Assessing and Evaluating the Psychosocial Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Anxiety and Stress: Perspectives from the Indian Sub-Continent

This Research Topic is part of our Regional Perspectives series. Other regionally focused collections in this series:
Assessing and Evaluating the Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic on Anxiety And Stress: Perspectives from Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Assessing and Evaluating the Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic on Anxiety And Stress: Perspectives from North America
Assessing and Evaluating the Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic on Anxiety And Stress: Perspectives from South America

Mental health care systems and the mental wellbeing of people worldwide have been hugely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through a variety of factors. While waves of Covid continue to fluctuate globally, challenges remain in terms of providing sufficient and appropriate mental healthcare services and developing effective solutions for the prevention and treatment of anxiety and stress-related disorders. Whilst there are similarities in the challenges faced by specific countries regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety and stress-related disorders, there is undoubtedly also significant variation and, therefore, a requirement to identify and analyse these challenges from a uniquely regional perspective.

The goal of this Research Topic is to explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on anxiety and stress on the population of the Indian Sub-continent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan); for example, on both patients and healthcare staff, and not only during the initial waves of Covid infection but also in the context of long Covid in this region. This is also a unique opportunity to explore possible cross-cultural differences in the expression of anxiety and stress in these times, and to study anxiety and stress in relation to the Covid pandemic using longitudinal designs.

We would welcome a range of submissions and article types focused on research from, or related to, the Indian Sub-continent. Examples might include, but are not limited to, the following themes:
• prevalence and associated factors of anxiety and stress during the Covid-19 pandemic
• neuropsychological symptoms of hospitalized Covid-19 patients
• the associations between long Covid, anxiety, and stress
• changes in psychiatric inpatient services
• integration of digital mental health care solutions
• gender differences.

Keywords: Anxiety, Stress, COVID 19, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.