International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12
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 Volume 10, Issue 8 (August 2023), Pages: 215-220

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 Original Research Paper

Public health in the post COVID-19 pandemic and mental health onslaught: Social isolation based on a biopsychosocial approach

 Author(s): 

 Taufiqnur Selamat 1, Azlina Abu Bakar 2, *, R. Zirwatul Aida R. Ibrahim 3, Mazidah Mohd Dagang 3, Noor Insyiraah Abu Bakar 2, Jumadil Saputra 3

 Affiliation(s):

 1Cocurricular Unit, Student Activity Centre, University of Technology MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia
 2Faculty of Human Development, Sultan Idris Education University, Tanjung Malim, Malaysia
 3Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Development, University Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia

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 * Corresponding Author. 

  Corresponding author's ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5770-7515

 Digital Object Identifier: 

 https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2023.08.025

 Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled profound deficiencies in global mental health care and prevention, posing a disproportionate threat to public health worldwide. Social isolation, a consequence of the pandemic, has strained the boundaries of human cooperation, giving rise to a spectrum of mental health challenges including stress, fear, grief, anxiety, and depression. This research empirically investigates the concept of social distance concerning individuals with mental health conditions while considering biopsychosocial determinants, notably social media influence and attitudes. A comprehensive analysis was conducted on a sample comprising 424 students from public universities along the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The findings reveal that attitudes towards mental health and the influence of social media play substantial roles in predicting social distance from individuals with mental health conditions. These predictive factors contribute significantly, accounting for up to 10.6% of the variance in social isolation. The consequences of social distance encompass a broad spectrum, ranging from heightened fear and anxiety to the development of obsessive-compulsive disorders rooted in the fear of social rejection. A biopsychosocial framework emerges as the most comprehensive approach to understanding the intricate interplay of these multifaceted factors.

 © 2023 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords: Social distance, Mental health perceptions, Biopsychosocial factors, Social media influence, Attitudes toward mental illness

 Article History: Received 11 January 2023, Received in revised form 29 June 2023, Accepted 27 July 2023

 Acknowledgment 

No Acknowledgment.

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Selamat T, Bakar AA, Ibrahim RZAR, Dagang MM, Bakar NIA, and Saputra J (2023). Public health in the post COVID-19 pandemic and mental health onslaught: Social isolation based on a biopsychosocial approach. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 10(8): 215-220

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 Tables

 Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Table 4 Table 5 Table 6 Table 7 

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