Several countries choose May as Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme of this year, chosen by the Mental Health Foundation, is community, highlighting the essential role of community and social connections in mental health and well-being.
Social connections and community play a central role in mental health, especially during times of crisis. Healthy relationships and helpful community will contribute to helping us navigate life’s challenges. Research done by Dr Nguyen Thanh Ha, OUCRU Vietnam, using Bahers’ sociological framework, Community of Fate, reflected the formation of a community of HCWs and the social cohesion underlying their efforts to survive hardship during the pandemic.
Social supports contributed to several findings that staying connected with social relationships has led to positive mental health status. A research study of over 37,000 students at Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCMC) that was animated by Collab Lab, our youth-led initiative, showed that 84.5% of college students chose to stay connected with family and friends to help them overcome COVID-19’s social restrictions’ challenges.
Read the full story on the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health website.