Preface for the special series on “Psychological and Physical Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic”

In this special series of the Journal of Public Health and Emergency, this series delves into the multifaceted effects of the unprecedented global crisis, exploring diverse aspects of its influence on individuals, communities, and healthcare systems.

In the series, we present a collection of insightful articles that contribute to our understanding of the ramifications of the pandemic. These articles encompass a variety of research perspectives, including original studies and comprehensive reviews, shedding light on the intricate interplay between the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and psychological as well as physical well-being.

The first original article, “Implication of the nationwide emergency announcement on coronavirus disease 2019-related preventive behavioral change among Japanese residents”, conducted by Lu et al. (1), provides a cross-sectional study examining the behavioral changes among Japanese residents following nationwide emergency announcements.

Moving on to explore the impact on specific patient populations, Teh et al. (2) present “COVID-19 effects on breast cancer patients: symptom presentation and critical intervals in a Malaysian hospital”, investigating symptom presentation and critical intervals in a Malaysian hospital.

Shifting focus to the realm of education, Amalaraj et al. (3) contribute a systematic review titled “E-learning during COVID-19 and anxiety levels among university students: a systematic review”, offering valuable insights into the challenges faced by students in adapting to remote learning during the pandemic.

Addressing the unique challenges faced by pregnant women, Pratiwi et al. (4) explore “Factors associated with behavior of reducing anxiety in pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic”.

Concluding the series, another review article by Pratiwi et al. (5) investigates the “Psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses and coping strategies: a systematic review”, offering a comprehensive overview of the challenges faced by healthcare professionals on the frontline.

We hope this series provides a platform for a deeper understanding of the profound and far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on both psychological and physical aspects of our lives. Each article contributes valuable insights to the collective effort in navigating and mitigating the challenges posed by this unprecedented global crisis.

Acknowledgments

Funding: None.

Footnote

Provenance and Peer Review: This article was commissioned by the editorial office, Journal of Public Health and Emergency for the series “Psychological and Physical Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic”. The article did not undergo external peer review.

Conflicts of Interest: The author has completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://jphe.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/jphe-2024-01/coif). The series “Psychological and Physical Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. L.P.W. served as an unpaid Guest Editor of the series and serves as an unpaid editorial board member of the Journal of Public Health and Emergency from July 2023 to June 2025. The author has no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The author is accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

References

1. Lu Y, Cai G, Zhuang J, et al. Implication of the nationwide emergency announcement on coronavirus disease 2019-related preventive behavioral change among Japanese residents—a cross sectional study. J Public Health Emerg 2022;6:31. [Crossref]
2. Teh MS, See MH, Lai LL, et al. COVID-19 effects on breast cancer patients: symptom presentation and critical intervals in a Malaysian hospital. J Public Health Emerg 2022;6:30. [Crossref]
3. Amalaraj JJP, Saminathan TA, Robert Lourdes TG, et al. E-learning during COVID-19 and anxiety levels among university students: a systematic review. J Public Health Emerg 2023;7:8. [Crossref]
4. Pratiwi IN, Pradanie R, Setyawati N, et al. Factors associated with behavior of reducing anxiety in pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic. J Public Health Emerg 2023;7:18. [Crossref]
5. Pratiwi IN, Nihayati HE, Santus R, et al. Psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses and coping strategies: a systematic review. J Public Health Emerg 2023;7:19. [Crossref]

Li Ping Wong