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The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are not only reflected on the physique of those facing the infection, but also on the psychological state. Insecurity, different habits also in terms of food, anxiety and the tendency to depression or the open road to anxiety can have a very significant impact on well-being. The problem appears particularly significant, in particular for women, according to a study conducted in the spring of last year by experts from the University of Chicago, published in the Journal of Women’s Health.
Thus the female universe has changed
Lack of social relationships, inability to travel, less careful nutrition. These three situations, according to the experts who conducted the survey, were a sort of “fuse” that ignited the difficulties, considering the female universe, with a heavy impact also on professional activity. And they add to the results of other analyzes that have shown how anxiety and depression have grown with the pandemic, in both sexes, and how the tendency to abuse alcohol has grown.
The American analysis, however, focused its attention specifically on women, questioning over 3,000 people of age last April. In the first wave of the pandemic for the women involved in the study have grown psychological accidents, such as real interpersonal violence or complex relationships with food.
The trend has shown a clear growth with the pandemic and lockdowns, since it also involved many women who had never faced problems of this type before the appearance of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, making them extremely vulnerable. The survey also found that 29 percent of women reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, nearly double the pre-pandemic estimates, and clear signs of post-traumatic stress also appeared in nearly one in three women. According to experts, there is a need to pay particular attention to these dynamics to ensure that those at risk can count on an effective safety net capable of limiting the psychological impact of the pandemic.
We need to pamper ourselves
In recent days, the experts of the Italian Society of Psychiatry (SIP) have focused attention on the need to have the right emotional acknowledgments in this Easter period.
“Physical contact it is reassuring, because it is the most archaic way to make us feel safe. Furthermore, the sense of security and satisfaction it causes triggers positive neurochemical changes such as the increase in the production of oxytocin, the attachment hormone that has a tranquilizing effect – is the comment of Massimo di Giannatonio and Enrico Zanalda, co-presidents of the SIP “. On the other hand, research conducted by Tiffany Field of the University of Miami in Florida on 260 adults shows that six out of ten people, of both genders, reported a lack of affectionate physical contact.
“Social restrictions remain necessary: at this stage it is still impossible to ensure our non-cohabiting loved ones the usual gestures of affection, and it is clear that neither video calls nor messages can replace the real meeting between two people – underline di Giannantonio and Zanalda – However, there are some precautions that we can adopt to make up for the lack of physical contact, stimulating touch in another way. A hot bath, for example, has a calming and reassuring effect, touching soft and comfortable fabrics like silk or having a foot massage induces pleasant sensations that make you feel better. If through the contact of ‘skin’ with pleasant materials or warm we feel pleasure, we can at least partially mitigate the lack of real closeness to other people. Physical contact should be sought and practiced whenever possible, for example with family members living together “.
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