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. 2021 Jul;55(7):646-649.
doi: 10.1177/0004867421998783. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Learning from previous disasters: Potential pitfalls of epidemiological psychosocial research in the COVID-19 environment

Caroline Bell  1 , Ben Beaglehole  1 , Romana Bell  2 , Sandila Tanveer  1 , Ruqayya Sulaiman-Hill  1 , Joseph Boden  1 , Richard Porter  1
Affiliations

Learning from previous disasters: Potential pitfalls of epidemiological psychosocial research in the COVID-19 environment

Caroline Bell et al. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

It is critical to understand the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations around the world. In this article, we highlight the key challenges associated with epidemiological psychosocial research in a disaster context and reflect on lessons learned from firsthand experience over the last decade in Christchurch, New Zealand, following the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes and 2019 Mosque attacks. We make recommendations for study design to improve the quality of research evaluating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the inclusion of positive outcome measures and the need to evaluate a range of cultural contexts. We hope that highlighting these areas will improve research and result in a better understanding of the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Mental health; disasters; epidemiology; quality assessment.

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