Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a highly contagious and novel virus that has prompted government officials to implement restrictive public health orders. It is hypothesized that pandemic-related restrictions may have a detrimental impact on mental health. Longitudinal data were collected through 13 assessments, repeated every 2 weeks for the initial 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were recruited through [Masked] University and social media. The final sample consisted of 280 adults from across Canada, with the majority of participants residing in Alberta (63%) and Ontario (20%). Sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19 related risk factors, prepandemic and pandemic physical activity, and COVID-19 related risk factors were collected at study entry, and mental health (depressive symptoms, anxiety, and loneliness) were collected at each assessment. Multilevel modeling was used to identify mental health trajectories during the initial 6 months of the pandemic. Mental health symptoms tracked with rising cases of infection and subsequent public health restrictions during the pandemic. Specifically, anxiety and depressive symptoms demonstrated strong longitudinal quadratic trends. Both anxiety and depressive symptoms were high at study entry (May 2020) and decreased over the summer, followed by an increase in the fall and winter months. Loneliness was stable over the follow-up period. Age, sex, living alone, socioeconomic factors, and preexisting mental health conditions correlated with mental health symptoms during the pandemic’s initial 6 months. This study characterizes within-person changes to mental health (anxiety, depressive symptoms, and loneliness) in a Canadian sample from May 2020 to January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic. Responses to the pandemic response disrupted Canadian social connections in complex ways; because social connections are determinants of health and well-being, their disruption could adversely affect health and well-being. Moreover, understanding how pandemics and public health responses affect social connections could inform pandemic recovery strategy and public health approaches designed for future pandemics. The purpose of this study is to understand experiences of pandemic impact on social connections over the pandemic. Methods A sample of 343 Canadian adults was recruited through Athabasca University and social media. Participants were predominantly White (81%) and female (88%). After the pandemic onset, participants responded to open-ended questions about the impact of the pandemic on and any changes to social connections at three time points (baseline, and three- and 6 months from study entry). Responses were categorized into epochs by date (April-June 2020 [Spring]; July-August 2020 [Summer]; September 2020-January 2021 [Fall/Winter]). Qualitative thematic analysis was used to code themes for each epoch. Results Negative impact of the pandemic (37–45%), loss of social connections (32–36%), and alternative means of connection (26–32%) were prominent themes across the epochs. Restrictions to face-to-face connections were largest in spring (9%) and lowest in the Summer (4%). Conversely, participants increasingly reported limited contact or communication into the Fall and Winter (6–12%) as pandemic restrictions in Canada were reinstated. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic threatens social connections, with negative impacts that fluctuated with COVID-19 case rates and subsequent pandemic restrictions. These findings could be used to identify targets for social supports during the pandemic recovery, and to adjust public health strategies for future pandemics that minimize impact on social connections.

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This study describes the stress audit process and how it can be effectively linked with stress management workshop development and delivery. Specifically, four stress audits and four workshops based on them were conducted within an organization. Reactions indicated that the stress audit is a valuable tool for trainers.In today' s ever-increasing push to do more with less, employees are reporting more on-the-job stress than ever before (Cartwright & Cooper, 1997). While stress management workshops have been one of the tools in many trainers' portfolios, the general nature and outcome-based approaches of many of the workshops have left some organizational personnel skeptical regarding stress management workshop utility. The purpose of this study is to describe a process that will make stress management workshops better tailored to the specific needs of attendees. The focus of the workshop exercises used in this study were on (1) reduction of the potential stressors themselves and (2) individuals' perceptions of potential stressors. Figure 1 is the stress model that demonstrates how we described the stress process to our clients. It indicates that potential stressors are subsequently perceived by the individual, and that some may be more stressful to some individuals than to others. Thus, the response to the potential stressor is idiosyncratic. Finally, if the potential stressors become stressful to the individual, then various well-documented outcomes are likely to occur.The purpose of stress management workshops is to address occupational stress through interactive exercises in a small group setting. The majority of coping strategies focus on dealing with the outcomes of stress (such as providing opportunities to learn relaxation techniques, exercise routines, and

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