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A qualitative exploration of stressors and coping strategies of transmen during the global crisis
(Sapienza Universita Editrice, 2024) Akanksha Srivastava; Yogesh Kumar Arya; Shobhna Joshi; Tushar Singh
Introduction: The lockdown protocols with various restrictions were put in effect to stop the proliferation of coronavirus. It brought many challenges in the life of the mass community, but the challenges faced by transmen during the lockdown were unique and, in some cases, more challenging due to the high level of marginalization, ignorance, and lack of basic support for them even in normal times. This further led to the poor psychological and physical health of these individuals. The present paper aims to understand the subjective ordeal of transmen, the stressors they faced at the time of lockdown and the coping strategies opted to deal with the stressors. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 transmen of the age range 21 to 30 years residing in India. The interviews were conducted after the end of the pandemic during and after phase 4 of unlock in India when the restriction on movement was removed. The interviews were later analyzed using Thematic analysis. Result: The analysis shows several physical, psychological, and social stressors emerged during the pandemic including emotional and physical violence from unaccepting parents, unavailability of supportive organizations, inaccessibility of medical assistance and hormone treatment, suicidal ideation due to free time, feelings of isolation and use of wrong pronouns all affecting the mental health severely. To deal with these stressors, transmen adopted various strategies that include, cognitive appraisal, emotional support from friends, and self-help thought. Conclusion: These findings are discussed within the Indian context during the pandemic. The findings of the present work will help transmen in suggesting the ways of dealing with the stressors at uncertain times. © Author(s)
Domestic violence during COVID-19 pandemic: The case for Indian women
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2022) Sucharita Maji; Saurabh Bansod; Tushar Singh
Domestic violence is one of the most pernicious gendered ailments of human society. Researchers have confirmed the inevitable consequences of domestic violence (physical, sexual, and emotional) in increased vulnerability to psychopathologies in addition to physical morbidity. Domestic violence cases are vast in India, and the numbers are further aggravated at an alarming rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed at exploring the cases of domestic violence among Indian women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Newspapers reporting the incidents of domestic violence during the last 5 years were analysed to explore the issues related to the surge in domestic violence incidents during the COVID-19 lockdown period. A major increase in domestic violence cases was observed during the COVID-19 period as compared to the previous years. Also, the cases were higher during the initial phases of the pandemic but gradually decreased as time progressed.The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women was unprecedented and worse than before. Home containment as a measure to protect the health and well-being of the general public has resulted in increased sufferings for women in terms of both sufferings from diseases and increased domestic violence. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Major Stressors and Coping Strategies of Internal Migrant Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Exploration
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Akanksha Srivastava; Yogesh Kumar Arya; Shobhna Joshi; Tushar Singh; Harleen Kaur; Himanshu Chauhan; Abhinav Das
COVID-19 forced lockdown in India, leading to the loss of job, crisis of food, and other financial catastrophes that led to the exodus migration of internal migrant workers, operating in the private sector, back to their homes. Unavailability of transport facilities led to an inflicted need to walk back to homes barefooted without lack of any other crucial resources on the way. The woeful state of internal migrant workers walking back, with all their stuff on their back, holding their children, was trending on social media worldwide. Their problem continued even after reaching home, including misbehavior of villagers, indifferent mannerism of family members toward them, inability to fulfill family responsibility, and financial crisis, which led to stress, fear, and trauma for these internal migrant workers. The present paper aimed to assess the idiosyncratic stressors of internal migrant workers throughout the pandemic era and their responses toward those problems, which helped them cope with it. In-depth semistructured telephonic interviews were conducted with 25 internal migrant workers who were working in different cities in India before lockdown. The analyses revealed that multiple stressors include financial crisis, unavailability of food, inability to continue education, inability to pay house rent, lack of support from neighbors and family, and other psychological stressors that affected them. However, they also tried multiple strategies to deal with the problems, including a cognitive appraisal of the problem and making oneself psychologically competent to deal with the situation. Social support of family and friends played a vital role in enhancing hardiness and increasing the level of happiness at scarce times. At the same time, some of them could not deal with stressors and opted for psychiatric help to manage the physical symptoms of stress. © Copyright © 2021 Srivastava, Arya, Joshi, Singh, Kaur, Chauhan and Das.
The silver lining behind the dark cloud: Exploring the psycho-social factors impacting successful adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic
(SAGE Publications Ltd, 2022) Tushar Singh; Shalini Mittal; Shivantika Sharad; Divya Bhanot; Sreeja Das; Rahul Varma; Harleen Kaur; Udisha Merwal; Yogesh K Arya; Sunil K Verma; Aishwarya Jaiswal; Benkat Krishna Bharti
While most studies have been reporting the psychological issues being faced by the public due to the global spread of coronavirus and sudden restrictions and changes accompanying it, the present study attempted to explore dynamic human experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown, so as to understand the psycho-social factors that acted as adaptive resources or as buffers to maintain a stable mental state amidst this crisis. In-depth telephonic interviews with 30 participants were conducted to explore their experiences in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown. Thematic analysis performed to identify the positive and protective factors that helped people adapt in a healthy way revealed that although the initial response of the participants to the pandemic was “optimistic bias” followed by downplaying the seriousness of the issue, later they demonstrated increased realization and acceptance to the seriousness of the situation. Upon realizing the situation, their positive psychological resources acted as a buffer against the ill effects of the pandemic, and they used both cognitive and behavioral coping. The study clearly demonstrates that crisis in life is not just a source of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty but also an opportunity to test one’s psychological resources to learn and grow. © The Author(s) 2022.
Cyberchondria Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Management Strategies
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Rahul Varma; Sreeja Das; Tushar Singh
The corona-virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), first found in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has posed an inexplicable threat to the global community. After its inception, the virus proliferated rapidly, which led to the cause of millions of deaths, and having a detrimental effect on physical health, social lives, economic uncertainty, and mental health of people. The World Health Organization has reported that there are 111 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2.45 million deaths due to COVID-19 worldwide. Indisputably, the present pandemic has contributed to the extensive psychological and environmental distress together with clinical depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), domestic violence, and unemployment. Due to the ambiguous nature of the pandemic, educational organizations, and outdoor activities are closed, thus burdening the mental health of younger populations. Children as well as youths are more glued to the Internet for their studies, online gaming, shopping, watching movies, and searching health-related information. Despite the advantages of using the Internet, it has some severe consequences too. Some people are repeatedly searching for physical and mental well-being related information without verifying credible sources, which, in turn, causes distress and anxiety. In such situations, individuals may end up contributing to an illness known as cyberchondria. In this paper, we have tried to highlight the problematic use of Internet for health-related searches and have outlined the management of such illness. We suggest two strategies: firstly, to reduce repeated online searches of health information and, secondly, to manage anxiety-augmenting thoughts that are triggered due to the maladaptive thoughts caused by the abstruse information. © Copyright © 2021 Varma, Das and Singh.
Physical Fitness and Exercise During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Enquiry
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2020) Harleen Kaur; Tushar Singh; Yogesh Kumar Arya; Shalini Mittal
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought this fast-moving world to a standstill. The impact of this pandemic is massive, and the only strategy to curb the rapid spread of the disease is to follow social distancing. The imposed lockdown, resulting in the closure of business activities, public places, fitness and activity centers, and overall social life, has hampered many aspects of the lives of people including routine fitness activities of fitness freaks, which has resulted in various psychological issues and serious fitness and health concerns. In the present paper, the authors aimed at understanding the unique experiences of fitness freaks during the period of lockdown due to COVID-19. The paper also intended to explore the ways in which alternate exercises and fitness activities at home helped them deal with psychological issues and physical health consequences. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 22 adults who were regularly working out in the gym before the COVID-19 pandemic but stayed at home during the nationwide lockdown. The analysis revealed that during the initial phase of lockdown, the participants had a negative situational perception and a lack of motivation for fitness exercise. They also showed psychological health concerns and overdependence on social media in spending their free time. However, there was a gradual increase in positive self-perception and motivation to overcome their dependence on gym and fitness equipment and to continue fitness exercises at home. Participants also tended to play music as a tool while working out. The regular fitness workout at home during the lockdown greatly helped them to overcome psychological issues and fitness concerns. © Copyright © 2020 Kaur, Singh, Arya and Mittal.
Theoretical Mapping of Suicidal Risk Factors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mini-Review
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Saurabh Raj; Debasruti Ghosh; Tushar Singh; Sunil K. Verma; Yogesh K. Arya
Suicide prevention in times of COVID-19 pandemic has become more challenging than ever due to unusual circumstances. The common risk factors identified with regard to suicidal behavior are fear of COVID-19, economic instability, poor access to healthcare facilities, pre-existing psychiatric disorders, and social disconnect. The studies done so far have reported either case studies or have made an effort to understand the risk factors. An understanding of the underlying causal pattern from existing theories, behind these risks, will enable adopting appropriate prevention mechanisms. Hence, this review examines evidence related to risk factors of suicides that occurred during COVID 19 and discusses it in the light of three major theoretical approaches: interpersonal model, stress diathesis model, and cognitive model. The insights obtained from the three viewpoints reveal that perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, stress sensitivity, cognitive errors such as magnification, catastrophic thinking, arbitrary inference, and mind-reading are likely reasons behind these risk factors for suicide. It is suggested that awareness regarding COVID-19 stressors, use of community-based approaches like gatekeeper training, and brief online psychotherapy by using techniques of mindfulness, interpersonal psychotherapy, and cognitive behavior therapy can be useful in reducing suicide risk during COVID-19. © Copyright © 2021 Raj, Ghosh, Singh, Verma and Arya.
Coronavirus Disease 2019: Exploring Media Portrayals of Public Sentiment on Funerals Using Linguistic Dimensions
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Sweta Saraff; Tushar Singh; Ramakrishna Biswal
Funerals are a reflective practice to bid farewell to the departed soul. Different religions, cultural traditions, rituals, and social beliefs guide how funeral practices take place. Family and friends gather together to support each other in times of grief. However, during the coronavirus pandemic, the way funerals are taking place is affected by the country's rules and region to avoid the spread of infection. The present study explores the media portrayal of public sentiments over funerals. In particular, the present study tried to identify linguistic dimensions associated with lexical components of social processes, affective processes, fear, and disgust. An exhaustive search of newspaper coverage of funeral and related articles was made for a specific corona period. After an initial screening for the details and language used, a total of 46 newspaper articles on funerals were finalized for the analysis. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software was used to determine the association between linguistic dimensions of function words and words related to social and affective processes, as presented in the newspaper articles. Sentiment Analysis and Cognition Engine (SEANCE) was applied for the analysis of sentiment, social cognition, and social order. Bayesian correlation analysis and regression revealed positive and significant associations between function words and affective processes, between pronouns and social processes, and between negative adjectives and psychological processes of fear and disgust. Also, significant negative associations were found between polarity nouns and psychological processes of fear and disgust and between polarity verbs and psychological processes of fear and disgust. Bayes factor 10 provides strong evidence in favor of the study hypotheses. The media is influenced by the prevailing sentiments in society and reflects their perception of the current social order and beliefs. The findings provide a glimpse into the prevailing sentiment of society through the lens of media coverage. These understandings are expected to enhance our observations of how people express their feelings over the loss of their loved ones and help mental health professionals develop their therapeutic protocols to treat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-affected population. © Copyright © 2021 Saraff, Singh and Biswal.
The Effect of COVID-19 and Related Lockdown Phases on Young Peoples' Worries and Emotions: Novel Data From India
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Meenakshi Shukla; Rakesh Pandey; Tushar Singh; Laura Riddleston; Taryn Hutchinson; Veena Kumari; Jennifer Y. F. Lau
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented stress to young people. Despite recent speculative suggestions of poorer mental health in young people in India since the start of the pandemic, there have been no systematic efforts to measure these. Here we report on the content of worries of Indian adolescents and identify groups of young people who may be particularly vulnerable to negative emotions along with reporting on the impact of coronavirus on their lives. Three-hundred-and-ten young people from North India (51% male, 12–18 years) reported on their personal experiences of being infected by the coronavirus, the impact of the pandemic and its' restrictions across life domains, their top worries, social restrictions, and levels of negative affect and anhedonia. Findings showed that most participants had no personal experience (97.41%) or knew anyone (82.58%) with COVID-19, yet endorsed moderate-to-severe impact of COVID-19 on their academics, social life, and work. These impacts in turn associated with negative affect. Participants' top worries focused on academic attainments, social and recreational activities, and physical health. More females than males worried about academic attainment and physical health while more males worried about social and recreational activities. Thus, Indian adolescents report significant impact of the pandemic on various aspects of their life and are particularly worried about academic attainments, social and recreational activities and physical health. These findings call for a need to ensure provisions and access to digital education and medical care. © Copyright © 2021 Shukla, Pandey, Singh, Riddleston, Hutchinson, Kumari and Lau.

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