Compulsory Confinement Research Articles

The quarantine hotel experience: travel diaries of compulsory confinement

During the summer of 2021, 14 days of quarantine at designated hotels was a mandatory Covid-19 restriction for all travellers entering Taiwan. This study employs the duo-ethnographic method to investigate the implications of quarantine hotel confinement on the emotional, physiological and psychological state of individuals. The emic approach of autoethnography provides a reflexive and evocative source for describing the feelings, emotions, perceptions and challenges during compulsory isolation in designated lodgings. Goffman’s (1961) typology for total institutions served as the conceptual tool to examine the characteristics of the social arrangement in quarantine hotels. The empirical data revealed the profound consequences of isolation. This paper outlines the detrimental implications of role dispossession, deprivation of personal freedom, programming and controlling, and disruption of key spheres of life, along with the imposition of acceptable behaviours regarding the mental health and emotional state of guests during confinement.

Caregiving and parenting practices during mandatory confinement by COVID-19 of early childhood caregivers

Introduction: During the COVID-19 infection, the population of infants and adolescents has been the most affected in aspects such as health, adequate nutrition, responsive care, protection, and safety, among others. Objective: To describe the care and upbringing practices of early childhood caregivers during compulsory confinement, from the point of view of health, nutrition, and psycho-pedagogical support.

University students' perceptions of teaching during lockdown period in Spain: a qualitative study

PurposeThe study aims to provide relevant information on the educational processes experienced by university students in Spain during the period of compulsory confinement. To this end, the key factors of the emergency educational model implemented by the country's universities have been analysed.Design/methodology/approachThe study investigated, through qualitative, exploratory research and 30 in-depth interviews, how university students have lived the process of change to alternative forms of education during the crisis, what training experiences stand out and what factors related to virtual education they identify as relevant keys.FindingsParticipants usually focus on three main topics: (1) The impacts of changes in training development with regard to methodologies and forms of assessment; (2) The facilities and difficulties in this new modality of online training; and (3) The consequences of the crisis on higher education in the medium and long term.Originality/valueStudents participating in the study offer relevant and critical information on the adaptations developed by Spanish universities during the Coronavirus crisis. This information can be fundamental for the conscious decision making of the institutions, so that they can develop educational processes more adequate to the needs and possibilities of the university students in times of crisis.

Who is ‘the person of unsound mind’? The problem of terminological incompatibility in law and medical sciences in the context of the proper legal protection of people with mental disorders subjected to penal coercive measures

IntroductionPenal coercive measures (e.g., detention) seriously interfere with the individual’s fundamental rights (especially the right to liberty). It is necessary to have proper guarantee mechanisms to protect an individual against the arbitrariness of decisions made in this regard. It is especially significant in the case of people with mental disorders (MD). This group of entities may not be able to take intended legal actions to protect their rights and, thus, requires enhanced legal protection. The effectiveness of legal solutions depends on the appropriate terminology. Vague, ambiguous, or archaic terms pose a risk of over-interpretation and create an area for abuse. An example of such solution is art. 5(1)(e) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) allows deprivation of liberty for “the person of unsound mind.”ObjectivesThe study aims to analyze the concept of “person of unsound mind” appearing in the ECHR and to define its semantic scope in relation to mental disorders. This procedure aims to determine whether the status of a person of unsound mind is the same as the status of a person with MD - both in legal and medical contexts.MethodsThe study consists of two stages. The first stage included the narrative review of the literature by searching the PubMed and Google Scholar databases with the keywords “unsound mind” and “person of unsound mind”. The second stage included the analysis of the European Court of Human Rights judgments relating to art. 5(1)(e) of ECHR, collected in the HUDOC database. Forty-four articles and 128 judgments met inclusion criteria and were included for further analysis.ResultsThe study shows that the concept of a “person of unsound mind” is primarily indefinite. The term does not correspond to the current standards of medical terminology. It relates to mental disorders but has a narrower scope. The term “unsound mind” refers only to “true mental disorder”, which is of that kind or degree that warrants compulsory confinement. To be considered a “true” mental disorder has to be of a certain severity. This term should be interpreted narrowly, but there are no grounds to limit its scope to psychotic disorders only. However, including some non-psychotic disorders in its scope may be questionable (e.g., antisocial personality disorder).ConclusionsThe structure of art. 5(1)(e) ECHR does not comply with the current medical terminology standards. This inconsistency in terminology and primary indefinite character of the “unsound mind” may implicate a lot of difficulties in precisely defining its meaning and scope of use in individual cases. It is dangerous from the perspective of the personal liberty of people with MD. This term should be replaced with the term “mental disorders,” the meaning of which is well-established in medicine.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

A look at post-pandemic conjugality: a clinical case study

IntroductionThe co-construction of conjugality is influenced by the interactions established in the family as a whole. It manifests itself, therefore, as a relational model in the expression of affectivity and the management of conflicts.ObjectivesIn this clinical case report, the couple assumes relational difficulties focused on the significant reduction of time in individual leisure activities and, on the other hand, a 24-hour coexistence in the same space, in a period of compulsory confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis study is exploratory-descriptive, using the case study as an empirical approach.ResultsThe case described, reports to Couples Therapy, with the sessions taking place in 2022, in a total of seven. The couple, N, male, and J, female, have been married since 2020, shortly before the first confinement because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding their marital relationship, they reported that it deteriorated due to the difficulty in expressing an adaptive reaction to the stressor confinement and the opposite position regarding their desire to become parents.ConclusionsIntegrative strategies were developed, with different theoretical and operative references. The couple took control of their relationship due to a greater empathic awareness and the establishment of a healthy and balanced communication system.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Substance Use and Mental Health in Portuguese Higher Education Students

The mental health of higher education students is a constant concern, and the pandemic situation caused by COVID-19 has intensified this concern. The social measures imposed to control and minimize the disease have led, among other things, to the reconfiguration of higher education students' academic life habits, which has naturally altered their emotional balance, mental health, and substance abuse. This cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study assesses the influence of higher education students' personal characteristics on their (self-reported) use of addictive substances (alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and pharmaceutical drugs) before and during their first compulsory confinement in Portugal, as well as its relationship with mental health. An online questionnaire was applied between 15 April and 20 May 2020, to students from various study cycles of higher education institutions in one region of Portugal (northern area of Alentejo), which included the Mental Health Inventory in its reduced version (MHI-5) and questions (constructed by the authors) on personal characterization and on the use of addictive substances before and during confinement. The convenience sample included 329 mostly female health care students between the ages of 18 and 24. In our results, we found a statistically significant decrease in tobacco, alcohol, and drug use; however, there was an increase in tobacco use among older students and an increase in anxiolytic use among students with higher academic achievement and among students who exhibited more active social behavior in the period prior to confinement. Students who took anxiolytics during confinement had higher MHI-5 scores and students who used the most addictive substances during confinement had lower MHI-5 scores than the other students.

Factors Associated with the Level of Physical Activity in Middle-Aged Colombian People during Lockdown in Response to COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study.

(1) Background: Due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19, mandatory confinement was declared, which generated a decrease in the practice of physical activity (PA). Based on this problem, it was proposed to study the associations between PA in relation to depressive symptoms, quality of sleep, and the quality of life of middle-aged people who work in the university context during compulsory confinement as a result of COVID-19. (2) Methods: A total of 336 middle-aged people (48 ± 6.67) participated in this analytical cross-sectional study. The variable levels of PA, quality of sleep, symptoms of depression, and quality of life were measured with the International Physical Activity Questionary (IPAQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS), and the SF-12v2 questionnaire, respectively. (3) Results: A logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationships between the level of PA and depressive symptoms (OR = 2.053), total sleep duration (OR = 0.495), sleep disturbances (OR = 2.414), quality of sleep (OR = 2.471), use of sleep medication (OR = 0.348), daytime dysfunction (OR = 1.809), general health (OR = 0.949), and physical functioning (OR = 0.987). (4) Conclusions: In middle-aged people, during compulsory confinement, being insufficiently active is a risk for depressive symptoms and disturbances in sleep quality.

With the Newsroom at Home: Routines and Tensions of Women Journalists in Times of Covid-19

This article identifies the routines and working practices of women journalists from Colombia and Venezuela in the framework of the health emergency caused by covid-19 in the countries where they work. It is a quantitative research at a descriptive cross-sectional level in which an instrument made up of 26 questions organized into five categories of analysis was used. Categories include family–work relationship, working life, and health and well-being, and the questionnaire was applied to 110 professionals from Colombia and Venezuela. It was found that the compulsory confinement hastened the insertion of journalists in the use of information and communication technologies, applications, and software for content production. Although they were already working in digital media, they had to develop new skills in this field. For 47% of them, their working hours were extended for more than 3 hours a day, which for 79% represents family tensions, given that 38% have underage children or older adults under their care. However, during the confinement, their participation in the formation of public opinion was also expanded through their personal social networks, incorporating corruption issues and citizen complaints. Regarding their routines, it is concluded that the pandemic transformed access to information sources, newsrooms, and, therefore, the dynamics of news production, so we are faced with a new way of doing journalism that puts reporting and ethics into tension with information and communication technologies.

P.0817 Sociodemographic and lifestyle predictors of mental health adaptability during COVID-19 compulsory confinement: a longitudinal study

There is conflicting evidence for adverse outcomes after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) with prior percutaneous intervention (PCI). A literature search was performed from 1998 to 2017 and articles with primary or secondary outcomes of survival, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and myocardial infarction in CABG patients with prior PCI were included. Forest plots were generated from odds ratios for survival, MACE, and myocardial infarction for unmatched and propensity-matched data. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed for all outcomes using I2. Funnel plots were generated for early survival, survival at 5 years, survival at >5 years, and MACE. Thirty-one studies were included over 18 years with 194,544 patients without PCI prior to CABG and 23,519 patients (12.09%) with prior PCI. Prior PCI did not adversely affect survival among the included studies (inverse rate ratio: 1.12, 95% confidence interval: 0.98–1.27, P = 0.110. MACE was significantly worse for those with prior PCI (odds ratio: 1.26, confidence interval: 1.02–1.55, P = 0.03). The relative risk of mortality associated with prior PCI has decreased significantly over the last 2 decades. Studies with higher percentage of prior PCI patients had higher relative mortalities. There was significant heterogeneity between studies for the treatment effects. PCI prior to CABG in recent times does not adversely affect survival despite adverse early and late MACE rates. However, high institutional rates of prior PCI may be associated with increasing mortality after CABG.

Scenarios of social isolation during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This work analyses the construction of social isolation as a public problem during the first wave of COVID‐19, drawing on experiences in Rio de Janeiro which, in addition to being one of the country’s major cities, had among the highest mortality rates in Brazil in 2020. We consider both the legal measures enacted by government agencies to contain the contagion and media coverage on the effects of these measures at the local level. The results show that, in the absence of compulsory confinement measures, urban public spaces were deployed both by government agencies and the media in a process by which social isolation was framed as a public problem. Legal measures affected daily patterns of movement, mobility, and sociability, and intervened in the dynamics of central urban functions and in access to and use of public spaces. Media reports gave voice to levels of public agreement or disagreement with regulations and emphasised the significance of legal measures to contain the spread of the virus. Public spaces are at the core of debates about compliance with legal measures to enforce social isolation because they are privileged places where social issues become visible and problematic material expressions of relationships between citizens and the law.

Sociodemographic and lifestyle predictors of mental health adaptability during COVID-19 compulsory confinement: A longitudinal study in the Portuguese population

BackgroundThe outbreak of COVID-19 and the physical isolation measures taken by the governments to reduce its propagation might have negative psychological consequences on the population. In this study, we aimed to explore, for the first time, how mental health status fluctuated along the weeks of the emergency state in Portugal, and to identify which factors may shape these changes in mental health outcomes. MethodsTo this end, we conducted an online survey to evaluate demographic, lifestyle and mental health variables (DASS-21 and quality of life) in the Portuguese population at three different time-points. 748 participants (mean age = 39.52, % females = 79.95) provided data at all time-points. ResultsWe observed that depression, anxiety and stress symptoms seemed to improve as the weeks passed during the state of emergency, while the perception of quality of life and sleep got worse. In particular, being female, younger, actively working, and extroverted appear to be protective factors of mental health adaptability during this particular period. On the contrary, having a psychiatric diagnosis or physical illness, and higher neuroticism seem to be risk factors for mental health worsening. LimitationsThe lack of a more diverse sample could limit the generalizability of our results, and other factors that were not considered in our analysis might also have a significant impact on mental health. ConclusionsOur results provide relevant and novel insights about the course of mental health changes and its predictors during the outbreak of COVID-19, which may help identify potential vulnerability groups.

Management and the Promotion of Educational Quality During the Health Emergency

The sanitary emergency caused by COVID-19 determined the compulsory confinement; this confinement caused a change in the educational system, for example, leaving face-to-face education and moving to the virtual or remote way; it also meant that established concepts such as quality had a new connotation; consequently, principals, as managers and responsible for quality assurance in their institutions, faced a challenging situation at this juncture. The objective of this study was to explain the incidence of management to promote educational quality during the health emergency; a census sample of 84 principals belonging to private regular basic education institutions was used; two Likert-type questionnaires with 22 items were applied as an instrument, which were processed with the SPSS 24 program. In the explanatory and descriptive statistical processing of the study variables, the predominant level was acceptable. Therefore, it was concluded that management was adequate to promote educational quality in schools during the health emergency.

Gender Differences in Psychological Impact of the Confinement During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Spain: A Longitudinal Study.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led the authorities to establish compulsory confinement for most of the Spanish population from March to May 2020. Severe isolation combined with the uncertainty and fear associated with the public health crisis can have a psychological impact on the general population. The aim of the current study was to compare possible gender differences in mental health and psychological measures throughout the confinement. One hundred and sixty-four Spanish participants (75% female; Mage = 39.8; SD = 13.5) completed the surveys at the beginning, middle, and end of the forced confinement. The psychological variables were associated with depressive, anxiety, stress, and intrusive/avoidance symptoms, as well as a total score for overall mental health, and a positive/negative affect measure. The results showed that although females had significantly higher scores than males in almost all measures at the beginning of the confinement, the gender differences were quickly vanishing away over time. In fact, intra-group analysis showed that while the female group significantly improved their results on most psychological measures, the male group improved on only one single measure. In summary, the results showed that although the female group started the confinement with higher levels of negative emotions (particularly symptoms of stress and avoidance) than the male group, these differences were significantly reduced in the first few weeks due to the overall improvement in the results of the female group.

The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and confinement period on a tunisian sample

IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019, is now a global pandemic that has spread rapidly causing many deaths. Most countries have opted for compulsory confinement which had repercussions on mental health and well-being.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to assess mental health consequences during the confinement period.Methods This is a cross-sectional descriptive study of 360 Tunisians in April and May 2020. We used an anonymous E-questionnaire that included a socio-demographic fact sheet, The HAD questionnaire, and a Q-EDD questionnaire to explore eating disorders.Results The subjects of our sample were mostly males with a mean age of 31. The body mass index was 25.5 (range 16.10 -46.24), 15% suffered from obesity. Half of the subjects were single and 6.7% spent the confinement time alone. 11.1% were smokers while 4.4% were alcohol users. The HAD-A and the HAD-D scores had an average of 9.1 and 8.48 respectively.A pathological threshold of anxiety and depression was found in 20% and 30% of the sample respectively.15% had an eating disorder: 76% had binge eating, 20% had bulimia and 17% had anorexia. In our study, we found an association between eating disorder and obesity, single marital status (p=0.007), living alone (p=0.001), history of depression (p=0.046), anxiety (p=0.049) and depression (p=0.038).ConclusionsReduced social interactions, decreased physical activity and increased stress are potentially harmful causes for our brain. Confining the population for several weeks has a negative impact on our physical and mental health. A crisis unit has been formed in Tunisia to help subjects overcome these psychological difficulties.

COVID-19 Lockdown in Portugal: Challenges, Strategies and Effects on Mental Health

Identified in China at the end of 2019, the COVID-19 infection has increased exponentially worldwide. Together with the threat of physical illness, this pandemic brought negative impacts on mental health. Additionally, the pandemic also interfered with other life domains: closings of schools and companies, restricted access to public places, changes in work and home routines and increased uncertainty due to the economic repercussions. This study examines people’s experiences and mental health in the 6th consecutive lockdown week in Portugal and compares with the pre-confinement population’s mental health. Specifically, we explore the difficulties experienced by the general population while in lockdown, their strategies to cope with it, and its impact on mental health. One thousand five hundred and two participants undergoing the 6th lockdown week answered a web-based cross-sectional survey. Demographic information, living conditions, confinement-related difficulties or challenges, strategies to cope with lockdown and mental health dimensions were assessed. Some difficult confined related experiences and sociodemographic variables were associated with poor mental health. When compared to our findings, the general population’ mental health was better before the pandemic. Lockdown challenges experienced by participants and their strategies to cope with confinement predicted 10 to 42% of the variance in mental health dimensions. This study identified several mental health-protective and risk factors related to long-term compulsory confinement. Individual strategies to prevent mental health problems are discussed. Additionally, our findings may inform national health agencies and governments on measures to enhance mental health among the quarantined general population.

Confinement risks and social inequality in Latin America: Evidence from Argentina

Social distancing and isolation measures in response to COVID-19 have confined individuals to their homes and produced unexpected side-effects and secondary risks. In Latin America, the measures taken by individual governments to mitigate these new daily and experiential risks have varied significantly as have the responses to social isolation in each country. Given these new social circumstances, the purpose of this article is to investigate, from the sociological approach of risk-taking, the relationship between confinement, secondary risks and social inequality. The author argues that secondary risks, despite their broad scope, are deeply structured by social inequalities in contemporary societies, especially in developing countries. To corroborate this hypothesis, a quantitative comparative analysis is performed for the Argentine case. Using data from a web-survey and correspondence analysis (CA), there are three major findings: (1) there are some widespread experiences similarly distributed across all social strata, especially those related to emotional and subjective matters; (2) other risks follow socio-structural inequalities, especially those corresponding to material and cultural aspects of consumption; (3) for specific vulnerable groups, compulsory confinement causes great dilemmas of decision-making between health and well-being.

Management in strengthening social- emotional competence during health emergencies

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to compulsory confinement, which has determined that classes are held at a distance and has highlighted the weaknesses of our school system, for example, in the development of socio-emotional competence, which would serve as a support for dealing with this health emergency context. That is why the management will be important to seek a rapprochement with the educational community by making use of this competence. The objective of this study is to identify the incidence of management to strengthen social-emotional competence during a health emergency. The method used is of quantitative approach; a census sample of 84 directors belonging to private institutions of regular basic education was used, applying as an instrument a Likert type questionnaire, which was processed with the SPSS 24 program, which gave a 95% confidence range and a significant p value < 0.05. The results were obtained according to the ranges used: low, acceptable, expected and outstanding. In the explanatory and descriptive statistical processing of the study variables, the predominant level is expected. Therefore, it was concluded that the incidence of the directive management with respect to the strengthening of the social-emotional competence during the sanitary emergency is favorable.

Family dynamics in times of pandemic (COVID -19): Communication between parents and university adolescents

The changes that have occurred, as a result of the new world situation, have caused various transformations in lifestyles, among which the coexistence in homes from compulsory confinement stands out. The purpose was to compare levels of communication between parents and their sons and daughters, who are university students in Lima and Piura (Peru) in times of Covid-19 pandemic. This study was descriptive and comparative in a not probabilistic convenience sample of students from a university from Lima (n=109) and other from Piura (n=107). They were administered the Barnes and Olson’s Scale of Parent-Adolescent Communication, in an adapted version for university students by Araujo et al. (2018). The results indicate that levels of communication were higher in Piura and the openness in communication with mother was higher than with father, and levels of communication problems were higher with fathers than with mothers. Conclusion;In both groups, there is also a greater level of openness towards the mother and a greater level of communication problems with the father. © 2021, Universidad del Zulia. All rights reserved.

Efectos y perspectivas económicas de la presencia del COVID-19 en la región Tacna

La declaración de la pandemia mundial por la presencia del denominado COVID-19 ha generado una serie de cambios e impactos en el desarrollo normal de los diversos espacios territoriales, entre ellos el de la región Tacna. Es así que desde la aparición del primer caso en el Perú (un 06 de marzo del 2020), se implementaron una serie de medidas para mitigar el nivel de contagio en el país, entre ellos: el confinamiento obligatorio y el cierre de fronteras. La puesta en alerta y, en ciertos momentos, el colapso del sistema de salud determinaron impactos en la morbilidad y mortalidad de la región, pero también se suscitaron otros efectos ya vinculados directamente con lo económico y productivo. Los cuales son evaluados en términos nacionales, pero no inclinándose en una revisión de los comportamientos específicos regionales. El trabajo formulado identifica que la captación de tributos internos para el período de enero a agosto del 2020 se ha reducido en 22.98 % (pero 24.21 % en términos reales), lo cual en base al análisis formulado implicaría una contracción en el PBI para el mismo año del orden del 22.44 % y un incremento en la tasa de desempleo de 32.06 %.

Prediction of end of lockdown post-peak of cases in first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile

The results of mandatory confinement have been detrimental in several respects. Nonetheless, they have resulted in reducing the number of active cases of COVID-19. Chile has begun the de-escalation and needs to know the best time to end the restrictions. We discuss the best conditions and guarantees for the end of compulsory confinement. This study is based on a trend model with prediction estimation. The data of the variables of interest were subjected to linear regression studies to determine the curve that best explained the data. The coefficient of determination, the standard deviation of y in x, and the confidence interval of the observed curve were estimated. The trend curve was chosen in accordance with the regression estimates. It was found that all dependent variables tended to decrease over time in a quadratic fashion, except for the new cases variable. In general, the R2 and MAPE estimates are satisfactory, except for the variable number of PCR tests per day. Gradual and cautious steps should be taken before ending mandatory confinement. In the current de-escalator, daily PCR tests should be increased, maintaining vigilance on indicators of incidence, prevalence, and positivity of PCR tests. Evidence suggests with some degree of confidence that mandatory confinement could be safely lifted as of August 30, 2020. Long-term preparations must be made to contain future waves of new cases.