Sex and Gender Disparities in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Gausman, Jewel; Langer, Ana

doi:10.1089/jwh.2020.8472

Cited by 255 publications

(250 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Our study showed females had higher distress and fear of COVID-19, which was consistent with studies from China [14,33] and Italy [34,35] suggesting female gender was a consistent predictor for psychological distress. A host of reasons can be postulated for this as females disproportionately share the larger percentage caregiving roles, in both formal and informal sectors.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…All items were scored, and the total score categorised into low (score 10-15), moderate (score [16][17][18][19][20][21], high (score [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] and very high (score 30-50). FCV-19S had seven items and the response to each item was also measured using a 5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, neither agree nor disagree, somewhat agree, strongly agree); similarly, scores were categorised into low (score 7-21) and high (score [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. BRCS had four items and responses were collected again using a 5-point Likert scale (does not describe me at all, does not describe me, neutral, describes me, describes me very well); scoring was categorised into low (score 4-13), medium (score 14-16) and high (score 17-20) resilient copers.…”

Section: Study Toolmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors Associated With Psychological Distress, Fear and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia

Rahman

Hoque²,

Alif

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the personal, professional and social life of Australians with some people more impacted than others. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the factors associated with psychological distress, fear and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.Methods: This cross-sectional online survey was conducted among residents in Australia, including patients, frontline health and other essential service workers, and community members during Jun-2020. Psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), level of fear was assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), and coping strategies were assessed using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS). Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the extent of psychological distress, level of fear and coping strategies while adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Among 587 participants, the majority (391, 73.2%) were 30-59 years old and female (363, 61.8%). More than half (349, 59.5%) were born outside Australia and two-third (418, 71.5%) completed at least a Bachelor’s degree. The majority (401, 71.5%) had a source of income, 243 (42.3%) self-identified as a frontline worker, and 335 (58.9%) reported financial impact due to COVID-19. Comorbidities such as pre-existing mental health conditions (AOR 3.13, 95% CIs 1.12-8.75), increased smoking (8.66, 1.08-69.1) and alcohol drinking (2.39, 1.05-5.47) over the last four weeks, high levels of fear (2.93, 1.83-4.67) and being female (1.74, 1.15-2.65) were associated with a higher levels of psychological distress. Perceived distress due to change of employment status (4.14, 1.39-12.4), alcohol drinking (3.64, 1.54-8.58), providing care to known or suspected cases (3.64, 1.54-8.58), being female (1.56, 1.00-2.45), being 30-59 years old (2.29, 1.21-4.35) and having medium to high levels of psychological distress (2.90, 1.82-5.62) were associated with a higher level of fear; while healthcare service use in the last four weeks was associated with medium to high resilience. Conclusions: This study identified individuals who were at higher risk of distress and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Australia. Specific interventions to support the mental wellbeing of these individuals should be considered in addition to the existing resources within primary healthcare settings.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Study Toolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Associated With Psychological Distress, Fear and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia

Rahman

Hoque²,

Alif

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Moreover, women are usually the informal caregivers within families, so the necessary restrictive measures, such as schools and childcare facilities closures, increase their burden at home (Mantovani et al, 2020;Ramos, 2020). This can substantially reduce women's ability to perform their work duties, whether they are working from home or on site (Gausman and Langer, 2020). This leads women to experience more difficulties to keep their job, limiting their work opportunities and financial status (Wenham et al, 2020).…”

Section: Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological Impact and Associated Factors During the Initial Stage of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Among the General Population in Spain

2020

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The outbreak of COVID-19 in Spain started at the end of February. By 9th April 2020 Spain was the second country in confirmed cases and in deaths. On March 14, 2020, the Spanish Government declared the state of alarm to limit viral transmission. During such state, citizens must stay confined at home with few justified exceptions. This whole situation drastically changed the life of the population, which can cause a wide range of psychosocial impacts. This study explored the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the general adult population (N = 3055) during the first stages of the outbreak in Spain, as well as their anxiety, stress and depression levels. We also examined the extent to which the following variables were associated to participants' mental health: (1) demographics; (2) degree of concern about the pandemic; (3) environmental conditions during the home confinement, (4) changes in daily life as a consequence of the pandemic; (5) contact with the COVID-19 disease; (6) actual and perceived severity of the crisis; (7) information about the COVID-19, (8) perceived health status and (9) leisure activities conducted within the last 24 h. Our results show that Spanish consider the current COVID-19 health crisis as fairly severe, and the majority felt that the COVID-19 crisis had greatly impacted on their daily life, including changes in their daily routines and cancelation of important activities. About 36% of the participants reported moderate to severe psychological impact, 25% showed mild to severe levels of anxiety, 41% reported depressive symptoms, and 41% felt stressed. Women, young, and those who that lost their job during the health crisis showed the strongest negative psychological symptoms. What worried Spaniards the most was the likelihood of suffering an economic crisis derived from the pandemic. We found factors associated with better mental health, such as being satisfied with the information received about the health crisis, conducting leisure activities, and the perception of being in good health. These findings can be used to design psychological interventions to help coping with COVID-19 pandemic, both in Spain and other countries.

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“…It is generally accepted that the coronavirus that causes the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic infects and kills more men than women [1]. A sex and gender dichotomy on the impact of epidemic-prone infections has long been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A sex and gender dichotomy on the impact of epidemic-prone infections has long been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) [2]. Studies investigating the role of gender in morbidity and mortality in patients with COVID-19 have shown that men with COVID-19 are more at risk for worse outcomes and death, independent of age [1,3]. Men tend to develop more serious infections than women and the number of men is about 2.4 times that of women in the deceased patients [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Could Estrogen Protect Women From COVID-19?

Pirhadi

Talaulikar

Onwude³

et al. 2020

J Clin Med Res

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The apparent gender differences in favor of women in the risk of contracting and dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the fact that such trends have also been observed in recent epidemics including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), have prompted the obvious question: Are the reasons lifestyle or biological? True, women generally make healthier lifestyle choices as compared to men. Women do not smoke or drink as much as men, and they have a lower burden of those diseases (heart disease, diabetes or chronic lung conditions) that are known to be significant factors in the higher death rates among men with COVID-19. But there is compelling evidence for a role for biological factors. Genes are likely to play an important role. The X chromosome, of which women possess two, contains the largest number of immunerelated genes of the whole human genome, theoretically giving women double the advantage over men in mounting an efficient and rapid immune response. A fundamental difference between women and men is their hormonal milieu, and it is not unreasonable to suppose that the dominant female hormone estrogen could influence the response to infection. In this paper we evaluate the evidence and mechanisms by which estrogen could provide protection to women from a variety of viruses, perhaps including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

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Sex and Gender Disparities in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 255 publications

References 5 publications

Factors Associated With Psychological Distress, Fear and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia

Factors Associated With Psychological Distress, Fear and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia

Psychological Impact and Associated Factors During the Initial Stage of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Among the General Population in Spain

Could Estrogen Protect Women From COVID-19?

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