Pandemics: What Can We Learn from the Literature?

This report was published by Family Life.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

The coronavirus (COVID-19) situation is constantly evolving and forcing governments, organizations, and individuals around the world to quickly change the way we operate. The purpose of this literature review is to understand how previous pandemics have impacted individuals, communities, organizations, and governments, and how we can best respond. The data suggests that, during a pandemic, already vulnerable sectors of society will become high risk; however, based on the particularities of the outbreak, other groups might also fall in this category. To support high-risk sectors, and the community in general, connectedness, coordination, and communication between government, health, and community organizations is key. However, ad-hoc support is needed to support the individual needs of the high-risk population sectors. Identified risks during a pandemic include: increase of mental health issues and potential for trauma; behavioural and emotional contagion; increase of substance use; and increase of family violence incidents, among other social impacts. It is suggested that service providers have a central role to provide relevant support to our communities, in particular those in the high-risk groups, and be advocates for those who might be neglected.

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