International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue IX, September 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
Psychosocial Effects of Covid-19 on Mental Health: A Case of Hillside Residents, Harare.
Ashley Nyakonda
Intern Psychologist, Counselling Services Unit, 1 Raleigh Street Kopje, Harare, Zimbabwe
Abstract: The main purpose of the study was to investigate the psychosocial effects of COVID-19 on mental health of residents in Hillside in Harare. The specific objectives were finding out about the psychosocial effects of COVID-19 on Hillside residents, determining the awareness level of the psychosocial effects of COVID-19 on mental health amongst Hillside residents, finding out mechanisms employed by Hillside residents to cope with the psychosocial effects on mental health arising from COVID-19 and soliciting solutions on how best the COVID-19 mental health challenges can be alleviated. The research adopted a survey research strategy focusing on Hillside residents and data was collected using self-administered questionnaires from 102 respondents in Hillside in Harare. The data was then analyzed using percentages and findings from the research indicated that job insecurity, financial loss, stigmatization, infobesity and alienation due to social distancing were the main psychosocial effects of COVID-19 on Hillside residents. The research thus recommended that government should extend social support to vulnerable groups and increase awareness about psychosocial effects of COVID-19 on mental health and appropriate coping mechanisms. Similarly, individuals were urged to seek information about COVID-19 from reputable sources and adopt positive coping mechanisms to fight against mental health effects of the pandemic.
Key Word: coping mechanisms, COVID-19, mental health, psychosocial effects
I. INTRODUCTION
Background:
The emergence of COVID-19 gripped the world population with shock, exposing people to stressful levels, even depression in extreme cases, as every individual was either infected or affected. COVID-19 also popularly known as coronavirus imposed a large health threat on the world population as humanity has been hit hard by the scourge. At the same time government policies to contain the spread of the pandemic such as lockdowns and social distancing policies have exposed people to various psychosocial challenges leading to mental health problems. Therefore, this scenario has called for an in-depth study into the psychosocial effects of COVID-19 on mental health in Zimbabwe where the country went under lockdown in March 2020.
Mental health constitutes a major component of an individual’s overall health. According to US National Prevention Council (2014), mental health involves an individual’s ability to live to their full potential effectively, manage stress, be productive, contribute significantly and integrate perfectly into the society. Laskowska (2017) asserts