Search

The present study aimed to find out differences in health risk factors of COVID-19 among doctors, nurses and psychologists by determining the relationship of cognitive appraisal, coping styles, stress and fear among health professionals. Cross-sectional research design was used. Sample comprised of 3 groups; doctors, nurses and psychologists (

Objectives: The present study aimed to compare the stress experience of employees facing to differentiated types of lockdown situations: total vs. partial. It also aimed to identify the cognitive appraisal, coping, stress, and fear of contracting COVID-19 associated with lock down situations among employees. Method: A cross-sectional research design was employed. The sample comprises two groups (n = 490 in each group), complete lockdown (people working from home) and partial lockdown (people going to workplace), and was drawn from Pakistan using purposive sampling technique. Stress Appraisal Measure, Brief COPE Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, and Fear of Contracting COVID-19 Questionnaire were used to measure cognitive appraisal, coping, stress, and fear, respectively.Results: Independent sample t-test showed that the threat and uncontrollable appraisal was high in people going to workplace as compared to people working from home. Results of binary logistic regression showed that people going to workplace were more likely to cope with COVID-19 situation through seeking instrumental support, behavior disengagement, acceptance, and religion as compared to people working from home. Moreover, people working from home were 0.84 times more likely to cope through emotional support than people going to workplace. Fear was found to be 1.1 times more likely associated with people going to workplace than people working from home.Conclusion: This study would help administrative authorities and government institutions in designing mental health services for working population. It would help the emergency departments in devising first aid management plan to deal with the psychological needs of the workers under pandemic/lockdown situations.

The present study aimed to examine the relationship and prediction of cognitive appraisal and coping with Stress and Fear contracting COVID-19 among the working population of Pakistan. Cross-sectional research design was employed. The data was collected from 980 participants of almost 39 different professions using the purposive sampling technique. Stress Appraisal Measure (Peacock et al., in Stress Med 6:227-236, 1990, http://www.drpaulwong.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Stress-Appraisal-Measure-SAM-Peacock-Wong-1990-Paper.pdf). Brief COPE Inventory (Caver, in Int J Behav Med 4:92-100, 1997), and Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., in J Health Soc Behav 24:385-396, 1983) were used to measure cognitive appraisal, coping, and stress, respectively. Fear was measured by using Fear contracting COVID-19 questionnaire (Ali et al., in J Pakistan Soc Int Med 2(2):140-144, 2021). Age, education, and previously attended stress management training were significantly positively correlated with stress and fear. Females were more stressed and fearful than males. Average time spent on social media was significantly positively correlated with stress. Participants, who were employed, had family members of the older age group above 50 years and had family members with the history of biological diseases were more fearful. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that threat, centrality, stressfulness appraisal, and avoidant emotional coping significantly positively predicted stress, whereas control-self appraisal and active emotional coping significantly negatively predicted stress. Moreover, threat, challenge, centrality, stressfulness appraisal, and problem-focused coping significantly positively predicted fear contracting COVID-19, whereas control-self appraisal and active emotional coping significantly negatively predicted fear contracting COVID-19 after controlling for covariates. This study will address the administrative authorities and government institutions to provide first-aid mental health services for emergencies, epidemics, or pandemics in the future.

Ali Asad Khan*, Ali Salman Khan, Yasir Shafi, Anam Ali and Sajid Abaidullah King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan Corresponding Author: Ali Asad Khan King Edward Medical University Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan E-mail: asad.kemcolian@gmail.com Retraction Note The article entitled “Body mass index: not a predictor for hiatus hernia of esophagus” has been accepted for publication in the Clinical Practice (Therapy): Open Access considering the statements provided in the article as personal opinion of the author which was found not having any conflict or biasness towards anything. As the article was a perspective one, information provided by the author was considered as an opinion to be expressed through publication. Publisher took decision to make the article online solely based on the reviewers suggestion which considered the article not but a personal opinion of the author. However, it is found that the author have some personal concerns and issues, therefore, being retracted from the journal.

Objectives: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) develop anemia which is treated with erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs). However, ESAs do not reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality. Furthermore, this is unclear whether ESAs therapy has any association with adverse cardiovascular events. Methods: After an informed consent 275 male and female patients, between ages 35 to 75 years, with CKD stage V on ESAs undergoing twice weekly hemodialysis were enrolled. The dose of ESAs was calculated according to weight as 50mg/kg with target hemoglobin being 11 – 12 g/dl. Dose adjustments were made in the patients who failed to achieve target hemoglobin. The patients were followed for a year with the primary end point being new evidence of acute myocardial infarction (MI) diagnosed through ECG or echocardiography. Safety outcomes included stroke or death. Results: The data was entered and analyzed in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18 Out of 275 patients, 164 (59.6%) patients were males and 111 (40.4%) were females. Mean age of the patients was 51.52 with standard deviation of ± 5.73. According to the results, 52 (18.9%) patients reported with MI and 223 (81.1%) patients had no evidence of MI. Out of 52 patients who had MI, 37 (71.1%) were males and 15 (28.8%) patients were female. Conclusion: ESAs are associated with an increased risk of MI in CKD patients on hemodialysis. Whether there is a direct association or there are other factors involved remains to be seen.