in medical informatics—the information on the risk predictors of people who are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 to enable more targeted infectious disease prevention, communication, testing, and control. his study aims to identify in iduals’ likelihood to be COVID negative or positive, enabling more targeted infectious disease prevention and control. e conducted a primary survey of 521 adults on April 1-10, 2020 in Iran, where the official infection rate was 0.08%. In our s le, 3% reported positive and 15% were unsure whether they were infected. This relatively high positive rate enabled us to conduct the analysis at 5% significance level. dults who exercised more were more likely to be COVID-19 negative. Each additional hour of exercise per day predicted a 78% increase in the likelihood of being COVID-19 negative. Adults with chronic medical illnesses were 48% more likely to be COVID-19 negative. In terms of work situation, those who worked from home were the most likely to be COVID-19 negative, and those who had stopped working were the most likely to be COVID-19 positive. In iduals in larger organizations were less likely to be COVID-19 positive. his study enables more targeted infectious disease prevention and control by identifying the risk factors of COVID-19 infections from a set of readily accessible information on demographic and work characteristics. We hope this research opens a new research avenue of medical informatics to help healthcare services to predict the in idual likelihood of COVID-19 infection by risk factors.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 22-07-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.07.18.21260567
Abstract: There is limited research focusing on publicly available statistics on the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as predictors of mental health across countries. Managers are at risk of suffering from mental disorders during the pandemic because they face particular hardship. We aim to predict mental disorder (anxiety and depression) symptoms of managers across countries using country-level COVID-19 statistics. A two-wave online survey of 406 managers from 26 countries was finished in May and July 2020. We used logistic panel regression models for our main analyses and performed robustness checks using ordinary least squares regressions. In the s le of 406 managers from 26 countries, 26.5% of managers reached the cut-off levels for anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7 GAD-7) and 43.5% did so for depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 PHQ-9) symptoms. We found that cumulative COVID-19 statistics (e.g., cumulative cases, cumulative cases per million, cumulative deaths, and cumulative deaths per million) predicted managers’ anxiety and depression symptoms positively, whereas daily COVID-19 statistics (daily new cases, smoothed daily new cases, daily new deaths, smoothed daily new deaths, daily new cases per million, and smoothed daily new cases per million) predicted anxiety and depression symptoms negatively. In addition, the reproduction rate was a positive predictor, while stringency of governmental lockdown measures was a negative predictor. In idually, we found that the cumulative count of deaths is the best single predictor of both anxiety and depression symptoms. Cumulative COVID-19 statistics predicted managers’ anxiety and depression symptoms positively, while non-cumulative daily COVID-19 statistics predicted anxiety and depression symptoms negatively. Cumulative count of deaths is the best single predictor of both anxiety and depression symptoms. Reproduction rate was a positive predictor, while stringency of governmental lockdown measures was a negative predictor.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 24-05-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.22.20110809
Abstract: Healthcare workers are under such a tremendous amount of pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic that many have become concerned about their jobs and even intend to leave them. It is paramount for healthcare workers to feel satisfied with their jobs and lives during a pandemic. Between 10 to 30 April, 2020, 240 healthcare workers in Bolivia completed a cross-sectional online survey, which assessed their job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and turnover intention in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The results revealed that their number of office days predicted job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and turnover intention, but the relationships varied by their age. For ex le, healthcare workers’ office days negatively predicted job satisfaction for the young (e.g. at 25 years old: b=-0.21 95% CI: −0.36 to −0.60) but positively predicted job satisfaction for the old (e.g. at 65 years old: b=0.25 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.44). These findings provide evidence to enable healthcare organizations to identify staff concerned about job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and turnover intention to enable early actions so that these staff can remain motivated to fight the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 19-05-2020
Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers work under high workload with resource constraints and virus exposure, and hence the support to healthcare workers is crucial to lower anxiety. Based on a recently published 8-point framework of COVID-19 specific organization support, we deducted a measure of COVID-19 Organizational Support (COVID-OS) of healthcare workers. We tested the new measure with 712 healthcare workers in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru from April 10th to May 2nd, 2020. Our studies suggest the new measure of COVID-19 Organizational Support (COVID-OS) formed 3 factors to predict healthcare workers’ anxiety and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal support and work support each predicted anxiety at different levels. Risk support did not play a significant role in our s le. We call further studies testing the COVID-OS in other countries and settings.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 04-01-2023
DOI: 10.1177/00207640221143919
Abstract: The Russian attack on Ukraine has been ongoing since February 24, 2022. Nevertheless, no research has documented the mental health of Ukrainians during the biggest land war in Europe after the Second World War, or how Ukrainians cope with the impact of the war. To provide the prevalence rates of symptoms of psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia and to link them with Ukrainians’ productive coping strategies during the war. Online survey conducted in Ukraine during the initial period of the Russian invasion (March 19–31, 2022), using a quota s ling method, of 1,400 Ukrainians aged 18 years or older, with a total of 801 valid responses for a response rate of 57.2%. Psychological distress assessed by the Kessler Psychological Distress scale (K6) anxiety assessed by Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) scale depression assessed by Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) insomnia assessed by Insomnia Severity Index-4 (ISI-4) modes of coping assessed by Brief COPE. Of 801 Ukrainian adults, 52.7% had symptoms of psychological distress (mean = 13.3 [ SD = 4.9]) 54.1% of them reported symptoms of anxiety (mean = 2.9 [ SD = 1.7]) 46.8% reported symptoms of depression (mean = 2.6 [ SD = 1.6]). Symptom criteria for insomnia were met by 97 respondents (12.1%) (mean = 10.4 [ SD = 4.2]). Demographic variables (including gender, living in an urban area, having children or elderly persons in the household, living in an area occupied by Russian forces) were associated with symptoms of distress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The productive coping strategies of using instrumental support, behavioral disengagement, self-distraction, and planning were significantly associated with mental health symptoms. Prevalence rates of symptoms of psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia were high. These findings underscore the need for healthcare and productive coping strategies for Ukrainians during the war.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 18-03-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FPSYT.2022.833865
Abstract: This paper used meta-regression to analyze the heterogenous factors contributing to the prevalence rate of mental health symptoms of the general and frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) in China under the COVID-19 crisis. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Medrxiv and pooled data using random-effects meta-analyses to estimate the prevalence rates, and ran meta-regression to tease out the key sources of the heterogeneity. The meta-regression results uncovered several predictors of the heterogeneity in prevalence rates among published studies, including severity (e.g., above severe vs. above moderate, p & 0.01 above moderate vs. above mild, p & 0.01), type of mental symptoms (PTSD vs. anxiety, p = 0.04), population (frontline vs. general HCWs, p & 0.01), s ling location (Wuhan vs. Non-Wuhan, p = 0.04), and study quality ( p = 0.04). The meta-regression findings provide evidence on the factors contributing to the prevalence rate of mental health symptoms of the general and frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) to guide future research and evidence-based medicine in several specific directions. www.crd.york.ac.uk rospero/display_record.php?RecordID=220592 , identifier: CRD42020220592.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 03-07-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.28.21259409
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil is extremely severe, and Brazil has the third-highest number of cases in the world. The goal of the study is to identify the prevalence rates and several predictors of depression and anxiety in Brazil during the initial outbreak of COVID-19. We surveyed 482 adults in 23 Brazilian states online on 9–22 May 2020, and found 70.3% of the adults (N=339) had depressive symptoms and 67.2% (N=320) had anxiety symptoms. The results of multi-class logistic regression models revealed that females, younger adults and those with fewer children had a higher likelihood of depression and anxiety symptoms adults who worked as employees were more likely to have anxiety symptoms than those who were self-employed or unemployed adults who spent more time browsing COVID-19 information online were more likely to have depression and anxiety symptoms. Our results provide preliminary evidence and early warning for psychiatrists and healthcare organizations to better identify and focus on the more vulnerable sub-populations in Brazil during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 22-11-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.11.19.20229856
Abstract: 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 s les 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. 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. 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.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 19-05-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FPUBH.2022.791977
Abstract: There is limited research focusing on publicly available statistics on the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as predictors of mental health across countries. Managers are at risk of suffering from mental disorders during the pandemic because they face particular hardship. We aim to predict mental disorder (anxiety and depression) symptoms of managers across countries using country-level COVID-19 statistics. A two-wave online survey of 406 managers from 26 countries was performed in May and July 2020. We used logistic panel regression models for our main analyses and performed robustness checks using ordinary least squares regressions. In the s le, 26.5% of managers reached the cut-off levels for anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7 GAD-7) and 43.5% did so for depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 PHQ-9) symptoms. We found that cumulative COVID-19 statistics (e.g., cumulative cases, cumulative cases per million, cumulative deaths, and cumulative deaths per million) predicted managers' anxiety and depression symptoms positively, whereas daily COVID-19 statistics (daily new cases, smoothed daily new cases, daily new deaths, smoothed daily new deaths, daily new cases per million, and smoothed daily new cases per million) predicted anxiety and depression symptoms negatively. In addition, the reproduction rate was a positive predictor, while stringency of governmental lockdown measures was a negative predictor. In idually, we found that the cumulative count of deaths is the most suitable single predictor of both anxiety and depression symptoms. Cumulative COVID-19 statistics predicted managers' anxiety and depression symptoms positively, while non-cumulative daily COVID-19 statistics predicted anxiety and depression symptoms negatively. Cumulative count of deaths is the most suitable single predictor of both anxiety and depression symptoms. Reproduction rate was a positive predictor, while stringency of governmental lockdown measures was a negative predictor.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 24-06-2022
Abstract: We investigate the moderating effect of the business cycle on the positive relationship between CEO overconfidence and firm performance. We propose that the expansion years of the business cycle enhance the positive impact of overconfident CEOs on firms’ performance. However, this effect is reduced during recession periods. We analyze the effect of CEO overconfidence on the Return on Equity of publicly listed US firms from 1992 to 2015, a period that includes the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2001 and the Great Recession of 2008–2009. The empirical findings support the hypotheses that expansion periods increase the positive relationship between overconfident CEOs and firms’ performance, but this positive effect weakens during recessions.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 03-06-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.01.20119230
Abstract: This study predicts handwashing behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic. An analysis of 674 adults in Malaysia identifies their time spent on social media per day as a key predictor of handwashing. The association between time spent on social media and handwashing substantially depends on gender and the number of children in the same household. Additional predictors include age and health condition. This study helps identify specific target groups for health communication on hand hygiene via people’s use of social media, which can be a key channel for health communication c aigns during a pandemic.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2020
No related grants have been discovered for Stephen Zhang.