Experiences and challenges in mental health research and practice during COVID-19: Perspectives from emerging psychologists across five countries

The recently concluded International Congress of Psychology 2020+ brought together psychologists from different countries and various cultural backgrounds. A fundamental part of the congress is the Emerging Psychologists’ Program. The program provided a valuable platform for early career researchers across different countries, cultures and fields to exchange knowledge, communicate and collaborate. This article comes from the perspective of the Emerging Psychologists Program participants consisting of early career psychology researchers and practitioners from Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Singapore, and Australia. This article highlights the challenges and learnings gained through our doctoral research journey. We are hoping our experiences are of relevance to students of mental health, clinicians, and researchers, consistent with your journal’s mission to be a conduit for dissemination of information across the Asian countries and to and from the rest of the world (Tandon, 2020).

1. Rolling with the punches: Going online amidst the pandemic

The uncertainty and threat of the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread government-imposed restrictions which had far-reaching ramifications. Scientific research was greatly limited to online means of data gathering to keep people safe. Accessing target samples from vulnerable populations, such as people with substance use disorders and the elderly, became increasingly difficult. The authors had to adapt planned research methods to adhere to health protocols and restrictions. With the sharing of experiences came the common need to be cautious in examining the validity of responses gathered through online platforms. For example, Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk), an online crowdsourcing website, can provide quick, easy, and inexpensive access to online research participants; however, there are concerns surrounding the quality and integrity of responses (Dennis et al., 2020; Goodman et al., 2013). While such platforms can be a useful source of convenience samples, researchers are encouraged to be mindful of the limitations and employ more stringent measures to provide highly transparent and reproducible science (Chambers and Nimon, 2019). The pandemic has also highlighted disparities between countries. Individuals from resource-constrained settings or institutions are at a disadvantage, unable to utilize online tools to benefit their research. Similar discrepancies are present at the participant level, as people without internet access or who are unwilling or unable to participate in online surveys may not be reached. It is possible that these individuals may be of lower literacy levels and socioeconomic status, which have been found to be indicative of poorer health outcomes and poorer use of health care services (Berkman et al., 2011; Rehm and Probst, 2018). A lack of access to participants in such at-risk groups means participants in the greatest need of intervention are being overlooked, and findings obtained during this period may not be a true reflection of the target population.

2. Universal shift from a disease model to a well-being model

The pandemic has brought about an increased demand on mental health services, and on clinicians delivering such services. Notably, clinical work with telehealth has seen an increase of up to 12-fold (Pierce et al., 2020). Clinicians were compelled to adapt to the online modality of treatment while still needing to grow professional competencies, navigate policy and procedural changes, and deliver evidence-based care to those in need. This places a particular strain on emerging clinicians, who are learning to hone their skills during an evolving health crisis. Naturally, a clinician's ability to engage in and promote effective self-care has become even more important. The increased focus on mental and physical health has led to a universal shift to a broader and more holistic approach of well-being, rather than just the pathology of mental health (Kola et al., 2021). This shift within the areas of health and health services is essential towards a holistic care framework (Prilleltensky, 2005). This transition varies at different rates and stages across countries. Western nations such as Australia have embraced and widely promoted the importance of self-care and looking after one’s mental health, whereas countries like Malaysia, Philippines and South Africa are in the early stages of adaptation. The disparity can be attributed to differences in health literacy, stigma, self-coping strategies, and help seeking behaviors (Kutcher et al., 2016). This highlights the importance of sharing knowledge and experiences, which has been shown to be validating and beneficial to one’s growth and development (Kutcher et al., 2016).

3. Conclusion

It is important for researchers and clinicians in the mental health field to discuss best practices and establish ethical guidelines in the conduct of mental health research with vulnerable groups in response to a fast-changing environment. Sharing of knowledge and experiences across different countries, cultures, and backgrounds can help to advance the field of psychology and build capacity among emerging scholars. Through this process, greater depth and understanding can be gained in future research, collaboration, and practice.

Funding

The authors did not receive financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.