Furlong Y, Finnie T
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands, WA6909, Australia.
Centre and Discipline of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA6009, Australia.
Ir J Psychol Med. 2020 Sep;37(3):237-242. doi: 10.1017/ipm.2020.37. Epub 2020 May 14.
Since COVID-19 first emerged internationally, Australia has applied a number of public health measures to counter the disease' epidemiology. The public heath response has been effective in virus testing, diagnosing and treating patients with COVID-19. The imposed strict border restrictions and social distancing played a vital role in reducing positive cases via community transmission resulting in 'flattening of the curve'. Now is too soon to assess the impact of COVID-19 on people's mental health, as it will be determined by both short- and long-term consequences of exposure to stress, uncertainty, loss of control, loneliness and isolation. The authors explored cultural and societal influences on mental health during the current pandemic utilising Geert Hofstede's multidimensional construct of culture and determined psychological and cultural factors that foster resilience. We also reflected on the psychological impact of the pandemic on the individual and the group at large by utilising Michel Foucault' and Jacques Lacan' psychoanalytic theories. Remote Aboriginal Australian communities have been identified as a high-risk subpopulation in view of their unique vulnerabilities owing to their compromised health status, in addition to historical, systemic and cultural factors. Historically, Australia has prided itself in its multiculturalism; however, there has been evidence of an increase in racial microaggressions and xenophobia during this pandemic. Australia's model of cultural awareness will need to evolve, from reactionary to more reflective, post COVID-19 pandemic to best serve our multicultural, inclusive and integrated society.
自新冠病毒在国际上首次出现以来，澳大利亚已采取多项公共卫生措施来应对该疾病的流行情况。公共卫生应对措施在对新冠病毒患者进行检测、诊断和治疗方面取得了成效。实施的严格边境限制和社交距离措施在通过社区传播减少阳性病例方面发挥了至关重要的作用，从而实现了“曲线平缓”。目前评估新冠病毒对人们心理健康的影响还为时过早，因为这将取决于接触压力、不确定性、失去控制、孤独和隔离的短期和长期后果。作者利用吉尔特·霍夫斯泰德的多维文化结构，探讨了当前疫情期间文化和社会对心理健康的影响，并确定了促进恢复力的心理和文化因素。我们还利用米歇尔·福柯和雅克·拉康的精神分析理论，反思了疫情对个人和整个群体的心理影响。鉴于澳大利亚偏远原住民社区由于健康状况不佳以及历史、系统和文化因素而具有独特的脆弱性，它们已被确定为高风险亚人群。从历史上看，澳大利亚一直以其多元文化主义而自豪；然而，有证据表明，在这次疫情期间，种族微侵犯和仇外心理有所增加。澳大利亚的文化意识模式需要演变，从新冠疫情后的被动反应转向更具反思性，以最好地服务于我们多元文化、包容和融合的社会。
