Psychological Effects of COVID-19 Examined

A worldwide study led by Harvard University, including Uskudar University, examined the psychological effects of COVID-19. According to the research published in the journal "Nature Human Behavior", one of the most respected journals in the scientific world, shaping people's thoughts about the epidemic affects the emotional consequences of COVID-19.

The coordinator of the research at Uskudar University, Head of Psychology (Eng.) Department, Assoc. Dr. Asil Ozdogru gave the following information about the research: More than 21,000 participants from 87 countries, including Turkey, were given online surveys as part of the study, which was coordinated by the research network "Psychology Science Accelerator". Researchers from 12 Turkish universities, including our university, took part in the study, which included 694 participants from our country. Participants who responded to the survey from May to October 2020 were shown photos of the pandemic. Participants who were randomly divided into experimental and control groups were taught cognitive reassessment techniques such as changing perspective and focusing on the positive in a short time, while those in the control group were not taught. When the participants' emotional responses to the photos were examined, the experimental group was found to have less negative and more positive emotional responses. These findings suggest that such 'rapid, cost-effective and scalable strategies' can improve the emotional and psychological well-being of patients and healthcare workers adversely affected by the outbreak.”

The paper published in the journal and Harvard University's report on the subject can be accessed here.

Article: A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01173-x 

News: Study across 87 countries shows simple intervention helps build emotional resilience during COVID-19

https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/health/study-helping-people-rethink-their-response-covid-19-can-lead

Üsküdar Haber Ajansı (ÜHA)