Psychosocial Influences on Coping and Wellbeing during the Covid-19 Lockdown in the Early Days of the Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Research.

This study focuses on the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on wellbeing and uses a mixed methods design to develop a more profound understanding about adaptive coping during stressful situations. The quantitative phase of this study examined the association between psychological capital, perceived stress, coping and wellbeing. The online survey was conducted in May 2020 and had 257 participants. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) results showed that the hypothesized model had an adequate fit [χ2(306, N = 257) = 547.185, p = 0.00]; and that both psychological capital and perceived stress were significant predictors of wellbeing. Significantly, young people reported a more negative impact on their wellbeing during the lockdowns. In the subsequent qualitative phase, in-depth interviews with 21 voluntary participants (14 females and 7 males) suggested that individuals could reappraise stressful situations and use coping strategies for psychosocial adaptation. From this research, it was identified that especially the younger age group is at risk, and that that psychosocial resources, such as psychological capital, could be developed to enhance coping and wellbeing with the ongoing impacts of the pandemic.

A Mixed-Methods Study to Develop a Resilience Scale for Thai Elderly with Chronic Diseases and Depression.

This study was an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design to develop a resilience scale for Thai elderly with chronic diseases and depression. The qualitative findings from the focus group discussion with 6 participants were used to develop a resilience scale, and the scale was then tested on 310 samples to check the reliability and validity of the scale. The qualitative results showed that resilience was defined in 3 themes: My Characteristics, My Abilities, and My Dependencies, which were composed of 9 different categories. The results of the quantitative examination showed that all 21 items of the resilience scale had a good corrected item-total correlation and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.85 indicated that the scale was internally consistent and highly reliable. The construct validity of the resilience scale was tested by confirmatory factor analysis and revealed that the resilience model was consistent with the empirical data based on the goodness-of-fit index (chi - square = 161.51, df = 186, p value = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.000). All the results show that the resilience scale has excellent and appropriate psychological properties. Health-care workers can use the resilience scale to assess the elderly and develop a resilience-promoting program specifically for the elderly with chronic diseases and depression to improve the well-being of the elderly.

Katrina, the tsunami, and point-of-care testing: optimizing rapid response diagnosis in disasters.

We assessed how point-of-care testing (POCT), diagnostic testing at or near the site of patient care, can optimize diagnosis, triage, and patient monitoring during disasters. We surveyed 4 primary care units (PCUs) and 10 hospitals in provinces hit hardest by the tsunami in Thailand and 22 hospitals in Katrina-affected areas. We assessed POCT, critical care testing, critical values notification, demographics, and disaster responses. Limited availability and poor organization severely limited POCT use. The tsunami impacted 48 PCUs plus island and province hospitals, which lacked adequate diagnostic instruments. Sudden overload of critical victims and transportation failures caused excessive mortality. In New Orleans, LA, flooding hindered rescue teams that could have been POCT-equipped. US sea, land, and airborne rescue brought POCT instruments closer to flooded areas. Katrina demonstrated POCT value in disaster responses. We recommend handheld POCT, airborne critical care testing, and disaster-specific mobile medical units in small-world networks worldwide.