Morale and Perceived Threats as Predictors of Psychological Coping with Distress in Pandemic and Armed Conflict Times

Eshel, Yohanan; Kimhi, Shaul; Marciano, Hadas; Adini, Bruria

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168759

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“… 23 Eshel et al analysed the interaction between various aspects of mental health, but did not directly report differences in health for the two periods. 24 In addition, the involvement of the Israeli study population in the conflict was much more direct than the situation analysed in our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Mental health in Germany in the first weeks of the Russo-Ukrainian war

et al. 2023

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Background In the connected world, although societies are not directly involved in a military conflict, they are exposed to media reports of violence. Aims We assessed the effects of such exposures on mental health in Germany during the military conflict in Ukraine. Method We used the German population-based cohort for digital health research, DigiHero, launching a survey on the eighth day of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Of the 27 509 cohort participants from the general population, 19 444 (70.7%) responded within 17 days. We measured mental health and fear of the impact of war compared with other fears (natural disasters or health-related). Results In a subsample of 4441 participants assessed twice, anxiety in the population (measured by the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 screener) was higher in the first weeks of war than during the strongest COVID-19 restrictions. Anxiety was elevated across the whole age spectrum, and the mean was above the cut-off for mild anxiety. Over 95% of participants expressed various degrees of fear of the impact of war, whereas the percentage for other investigated fears was 0.47–0.82. A one-point difference in the fear of the impact of war was associated with a 2.5 point (95% CI 2.42–2.58) increase in anxiety (11.9% of the maximum anxiety score). For emotional distress, the increase was 0.67 points (0.66–0.68) (16.75% of the maximum score). Conclusions The population in Germany reacted to the Russo-Ukrainian war with substantial distress, exceeding reactions during the strongest restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic. Fear of the impact of war was associated with worse mental health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Mental health in Germany in the first weeks of the Russo-Ukrainian war

et al. 2023

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“…All these aspects show the impact of the armed conflict at a distance from the place of its occurrence. Several recent studies have objectively shown the impact of disasters on the mental health of victims but also on those involved in rescuing victims [ 1 , 2 , 15 ]. Continuing this idea of the impact of armed conflict, our study brings objective data that show that the level of stress increases beyond the borders where the war takes place, indirectly affecting the medical staff involved in the care of victims.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the aftermath of catastrophes and disasters (e.g., mass shootings, hurricanes, terrorism, floods), people respond with a variety of negative psychological outcomes, including depression, anxiety, traumatic stress, etc. [ 1 , 2 ]. An atypical polytraumatic event for the 21st century started on 24 February 2022, when Ukraine was attacked and invaded by the Russian army.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

General Health among Eastern Romanian Emergency Medicine Personnel during the Russian–Ukrainian Armed Conflict

et al. 2022

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(1) Background: The aim of the current study is to identify the relations between worries, threat perceptions, anxiety states, and general health in a sample of Emergency unit staff during the Russian Ukrainian armed conflict. The sample consisted of 372 Emergency Care staff (M age = 39.41; 77.2% women), physicians, and nurses from North-eastern Romania. (2) Methods: Participants completed an online survey including scale measuring worries, recent anxiety symptoms, and general health. The survey was distributed and completed in the next month after the outbreak of the war. (3) Results: The results showed that the worries, perceived threats, and anxiety symptoms during the last period are negatively related to general health. Women presented higher levels of worries, perceived threats, and anxiety symptoms, compared to men, while for general health, women presented lower scores. Concerning the differences between different professional categories, the results showed that trainees presented higher scores on worries, perceived threats, and anxiety symptoms, as well as lower scores on general health. The implications of these results for improving health and quality of life are discussed. (4) Conclusions: The level of stress increases beyond the borders where the war takes place, thus indirectly affecting the Emergency Care staff involved in the care of victims. Clinical implications of these results for interventions designed to monitor quality of life and to prevent unwanted consequences of exposure to traumatic life events are discussed.

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“…Throughout the pandemic, the messages relayed to the public were mostly focused on the assumption that the population is concerned with the virus and its potential consequences on health status. In contrast, longitudinal studies have shown that the highest concern of the population throughout the pandemic was the political instability that characterized the Israeli society rather than the health threat [ 10 , 24 ]. Another misconception was based on the conception that as the elderly population was considered (and accurately so) as the most vulnerable to the virus (along with other populations of special needs), it is also the least resilient sector in society.…”

Section: Insight 2: Don’t Assume! Look For Evidence-based Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another phenomenon to be noted is the comparison of the mean levels of resilience among students in academic institutions to the general public. Whilst many decision-makers believed that students are ‘less impacted’ by the pandemic, studies showed that the mean level of individual resilience among students is lower compared to that of the general population, while their level of distress was higher [ 10 ].…”

Section: Insight 2: Don’t Assume! Look For Evidence-based Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective: lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic concerning the resilience of the population

Adini

Kimhi

2023

Isr J Health Policy Res

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Background A vital stakeholder in the successful management of the COVID-19 pandemic is the public. The degree of involvement of the population in managing the pandemic, and the leadership perception of the public, had a direct impact on the resilience of the population and level of adherence to the issued protective measures. Main body Resilience refers to the ability to ‘bounce back’ or ‘bounce forward’ following adversity. Resilience facilitates community engagement which is a crucial component of combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The article highlights six insights recognized in studies conducted in Israel during and following the pandemic concerning the resilience of the country’s population. (1) Contrary to varied adversities in which the community serves as an important support system to the individuals, this type of support was substantially impaired during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the need to maintain isolation, social distancing, and lockdowns. (2) Policy-making during the pandemic should be based on evidence-based data, rather than on assumptions made by decision-makers. This gap led the authorities during the pandemic to adopt measures that were ineffective, such as risk communication based on ‘scare tactics’ concerning the virus, when the highest risk perceived by the public was political instability. (3) Societal resilience is associated with the public’s behavior, such as with vaccine hesitancy and uptake. (4) Factors that affect the levels of resilience include, among others, self-efficacy (impacts individual resilience); social, institutional, and economic aspects as well as well-being (impact community resilience); and hope and trust in the leadership (impact societal resilience). (5) The public should be perceived as an asset in managing the pandemic, thus becoming a vital part of the ‘solution’. This will lead to a better understanding of the needs and expectations of the population and an applicable ‘tailoring’ of the messages that address the public. (6) The gap between science and policymaking must be bridged, to achieve optimal management of the pandemic. Conclusions Improving preparedness for future pandemics should be based on a holistic view of all stakeholders, including the public as a valued partner, connectivity between policymakers and scientists, and strengthening the public’s resilience, by enhancing trust in authorities.

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Morale and Perceived Threats as Predictors of Psychological Coping with Distress in Pandemic and Armed Conflict Times

Cited by 11 publications

References 48 publications

Mental health in Germany in the first weeks of the Russo-Ukrainian war

Mental health in Germany in the first weeks of the Russo-Ukrainian war

General Health among Eastern Romanian Emergency Medicine Personnel during the Russian–Ukrainian Armed Conflict

Perspective: lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic concerning the resilience of the population

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