COVID-19: Psychosocial impact and mental health in Latin America

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only had health, economic, and political impacts, but also significant psychosocial and mental health consequences worldwide. In this article, different documentation and studies on mental health were analyzed, with the aim of identifying the various problems detected during the pandemic. Methodologically, a narrative and integrative review of the scientific literature was carried out. In Latin America, the most recent studies have documented and made patent effects on the various vulnerized populations such as migrants, women, children, the elderly, people living with significant disabilities, people experiencing marked housing and food insecurity, and temporary workers laboring in what has been referred to as the informal economy. In light of this, it is proposed that addressing these issues should involve the coordination of transnational policies and the definition of an agenda of critical priorities to focus and address. For this to come about, it is important that the empirical evidence generated by regional epidemiological studies contribute to the design of public policies on mental health of the Latin American population, so that they reduce the negative effects as well as prevent the future consequences of a pandemic that is not yet over.

Differential Diagnosis in the Management of Acute Respiratory Infections through Point-of-Care Rapid Testing in a Post-Pandemic Scenario in Latin America: Special Focus on COVID-19, Influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus

“…The disruption of ongoing health services, such as screenings and immunization programs, caused by the pandemic [122], as well as behavioral changes (e.g., vaccine hesitancy), calls for measures directed at restoring and reinforcing health programs [127][128][129][130]. Such measures must pay particular attention to mental health and populations that have been disproportionally affected [126,131,132]. Pandemic recovery efforts must be accompanied by global and regional cooperation and coordination mechanisms and frameworks to respond to and prevent public health emergencies.…”

Network analysis of pandemic fatigue symptoms in samples from five South American countries

“…In addition, deterioration in family dynamics and daily lifestyle has also been reported (Fountoulakis et al, 2022). This reality is not foreign to Latin America, where high but heterogeneous levels of mental health symptom prevalence have been observed during the pandemic (Gallegos et al, 2022; Zhang & Chen, 2021; Zhang et al, 2022). In South America, the impact of COVID-19 on mental health was greater in low-income populations (Bassey et al, 2022).…”

Experiencias de duelo del personal de salud durante la pandemia por Covid-19 en Chile

“…Aun, cuando se trata de una población entrenada y dedicada a la atención en situaciones extremas, esto no los vuelve inmunes al sufrimiento humano. 4,5 En este sentido, la pandemia demandó al personal sanitario un profundo compromiso ético en su trabajo, al estar expuestos a constantes experiencias de duelo, las que generaron transformaciones profesionales y espirituales. 6,7 En relación a las transformaciones espirituales, esta se entiende como la apertura a la dimensión de trascendencia, que permite al sujeto encontrar, formular y expresar una "significación última" a su vida.…”