Anxiety, resilience and local conditions: A cross-cultural investigation in the time of Covid-19
27-11-2021The spread of Covid-19 is a worldwide phenomenon, unprecedented in modern times. Differences among countries in such matters are of interest as they provide a unique window to understand human behaviour and culture. The aim of this study is to examine cross-cultural differences in state anxiety, and any moderating role of resilience and social contact. Participants from three countries were recruited: Ireland (n = 449), Italy (n = 324) and Spain (n = 471). While these countries share many...

Identification of the most vulnerable populations in the psychosocial sphere: a cross-sectional study conducted in Catalonia during the strict lockdown imposed against the COVID-19 pandemic
27-11-2021CONCLUSIONS: Active implementation of specific strategies to increase resilience and to prepare an adequate organisational response should be encouraged for the seven groups identified as high risk and susceptible to benefit from an intervention.

"One minute it's an airborne virus, then it's a droplet virus, and then it's like nobody really knows": Experiences of pandemic PPE amongst Australian healthcare workers
27-11-2021CONCLUSION: PPE preferences and usage offer a material signifier of the broader, evolving pandemic context, reflecting HCWs' fear, mistrust, sense of inequity and social solidarity (or breakdown). PPE therefore represents the affective (emotional) demands of professional care, as well as a technical challenge of infection prevention and control. If rationing of PPE is necessary, policymakers need to take account of how HCWs will perceive restrictions or conflicting recommendations and build...

Children are in need of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan
27-11-2021Almost 60% of Afghans forced to flee their homes in 2021 because of the Taliban advance are children. They are starving. It is estimated that approximately one million will suffer from severe, life-threatening malnutrition by the end of 2021. Many have been separated from their families by the chaos that has ensued in Afghanistan after Taliban took power, and hundreds of them were driven out of the country unaccompanied. How must these children have been when they suddenly found themselves...

Influence of Virtual Reality Devices on Pain and Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Cystoscopy Performed under Local Anaesthesia
27-11-2021Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies. Its diagnosis is based on transurethral cystoscopy. Virtual reality (VR) is a three-dimensional world generated through the projection of images, the emission of sounds and other stimuli. VR has been proven to be a very effective "distractor" and, thus, a useful tool in managing pain. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of VR sets is technically feasible during the cystoscopy and whether the use of VR devices would reduce...