Coping with the invisible enemy: The role of emotion regulation and awareness in quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic

The role of late adolescents' emotion regulation in the experience of COVID-19 lockdown: A longitudinal study

The COVID-19 pandemic may be considered a unique mass-trauma experience. This study examined the relations between Italian late adolescents' emotion regulation strategies, their anxiety states, and their experience of the lockdown (in terms of discomfort related to restrictions, capacities to create new functional daily routines, and to find positive changes in one's own life) during the first wave of this pandemic. We analysed how participants' reports of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression were associated with anxiety states during the 2020 Italian COVID-19 lockdown (large scale physical distancing and movement restrictions) and one month after the lockdown restrictions had been removed. We also examined how cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, and anxiety states were linked to late adolescents' experience of lockdown. The participants were 497 Italian adolescents, aged from 17 to 24 years (Mage = 21.11, SD = 1.83). A longitudinal structural equation modelling showed that emotion regulation strategies and anxiety states were not associated across time. Cognitive reappraisal was positively associated with routine reorganization and positive changes. In contrast, participants' expressive suppression was negatively related to their discomfort related to restrictions, ability to functionally reorganise their daily routine, and ability to find positive changes related to the COVID-19 emergency. Anxiety was positively linked to discomfort related to restrictions. The findings are discussed in light of the current literature related to emotion regulation and anxiety. Limitations and implications for practice are presented.

Training-related improvements in mental well-being through reduction in negative interpretation bias: A randomized trial of online socio-emotional dyadic and mindfulness interventions

BACKGROUND

Effects of online contemplative practices, especially partner-based practices, on psychological well-being remain mixed, with sparse understanding of potential affective-cognitive mechanisms. The study aimed to assess the efficacy of two online contemplative interventions in improving depression, anxiety, emotion regulation (ER), and resilience, and to evaluate the mechanistic role of negative attention and interpretation biases.

METHODS

Employing a randomized controlled design (n = 285), we compared the efficacy of 10-week online mindfulness-based and partner-based socio-emotional dyadic interventions, both supported by weekly coaching sessions. Mental health aspects were assessed using validated self-report measures and negative biases using the mouse-contingent Scrambled Sentences Task.

RESULTS

Both interventions, compared to waitlist control, led to reductions in depression and ER difficulties, while trait anxiety decreased only after mindfulness training. Increases in multidimensional resilience were observed only after socio-emotional training and in stress recovery only after mindfulness-based training, both compared to waitlist control. Socio-emotional training led to significant reductions in negative interpretation bias and this mediated reductions in depression and trait anxiety. Neither training led to reductions in state anxiety or negative attention bias.

LIMITATIONS

The subclinical nature and overrepresentation of females in the sample limits generalizability.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate that online mindfulness-based and socio-emotional partner-based interventions, supported by online coaching sessions, can reduce depression and ER difficulties. Though mindfulness practice reduced trait anxiety and enhanced stress recovery, socio-emotional training increased multidimensional resilience. Socio-emotional training reduced negative interpretation bias, which emerged as an intervention-specific mechanism. These findings highlight the potential benefits of online contemplative intervention approaches for psychological well-being.

Unique and interactive effects of emotion regulation difficulties and perceived stress on COVID-19 traumatic stress, anxiety, and safety behavior use: A four-year prospective study

Given that emotion regulation difficulties confer risk for poor responses to stress, they may predict who is at risk for adverse psychological reactions to major, chronic stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific adverse reactions to the pandemic may include more severe traumatic stress, anxiety, and excessive safety behavior use (i.e., hand washing). While emotion regulation difficulties may be a diathesis for adverse reactions to chronic stressors, the context(s) by which they may confer elevated risk is unclear. Accordingly, the present longitudinal study examined the interaction between pre-pandemic emotion regulation difficulties and early pandemic perceived stress in predicting subsequent COVID-related traumatic stress, anxiety, and safety behavior use over 32 weeks of the pandemic. Community adults (N = 145) who completed a measure of emotion regulation in 2016 as part of a larger study were recontacted at the start of the pandemic (March 2020) and assessed every two weeks for 32 weeks. Consistent with a diathesis-stress model, the interaction between difficulties in emotion regulation and perceived stress was significant in predicting COVID-19 anxiety (p = 0.003, d = 0.52) such that at high, but not low, levels of perceived stress, difficulties in emotion regulation in 2016 significantly predicted higher COVID-19 anxiety in 2020. The interaction between difficulties in emotion regulation in 2016 and perceived stress early in 2020 approached significance in predicting COVID-19 traumatic stress (p = 0.073, d = 0.31) and safety behavior use (p = 0.069, d = 0.31). These findings highlight that current perceived stress is an important context that potentiates the effects of preexisting emotion regulation difficulties on the emergence of anxiety-related symptoms during COVID-19, which has important implications for diathesis-stress models of adverse reactions to chronic stressors.

Coping Strategies and Their Relationship With Subjective Distress due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil

OBJECTIVES

To identify the strategies used by Brazilian adults for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and to verify the effect of these strategies on subjective distress.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional observational study with online data collection in May/June 2020, November/December 2020, and May/June 2021. The BriefCOPE Inventory and the Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) were used. The prevalence of strategies used at different time points was estimated with a 95% confidence interval and compared with a z-test. A multiple logistic regression model was constructed and the odds ratio (OR, 95%CI) was calculated to verify the probability of subjective distress according to the coping strategy used.

RESULTS

Younger individuals had a lower prevalence of adaptive strategies, which increased significantly with age. Participants with higher income levels had a higher prevalence of adaptive strategies, as did those who were never diagnosed with a mental health disorder. The prevalence of using only maladaptive strategies ranged from 6.1% to 5.4% (p > 0.05). The use of problem-centered strategies (Active Coping and Planning), venting of emotions, and substance use increased with time, while acceptance and behavioral disengagement decreased. In general, the population used problem-centered strategies, but the high prevalence of problem avoidance was striking. Positive reinterpretation and acceptance were protective factors for subjective distress, whereas maladaptive strategies increased the chance of distress. The presence of a negative valence component (problem- or emotion-centered) increased the chance of subjective distress, whereas strategies based on Problem Solving acted as a protective factor.

CONCLUSION

Coping strategies were significantly associated to subjective distress and have changed since the beginning of the pandemic. Strategies focused on emotion regulation may be relevant to minimize distress.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire-short (CERQ-P-short): Reliability, validity, factor structure, treatment sensitivity, and measurement invariance

AIMS

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of a widely-used measure of emotion regulation, the short version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-short), in the Persian language (CERQ-P-short) among Iranian populations.

METHODS

The CERQ-P-short was administered to 1825 participants (female = 974) including 436 adolescents, 834 adults from the general population, 45 patients each with generalized anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, an additional 30 patients each with generalized anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders receiving treatment, 45 patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) and an additional 360 adult psychiatric patients. We tested reliability, factor structure, measurement invariance, convergent and discriminant validity, and treatment sensitivity (i.e., intervention response) by age, sex, and diagnostic group. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 was also administered.

RESULTS

Cronbach's alpha coefficient and test-retest coefficients suggested good reliability. Fit indices suggested that the 9-factor CERQ-P-Short model was good across groups. The CERQ-P-Short showed good measurement invariance in all four models (configural, metric, scalar, and strict) in all groups. Both adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion-regulation strategies demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity. Finally, treatment sensitivity of the CERQ-P-Short scale before and after the completion of treatment sessions was suggested for patients with generalized anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

While the present study has some limitations, it represents a significant contribution because it supports CERQ-P-Short scales usefulness, validity, and reliability in the general population and among psychiatric patients. The results of the current study can be beneficial to the both clinicians and researchers.

Efficacy of an Electronic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program Delivered via the Online Psychotherapy Tool for Depression and Anxiety Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Pre-Post Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

Lockdowns and social distancing resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened the population's mental health and made it more difficult for individuals to receive care. Electronic cognitive behavioral therapy (e-CBT) is a cost-effective and evidence-based treatment for anxiety and depression and can be accessed remotely.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study was to investigate the efficacy of online psychotherapy tailored to depression and anxiety symptoms during the pandemic.

METHODS

The pilot study used a pre-post design to evaluate the efficacy of a 9-week e-CBT program designed for individuals with depression and anxiety affected by the pandemic. Participants were adults (N=59) diagnosed with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, whose mental health symptoms initiated or worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The online psychotherapy program focused on teaching coping, mindfulness, and problem-solving skills. Symptoms of anxiety and depression, resilience, and quality of life were assessed.

RESULTS

Participants demonstrated significant improvements in symptoms of anxiety (P=.02) and depression (P=.03) after the intervention. Similar trends were observed in the intention-to-treat analysis. No significant differences were observed in resilience and quality-of-life measures. The sample comprised mostly females, making it challenging to discern the benefits of the intervention in males. Although a pre-post design is less rigorous than a controlled trial, this design was selected to observe changes in scores during a critical period.

CONCLUSIONS

e-CBT for COVID-19 is an effective and accessible treatment option. Improvements in clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression can be observed in individuals whose mental health is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04476667; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04476667.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.2196/24913.

Difficulties in emotional regulation mediates the impact of burden on quality of life and mental health in a sample of family members of people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder

Background

Although it has been suggested that family members of persons suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) endure high levels of burden, however, the process and the impact of this burden in their lives, and specifically the relation between the burden and emotional regulation has not been broadly investigated among this population. The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of burden on quality of life and depression, anxiety and stress, as mediated by difficulties in emotional regulation in family members of persons diagnosed with BPD.

Method

Participants were 167 family members of persons diagnosed with BPD. The Burden Assessment Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Multicultural Quality of Life Index, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 were filled out. Mediation analysis was conducted using the Maximum Likelihood estimator, bootstrap method and listwise deletion for missing data.

Results

Burden showed a significant, negative effect on quality of life and positive on depression, anxiety and stress. Difficulties in emotion regulation significantly mediated these relations. After accounting for the mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation, burden still had an impact on quality of life, depression, anxiety and stress. Women showed a higher level in both burden and stress than men. The caregivers with secondary and higher studies showed higher levels in burden than those with no studies. Not significant differences in burden, emotion regulation, depression, anxiety and stress were found related to marital status.

Conclusion

Difficulties in emotion regulation mediate the relations between burden and quality of life, depression, anxiety, and stress. Family members could engage in group interventions designed specifically for family members of people with BPD, oriented toward understanding the disorder or learning skills.

Analysis of the evolving factors of social media users' emotions and behaviors: a longitudinal study from China's COVID-19 opening policy period

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered citizen panic and social crises worldwide. The Chinese government was the first to implement strict prevention and control policies. However, in December 2022, the Chinese government suddenly changed its prevention and control policies and completely opened up. This led to a large-scale infection of the epidemic in a short period of time, which will cause unknown social impacts. This study collected 500+ epidemic-related hotspots and 200,000+ data from November 1, 2022, to March 1, 2023. Using a sentiment classification method based on pre-trained neural network models, we conducted inductive analysis and a summary of high-frequency words of various emotions. This study focuses on the inflection point of the emotional evolution of social media users and the evolution of "hot topic searches" events and emotional behavioral factors after the sudden open policy. Our research results show that, first of all, the positive emotions of social media users are divided into 4 inflection points and 5 time periods, and the negative emotions are divided into 3 inflection points and 4 time periods. Behavioral factors are different at each stage of each emotion. And the evolution patterns of positive emotions and negative emotions are also different. Secondly, the evolution of behavioral elements deserves more attention. Continue to pay attention: The treatment of diseases, the recovery of personal health, the promotion of festive atmosphere, and the reduction of publicity on the harm of "new crown sequelae and second infections" are the behavioral concerns that affect users' emotional changes. Finally, it is necessary to change the "hot topic searches" event by guiding the user's behavioral focus to control the inflection point of the user's emotion. This study helps governments and institutions understand the dynamic impact of epidemic policy changes on social media users, thereby promoting policy formulation and better coping with social crises.

Preparing children to cope with earthquakes: Building emotional competence

Natural disasters, including earthquakes, can have a traumatic impact on children's psychological wellbeing and development. The efficacy of interventions aimed at enhancing children's socio-emotional learning has been documented in the literature. At the same time, these techniques are the key for training children for possible future disasters by enhancing their knowledge about behavioural preparedness and emotional competence. However, research on evidence-based training programs on earthquakes combining digital and traditional activities is scarce. We tested the efficacy of a 10-unit training program for primary school children, developed within the Emotional Prevention and Earthquakes in Primary School (PrEmT) project. The program aimed at increasing knowledge of and metacognition about earthquakes, safety behaviours, emotions, and coping strategies, through digital (using the web-application HEMOT® , Helmet for EMOTions, developed ad-hoc) and traditional activities (completing paper-and-pencil tasks). The participants were 548 second and fourth-graders from Italian schools. They were divided into an experimental group (participating in the training program) and a control group. Both groups participated in pretests and posttests to evaluate changes in their knowledge of training-related contents. For ethical reasons, we also measured children's wellbeing. Generalized linear mixed models indicated an improvement in the experimental group's knowledge and metacognition about earthquakes, safety behaviours, emotions, and coping strategies after the training program, compared to the control group. Children's general wellbeing did not deteriorate during participation in the project. The results documented the efficacy of the evidence-based training program developed within the PrEmT project. The program provides a preventive method for enhancing earthquake-related resilience that could be generalized to other kinds of disasters.

Emotion regulation difficulties and sleep quality in adolescence during the early stages of the COVID-19 lockdown

INTRODUCTION

Adolescence is a period of vulnerability for emotion regulation and sleep difficulties, risks that might be compounded by intense COVID-19 lockdowns and challenges. The aim of this study was to investigate how sleep quality related to emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents during lockdown in Perú.

METHODS

Participants were 2563 adolescents enrolled in Innova school in Perú (11 - -17 years) in May 2020. Hypotheses were derived from exploring one half of the sample, preregistered at https://osf.io/fuetz/, and then confirmed in the second half of the sample. Participants completed subjective surveys of sleep quality (short PSQI) and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form (DERS-SF).

RESULTS

Worse sleep quality was robustly associated with more difficulties in emotion regulation across both samples. The association was found particularly for emotion regulation subscales related to the ability to engage in goal directed behavior in the face of distress, emotional clarity and strategies to deal with feeling distressed. In contrast, there was no robust association between sleep and the ability to regulate impulses in the context of negative emotions, and no association with the ability to accept emotions. Girls and older adolescents robustly endorsed worse sleep quality and more difficulties in emotion regulation.

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional nature of this study prevents us from determining the direction of the association. Data were collected using adolescent self-report which, while informative of adolescent perceptions, might diverge from objective measures of sleep or emotion regulation difficulties.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings with adolescents in Perú contribute to our understanding of the association between sleep and emotion regulation at a broader global scale.

Interplay between uncertainty intolerance, emotion regulation, cognitive flexibility, and psychopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-wave study

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a significant mental health burden on the global population. Studies during the pandemic have shown that risk factors such as intolerance of uncertainty and maladaptive emotion regulation are associated with increased psychopathology. Meanwhile, protective factors such as cognitive control and cognitive flexibility have been shown to protect mental health during the pandemic. However, the potential pathways through which these risk and protective factors function to impact mental health during the pandemic remain unclear. In the present multi-wave study, 304 individuals (18 years or older, 191 Males), residing in the USA during data collection, completed weekly online assessments of validated questionnaires across a period of five weeks (27th March 2020-1st May 2020). Mediation analyses revealed that longitudinal changes in emotion regulation difficulties mediated the effect of increases in intolerance of uncertainty on increases in stress, depression, and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, individual differences in cognitive control and flexibility moderated the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation difficulties. While intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation difficulties emerged as risk factors for mental health, cognitive control and flexibility seems to protect against the negative effects of the pandemic and promote stress resilience. Interventions aimed at enhancing cognitive control and flexibility might promote the protection of mental health in similar global crises in the future.

Satisfaction with care quality and anxiety among family members during nursing home visiting restrictions: The chain mediating effect of emotional regulation and perceived stress

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the psychological well-being (perceived stress and anxiety) of Chinese family members during nursing home visiting restrictions and to elucidate the relationships among satisfaction with care quality, emotion regulation, perceived stress, and anxiety.

Methods

An online survey was conducted with a cross-sectional study design. From 18 to 29 January 2022, a total of 571 family members of nursing home residents completed online questionnaires comprising socio-demographic characteristics, satisfaction with care quality, emotion regulation, perceived stress, and anxiety. Mediation analyses were performed to estimate the direct and indirect effects of satisfaction with care quality on anxiety using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Results

The results showed that approximately one-quarter of Chinese family members had anxiety symptoms during nursing home visiting restrictions. Satisfaction with care quality affected anxiety via three mediating paths: (a) through cognitive reappraisal (effect = 0.028); (b) through cognitive reappraisal and perceived stress sequentially (effect = −0.057); and (c) through perceived stress (effect = −0.212). The chain mediating effect (path b) accounted for 23.7% of the total effect.

Conclusions

These findings corroborated our hypothesis that cognitive reappraisal (a kind of emotion regulation strategy) and perceived stress mediated the relationship between satisfaction with care quality and anxiety during nursing home visiting restrictions. Efforts to address family members’ psychological well-being by focusing on cognitive reappraisal should be considered.

Revival of positive nostalgic music during the first Covid-19 lockdown in the UK: evidence from Spotify streaming data

This work shows that positive old music listening surged during the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, suggesting a rise in preference for nostalgia and positivity in music. Using the music streaming data of Spotify users in the UK and employing multivariate regression analysis, this work documents that users were more likely to listen to songs older than 5 years during the national lockdown that began in late March 2020 compared with the pre-lockdown period. Such a change in preference was not observed in the same period in 2019. Meanwhile, more frequent listening to old music is found in samples of positive songs and also negative songs. This suggests that the preference for nostalgic music is to a certain extent independent of the positivity bias during the pandemic found in the literature. Yet, this work also provides evidence that the nostalgia-seeking behaviour and the preference for positive songs reinforced each other during the lockdown as the surge in positive old music was more persistent than that in positive recent music.

Emotion dysregulation and neuroticism as moderators of group Unified Protocol effectiveness outcomes for treating emotional disorders

BACKGROUND

The personality dimension neuroticism and difficulties in emotional regulation (ER) are two variables closely related to the onset, course, and maintenance of emotional disorders (EDs). The Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) is a treatment specifically designed to address neuroticism by training in adaptive ER skills and has been shown to be effective in reducing difficulties in ER. However, the specific impact of these variables on treatment outcomes is not entirely clear. The aim of the present study was to explore the moderating role of neuroticism and difficulties in ER regarding the evolution of depressive and anxiety symptoms and quality of life.

METHODS

This secondary study included 140 participants diagnosed with EDs, who received the UP in group format as part of an RCT being conducted in different Spanish Public Mental Health Units.

RESULTS

The results of this study found that high scores in neuroticism and difficulties in ER were associated with greater severity of depression and anxiety symptomatology, and with poorer quality of life. In addition, difficulties in ER moderated the efficacy of UP regarding anxiety symptoms, and quality of life. No moderating effects were found for depression (p > 0.5).

LIMITATIONS

We only evaluated two moderators that may influence UP effectivenes; other key moderators should be analyzed in future.

CONCLUSIONS

The identification of specific moderators affecting transdiagnostic interventions outcomes will allow the development of personalized interventions and provide useful information to improve the psychopathology and well-being of people with EDs.

Regulatory emotional self-efficacy and anxiety in times of pandemic: a gender perspective

Objectives

The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown and containment measures have instigated substantial changes in our daily lives and have affected many people's mental health. This paper reports two studies exploring gender-based differences with regard to the impact of COVID-related confinement on individuals' self-efficacy to regulate negative emotions (RESE-NE) and anxiety.

Methods

Study 1 (cross-sectional; 269 participants; 52% women) explored the evolution of RESE-NE and anxiety. To this end, participants assessed their status at two time points: a retrospective assessment of the period before confinement in Spain, and a current assessment during confinement. Study 2 (longitudinal; 114 participants; 72.2% women) explored the evolution of the variables by adding a post-confinement time point and analyzed the mediating role of RESE-NE in the positivity-anxiety and resilience-anxiety relationships.

Results

The results confirmed that: (a) RESE-NE decreased and anxiety increased more among women than among men during confinement (Study 1); (b) women recovered their pre-pandemic levels of mental health more slowly than did men following confinement; and (c) the mediating role of RESE-NE could be observed in the two relationships under analysis.

Conclusion

In practical terms, the research highlights the need to pay special attention to women undergoing mental health interventions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to the differential burden that the pandemic may entail for men and women and to the contrasting social roles traditionally attributed to them. From the gender differences identified, it is possible to infer how stereotypes and social roles influence the behavior and mental health of men and women, leading them to cope differently with stressful situations such as confinement.

Perceived mattering in the face of COVID-19: links with emotion regulation and psychological well-being

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to examine the protective role of perceived mattering to family and friends on psychological well-being in the Italian context during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the mediating role of emotion regulation.

DESIGN

Data were collected during the first lockdown (March-April, 2020; time 1) and in other two moments (August and November, 2020; times 2 and 3). Cross-sectional analyses were conducted considering participants who completed the first wave (N = 457), while longitudinal analyses were performed on participants who completed the three waves (N = 109). Main outcome measures. Participants were administered the Mattering to Others Questionnaire, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and a short form of the Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale.

RESULTS

Results of correlational analyses supported the hypothesised link between perceived mattering and psychological well-being, which was mediated by difficulties in emotion regulations. Results of multilevel SEMs showed that individuals who experienced more mattering to family than others across a 9 months period, reported also lower levels of difficulties in emotion regulation and higher psychological well-being than others.

CONCLUSION

Our findings clearly show that the perception of being important for family and friends could favour emotion regulation, thus protecting individuals from the negative psychological consequences of social isolation.

The relationship between perceived stress and depressive symptoms in adolescents during high stress: The moderating role of emotion regulation

INTRODUCTION

This study examined the moderating role of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation in the relationship between general perceived stress and depressive symptoms during the first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown in March-April 2020 in Belgium, while controlling for past depressive symptoms in 2016.

METHODS

Participants were 110 adolescents (55% female; Mage = 16, SDage = 1.80) who filled out different questionnaires assessing maladaptive and adaptive emotion regulation strategies (ERS), perceived stress, and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

Results revealed that only maladaptive ERS statistically significantly moderated the relationship between perceived stress and depressive symptoms. More specifically, the amount of perceived stress is positively associated with the level of depressive symptoms, especially in adolescents who use more maladaptive ERS.

CONCLUSION

The repertoire of adaptive ERS might not be sufficient for adolescents to flexibly cope with a highly stressful situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Study findings highlight the need to support youth, particularly those who use more maladaptive ERS, in adaptively coping with intense stressful life events.

Improving Public Health Policy by Comparing the Public Response during the Start of COVID-19 and Monkeypox on Twitter in Germany: A Mixed Methods Study

Little is known about monkeypox public concerns since its widespread emergence in many countries. Tweets in Germany were examined in the first three months of COVID-19 and monkeypox to examine concerns and issues raised by the public. Understanding views and positions of the public could help to shape future public health campaigns. Few qualitative studies reviewed large datasets, and the results provide the first instance of the public thinking comparing COVID-19 and monkeypox. We retrieved 15,936 tweets from Germany using query words related to both epidemics in the first three months of each one. A sequential explanatory mixed methods research joined a machine learning approach with thematic analysis using a novel rapid tweet analysis protocol. In COVID-19 tweets, there was the selfing construct or feeling part of the emerging narrative of the spread and response. In contrast, during monkeypox, the public considered othering after the fatigue of the COVID-19 response, or an impersonal feeling toward the disease. During monkeypox, coherence and reconceptualization of new and competing information produced a customer rather than a consumer/producer model. Public healthcare policy should reconsider a one-size-fits-all model during information campaigns and produce a strategic approach embedded within a customer model to educate the public about preventative measures and updates. A multidisciplinary approach could prevent and minimize mis/disinformation.

Prevalence and Relationships between Alexithymia, Anhedonia, Depression and Anxiety during the Belgian COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

Alexithymia and anhedonia are associated with psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic lead to a significant deterioration in the mental health of the population. It is therefore important to examine the effects of lockdown on alexithymia and anhedonia and their relationships with anxiety and depression. We compared the scores and characteristics of 286 patients divided into two groups: one before lockdown (group 1, N = 127), the other during the progressive lockdown release (group 2, N = 159). The groups were homogeneous in terms of age, sex ratio, socio-professional categories, and somatic and psychiatric comorbidities. The groups were compared on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) measuring alexithymia, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) measuring depression, the anhedonia subscale of the BDI-II measuring state-anhedonia and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) measuring state and trait anxiety. The ratio of alexithymic subjects in group 1 is 22.83% to 33.33% in group 2 (p-value = 0.034). This suggests a significant increase in the number of alexithymic patients after lockdown. We did not observe any difference in the proportion of depressed and anxious subjects before or after lockdown. Among the different scales, higher scores were only found on the cognitive factor of alexithymia on group 2 comparatively to group 1. This study indicates an increase in the proportion of alexithymic subjects following lockdown. Unexpectedly, this was unrelated to depression, anxiety or anhedonia levels, which remained stable. Further studies are needed to confirm this result and to evaluate precisely which factors related to the lockdown context are responsible for such an increase.

Health Security, Quality of Life and Democracy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparative Approach in the EU-27 Countries

The aim of this paper is to emphasize the role played by the social, economic and political variables in shaping models of sustainable healthcare systems and strategies able to support and improve the quality of life during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The context of our research is represented by the medical and socioeconomic crises generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The current pandemic negatively affects healthcare systems, quality of life and the global economy. In this respect, this paper aims to thoroughly scrutinize the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social and healthcare systems of EU countries, to analyze the impact of human development in the field of the Global Health Security Index and to estimate the relation between resilience and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research design is quantitative, resorting to the use of both descriptive and inferential statistics, against the background of a long-term comparative approach to the respective situations in the EU-27 countries. Empirical findings are relevant for emphasizing the fact that human development and social progress are predictors for the dynamics of health security measures. Moreover, the quality of the political regime, particularly in the case of full and flawed democracies, is strongly related to a high level of resilience and could influence the perception of quality of life. All of these empirical results could prove valuable for scholars interested in understanding the relationships between democracy, healthcare systems and quality of life, and for political decision makers involved in the effort of reducing the negative effects of COVID-19 in EU-27 countries.

Emotion Dysregulation and Conspiracy Beliefs about COVID-19: The Moderating Role of Critical Social Media Use

As COVID-19 has spread worldwide, conspiracy theories have proliferated rapidly on social media platforms, adversely affecting public health. For this reason, media literacy interventions have been highly recommended, although the impact of critical social media use on the development of COVID-19 conspiracy theories has not yet been empirically studied. Moreover, emotional dysregulation may play another crucial role in the development of such theories, as they are often associated with stress, anxiety, lack of control, and other negative emotions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that emotion dysregulation would be positively associated with conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 and that critical use of social media would attenuate this association. Data from 930 Italian participants (339 men and 591 women) were collected online during the third wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. A moderated model was tested using the PROCESS Macro for SPSS. Results showed that: (1) emotion dysregulation and critical social media use accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19; and (2) critical social media use moderated the effect of emotion dysregulation on conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19. Implications for preventing the spread of conspiracy theories are discussed.

Akhir N, Amin AS, Mohd Shukry ANA, Abdul Rashid MR, Wan Yusof WN. Perceptions of Quality of Life during the Pandemic: A Case Study on B40 Single Mothers

During the pandemic, the lives of B40 single mothers were severely affected, especially in terms of social, economic, and psychological factors. The reduction of income caused by the crisis has forced single mothers and their children to live frugally and without luxury. They also had to perform more than one job at a time during the pandemic to meet their children's needs. A qualitative study has been conducted to explore the perceptions of quality of life during the pandemic among B40 single mothers. Respondents were selected based on demographic characteristics established before the study. A focus group discussion has been conducted on ten (10) B40 single mothers in Balik Pulau, Penang. Single mothers were selected based on purposive sampling. They had to meet the inclusive criteria required to participate in the study, specifically: aged between 20 and 60 years old, belonged to the B40 income category, had children under 18 years old living together, and became single mothers due to divorce or death of husbands. The focused group discussion explored issues related to qualities of life during the pandemic. B40 single mothers expressed their concern about access to health facilities, security in residence, children's education, and economic stability. These areas of life quality have been significantly affected especially during Movement Control Order (MCO). In short, the quality of life of these single mothers has been significantly affected by the pandemic. Their vulnerability towards stress, anxiety, and depression have worsened due to financial issues. Besides the need for emotional and social support, this study found that these single mothers entail financial support.

Associations between early-life stress exposure and internalizing symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic: Assessing the role of neurobehavioral mediators

Background

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a major stressor that has been associated with increased risk for psychiatric illness in the general population. Recent work has highlighted that experiences of early-life stress (ELS) may impact individuals' psychological functioning and vulnerability for developing internalizing psychopathology in response to pandemic-related stress. However, little is known about the neurobehavioral factors that may mediate the association between ELS exposure and COVID-related internalizing symptomatology. The current study sought to examine the mediating roles of pre-pandemic resting-state frontoamygdala connectivity and concurrent emotion regulation (ER) in the association between ELS and pandemic-related internalizing symptomatology.

Methods

Retrospective life-stress histories, concurrent self-reported ER strategies (i.e., reappraisal and suppression), concurrent self-reported internalizing symptomatology (i.e., depression- and anxiety-related symptomatology), and resting-state functional connectivity data from a sample of adults (N = 64, M age = 22.12, female = 68.75%) were utilized.

Results

There were no significant direct associations between ELS and COVID-related internalizing symptomatology. Neither frontoamygdala functional connectivity nor ER strategy use mediated an association between ELS and COVID-related internalizing symptomatology (ps > 0.05). Exploratory analyses identified a significant moderating effect of reappraisal use on the association between ELS and internalizing symptomatology (β = -0.818, p = 0.047), such that increased reappraisal use buffered the impact of ELS on psychopathology.

Conclusions

While frontoamygdala connectivity and ER do not appear to mediate the association between ELS and COVID-related internalizing symptomatology, our findings suggest that the use of reappraisal may buffer against the effect of ELS on mental health during the pandemic.

Adaptation of Emotional Flexibility Scale: Its Association with Subjective Well Being and Resilience During Covid-19 Pandemic

The corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a global health crisis causing fear and negative psychological consequences. In this study, the validity and reliability of the Emotional Flexibility Scale were evaluated in a sample of adolescents in Turkey. A total of 833 high school students from 65 different cities participated in the study. Emotional flexibility, adolescent psychological resilience, and adolescents' subjective well-being Scales were used as data collection tools. For the adaptation of emotional flexibility scale, confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity, and reliability analyses were used. Also, the mediating role of subjective well-being on the relationship between emotional flexibility and resilience was tested. Emotional flexibility was found to be associated with subjective well-being and resilience. The results of the study show that the Emotional Flexibility Scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool in the sample of adolescents in Turkey.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12187-022-09959-9.

The Wither or Thrive Model of Resilience: an Integrative Framework of Dynamic Vulnerability and Resilience in the Face of Repeated Stressors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, empirical efforts in the psychological sciences have been unequivocally focused on understanding the psychosocial impact on resilience and vulnerability. While current empirical work is guided by different existing theoretical models of resilience and vulnerability, the emerging datasets have also pointed to a necessity for an update of these models. Due to the unique features and developments specific to the current pandemic such as the occurrence of repeated collective stressors of varying durations, in the current position paper, we introduce the Wither or Thrive model of Resilience (With:Resilience). It integrates key aspects of prevailing psychological resilience frameworks within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and extends them by (1) moving away from single scale approaches towards a higher-order latent expression of resilience and vulnerability incorporating also non-clinical mental health markers, (2) proposing different trajectories of resilience-vulnerability emerging across repeated stressors over long periods of time, and (3) by incorporating multiple influencing factors including aspects of the socio-economic concept of social cohesion as well as separate mediating processing mechanisms. We propose that With:Resilience will enable a more nuanced approach and appropriate analytical investigation of the vast incoming data on mental health and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we suggest some concrete methodological approaches. This framework will assist in the development of actionable public health guidelines for society in the present and future pandemic contexts as well as aid policy making and the interventional sciences aimed at protecting the most vulnerable amongst us.

Need Satisfaction and Depressive Symptoms Among University Students in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Moderating Effects of Positive Youth Development Attributes

As studies on the mental health status of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic are almost non-existent in Hong Kong, we examined four research questions in this paper: What is the prevalence of depressive symptoms in university students in Hong Kong? What are the socio-demographic correlates of depressive symptoms? Do need satisfaction and positive youth development (PYD) attributes, including beliefs about adversity, psychosocial competence (resilience and emotional competence) and family functioning predict depression? Do PYD attributes moderate the predictive effect of need satisfaction on depression? We examined the above research questions using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised (CESD-R) in 1,648 university students in Hong Kong. For PYD attributes, we utilized validated measures of Chinese beliefs about adversity, psychosocial competence (resilience and emotional competence), and family functioning. For need satisfaction, we used a measure derived from two focus group interviews involving university students. Results showed that 48.4% of the respondents (95% confidence interval = [45.9%, 51.1%]) scored 16 or above (i.e., "at-risk" for clinical depression). As predicted, age, gender, student status (local vs. international), and family financial hardship were significant socio-demographic correlates of depressive symptoms. Besides, need satisfaction and PYD attributes negatively predicted depression scores. Finally, multiple regression analyses controlling for gender, age, and student status as covariates showed that all PYD attributes moderated the impact of need satisfaction on depression. The findings reinforce the theoretical proposition that PYD attributes serve as important factors in protecting the mental health of university students during the pandemic.

Age, Motivation, and Emotion Regulation Skills Predict Treatment Outcome in an Internet-Based Self-Help Intervention for COVID-19 Related Psychological Distress

Introduction

First evidence suggests that internet-based self-help interventions effectively reduce COVID-19 related psychological distress. However, it is yet unclear which participant characteristics are associated with better treatment outcomes. Therefore, we conducted secondary analyses on data from a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of a 3-week internet-based self-help intervention for COVID-19 related psychological distress. In this exploratory analysis, we examined several predictors ranging from sociodemographic variables to psychological distress, resource-related, and treatment-related variables. This includes, for example, age, motivation, and emotion regulation skills. Treatment outcomes were defined as post-treatment depressive symptoms and post-treatment resilience.

Methods

In a total of 107 participants with at least mild depressive symptoms, possible predictor variables and treatment outcomes were assessed using self-report measures. For example, emotion regulation skills were assessed by the Self-report measure for the assessment of emotion regulation skills. In a first step, we performed a separate linear regression analysis for each potential predictor. In a second step, predictors meeting a significant threshold of p < 0.05 were entered in linear multiple regression models. Baseline scores of the respective outcome measure were controlled for.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 40.36 years (SD = 14.59, range = 18–81 years) with the majority being female (n = 87, 81.3%). Younger age predicted lower post-treatment depressive symptoms. Additionally, higher motivation to use the intervention and better pre-treatment emotion regulation skills predicted higher post-treatment resilience.

Conclusion

The current study provides preliminary evidence regarding the relationship between participant characteristics and treatment outcome in internet-based self-help interventions for COVID-19 related distress. Our results suggest that under the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 such interventions might be particularly beneficial for young adults regarding depressive symptoms. Moreover, focusing on participants' existing strengths might be a promising approach to promote resilience through internet-based self-help interventions. However, since this was an exploratory analysis in an uncontrolled setting, further studies are needed to draw firm conclusions about the relationship of participant characteristics and treatment outcome in internet-based self-help interventions for COVID-19 related psychological distress.

The Transfer Model and Guidance Strategy of Netizens' Emotions

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large amount of information is gathered on Internet platforms, through which people express their opinions and vent their emotions. Emotional guidance of netizens has become an important part of social governance during turbulences caused by a so-called "infodemic". This study focuses on the evolution and interaction of netizens' emotions after the occurrence of network public opinion events. First, the transfer model of netizens' emotions is constructed, and the significance of each parameter in the model is studied through simulation. Then, based on the model, we put forward the optimization method and quantitative method of guidance strategy of netizens' emotions. Finally, the empirical study proves the effectiveness of the model, which can provide a theoretical basis for the emotional guidance strategies after the outbreak of network public opinion events.

Sleep quality, valence, energetic arousal, and calmness as predictors of device-based measured physical activity during a three-week mHealth intervention

Physical inactivity is known to be a risk factor for several noncommunicable diseases and has a high prevalence in today’s society. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the psychological factors associated with physical activity (PA). Recent developments in the field of ambulatory assessment and technological advances are promising to enhance our understanding of this relationship by analyzing longitudinal data within- and between-persons. These analyses can reveal important factors to design behavior change interventions to enhance PA. Therefore, this study used an ecological momentary assessment during the 3‑week intervention period in the SMARTFAMILY2.0 trial and aimed to investigate whether valence, calmness, energetic arousal, and sleep quality predict daily steps and moderate to vigorous PA. Overall, 49 adults (35–60 years) and 40 children (5–19 years) were included in this analysis and self-rated their mental state within our smartphone application while also wearing a hip-worn accelerometer for 21 consecutive days (996 days included) during the intervention period. Multilevel analyses were conducted to predict daily PA while considering covariables (e.g., child/adult and non-wear time) both within- and between-persons. The results indicated that higher than average ratings of a person’s valence and energetic arousal on one day predicted increased PA while higher than average calmness predicted decreased PA at the same day within this person. Sleep quality and between-person effects of the affective states showed no clear associations to PA. Overall, these results showed that within-person associations of valence, calmness, and energetic arousal should be considered when designing PA interventions for both children and adults. The influence of sleep quality, as well as between-person effects, should be further explored by future studies.

Coping Strategies Among Undergraduates: Spanish Adaptation and Validation of the Brief-COPE Inventory

Purpose

Different studies have highlighted the importance of coping strategies in stressful situations. The Coping Orientation to Problem Experienced (COPE) by Carver et al is one of the instruments that is frequently used for measuring this aspect. The aim of this study was to carry out the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Brief-COPE inventory to measure coping strategies in Spanish populations.

Methods

The linguistic and cultural adaptation of the Brief-COPE was carried out using the back-translation method and, after considering the results of the pilot test, the Spanish version of the instrument was configured, and subsequently administered to a convenient sample of 2135 undergraduates. A confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to examine construct validity of the Spanish adaptation of the brief-COPE; likewise, reliability was analyzed from two approaches, internal consistency and composite reliability. Concurrent validity was also tested.

Results

The results showed that the Spanish version of Brief-COPE has adequate reliability values, as well as satisfactory fit indexes for the proposed 14-factor first-order structural model. Likewise, external evidence of the validity of the inventory with the variables perceived stress, level of satisfaction with life, and academic performance is provided.

Conclusion

The results suggest that this instrument presents a satisfactory metric quality and, therefore, it could be useful to evaluate coping strategies, which would allow further research on its incidence and consequences on health and psychological functioning.

An Investigation into the Relation of Coping Skills with Mental Health and Quality of Life in Family Members of Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVES

During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, health care workers, including nurses and their family members, experienced various psychological problems. Coping skills may help them deal with the current challenge and maintain their mental health and improve their quality of life. Therefore, this study investigated the relation of coping skills with mental health and quality of life of the nurses' family members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on the family members of the nurses working at Hajar Hospital of Shahrekord dedicated to admission and hospitalization of COVID-19 infected patients using a census sampling method in 2020. Participation in this study was voluntary and finally 220 persons were included in this study. To prevent the spread of COVID-19 through respiratory droplets or contact, a weblog was created using blogging software that contained questionnaires for collecting data on demographic information, mental health (PHQ-9), coping skills (coping responses inventory [CRI], Billings & Moos), and quality of life (SF-36). The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests in SPSS software version 22 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY).

RESULTS

Of the 220 participants in this study, 101 participants were male and 119 were female. The mean age of the subjects was 35.78 years, and 56.4% of them had an academic education level. The Pearson correlation analysis showed a significant relationship between coping skills and mental health, quality-of-life items, total quality-of-life score, and demographic variables of participants (except education) (P < 0.05). This was a direct relationship in such a way that as the score of coping skills increases, so does the score of mental health and quality of life. Based on the results of regression analysis, the predictive power of mental health, coping skills, and education level was obtained to be 0.634. The coping skill variable was the strongest predictor (ß = 0.467), and after that, the mental health variable (ß = 0.421) had the highest predictive power.

CONCLUSION

The obtained results showed that coping skill is the association between psychological health and quality of life such that the coping skill has a significant direct effect on psychological health and quality of life. The results also showed that, at the time of crisis, further attention should be paid to coping skills to develop and improve the quality of life and psychological health.

"Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Among University Students under the COVID-19 Condition"

"The new global situation of COVID-19 affects the whole world in all aspects of life including mental health. The study’s goal is to detect the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Emotion Regulation (ER) difficulties under the COVID-19 condition. Methods: University students were asked to complete: 1) Emotion Regulation Difficulties Questionnaire (DERS) 2) PTSD Checklist (PCL- 5). 3) Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5). Results: There were 441 students with suspected COVID-19 symptoms out of 1195 students. When compared to students who did not have suspected COVID-19 symptoms, those who did had a greater prevalence of PTSD symptoms (18.2% vs. 4.7%) and DERS (34.5% vs. 23.3%). Additionally, correlation studies demonstrated a significant positive link (Ps< .01) between the PCL, the overall DERS, and all six categories of emotion regulation difficulties. Conclusion: Students with suspected COVID-19 symptoms have more difficulty with emotion regulation and post-traumatic stress disorder than students without such symptoms. This research recommends that during the pandemic, health professionals should implement a suitable psychological intervention for students who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms."

Coping under stress: Prefrontal control predicts stress burden during the COVID-19 crisis

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has confronted millions of people around the world with an unprecedented stressor, affecting physical and mental health. Accumulating evidence suggests that emotional and cognitive self-regulation is particularly needed to effectively cope with stress. Therefore, we investigated the predictive value of affective and inhibitory prefrontal control for stress burden during the COVID-19 crisis. Physical and mental health burden were assessed using an online survey, which was administered to 104 participants of an ongoing at-risk birth cohort during the first wave in April 2020. Two follow-ups were carried out during the pandemic, one capturing the relaxation during summer and the other the beginning of the second wave of the crisis. Prefrontal activity during emotion regulation and inhibitory control were assessed prior to the COVID-19 crisis. Increased inferior frontal gyrus activity during emotion regulation predicted lower stress burden at the beginning of the first and the second wave of the crisis. In contrast, inferior and middle frontal gyrus activity during inhibitory control predicted effective coping only during the summer, when infection rates decreased but stress burden remained unchanged. These findings remained significant when controlling for sociodemographic and clinical confounders such as stressful life events prior to the crisis or current psychopathology. We demonstrate that differential stress-buffering effects are predicted by the neural underpinnings of emotion regulation and cognitive regulation at different stages during the pandemic. These findings may inform future prevention strategies to foster stress coping in unforeseen situations.

Feeling Down in Lockdown: Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on emotionally vulnerable individuals

We examined whether young adults with internalizing psychopathology during the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period exhibited different patterns of emotional responses than those without such psychopathology during the implementation of the “lockdown” in Cyprus, Greece. Two-wave longitudinal research was conducted i one hundred six college students completing measures of affective experiences, mental health, and quality of life during the prepandemic and lockdown periods. Increased negative affect and internalizing symptoms during the prepandemic period and decreased positive affect and increased perceived stress during the lockdown period both significantly predicted increased internalizing symptoms during the lockdown period. We discuss findings within the context of actions and interventions for young adults with existing internalizing symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emotional Reactivity and Emotion Regulation Among Young Adults During COVID-19 Lockdown: The Moderating Role of Gender and Engagement in Sports

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health have not been fully inspected among the young adults' population. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to examine differences in emotional reactivity and emotion regulation between, both gender and sports engagement level during the first 2 weeks of the lockdown; and (2) to examine the possible impact of emotion regulation on emotional reactivity, and possible significant roles of gender and sports engagement level as moderators. This cross-sectional study included 315 Serbian young adults (aged 18-26 years old) during COVID-19 lockdown. Respondents answered socio-demographic questions and the Serbian version of the Multidimensional Emotion Questionnaire (MEQ). The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit for both positive and negative reactivity scales (SRMR = 0.037; CFI = 0.984, RMSEA = 0.046, and SRMR = 0.055; CFI = 0.964, RMSEA = 0.064, respectively). Gender differences were found in both positive (p = 0.039; d = 0.28) and negative emotional reactivity scales (p < 0.001; d = 0.60), with females reported lower and higher values, respectively. Professional athletes presented higher scores in positive reactivity scale in comparison to non-athletes (p < 0.001; d = 0.78) and recreational athletes (p = 0.034; d = 0.34) during 2 weeks of COVID-19 lockdown. Conversely, professional athletes scored lower in negative emotional reactivity scale in comparison to non-athletes (p < 0.001; d = 0.85) and recreational athletes (p = 0.006; d = 0.42). Both gender and sports engagement level differences were found for negative, but not for positive emotion regulation scale. Furthermore, results showed that engagement in sports level plays a significant role as moderator in relationship between negative regulation and negative reactivity, where professional athletes presented significant interaction effect and predicted lower negative reactivity scores compared to non-athletes and recreational athletes. However, gender does not moderate the influence of emotion regulation on emotional reactivity either positive or negative. Engagement in sports as a lifestyle may contribute to better emotional harmony especially in the crisis situation as COVID-19 lockdown.

Internet memes related to the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential coping mechanism for anxiety

This study examined whether significantly anxious individuals differed from non-anxious individuals in their perceptual ratings of internet memes related to the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst considering the mediating role of emotion regulation. Eighty individuals presenting clinically significant anxiety symptoms (indicating ≥ 15 on the GAD-7) and 80 non-anxious controls (indicating ≤ 4) rated the emotional valance, humour, relatability, shareability, and offensiveness of 45 Covid-19 internet memes. A measure of emotion regulation difficulties was also completed. The perception of humour, relatability, and shareability were all greater amongst anxious individuals relative to non-anxious controls. These differences were not mediated by emotion regulation deficits. Internet memes related to the current Covid-19 pandemic may tentatively serve as coping mechanism for individuals experiencing severe symptoms of anxiety.

Consumer Sustainable Shopping Practices for Small Business during COVID-19

The purpose of this study was to understand the factors that attract consumers to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist with small businesses. Factors of interest included emotional (positive and negative) and cognitive experiences (resilience, optimism) during the pandemic and demographic characteristics (gender, generation, education, income, and employment status). Using a convenience survey sample in U.S. (N = 315), this study found that positive and negative emotions, active resilience, and demographic characteristics (generation, education, income, and employment status) can explain consumer shopping frequency and number of services used with small businesses during a pandemic. Small businesses may seek to trigger active resilience and emotions (negative and positive) in their marketing/advertising avenues to attract consumers’ sustainable consumption practices and may consider pivoting to attract particular consumer segments that are more likely to lend favorable actions toward sustainable consumption.

Investigating differential effects of socio-emotional and mindfulness-based online interventions on mental health, resilience and social capacities during the COVID-19 pandemic: The study protocol

BACKGROUND

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to a mental health crisis on a global scale. Epidemiological studies have reported a drastic increase in mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, increased loneliness and feelings of disconnectedness from others, while resilience levels have been negatively affected, indicating an urgent need for intervention. The current study is embedded within the larger CovSocial project which sought to evaluate longitudinal changes in vulnerability, resilience and social cohesion during the pandemic. The current second phase will investigate the efficacy of brief online mental training interventions in reducing mental health problems, and enhancing psychological resilience and social capacities. It further provides a unique opportunity for the prediction of intervention effects by individual biopsychosocial characteristics and preceding longitudinal change patterns during the pandemic in 2020/21.

METHODS

We will examine the differential effects of a socio-emotional (including 'Affect Dyad') and a mindfulness-based (including 'Breathing Meditation') intervention, delivered through a web- and cellphone application. Participants will undergo 10 weeks of intervention, and will be compared to a retest control group. The effectiveness of the interventions will be evaluated in a community sample (N = 300), which is recruited from the original longitudinal CovSocial sample. The pre- to post-intervention changes, potential underlying mechanisms, and prediction thereof, will be assessed on a wide range of outcomes: levels of stress, loneliness, depression and anxiety, resilience, prosocial behavior, empathy, compassion, and the impact on neuroendocrine, immunological and epigenetic markers. The multi-method nature of the study will incorporate self-report questionnaires, behavioral tasks, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) approaches, and biological, hormonal and epigenetic markers assessed in saliva.

DISCUSSION

Results will reveal the differential effectiveness of two brief online interventions in improving mental health outcomes, as well as enhancing social capacities and resilience. The present study will serve as a first step for future application of scalable, low-cost interventions at a broader level to reduce stress and loneliness, improve mental health and build resilience and social capacities in the face of global stressors.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This trial has been registered on May 17, 2020 with the ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04889508 registration number (clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04889508).

The COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study (C-19 ISWS)

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on the mental health and well-being of different populations including young adults. This study replicates and extends previous research by evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of college students in Cyprus, a Mediterranean island with unique sociocultural and genetic characteristics, and to identify risk factors related to the poor mental health of university students. Behavioral changes in the students before and during the quarantine period were also examined. A total of 387 university students completed an online survey coordinated by the Young Universities of Europe (YUFE) network. Results indicated that most of the sample (89.3%) reported depressive symptoms. Academic stress and academic satisfaction were associated with depressive symptoms and loneliness. Specifically, students with greater academic stress and lower academic satisfaction reported more symptoms of depression and felt lonelier. Younger students with poorer economic capital were more likely to feel depressed, and younger college students with higher academic stress were more likely to feel lonely. The results of t-test analyses indicated that quarantine affected students’ time and type of study turning to online studies and to moderate physical activities. The present study’s findings add to the existing literature and support the development of new measures to support students, both financially as well as psychologically.

Psychological Science Into Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract. The public health outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has hit all aspects of life as we know it. We found ourselves trying to solve several concurrent crises that have afflicted us. The European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA) launched the Psychologists’ Support Hub to share resources among its members and beyond and promote the continuing adoption of psychological science to battle the pandemic. In the greater context of evidence-based practice (EBP), the best available evidence is what we turn to for help in our decision-making on how best to address different challenges. However, there are challenges in implementing EBP when the science is limited, and we are still expected to be effective and efficient as professionals. The article outlines the need for EBP during the pandemic. Three vignettes display how that can be done while identifying obstacles and recommending ways forward in the future. The first one relates to the development of e-mental health services in Belgium following the March 2020 lockdown. The second describes addressing the needs of older adults in Croatia when it was hit by two crises simultaneously – the March 2020 lockdown and a destructive earthquake. The third looks at how targeted community-based interventions in Norway directed at social change can positively impact times of crisis. Overall, the pandemic presents a unique opportunity for professional growth for researchers, trainers, practitioners, and policymakers alike. EFPA can play a pivotal role in EBP adoption.

Development and Validation of the Robust - Pandemic Coping Scale (R-PCS)

The psychological consequences of epidemics/pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, include an increase in psychopathological symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, and negative emotions, such as fear. However, relatively little attention has been paid to how people cope with the pandemic. Coping is a multi-component process, helping to diminish the traumatic impact of stressful events in a variety of ways. We studied how university students coped with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, by developing the Robust - Pandemic Coping Scale (R-PCS), a new scale for measuring coping strategies related to epidemics/pandemics. The scale is based on a classification of coping strategies referred to the needs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy. To create a robust scale, such that the item values would be independent of the sample used for developing it, we employed Rasch modeling. We used a sample of 2,987 Italian university students who participated in an online survey including the R-PCS and the Power to Live with Disasters Questionnaire (PLDQ), during March 2020. First, we applied a dual approach combining exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, which supported the goodness of a 4-factor model (i.e., Despair, Adjustment, Proactivity, and Aversion) for the R-PCS, invariant across gender and age of respondents (younger or as old as 23 years, older than 23 years). We then transformed the raw scores of the R-PCS into interval logit scale scores applying the Rasch model. Second, our findings supported the discriminant validity and the criterion validity of the R-PCS, examining the correlations with the PLDQ. They also confirmed its predictive validity: the R-PCS scores were related to 2-month-later enjoyment and anger, indicating that Adjustment and Proactivity were adaptive while Despair and Aversion were maladaptive. Third, our study revealed gender and age differences: the scores were higher for Despair, Adjustment, and Proactivity for females; for Aversion for males; and for Proactivity for students older than 23 years. The study suffers from limitations related to social desirability, gender imbalance, and self-selection effects in the recruitment.

Perceived Stress of Cypriot College Students During COVID-19

Abstract. Background: Increased perceived stress is associated with physical and mental health problems. However, little is known about the social factors that influenced perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we examined the relationship between social skills, perceived support from family and friends, and perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, through a two-wave design. Methods: A group of 106 college students completed measures of social skills during the prepandemic period as well as of perceived social support and perceived stress 1 month into the implementation of the first lockdown in Cyprus. Results: Preexisting social skills and concurrent family support the predicted negatively perceived stress during the lockdown. Although several aspects of social skills were correlated negatively with perceived stress, only the ability to manage interpersonal conflicts and to effectively resolve disagreements negatively predicted perceived stress, suggesting that this skill may constitute a protective factor against perceived stress during stressful events. Perceived support during the pandemic, on the other hand, was not overall significantly predicted by one’s social skills. Conclusions: Our study provides preliminary evidence about the relationship between interpersonal skills and perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interventions targeting the development of conflict resolution skills seem to be promising in ameliorating the psychological stress associated with the pandemic.

The Role of Artistic Creative Activities in Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia

During the COVID-19 pandemic some Australians turned to artistic creative activities (ACAs) as a way of managing their own mental health and well-being. This study examined the role of ACAs in regulating emotion and supporting mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also attempted to identify at-risk populations. We proposed that (1) participants would use ACAs as avoidance-based emotion regulation strategies; and (2) music engagement would be used for emotion regulation. Australian participants (N = 653) recruited from the general public completed an online survey, which included scales targeting anxiety (GAD7 scale), depression (PHQ9 scale) and loneliness (two UCLA Loneliness Scales, referring to "Before" and "Since" COVID-19). Participants reported which ACAs they had undertaken and ceased during the pandemic using an established list and ranked their undertaken ACAs in terms of effectiveness at making them "feel better." For their top-ranked ACA, participants then completed the Emotion Regulation Scale for Artistic Creative Activities (ERS-ACA), and if participants had undertaken any musical ACAs, also the Musical Engagement Questionnaire (MusEQ). The results supported both hypotheses. ANOVAs indicated that participants ranked significantly higher on the "avoidance" ERS-ACA subscale than the other subscales, and that participants ranked significantly higher on the emotion regulation and musical preference MusEQ subscales than the other subscales. Additionally, while ACAs such as "Watching films or TV shows" and "Cookery or baking" were common, they ranked poorly as effective methods of emotion regulation, whereas "Listening to music" was the second-most frequently undertaken ACA and also the most effective. "Singing" and "Dancing" were among the most ceased ACAs but also ranked among the most effective for emotion regulation, suggesting that support for developing pandemic-safe approaches to these ACAs may provide well-being benefits in future crises. Additionally, correlation analyses showed that younger participants, those who took less exercise during the pandemic, and those with the highest musical engagement reported the poorest well-being. We conclude that ACAs provided an important resource for supporting mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and could potentially support mental health and well-being in future crises.

Pre-pandemic autonomic nervous system activity predicts mood regulation expectancies during COVID-19 in Israel

Despite the unfolding impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on psychological well‐being, there is a lack of prospective studies that target physiological markers of distress. There is a need to examine physiological predictors from the pre‐pandemic period to identify and treat individuals at‐risk. In this study, our aim was to use pre‐pandemic markers of autonomic nervous system (ANS) parasympathetic and sympathetic regulation to predict individuals' psychological well‐being during the crisis. We also assessed the role of mood regulation expectancies as a mediator of the association between pre‐pandemic physiological measures and COVID‐related well‐being. In May to June 2020, 185 Israeli adults completed online questionnaires assessing their mood regulation expectancies since COVID‐19 began, and their current well‐being. These individuals had participated in lab studies 1.5–3 years prior to this assessment, where their physiological measures were taken, including respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and skin conductance level (SCL). RSA was positively related to mood regulation expectancies during COVID‐19 (b = 3.46, 95% CI [0.84, 6.05]). Mood regulation expectancies, in turn, positively predicted well‐being during the crisis (b = 0.021, 95% CI [0.016, 0.027]). The mediation was significant and moderated by SCL (index = −0.09, 95% CI [−0.02, −0.0001]), such that it was strongest for individuals with low SCL. We point to pre‐pandemic physiological mechanisms underlying individuals' mental well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic. These findings have theoretical, diagnostic, and clinical implications that may refine our understanding of the physiological basis of resilience to the COVID‐19 pandemic and thus may be implemented to identify and assist individuals in these times.

Our study offers a unique psychophysiological approach to predicting mood regulation and mental well‐being during COVID‐19 from pre‐pandemic resting physiological activity. We show that pre‐pandemic markers of the autonomic nervous system, which were collected during routine 2–3 years prior to the pandemic, allow us to prospectively understand emotion regulation and well‐being during COVID‐19.

Emotions of COVID-19: Content Analysis of Self-Reported Information Using Artificial Intelligence

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted human societies around the world. This public health emergency was followed by a significant loss of human life; the ensuing social restrictions led to loss of employment, lack of interactions, and burgeoning psychological distress. As physical distancing regulations were introduced to manage outbreaks, individuals, groups, and communities engaged extensively on social media to express their thoughts and emotions. This internet-mediated communication of self-reported information encapsulates the emotional health and mental well-being of all individuals impacted by the pandemic.

Objective

This research aims to investigate the human emotions related to the COVID-19 pandemic expressed on social media over time, using an artificial intelligence (AI) framework.

Methods

Our study explores emotion classifications, intensities, transitions, and profiles, as well as alignment to key themes and topics, across the four stages of the pandemic: declaration of a global health crisis (ie, prepandemic), the first lockdown, easing of restrictions, and the second lockdown. This study employs an AI framework comprised of natural language processing, word embeddings, Markov models, and the growing self-organizing map algorithm, which are collectively used to investigate social media conversations. The investigation was carried out using 73,000 public Twitter conversations posted by users in Australia from January to September 2020.

Results

The outcomes of this study enabled us to analyze and visualize different emotions and related concerns that were expressed and reflected on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could be used to gain insights into citizens’ mental health. First, the topic analysis showed the diverse as well as common concerns people had expressed during the four stages of the pandemic. It was noted that personal-level concerns expressed on social media had escalated to broader concerns over time. Second, the emotion intensity and emotion state transitions showed that fear and sadness emotions were more prominently expressed at first; however, emotions transitioned into anger and disgust over time. Negative emotions, except for sadness, were significantly higher (P<.05) in the second lockdown, showing increased frustration. Temporal emotion analysis was conducted by modeling the emotion state changes across the four stages of the pandemic, which demonstrated how different emotions emerged and shifted over time. Third, the concerns expressed by social media users were categorized into profiles, where differences could be seen between the first and second lockdown profiles.

Conclusions

This study showed that the diverse emotions and concerns that were expressed and recorded on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic reflected the mental health of the general public. While this study established the use of social media to discover informed insights during a time when physical communication was impossible, the outcomes could also contribute toward postpandemic recovery and understanding psychological impact via emotion changes, and they could potentially inform health care decision making. This study exploited AI and social media to enhance our understanding of human behaviors in global emergencies, which could lead to improved planning and policy making for future crises.