• Pandemic lockdowns had severe mental hea

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Fri Apr 1 22:30:38 2022
    Pandemic lockdowns had severe mental health consequences for women in
    the developing world

    Date:
    April 1, 2022
    Source:
    University of California - San Diego
    Summary:
    While potentially crucial to preventing the spread of COVID-19,
    lockdowns are associated with increased rates of depression and
    anxiety as well as food insecurity among women in India and other
    parts of the developing world, according to a new research.



    FULL STORY ========================================================================== While potentially crucial to preventing the spread of COVID-19, lockdowns
    are associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety as well as
    food insecurity among women in India and other parts of the developing
    world, according to a new research.


    ==========================================================================
    The study from the University of California San Diego's School of Global
    Policy and Strategy finds that women whose social position may make them
    more vulnerable -- those with daughters and those living in female-headed households -- experienced even larger declines in mental health as a
    result of lockdowns.

    The paper, to be published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal
    of Economic Development, surveyed 1,545 households over the phone in
    various rural regions throughout Northern India. The surveys took place
    in fall 2019, before the pandemic and in August 2020, near the height
    of the first COVID-19 wave in India. Certain villages and districts had
    varying containment policies, which allowed the researchers to compare
    health outcomes of women who experienced lockdowns for several months
    to those who experienced zero levels of lockdowns.

    The authors took many factors into consideration in their analysis
    including COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the novel
    coronavirus.

    For surveyed women, moving from zero to average levels of lockdowns
    is associated with a 38 percent increase in depression, a 44 percent
    increase in anxiety and a 73 percent increase in exhaustion.

    "Not having access to access to work and socialization outside the
    home can be very detrimental for women's mental health in developing countries," said study co-author Gaurav Khanna, assistant professor of economics at the School of Global Policy and Strategy.



    ==========================================================================
    The pandemic resulted in dramatic losses of income for women. In the
    survey, roughly 25 percent of households reduced the number of meals
    consumed, compared to a normal month. However, these declines primarily impacted women because in many cultures throughout the developing world, women's food intake is the first be limited when food is scarce.

    "We wanted to know the impact lockdown policies have on women in
    lower-income countries where there may be limited social safety nets
    to absorb these shocks," Khanna added. "As we found in our study,
    the consequences of lockdown policies are exacerbated for women. We
    hope policymakers in developing countries and beyond know what the
    implications are for these policies, especially for those in vulnerable positions because if there is another wave, communities could be faced
    with similar lockdowns." The paper outlines policy recommendations
    that could help address the mental and physical health consequences
    experienced by women during the pandemic.

    "Policymakers should consider what supportive measures are necessary to
    limit economic devastation from lockdowns and they should target aid, particularly access to food, to vulnerable households and women," the
    authors note.

    For example, in certain parts of India, the government did distribute food
    to rural areas, which helped prevent malnutrition and food insecurity.

    Counseling and helpline services offered over-the-phone can also help
    address the pandemic's mental health impacts, the authors noted.

    While the findings focus on the developing world, they have implications
    for women all over the world who experience lockdowns.

    "We suspect the impact in the U.S. on women and mothers in particular was
    also exacerbated," Khanna said. "When kids are not in school, or daycare,
    the burden usually falls on women because of traditional gender roles
    with child care.

    Policymakers should be cognizant of the fact that women are going to be impacted differently by these policies."

    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
    University_of_California_-_San_Diego. Original written by Christine
    Clark. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Natalie Bau, Gaurav Khanna, Corinne Low, Manisha Shah, Sreyashi
    Sharmin,
    Alessandra Voena. Women's well-being during a pandemic and its
    containment. Journal of Development Economics, 2022; 156: 102839
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102839 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220401094855.htm

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