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Special Issue "Social Anxiety and Psychophysical Health during COVID-19 Pandemic"

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2023 | Viewed by 6392

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Dr. Isabella Aquila

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Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Interests: human rights; forensic science; legal medicine; domestic violence
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Psychophysical balance is a fundamental issue in public health. In particular, mental health problems (anxiety, depression and related disorders) have increased in the COVID-19 era. The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused a condition of strong psychological stress, generating a common sense of uncertainty about the future in society. Since then, all of our lives have changed. In addition to the direct effects due to illness and economic problems, the pandemic inevitably caused social detachment, undermining the human need to socialize and favoring a strong individual dimension during quarantine. Numerous papers have reported many suicides that occurred during the lockdown period, evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as a trigger for suicide, especially in vulnerable individuals with already present suicidal risk factors and negative outcomes of the health emergency on the state of public mental health. Many age groups are involved, and the clinical and diagnostic areas in which all this has a socio-psychological impact are diverse. Among young people, it is necessary to reflect on the difficulties in returning to socialization with peers and on the reconstruction of everyday life after a period of solitude. Therefore, in the post-COVID-19 era we also emphasize the frustration related to the perception of non-belonging to the group and to social standards, which is accentuated after a long period of isolation. There are also forensic profiles related to the psychological distress connected to this pandemic period. It is important to scientifically investigate all these aspects. In the post-COVID-19 era, the challenge for the coming months is the return to normality, intended not only as a definitive stop of the contagion but also as a new psychological and relational balance of the community. The topics of this Special Issue will concern:

Social anxiety management
Analysis and diagnosis of social anxiety and psychophysical health
Treatment of anxiety
Management of suicide risk in pandemic era
Multidisciplinary assessment of social anxiety and psychophysical health
Psychological impact of COVID-19 on mental health
Forensic aspect of COVID-19 in mental disorder.

Regarding the prevention of suicide in the COVID-19 era, the specialized branches involved are forensic medicine and forensic pathology; pathological anatomy; pediatrics; general and specialist surgery; maxillofacial surgery; anesthesia and resuscitation; neurology; translational medicine; pulmonology; cardiology; infectious diseases; urology; physiatry; orthopedics; psychiatry; geriatrics; internal medicine; gynecology and obstetrics; gastroenterology and hepatology; nephrology; cardiac surgery; neurosurgery; toxicology; genetics; biology; psychology; clinical chemistry; computer engineering; sports medicine; rehabilitation medicine; neuroradiology; forensic entomology; forensic veterinary; forensic anthropology.

Dr. Isabella Aquila
Guest Editor

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Keywords

social anxiety
psychophysical health
COVID-19
pandemic
social profile
social outcomes
mental health
diagnosis
autopsy
forensic pathology
psychophysical trauma
emergency
management of suicide
suicide
death
injury
radiological investigation
surgical intervention
sepsis
violent
abuse
psychological trauma
drugs
toxicology
treatment of mental disorders
treatment of anxiety
multidisciplinary profiles
pediatric psychological trauma
resuscitation
prevention
suicide risk

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Editorial

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Open AccessEditorial

The Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Public Mental Health: State of Art and Future Perspectives

Matteo Antonio Sacco

Pietrantonio Ricci

and

Isabella Aquila

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(9), 5665; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20095665 - 27 Apr 2023

Viewed by 764

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed our lives in every way [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Anxiety and Psychophysical Health during COVID-19 Pandemic)

Research

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Open AccessArticle

Hope Buffers the Effect of Fear of COVID-19 on Depression among College Students: Insomnia as a Mediator

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3245; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043245 - 13 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1058

Abstract

Background: In the period of the global pandemic, psychophysical problems induced by the fear of COVID-19 among college students deserve attention since the dormitory environment in college greatly increases the possibility of COVID-19 infection. Methods: A hypothesized mediated moderation model was to be verified using a cross-sectional study among 2453 college students. Fear of COVID-19, insomnia, hope, and depression were assessed by using the relevant scales. Results: (1) The fear of COVID-19 was positively correlated to depression (β = 0.365, t = 5.553, 95% CI = [0.236, 0.494]); (2) hope moderated the influence of the fear of COVID-19 on depression (β = −0.093, t = −4.066, 95% CI = [−0.137, −0.048]), as well as on insomnia (β = −0.095, t = −4.841, 95% CI = [−0.133, −0.056]); and (3) the mediated moderation model with hope as the moderator and insomnia as the full mediating variable between fear of COVID-19 and depression was verified (β = −0.060, 95% CI = [−0.093, −0.028]). Conclusions: The findings suggest that hope is a vital mechanism to explain the relationship between the fear of COVID-19 and depression in early adulthood. In practical application, mental health practitioners should focus on boosting hope and alleviating insomnia when addressing COVID-19-related depression issues among college students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Anxiety and Psychophysical Health during COVID-19 Pandemic)

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Open AccessArticle

Association of Digital Health Literacy with Future Anxiety as Mediated by Information Satisfaction and Fear of COVID-19: A Pathway Analysis among Taiwanese Students

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15617; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315617 - 24 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1677

Abstract

Digital Health Literacy (DHL) helps online users with navigating the infodemic and co-existing conspiracy beliefs to avoid mental distress and maintain well-being. We aimed to investigate the association between DHL and future anxiety (FA); and examine the potential mediation roles of information satisfaction and fear of COVID-19 (F-CoV). A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out among 1631 Taiwanese university students aged 18 years and above from June 2021 to March 2022. Data collected were socio-demographic characteristics (sex, age, social status, university location), information satisfaction, F-CoV, DHL and FA (using Future Dark scale). The linear regression model was used to explore factors associated with FA. The pathway analysis was further used to evaluate the direct and indirect relationship between DHL and FA. A higher score of DHL (B = −0.21; 95% CI, −0.37, −0.06; p = 0.006), and information satisfaction (B = −0.16; 95% CI, −0.24, −0.08; p < 0.001) were associated with a lower FA score, whereas a higher F-CoV score was associated with a higher FA score (B = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.36, 0.50; p < 0.001). DHL showed the direct impact (B = −0.1; 95% CI, −0.17, −0.04; p = 0.002) and indirect impact on FA as mediated by information satisfaction (B = −0.04; 95% CI, −0.06, −0.01; p = 0.002) and F-CoV (B = −0.06, 95% CI, −0.08, −0.04; p < 0.001). Strategic approaches to promote DHL, information satisfaction, lower F-CoV are suggested to reduce FA among students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Anxiety and Psychophysical Health during COVID-19 Pandemic)

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Open AccessArticle

Physical Activity Levels and Psychological Well-Being during COVID-19 Lockdown among University Students and Employees

Adrián De la Rosa

Armando Monterrosa Quintero

María Alejandra Camacho-Villa

Coralie Arc-Chagnaud

André Gustavo Pereira de Andrade

Sergio Reyes-Correa

Ronald Quintero-Bernal

and

Juan Pedro Fuentes-García

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11234; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811234 - 07 Sep 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2115

Abstract

During the lockdown for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), entire populations were instructed to live in home confinement. We investigated the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on the physical activity (PA) and mental health of students and employees in a Colombian University. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey during the first isolation. A total of 431 respondents (192 males) aged 18–60 years old (28.1 ± 11.1 years) participated. The international Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the short version of the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI-S) were used. The lockdown had a negative effect on PA levels, with students exhibiting the greatest decrease (~34%; p ˂ 0.001) compared to employees (~24%; p ˂ 0.01). The analysis showed a greater change in PA behavior before and during the lockdown in highly active student participants (5750 vs. 5141 MET min/week; p < 0.05). Additionally, the psychological assessment revealed a lower score in students compared to employees in the male (70.1 vs. 82.6) and female groups (60.2 vs. 79.6). Moreover, the results revealed an influence of sex, with only the female students exhibiting a state of distress. Self-reported PA and psychological well-being were compromised during the COVID-19 lockdown in the academic community, with students and females being more affected. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Anxiety and Psychophysical Health during COVID-19 Pandemic)

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Special Issue "Social Anxiety and Psychophysical Health during COVID-19 Pandemic"

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