Economic and Psychosocial Aspects of Covid- 19

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Asynchronous spread of coronavirus causes serious concern and whammy worldwide. People suffer mentally, socially, physically and financially around the globe. In order to control the spread of virus nations enforced to impose lockdown in every sector of their economies. Almost all the activities are under the restriction which will give huge GDP loss. Even the essential goods and services are not supplied in adequate quantities to meet the population demand. As a result, people are losing their jobs and wages. One unique feature of this pandemic which has never seen before is that due to COVID-19. both demand and supply has fallen simultaneously which is rarest of the rare case. People are not allowed to go outside to make purchases as a result of which consumption has gone down and so the demand. Apparently, it was a health crisis but due to the zero mobilization between and within countries, restrictions on flight and labour mobility, fall in oil prices etc. it becomes an economic crisis.

During this pandemic the impact of stress and anxiety on children, women, adult and elderly may be physical such as: low energy, headache, muscle pain, insomnia; psychological such as depression, low mood, apprehension of impending doom, panic attacks, fear; or it can be behavioural symptoms such as: increased use of alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes, exhibiting more nervous behaviors, such as nail biting, fidgeting, and pacing, avoidance of activities or places that trigger memories of the event, social isolation and withdrawal, procrastinating and avoiding responsibilities.

This book focuses on the Economic and Psychological dimensions of COVID-19. We think various issue has been taken in the book. Readers may see the general economic and psychological impact of this pandemic. This book will be useful for the students of Economics and Psychology as well.

Dr. Gulnawaz Usmani is an alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University. Dr. Usmani, is Assistant Professor of Economics at the Poona college of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune. He did his doctorate in Economics from Aligarh Muslim University in 2017. His specializations are microeconomics, growth and development, health care. His research interest includes health and economic growth. He is the author and co-author of three books & several research papers on economic growth, health, tourism, women empowerment, banking, small scale industries etc.

Prof. (Dr.) Aftab Anwar Shaikh is presently serving as principal of Poona College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Pune. He has also worked as Director of PIMSE (Poona Institute of Management and entrepreneurship). Ha has been teaching courses on Business Administration, Strategic Management Communication, and research methodology in the Department of Commerce since 1993 and guided about 50 research scholars. He is editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Business Management and Social Sciences and International Journal of Humanities and Environmental Issues. He has also edited and authored many books and proceedings. He has been accorded with several prestigious awards including 'National Youth Award' by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India, and 'Prof. G. B. Kulkarni Award for Best Teacher in Commerce' by the University of

Dr. Asif Hasan is presently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. He did his graduation, masters and Ph.D from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh in 2013, 2015 and 2018 respectively. He completed Diploma in Counseling in 2018 and completed PG Diploma in Data Analytics with SPSS. Dr. Hasan qualified UGC-Net exam in 2015 and 2018. He was also awarded ICSSR Doctoral fellowship in 2018. During his research span he represented Aligarh Muslim University in the United Kingdom in the year 2016 as a part of WSEN (World Student Environment Network) where 46 countries participated. His field of specialization are: Biopsychology, Spiritual Psychology and Psychological Testing. He has Published a number of theoretical and empirical research articles in Scopus indexed and UGC listed journals of Psychology. He authored 2 books. Dr. Hasan has also attended and presented papers in national and International conferences and seminars of Psychology in India and Abroad. He also attended two summer schools on Neurosciences at IIIT Hydrabad and IIT Kanpur. He has operational knowledge of SPSS, EEG, fMRI and MRI and data processing through SPM 12.

Dr. Akbar Husain is Professor at the Department of Psychology former chairman and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. He received his Ph.D. Degree in Psychology from the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (INDIA) in 1981. Professor Husain was awarded the D.Litt. degree in Psychology in 2015 for his work on Explorations and Applications of Spirituality in Psychology. He has over 40 years of teaching and research experience. He has successfully supervised 10 M.Phil. dissertations, 35 Ph.D. theses and 2 Post-Doctoral theses at the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. He has authored, co-authored and edited 39 books, and contributed 260 research papers, theoretical articles and book chapters in National and International Journals and Books. Prof. Husain has attended and presented papers, gave Invited Talk/Lecture and Keynote Addresses in the several National and International Conferences and Seminars. He was Editor of the Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology (2002-2005) and Journal of Educational Research, University of Malaya (2009). Prof. Husain is also reviewer of various National and International Journals of Psychology. He has standardized numerous psychological tests and completed research projects. He is a Life Member and Annual Member of various National and International Associations. Prof. Husain was offered Founding Member of the International Board of the International Transpersonal Association, USA in 2009. He has visited several countries for attending conferences and teaching assignments. He is also on the Editorial Board of several prestigious Journals, both National and International. Professor Husain received Sir Syed Innovation Award 2018 Outstanding Researcher of the Year.

In recent years he has been involved in conducting the researches on various topics such as spiritual values/virtues, spiritual fitness, spiritual personality, spiritual support, spiritual distress, spiritual coping, strength etc. related to the area of Spiritual Psychology. In addition to this his current areas of research are: Clinical-Health Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Positive Psychology, Islamic and Sufi Psychology.

COVID-19, an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, has altered our state of living. In the blink of an eye, the entire world has been engulfed by the deadly spread of coronavirus. It has become a global emergency, drastically changing the state of normal. The clasp of this pandemic is still unyielding, with cases soaring on an everyday basis. The condition is even direr for the geriatric population, infants and people with underlying health conditions.

The unswerving spread of coronavirus has perplexed everyone. It has induced a considerable degree of apprehension and distress in the population at large. The high infectivity and fatality rate of the disease itself is agonizing; however, the following lockdown measures have generated a plethora of manifestations.

The impact of the coronavirus is multifarious, including aspects such as economic, financial, social, emotional, physical, psychological, environmental and spiritual. The turmoil that ensued from it has had a devastating impact on the lives of tens of millions of people. More explicitly, it has escalated the risk of extreme poverty, mental health problems, poor health conditions, and economic burden. It has posed unprecedented threats and challenges in almost all spheres of life.

The scar induced by the covid-19 pandemic is indelible as it has posed a massive and far-reaching economic impact. Moreover, the imposition of lockdown to contain the spread of covid-19 has given an enormous blow to the GDP. The zero mobilization between and within the countries has further enkindled the economic crisis. The pandemic spread has transposed the supply-side manufacturing concerns to curtailed business in the service sector. It has caused macroscale recession, impending supply shortages, monstrous job loss and insecurity, panic buying, hoarding, price spikes, and turmoil within factories and logistics. The behavioral changes ensuing from the outbreak have begotten severe food insecurity worldwide. Consequently, the global scenario is forced to remodel and resort to online measures. However, the restorative measures seem measly as the global economic system continues to be in a state of quandary.

Thus, the current situation entails global solidarity to help outstrip the callosal impact of the covid-19 pandemic and avert its upsurge. There is a need to generate long-term sustainable strategies to address underlying food insecurity, malnutrition, impending poverty concerns, job insecurity and losses, social protection, and safe migration pathways. There is a need to rethink the future and adopt measures to ensure health and prosperity. Initiatives should also be taken to adjust ourselves to the new normal.

The other facet that has been direly affected by the pandemic outbreak is the psychosocial aspect. The covid-19 has entailed severe psychosocial impact, particularly escalating the cases of mental health problems. The resultant "coronaphobia" has engendered a plethora of psychological concerns such as panic, apprehension, obsessive behaviors, anxiety, paranoia, hopelessness, depression, post-traumatic. stress disorder (PTSD) and even suicidal thoughts. The impact of the pandemic is even more daunting for the geriatric population, marginalized communities, patients, and caregivers. Moreover, the frontline healthcare workers are also at potential risk of experiencing burnout, distress, and other mental health problems.

The covid-19 has disrupted the usual lifestyle of people and has exacerbated the conditions of people of all strata.

There are myriad factors associated with the covid-19 pandemic that have contributed to people's poor mental health. These factors include social isolation, economic downturn, loneliness, closure of educational institutions, income uncertainty, and barriers to mental health care access. Moreover, the unfiltered dissemination of information via social media has triggered the mayhem in the form of stigmatization, racism and xenophobia.

The turmoil precipitated by the pandemic has had a catastrophic impact. Therefore, the initiative to curtail its spread through the use of vaccinations is taking place across the globe. Consequently, people are able to see a ray of hope and expect the end of the pandemic in the near future. However, the repercussions of the pandemic seem to have a lasting impact. Thus, suggesting that the need for mental health services and care will likely continue even after the virus recedes. Therefore, to deal with these psychosocial issues, crisis prevention and intervention measures should be developed. Moreover, stress management techniques, social distancing protocols, psychotherapeutic techniques, counseling and other measures should be employed to curtail the impact of mental health problems posed by the pandemic.

This book is an initiative in this direction to address the economic and psychosocial aspects of Covid-19 comprehensively. The book is divided into two parts with seventeen chapters in total. The first chapter focuses on the emotional and behavioral aspects of the covid-19 pandemic in India. The second chapter further elaborates on the psychological impact of covid-19 and its management. Chapter three deals with the psychological impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on Indian communities and associated behavioral problems. In the fourth chapter, the authors probed the impact of Covid-19 on employment in India. The fifth chapter concentrates on the effect of Covid-19 on agriculture, food supply and livelihoods in India. The Sixth chapter covers the notion of migrant laborers and Covid-19. In the seventh chapter, the author elucidates the sociological imagination of Covid-19. The eighth chapter delves into the notion of parenting amidst the covid-19 pandemic. The ninth chapter deals with the prospective challenges and management of Covid-19. The tenth chapter highlights the economic impact of Covid-19 as an introductory analysis. The eleventh chapter expounds on the impact and risks analysis of covid-19 on pharmaceutical industries in India. The twelfth chapter revolves around the corona calamity and its social and economic consequences in India. The thirteenth chapter is about Covid-19 and its impact on employment. The fourteenth chapter deals with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the economy of developing countries. The fifteenth chapter focuses on navigating the crisis and beyond the future of higher education-impact of Covid-19. The sixteenth chapter sheds light on the economic effect of covid-19. Lastly, chapter seventeenth comprehensively addresses the socioeconomic and psychosocial impacts of lockdown on migrant workers in India.

**Contents and Sample Pages**