Tag: pandemic

‘Everyday Memorials’ Will Help – As Americans Return To Pre-Pandemic Life
Journalism

‘Everyday Memorials’ Will Help – As Americans Return To Pre-Pandemic Life

David Sloane, University of Southern California After more than 17 months of pandemic restrictions, Americans find themselves at an awkward cultural divide. As psychologist Adam Grant wrote in a New York Times article, some of us feel a true whoosh of joy at the first hug, maskless kiss and happy reunion. Many of us are shaking off post-pandemic blues by dining out, partying and grasping at every opportunity to reconnect with those family and friends that we missed for so long. On the other side of the divide are the people who are still sick, recovering from their illness or mourning. For the millions who lost loved ones, as nursing scholars Paul T. Clements, Laurel Garzon and Tammi F. Milliken have written – unexpected pandemic deaths resulted in an “overwhelming sense of helplessness,...
Feeling Worried, Unmotivated, The Pandemic Has Teens Disconnected From School
LIFESTYLE

Feeling Worried, Unmotivated, The Pandemic Has Teens Disconnected From School

Leah M. Lessard, University of Connecticut When the COVID-19 pandemic started, many U.S. teens were more worried about the disruption to their education than the possibility of getting sick. A May 2020 survey of high school students found that they reported academics and work habits to be among their biggest challenges, ahead of mental and physical health. Nearly three-quarters (72%) indicated they were “very much” concerned with how COVID-19 would impact their school year. As a researcher who studies adolescent development, I was interested in whether and how teens’ school stress changed as the pandemic dragged on. So during the fall of 2020, my colleague and I surveyed adolescents about their academic concerns and the changes they noticed in school social dynamics. Our study, publishe...
To Catch Students Up After The Pandemic Intensive Tutoring, Longer School Days And Summer Sessions May Be Needed
IN OTHER NEWS

To Catch Students Up After The Pandemic Intensive Tutoring, Longer School Days And Summer Sessions May Be Needed

Thomas Goldring, Georgia State University and Tim R. Sass, Georgia State University The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea The COVID-19 pandemic has led to substantial reductions in student learning in metro-Atlanta public elementary and middle schools. What’s more, these impacts have grown over time, according to our new research. By winter of 2020-21, we found that average math achievement within a grade was up to seven months behind where students likely would have been had the pandemic not occurred. In reading, students were up to 7 ½ months behind on average in some grades. Students often fell further behind between the fall and winter tests, sometimes dramatically so. The effects of the pandemic varied by subject, grade and school district...
On American Lives, Especially On Blacks And Latinos Pandemic Misery Index Reveals Far-Reaching Impact Of COVID-19
COVID-19

On American Lives, Especially On Blacks And Latinos Pandemic Misery Index Reveals Far-Reaching Impact Of COVID-19

With more than 30 million people infected and 550,000 dead, the U.S. is among the nations hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. From job loss to housing insecurity to mental distress, the social, psychological and economic hardships brought on by the pandemic are extensive and likely to outlast the pandemic itself. To better understand the breadth and depth of the pandemic’s impact on American lives, I worked with colleagues at the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research to develop an index of “pandemic misery.” We found that though few U.S. residents have survived the pandemic unscathed, hardship isn’t equally distributed across groups. Just how bad it was: 80% experienced a hardship The U.S. Pandemic Misery Index uses data we have collected through the Understanding Coronav...
During A Pandemic People With Disabilities Are At Greater Risk Of Going Hungry
IN OTHER NEWS

During A Pandemic People With Disabilities Are At Greater Risk Of Going Hungry

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed uncomfortable and distressing truths about American society: namely, the struggle many Americans face just getting by. Yet, while the pervasive food insecurity that has always existed in the U.S. became more visible, how the problem disproportionately affects people with disabilities has received less attention. As an ethnographer of food, poverty and welfare, I study how people respond to economic scarcity through caregiving networks. Although caregiving networks like neighborhood mutual aid groups and pop-up food banks quickly emerged to support vulnerable groups during the pandemic, people with disabilities have continued to face additional challenges. High risk of food insecurity An estimated 25% of U.S. adults have some form of physical or intell...
People Haven’t Gotten Information They Need When They Needed It And Have Had A Hard Time Weighing Pandemic Risks
COVID-19

People Haven’t Gotten Information They Need When They Needed It And Have Had A Hard Time Weighing Pandemic Risks

The decision to pause and then restart the Johnson & Johnson vaccine underscores how hard it is even for experts to gauge health risks. It’s been still harder for everyday people, most of whom have no medical background and little experience analyzing risks and benefits. People have experienced confusion about mask-wearing, physical distancing, travel, remote work, financial assistance measures and more. Now people are weighing uncertainty about vaccines. Further, some members of historically marginalized groups are skeptical of vaccine safety, as retired NFL star Marshawn Lynch detailed in a recent interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden. We are informatics and regulation researchers who study intersections among information, policy and human behav...
Here Are 4 Tips To Help You Figure Out Tricky Stats – Numbers Can Trip You Up During The Pandemic
COVID-19

Here Are 4 Tips To Help You Figure Out Tricky Stats – Numbers Can Trip You Up During The Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic thrust many news consumers into a world of statistics and deep uncertainty. An endless swirl of numbers – case counts, infection rates, vaccine efficacy – can leave you feeling stressed, anxious and powerless if you’re not confident you know what they really mean. But when used effectively, statistics can help you know more, trust more and avoid surprise and regret when the unexpected occurs. People also tend to want them and find them useful when weighing uncertain risks and making decisions. I’m a decision psychologist. I study how people understand and use numbers as they’re figuring out risks and making choices. I then try to improve how numbers are communicated to help people make better decisions. Here are four ways that stats in the news can confuse you – and...
During The Pandemic Domestic Violence Calls For Help Increased But Answers Haven’t Gotten Any Easier
SOCIETY

During The Pandemic Domestic Violence Calls For Help Increased But Answers Haven’t Gotten Any Easier

Domestic violence rose globally in 2020 – so much so that doctors have called it “a pandemic within a pandemic.” The National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, a team of national experts tasked with assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the justice system, recently estimated that in the United States, domestic violence incidents increased 8.1% on average following stay-at-home orders. Worldwide, the United Nations estimates there was a 20% increase in domestic violence incidents across its 193 member states during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. We are criminologists with expertise in domestic violence and policing, respectively. To understand whether and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted calls for help for domestic violence in the U.S., we examined short- and long-term trends in ...
Pandemic Makes Separation Even Scarier For People With A Family Member In Prison – No Visits And Barely Any Calls
Journalism

Pandemic Makes Separation Even Scarier For People With A Family Member In Prison – No Visits And Barely Any Calls

Jails and prisons in the United States had a coronavirus infection rate three times greater than the general population, with an average of 1,400 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths every day over the past year. America’s correctional facilities are notoriously bad for spreading infectious diseases. Millions of people constantly cycle in and out of them every year and they have limited medical staff and supplies. People in prison also spend extended periods in crowded indoor spaces, with poor air circulation and ventilation. For many people who are incarcerated, either awaiting trial in jail or imprisoned after conviction, being locked in a pandemic hot spot has been terrifying. And for the 6.5 million Americans who have a family member incarcerated, COVID-19 has made an already hig...
Essential Reads On America Goes Back To School – Parenting In The Pandemic
IN OTHER NEWS

Essential Reads On America Goes Back To School – Parenting In The Pandemic

Beyond safety and survival, a paramount question throughout the pandemic has been: When will things get “back to normal”? But as the nation gradually gets vaccinated against COVID-19 and various facets of society begin to reopen, it becomes evident that a return to normalcy poses a whole new set of questions, challenges and concerns. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than when it comes to the education and parenting of America’s school-age children, whose childhoods have been uprooted in unparalleled ways since the pandemic struck in early 2020. Here we highlight five articles that help parents and educators better understand and do what it takes to get kids back to their classrooms, friends and regular routines. 1. How can America’s schools safely reopen? That’s a question that Brand...