*Psychosocial Impacts:*

One of the most observed effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is psychological stress. If we consider the student population, who already face stressful conditions such as assessments and social pressure to succeed daily, we quickly realize that they are one of the most vulnerable social groups. This is confirmed in Chapter 1, "Perspective Chapter: Impact of Pandemic Situation on Students Psychology and Support to Combat", by Rutuja Patankar, based on an analysis of online surveys of student populations during the pandemic in countries as diverse as India, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. In addition to confirming the worsening of stressful situations, the chapter also discusses the work done by organizations that tried to mitigate these situations.

The issue of psychological effects is also addressed in Chapter 2, "Perspective Chapter: Psychological Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic", by Vasfiye Bayram Değer. This chapter presents evidence of the psychological problems generated by the pandemic, namely, negative emotions, depression, anxiety, and distress. The chapter also addresses how quarantine and isolation situations, using masks, and social distancing during the pandemic generated trauma and examines the effects of this trauma across different age groups.

In Chapter 3, "Perspective Chapter: Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 – A Global Scenario", Kishor Kunal et al. examine the social, socioeconomic, socio-political, social, professional, and healthcare effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter seeks to delineate the process of impact by looking into its pathophysiology, thus drawing lessons from the present situation and anticipating future impacts.

During the pandemic, a significant part of the world population experienced unprecedented isolation and social distance. Faced with the obligatory behaviors that were not natural to them, people naturally began to experience depression, anxiety, and stress. It was even observed that cases of suicidal ideation increased during this time. Chapter 4, "Perspective Chapter: The Psychosocial Effects of Isolation and Social Distancing during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic – An Overview and Mitigation Strategies", by Raghad Burjaq and Samer Hammoudeh, analyzes the psychosocial effects of isolation and social distancing as well as strategies to mitigate their effects, such as exercise, limiting media exposure, counseling, and maintaining social networks.

The deployment of emergency remote education (ERE) is not an innovation brought by searching for responses to the COVID-19 crisis. However, the pandemic forced its use on a larger scale, with varying degrees of success and satisfaction around the world. Chapter 5, "Perspective Chapter: Perspectives on the Emergency Remote Assessment during the COVID-19 Pandemic", by Mariana Cernicova-Buca

draws attention to the debate on the relevance and soundness of remote assessment activities, both for students and for society in general. Some voices enthusiastically champion the technological innovation and point to the benefits brought by computer-assisted assessment, while others warn against a "one-size-fits-all" approach and insist that emergency measures need careful examination and, while lessons can be taken from the situation, traditional patterns should be kept in place.

Grouping of language learners has been proven to lead to progress and success in academic achievement. However, the pandemic imposed the closure of schools and thus it was not possible for students to meet in person. In examining the effects of this situation on language learning proficiency, Bulelwa Makena and Thandiswa Mpiti in Chapter 6, "Social Distancing Disbanding Learner Groupings: A Case on Language Development", conduct a qualitative case study of selected English language teachers from three different primary schools in one district of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Their findings suggest that reading levels and learner attitudes were negatively affected, with students feeling isolated from their peers.

Chapter 7, "Perspective Chapter: Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 – Stigma and Xenophobia", by Dogancan Sonmez and Cicek Hocaoglu, focuses on the rise of stigma and feelings of xenophobia caused by the pandemic. Based on a literature review, the authors note the growth of fear, prejudice, and hateful attitudes, particularly towards certain groups, such as older people and foreigners. Faced with this escalation of stigmatizing and xenophobic attitudes during the pandemic, the authors stress the importance of reparative and preventive measures to ensure social cohesion in society.

Chapter 8, "COVID-19 Sends the Bill: Socially Disadvantaged Workers Suffer the Severest Losses in Earnings", by Tharcisio Leone, presents a nationally representative household survey conducted by phone during the COVID-19 pandemic to estimate the short-term impacts of lockdown measures on employment and income in Brazil. The results obtained point to visible negative effects on employment rates and people's income levels.

Chapter 9, "Why Knowledge Sharing Increases Well-Being – The Case of Adult Fans of LEGO", by Kei Aoki, reveals the relationship between knowledge sharing and well-being. Starting from his own thesis that participation in knowledge sharing has a significant positive impact on contributor well-being, the author seeks to understand the reasons underlying this advantage. He presents the results of in-depth interviews conducted by LEGO users who share their original creations. The study finds that contributors increased their wellbeing by deepening their knowledge and experience via competitive co-creation.

In times of crisis, minority and disadvantaged social groups tend to feel the effects more quickly and more intensely. In Chapter 10, "Perspective Chapter: Impact of COVID-19 on the Health of Ethnic Minorities in the UK – Salient Features and Recouping Strategies", Anil Gumber presents a study analyzing the exposure of Black, Asian and Ethnic Minorities (BAME) living in the United Kingdom to the impact of COVID-19. Promoting a multidimensional analysis, the author notes that BAME experienced not only health consequences but also economic and social consequences. In terms of health, there is, for example, a higher mortality rate among BAME patients as well as greater difficulty in accessing specialist health services (e.g., organ transplants). The chapter concludes by recommending both short- and long-term strategies to mitigate the devastating impact of COVID on BAME health and quality of life.

In Chapter 11, "Mental Impact of COVID-19 – Fear, Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Sequels", Parchani, Panda, et al., analyze how the pandemic and the public health measures used to tackle it gave rise to psychological reactions such as fear, stress, anxiety, and depression in both patients and healthcare workers. Many patients and healthcare workers report prolonged symptoms and aftereffects, which justifies investment in preventive actions to regulate and prevent mental illnesses. The authors highlight that research is urgently needed to evaluate the amount of anxiety, worry, helplessness and other mental health concerns related to COVID-19 as a way to develop tailored mental health initiatives.

In Chapter 12, "From Face-to-Face to Face-to-Screen: A Correlational Analysis of Psychological Impacts and Perception of Achievement of Ibn Tofail University Students during COVID-19 Times", Bani Koumachi presents the results of a survey of 297 students at the School of Languages, Letters, and Arts, Ibn Tofail University, Morocco. Using both descriptive and inferential statistics, the author shows that students' achievement is affected by all the factors composing the bio-ecological environment, revealing that the COVID-19 pandemic confinement had negative impacts on every sphere of life and education.
