Written by: Vatauomalotetele Fanene The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of life, and one
serious but often overlooked issue is the rise in domestic violence, especially against women and marginalized groups. As lockdowns and social distancing measures took place, many people found themselves trapped in unsafe homes. As the pandemic began, reports showed a troubling increase in domestic violence cases. According to the United Nations, calls to domestic violence hotlines rose by 25-50% during the early months. Lockdowns forced many victims to stay home with their abusers, creating a dangerous situation where tensions could escalate. Isolation cut victims off from important support networks, such as friends and family. Many felt trapped, and for countless individuals, home became a place of fear and abuse. The pandemic created challenges for those seeking to report domestic violence or get help. Many shelters had to close or limit their services, reducing options for those in need. Fear of catching the virus also stopped many victims from reaching out for assistance. Additionally, the lack of access to technology made things harder. Those without smartphones or the internet struggled to find help. Even for those who could go online, the risk of being monitored by an abuser made it difficult to seek support safely. The psychological impact of the pandemic has been severe, especially for victims of domestic violence. The stress of isolation, financial worries, and health concerns worsened their trauma. Research shows that victims are at a higher risk for mental health issues like anxiety and depression. The overall stress of the pandemic also increased conflict within households, raising the risk for those already vulnerable to abuse. This situation highlights the need for support systems that address both immediate safety and long-term mental health. The long-term effects of the pandemic on domestic violence and support systems are still unfolding. While there is hope that increased awareness will lead to better resources, the immediate impact on victims cannot be ignored. Moving forward, a comprehensive approach is needed to tackle domestic violence, combining immediate support with preventive measures and community involvement. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the urgent need for a thorough response to domestic violence. The lessons learned during this crisis should guide efforts to protect and empower vulnerable individuals, ensuring that everyone can feel safe in their homes.
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Written by: Vatauomalotetele Fanene
September marks Suicide Prevention Month, a crucial time to address the mental health challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The isolation, uncertainty, and economic strain brought on by the pandemic have significantly increased feelings of anxiety and depression, leading to a rise in suicidal thoughts among many individuals. Isolation has been a profound factor, as lockdowns severed vital social connections. For those already struggling with mental health issues, the lack of support has intensified feelings of loneliness and despair. Economic hardships further compound these challenges, leaving many feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. During Suicide Prevention Month, it’s essential to raise awareness about mental health resources and encourage open conversations. Community support initiatives, such as virtual support groups and wellness checks, can help bridge the gap created by isolation. Highlighting available resources, including hotlines and telehealth services, ensures that those in crisis know help is accessible. As we reflect on the ongoing impact of COVID-19, let’s prioritize mental health and foster an environment where individuals feel empowered to seek help. Together, we can break the stigma and ensure that no one faces their struggles alone. The impact of Covid 19 on the mental health of racial and ethnic minorities has been significant. Here are some key findings:
2. Long – Term Consideration
3. Disproportionate Burden:
4. Preexisting Disparities Amplified:
5. Transitioning to Long -Term Consequences
Remember, that addressing minority mental health requires a holistic approach, considering cultural context and individual resilience. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on LGBTQ has been multifaceted. Let’s delve into some key findings:
Written by: Mary Anne Peck, Mary Anne Peck: Writing and Workshops
COVID-19 AND MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH Becoming a parent is a beautiful and incredibly challenging time for many people. There are many physical and psychological changes associated with the perinatal phase (pregnancy and the year after childbirth), and these changes and milestones were deeply impacted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 created an environment with new risks and uncertainty for pregnant people and new parents, and this increase in risk brought an increase in mental health challenges. HOW CAN COVID IMPACT PREGNANCY?From senior citizens to chronically ill individuals, there are vulnerable populations who live at a higher risk of experiencing severe COVID complications. One of these populations is pregnant people. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Pregnant people with severe COVID-19 also may be more likely to develop other health problems as a result of COVID-19. They include heart damage, blood clots and kidney damage. Moderate to severe symptoms from COVID-19 have also been linked to higher rates of preterm birth, high blood pressure, or preeclampsia.” These risks can cause stress to pregnant people, and for people who were pregnant during the initial outbreak, this stress was especially high. Pregnant people missed prenatal appointments and gave birth without loved ones present due to social-distancing regulations, making pregnancy a very different experience than it would have been pre-COVID. COVID AND PARENTHOODThe spread of COVID-19 led communities around the world to shift the way we work and learn. Many professionals began to work from home to prevent the spread of the disease and schools moved to remote learning models. Mothers who experienced higher levels of school support during their children’s remote learning report that they experienced less stress and their children adapted well to the new model. However, educational professionals struggled in the early months of COVID to effectively teach students from a distance, and parents experienced a sharp increase in stress as they navigated working from home and facilitating their children’s education. MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES PREDATE COVIDThe truth is that maternal mental health struggles did not begin during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, 20% of people in the perinatal period experienced mental health challenges. According to the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, women may avoid seeking help for mental health symptoms due to stigma. They may worry that other people think they can’t care for their child or they are too weak to cope with the stress. While the stress of the COVID pandemic exacerbated this issue, the prevalence of mental health conditions among perinatal women is an indication of a much larger, societal issue: How can we provide better care for pregnant people and new parents? SUPPORTING PARENTS IN OUR COMMUNITYThis month, as we celebrate Mothers’ Day, we must look beyond flowers and nice cards and address how we can support parents throughout the year. If someone you love is showing signs of a mental health condition, such a perinatal depression, you can:
If you or a loved one are struggling with a mental health condition associated with COVID-19 or parenthood, please feel free to reach out to the American Samoa Alliance Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (684-699-0272) for information about community workshops, counseling, and resources available in American Samoa. Written by: Mary Anne Peck, Mary Anne Peck: Writing and Workshops Survivors of domestic and sexual violence often face years of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and a long road to recovery in the aftermath of the assault. As we move through Sexual Assault Awareness Month, conversations around PTSD are incredibly important for understanding the lived experience of survivors around the world and exploring the best ways we can help them. While PTSD is common among survivors of violence, PTSD and chronic stress can be caused by a variety of events. As the world moves further and further from the initial outbreak of COVID-19, doctors and psychologists have begun to explore the impact of the pandemic on mental health and the trauma responses that emerged during the global crisis. There are many aspects of the pandemic experience that may lead to high levels of stress, including:
If you are experiencing stress and mental health symptoms in connection to COVID-19, it is important to seek help and support. There are counselors on-island (through LBJ and DOH) who can help you to process your pandemic experiences. There are also community programs, such as those offered by the Alliance, focused on building resilience. (If you are a community member interested in exploring the resiliency tools, please contact the Alliance to learn about future workshops and events. The Alliance is also sponsoring workshops for the staff of the Alliance’s Community Partner Organizations! These workshops are free and open to the public.) Written by: Mary Anne Peck, Mary Anne Peck: Writing and Workshops Women’s Leadership During the COVID Crisis
When coronavirus first appeared on the evening news and our Instagram feeds, the global population had no way of anticipating what was about to happen. After the initial outbreak in Wuhan in December 2019, novel coronavirus was deemed an international threat, and by January 2020, COVID-19 had begun to spread. Globally, communities were faced with an uncertain and terrifying future. DEVELOPING A VACCINE became a top priority from the beginning, and scientists around the world worked towards the same goal. One unexpected leader that emerged during this time was Dr. Kati Kariko. The daughter of a Hungarian butcher. Dr. Kariko began her career in Hungary, but when faced with a lack of research funding, she and her husband moved to Philadelphia in search of new opportunities. Dr. Kariko has never been motivated by fame or money; the sole focus of her research for decades has been messenger RNA and the possibilities mRNA presents. Dr. Kariko spent years moving from laboratory to laboratory, pursuing proof of her revolutionary idea–that mRNA could instruct a person’s cells to fight disease. Despite her love of “the bench,” her desire to spend her days in a laboratory, Dr. Kariko changed the world when her mRNA research built the foundation of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations. In 2021, she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine for her work. According to Dr. Langer, who worked closely with Dr. Kariko, the secret to this success was resilience. “Kate’s genius was a willingness to accept failure and keep trying,” Dr. Langer told the New York Times. When faced with overwhelming challenges, Dr. Kariko rose after each “failure” and tried again. PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE POPULATION IN AMERICAN SAMOA was the prime concern for local leaders from the beginning of the crisis. Before Dr. Kariko’s research yielded a COVID vaccine, American Samoa employed a different tool for protection against the pandemic: geographic isolation. American Samoa’s border was closed and our island’s inhabitants watched from isolated safety as the rest of the world fought the pandemic. In Washington D.C., Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen secured funding to help American Samoa through the lockdown and facilitate the building of necessary healthcare systems to fight the pandemic. COVID funding, including the CARES Act, provided American Samoa with additional funding for Medicaid, education, and nutrition assistance. Congresswoman Amata represented the needs of the people in American Samoa, bringing attention to the impact of lockdown on a small island territory. LOCAL EDUCATION AND VACCINATION were vital in protecting the well-being of the people of American Samoa, and the American Samoa Government established the COVID Task Force and COVID Vaccine Working Group to implement plans to safeguard the island. Dr. Francine Amoa, a pharmacist, was instrumental in developing the vaccination plans for American Samoa. “Underneath the sleep deprivation, long work hours, lists of problems and juggling what feels like endless tasks, it has been truly an honor and a privilege to be a healthcare worker during these times,” Dr. Amoa said in an interview with ASDOH and ASTCA in 2023. “The science and clinical practices surrounding the pandemic from vaccine development using the latest technology to design and develop therapeutic agents to treat COVID-19 has all been so equally rewarding to learn and teach other health professionals in order to deliver the best care to our patients and community.” In her efforts to help her island, Dr. Amoa had to face an intangible kind of challenge: misinformation spreading on social media about the dangers of vaccines. “We've had to be very creative and dynamic in our approach to address the various perceptions and misinformation surrounding the pandemic,” Dr. Amoa remembers. “The best part about my job is being able to provide direct services through vaccination or dispensing medicines for COVID-19 for people and their families. At the end of the day, all we can hope for is an opportunity to make a difference through service or acts of kindness to others.” THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF COVID is well-documented, and around the world, women faced serious challenges during the pandemic beyond the threat of the disease itself. Labeled as the “Shadow Pandemic” by UNWomen, there has been a documented increase in domestic and sexual violence since the initial outbreak of COVID-19. Lockdown and travel restrictions created environments where women were trapped with their abusers and separated from friends, family, and community resources. American Samoa Alliance Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, led by Jennifer Tofaeono, worked throughout the height of the pandemic to connect victims to local resources and provide virtual webinars and training events for the community. The organization continues to partner with local community partners to provide workshops and training focused on resilience building. MOVING FORWARD means facing the heartbreaking realities of COVID. As of May 2023, 6.86 million people around the world have died of COVID, and survivors of the pandemic have been left to cope with the physical and social consequences of the disease. Dr. Kati Kariko, Congresswoman Aumua Amata, Dr. Francine Amoa, and Director Jennifer Tofaeono are just a few of the women who worked, and continue to work, to help build resilient populations. By facing challenges head-on and rising in the aftermath of disaster, these resilient women set a strong example for our community today. This month, as we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, let’s take the time to honor the women in our families, our villages, and our global community who have carried us through the pandemic and brought us out the other side. Written by: ASADSV Media Staff
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AuthorWritten by staff or Alliance Partners |