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Healthcare professionals (HCPs) are among those most affected by the COVID-19 health emergency, with many presenting symptoms of anxiety and depression. Research shows that one of the factors involved in mitigating the impact of stressful situations is the use of cognitive emotional regulation mechanisms. The aims of this study were (a) to describe the functional and dysfunctional cognitive emotional regulation mechanisms (FRMs and DRMs) by gender, (b) to screen the main group of healthcare professionals who are candidates to receive psychological assistance based on FRMs and DRMs, and (c) to determine the HCP profile of candidates for psychological assistance. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Data were obtained from an adhoc questionnaire— the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-18), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The representative sample comprised 1452 HCPs. The results revealed significant differences between men and women in the use of DRMs. Women showed a higher use of catastrophizing ( 0.001) and rumination (0.008). The screening procedure detected that 7.5% (109 cases) of the HCPs were candidates to receive psychological support. According to the results of this study, age group (30–39 years old), professional activity (being a nurse or nursing assistant), and having psychological symptoms of anxiety and depression are variables that independently increase the probability of requiring psychological assistance. The gender variable was not found to be an independent factor when it comes to receiving psychological support. In conclusion, it is necessary to consider the influence of cognitive emotional regulation strategies employed by HCPs in the screening of candidates for psychological assistance and design effective interventions to reverse the emotional distress caused by COVID-19

COVID-19; Anxiety; Pregnancy COVID-19; Ansiedad; Embarazo COVID-19; Ansietat; Embaràs Background: To explore the depression and anxiety symptoms in the postpartum period during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and to identify potential risk factors. Methods: A multicentre observational cohort study including 536 women was performed at three hospitals in Spain. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Scale, the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS), and the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) were assessed after birth. Depression (EPDS) and anxiety (STAI) symptoms were measured, and the cut-off scores were set at 10 and 13 for EPDS, and at 40 for STAI. Results: Regarding EPDS, 32.3% (95% CI, 28% to 36.5%) of women had a score ≥ 10, and 17.3% (95% CI, 13.9% to 20.7%) had a score ≥ 13. Women with an STAI score ≥ 40 accounted for 46.8% (95% CI, 42.3% to 51.2%). A lower level of social support (MOS-SSS), a fetal malformation diagnosis and a history of depression (p = 0.000, p = 0.019 and p = 0.043) were independent risk factors for postpartum depression. A lower level of social support and a history of mental health disorders (p = 0.000, p = 0.003) were independent risk factors for postpartum anxiety. Conclusion: During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, an increase in symptoms of anxiety and depression were observed during the postpartum period.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts on population health not only through COVID-positive cases, but also via the disruption of healthcare services, which in turn has impacted the diagnosis and treatment of all other diseases during this time. We study changes in all new registered diagnoses in ICD-10 groups during 2020 with respect to a 2019 baseline. We compare new diagnoses in 2019 and 2020 based on administrative records of the public primary health system in Central Catalonia, Spain, which cover over 400,000 patients and 3 million patient visits. We study the ratio of new diagnoses between 2019 and 2020 and find an average decline of 31.1% in new diagnoses, with substantial drops in April (61.1%), May (55.6%), and November (52%). Neoplasms experience the largest decline (49.7%), with heterogeneity in the magnitudes of the declines across different types of cancer diagnoses. While we find evidence of temporal variation in new diagnoses, reductions in diagnoses early in the year are not recouped by the year end. The observed decline in new diagnoses across all diagnosis groups suggest a large number of untreated and undetected cases across conditions. Our findings provide a year-end summary of the impact of the pandemic on healthcare activities and can help guide health authorities to design evidence-based plans to target under-diagnosed conditions in 2021 Catia Nicodemo is supported by the University of Oxford’s COVID-19 Research Response Fund, number 0910204

Departing from the understanding of food tourism in urban environments, this research analyses the brand engagement of bakeries during the COVID-19 lockdown period, and the first stages of the de-escalation process. A mixed-methods study is designed to analyze the case of six selected bakeries in Catalonia (Spain). Drawing on data obtained from semi-structured interviews (N = 6) and a visual content analysis of the businesses’ social media promotion in Instagram (N = 638), results show the performance of bakeries during pandemic times, where a change in production and consumption behaviors is observed and takeaway and delivery helped them to survive. In particular, their social media promotion in Instagram also revealed how bakeries have managed this difficult situation and kept a close relationship with customers, standing up as a symbol of resilience against the odds and contributing to preserve customers’ awareness on food and health, and the city’s identity, through digital branding strategies that communicate messages around bread and pastry foods (the product), the shop and the workshop (the place), and both the employees and the customers (the people).