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The devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic on society raised the question of how best to gauge society's psychological adaptation to continually evolving global disruptor events, such as Covid-19. This paper aims to illustrate the use of different approaches to monitor society's psychological response to Covid-19, in order to argue for a more comprehensive, multi-model, approach. The results from different approaches are presented in two studies employing measures of mental disorders and mental distress, respectively, using South African samples for demonstration. The first study presents findings from repeat administration of measures of common mental disorders (major depressive and generalized anxiety disorders) across three consecutive years, while the second study presents findings from mood response profiles (measured with the Brunel Mood Scale) collected across five time points during the Covid-19 pandemic. Both studies showed that the Covid-19 pandemic was temporally associated with adverse mental health outcomes across the mental health continuum, and that mental health profiles were associated with both time since onset of Covid-19 and subsequent wave occurrence. Elevated prevalence of common mental disorders, as well as fluctuating patterns of mood response profiles, are discussed against the context of Covid-19. The paper concludes that a multi-modal approach, for instance measuring specific mental disorders as well as more general mental distress, is crucial to comprehensively understand society's psychological adaptation to major disruptor events, and guide health sector responses. The paper serves as a reminder to continue to observe mental health more inclusively to appropriately respond to the psychological needs of communities. Plain Language Summary: Measuring mental health across Covid-19 waves The impact of Covid-19 on mental health raised the question of how can we best measure how society adapts, psychologically, to major events that disrupt life. This article looked at two specific ways to measure and monitor society's psychological response to Covid-19. The first study looked at the prevalence of mental disorders, and the second looked at levels of mental distress. Both studies used South African samples to demonstrate this. The first study presented data from a repeat administration of scales that identify depressive and anxiety disorders, completed across three consecutive years. The second study presented findings from mood response profiles (measured with the Brunel Mood Scale) collected across five time points during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results showed that the pandemic was associated with adverse mental health outcomes—across the mental health continuum—and that mental health profiles were associated with both time since the start of Covid-19 and fluctuated with the subsequent waves across the pandemic time-line. This article demonstrated the importance of using a multi-modal approach to fully understand society's psychological response to major life disruptions. It also acted as reminder to monitor mental health continuously to be able to respond to the psychological needs of communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper was to examine the school-related experiences of youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants represented both clinical and community youth aged 14 to 28 who were sampled as part of a larger study. Feedback from youth attending school during the pandemic was qualitatively examined and youth who planned to attend school prior to the pandemic and did (n = 246) and youth who planned to attend but did not (n = 28) were compared quantitatively. Youth appreciated the flexibility of online learning and some also reported experiencing a lack of support from their school and the need for instructor training on how to deliver virtual classes effectively. Future studies should examine what factors influence student engagement with virtual learning, what strategies could improve supports for student in their long-term career development, and the longitudinal experiences of youth who may have chosen not to go back to school due to the pandemic. This survey was conducted in Ontario, Canada. A more diverse sample collected outside of Ontario would improve generalizability. Qualitative data were based on survey responses and not interviews. Thus we were unable to discern the reasons youth decided to attend school, or not, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aftermath effects including overstressed health systems, increased number of cases, death rates, and patient aggression have significant implications on the healthcare workers' psychological well-being. Building on both the Health Belief Model and Conservation of Resources theory, this study examined the impact of patient aggression on healthcare workers' psychological well-being, anxiety, and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the study tested the mediating role of psychological well-being in the abovementioned relationships. Data obtained from 549 Lebanese healthcare workers in private hospitals in a two-wave survey was used to evaluate the proposed study's relationships, using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results indicated that patient aggression has significant negative impact on healthcare workers' psychological well-being and mental health while it increases anxiety. Further, psychological well-being partially mediated the relationship between patient aggression and anxiety. Theoretical contributions, practical implications of the study, and suggestions for further studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aftermath of the pandemic may have changes in consumer behaviors and motivations for buying. This study aims to find and prove the underlying psychological factors of compulsive buying behavior under the conditions of social isolation. The structural equation modeling via partial least squares (PLS-SEM) was used to test hypotheses and conduct a multigroup analysis on a sample of 394 consumers (n = 206 for Utilitarian products, n = 188 for Hedonic products). The empirical findings reveal the significant relationships among perceived scarcity, perceived control, uncertainty, perceived severity through loneliness, anxiety, fear appeal and finally compulsive buying. Besides, the proved moderating effects show a significantly higher impact of anxiety on compulsive buying for those who buy utilitarian products and a significantly stronger impact of fear appeal on compulsive buying for those who buy hedonic products. This study integrates perceptions of the epidemic (perceived scarcity, perceived control, uncertainty, perceived severity) and mental-health factors (loneliness, anxiety, and fear appeal) in consumers' compulsive buying behavior during the public health emergency period and examines its actual impact, and extends the conceptual framework of compulsive buying by comprehending the theory of fear appeal, including product type as the moderating effect. Plain Language Summary: Post-pandemic mental health problems lead to compulsive buying behavior Purpose: The aftermath of the pandemic may have changes in consumer behaviors and motivations for buying. This study aims to find and prove the underlying psychological factors of compulsive buying behavior under the conditions of social isolation. Methods: The study employed structural equation modeling via partial least squares (PLS-SEM) and conducted a multigroup analysis on a sample of 394 consumers. Among them, 206 were purchasing utilitarian products, and 188 were buying hedonic products. Conclusion: This study advances our understanding of compulsive buying behavior during public health crisis. It integrates perceptions related to the pandemic and mental health factors into the framework, shedding light on how these factors drive compulsive buying. The study also introduces the theory of fear appeal and reveals the moderating effect of product type. Implications: The findings emphasizing the importance of addressing positive guidance information and tailoring strategies for the variation of the pandemic have practical implications for policymakers. Policymakers should take into account as much as possible the harmful effects on the public and keep people's lifestyles in a balanced state. The government should enable all sectors of society (suppliers, retailers, hospitals, etc.) to be prepared for the increased demands that are faced by a public health emergency to reduce negative emotions. Limitations: This study uses cross-sectional data and covers only one country. Further research should collect more data at different points in time, and conduct multicultural/cross-country studies to improve the generalization of the model and thus provide policymakers with more effective policies and response strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 and the actions to curtail its spread have elevated the value of mental health as well as public health crises and pandemics. This calls for increased research in this area and the use of consistent and valid instruments to measure diverse aspects of mental health in different populations. This study presents preliminary psychometric properties (i.e., factor structure, internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity) of the WHO-5 index as compared to other mental health instruments used in three countries (Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Malaysia). Data was collected from three countries during the first 5 months after the onset of COVID-19 in the Southern African and Southeast Asia regions: Botswana (N = 422; Mean Wellbeing = 9.8; SD = 5.4), Zimbabwe (N = 325; Mean = 9.4; SD = 5.3), and Malaysia (N = 425; Mean = 13; SD = 5.3). After data quality and scaling properties were evaluated, factor structures were assessed using principal component analysis and internal consistency of the extracted components were examined using Cronbach's alpha (α). Construct validity was examined using Pearson's correlations to establish both convergent validity and discriminant validity among the three mental health constructs (i.e., well-being, generalized anxiety, and loneliness). With Cronbach's alpha of the total WHO-5 Wellbeing index of.86 (Botswana sample), α =.85 (Zimbabwean data) and α =.88 (Malaysian data), as well as (α >.7) for the selected demographic subgroups, the findings broadly suggest that WHO-5 is a unique, reliable, and valid instrument for measuring subjective well-being, and by extension mental health among diverse subgroups—in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malaysia, and possibly, other similar settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2020, higher education institutions experienced a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous studies have shown the negative impact of the lockdown on students' mental health. The lockdown situation was unprecedented and describing the variety of experiences is therefore important. This study aims to describe students' lived experiences of how student life promoted mental health and wellbeing in everyday life under various degrees of lockdown during the pandemic. Twelve students from a Norwegian university were interviewed online. Phenomenological analysis was used. The essence of their experiences can be described as a balance between predictability and joy based on two themes: making sense in isolation and me related to the outside world. This balance was achieved through the students' own effort to create appropriate routines in their everyday lives and facilitate the achievement of their goals, allowing them to take initiative, feel included and disrupt the often monotonous COVID-19 lockdown. Universities need to offer as many in-person meeting points, spaces where small groups of students can meet, and interactive lectures as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]