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Serially mediated effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life of refugees in Uganda during coronavirus pandemic

The unexpected outbreak and rapid spread of COVID-19 necessitated radical and stringent control measures, consequently changing how people live globally. To vulnerable populations like refugees, who were already living a disrupted life, the outbreak of COVID-19 and accompanying control measures comp...

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Autores principales: Baluku, Martin Mabunda, Ssebagala, Stewart, Mukula, Hilary Mugabo, Musanje, Khamisi
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10599589/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37878551
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002450
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author Baluku, Martin Mabunda
Ssebagala, Stewart
Mukula, Hilary Mugabo
Musanje, Khamisi
author_facet Baluku, Martin Mabunda
Ssebagala, Stewart
Mukula, Hilary Mugabo
Musanje, Khamisi
author_sort Baluku, Martin Mabunda
collection PubMed
description The unexpected outbreak and rapid spread of COVID-19 necessitated radical and stringent control measures, consequently changing how people live globally. To vulnerable populations like refugees, who were already living a disrupted life, the outbreak of COVID-19 and accompanying control measures complicated their living conditions and drastically affected their mental health and, consequently, their quality of life. The current study aimed to test whether psychological inflexibility was a factor in lowering the quality of life of refugees in Uganda during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study further examines whether the effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life were serially mediated by avoidance coping, perceived threat, adherence to COVID-19 control measures, and general mental health states. The study was conducted among refugees living in Kampala city suburbs and Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda. Data was collected using a survey questionnaire during the partial reopening of the economy in mid-2020, after the first lockdown. The analysis assesses a serial mediation model of the effects of psychological inflexibility on the quality of life of refugees through avoidance coping, perceived threat, adherence to COVID-19 control measures, and mental health using PROCESS Macro. The study involved 353 participants. Our analyses revealed that psychological inflexibility was negatively associated with the perceived threat, adherence, and quality of life. Psychological inflexibility was positively associated with avoidance coping and poor mental health. The data supported all hypothesized mediation paths. These findings support literature suggesting that psychological inflexibility is a maladaptive attribute that thwarts positive coping and behavior adjustment in times of crisis. Consequently, psychological inflexibility can worsen mental health problems and quality of life, especially in populations such as refugees in low-income countries who live in precarious conditions. Incorporating interventions that reduce psychological inflexibility in crisis management efforts can help refugees maintain good psychological functioning and quality of life.
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spelling pubmed-105995892023-10-26 Serially mediated effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life of refugees in Uganda during coronavirus pandemic Baluku, Martin Mabunda Ssebagala, Stewart Mukula, Hilary Mugabo Musanje, Khamisi PLOS Glob Public Health Research Article The unexpected outbreak and rapid spread of COVID-19 necessitated radical and stringent control measures, consequently changing how people live globally. To vulnerable populations like refugees, who were already living a disrupted life, the outbreak of COVID-19 and accompanying control measures complicated their living conditions and drastically affected their mental health and, consequently, their quality of life. The current study aimed to test whether psychological inflexibility was a factor in lowering the quality of life of refugees in Uganda during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study further examines whether the effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life were serially mediated by avoidance coping, perceived threat, adherence to COVID-19 control measures, and general mental health states. The study was conducted among refugees living in Kampala city suburbs and Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda. Data was collected using a survey questionnaire during the partial reopening of the economy in mid-2020, after the first lockdown. The analysis assesses a serial mediation model of the effects of psychological inflexibility on the quality of life of refugees through avoidance coping, perceived threat, adherence to COVID-19 control measures, and mental health using PROCESS Macro. The study involved 353 participants. Our analyses revealed that psychological inflexibility was negatively associated with the perceived threat, adherence, and quality of life. Psychological inflexibility was positively associated with avoidance coping and poor mental health. The data supported all hypothesized mediation paths. These findings support literature suggesting that psychological inflexibility is a maladaptive attribute that thwarts positive coping and behavior adjustment in times of crisis. Consequently, psychological inflexibility can worsen mental health problems and quality of life, especially in populations such as refugees in low-income countries who live in precarious conditions. Incorporating interventions that reduce psychological inflexibility in crisis management efforts can help refugees maintain good psychological functioning and quality of life. Public Library of Science 2023-10-25 /pmc/articles/PMC10599589/ /pubmed/37878551 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002450 Text en © 2023 Baluku et al https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Baluku, Martin Mabunda
Ssebagala, Stewart
Mukula, Hilary Mugabo
Musanje, Khamisi
Serially mediated effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life of refugees in Uganda during coronavirus pandemic
title Serially mediated effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life of refugees in Uganda during coronavirus pandemic
title_full Serially mediated effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life of refugees in Uganda during coronavirus pandemic
title_fullStr Serially mediated effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life of refugees in Uganda during coronavirus pandemic
title_full_unstemmed Serially mediated effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life of refugees in Uganda during coronavirus pandemic
title_short Serially mediated effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life of refugees in Uganda during coronavirus pandemic
title_sort serially mediated effects of psychological inflexibility on quality of life of refugees in uganda during coronavirus pandemic
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10599589/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37878551
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002450
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