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Mancini AD, Sowards S, Blumberg A, Lynch R, Fardella G, Maewsky NC, Prati G. Media exposure related to COVID-19 is associated with worse mental health consequences in the United States compared to Italy. ANXIETY, STRESS, AND COPING 2024; 37:348-360. [PMID: 38163987 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2023.2299983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prolonged media exposure after collective crises is widely shown to have adverse effects on people's mental health. Do these effects show variation across different countries? In the present study, we compared the link between media exposure related to COVID-19 and mental health-related outcomes in the United States and Italy, two countries with high levels of early COVID-19 prevalence. METHOD Participants matched on age and gender in the United States (n = 415) and Italy (n = 442) completed assessments of media exposure, stress, anxiety, COVID-19 worry, and other variables shortly after the first wave of infections in 2020. RESULTS COVID-19 related media exposure predicted higher levels of stress, anxiety, and COVID-19 worry, net of the effects of neuroticism, political identification, and demographics. Moreover, COVID-19 related media exposure interacted with country to predict more stress and COVID-19 worry in the United States than in Italy. CONCLUSIONS Findings are among the first to document cross-national differences in the association of media exposure with mental health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony D Mancini
- Department of Psychology, Marks Hall, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY, USA
| | - Sarah Sowards
- Department of Psychology, Marks Hall, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY, USA
| | - Andrea Blumberg
- Department of Psychology, Marks Hall, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY, USA
| | - Robert Lynch
- Department of Psychology, Marks Hall, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY, USA
| | - Giovanni Fardella
- Department of Psychology, Marks Hall, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY, USA
| | - Nicole C Maewsky
- Department of Psychology, Marks Hall, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY, USA
| | - Gabriele Prati
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Lorenzini JA, Wong-Parodi G, Garfin DR. Associations between mindfulness and mental health after collective trauma: results from a longitudinal, representative, probability-based survey. ANXIETY, STRESS, AND COPING 2024; 37:361-378. [PMID: 37885136 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2023.2267454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Trait mindfulness (TM) may protect against post-trauma mental health ailments and related impairment. Few studies have evaluated this association in the context of collective traumas using representative samples or longitudinal designs. DESIGN/METHOD We explored relationships between TM and collective trauma-related outcomes in a prospective, representative, probability-based sample of 1846 U.S. Gulf Coast residents repeatedly exposed to catastrophic hurricanes, assessed twice during the COVID-19 outbreak (Wave 1: 5/14/20-5/27/20; Wave 2: 12/21/21-1/11/22). Generalized estimating equations examined longitudinal relationships between TM, COVID-19-related fear/worry, hurricane-related fear/worry, global distress, and functional impairment; ordinary least squares regression analyses examined the cross-sectional association between TM and COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) at Wave 1. Event-related stressor exposure was explored as a moderator. RESULTS In covariate-adjusted models including pre-event mental health ailments and demographics, TM was negatively associated with COVID-19-related fear/worry, hurricane-related fear/worry, global distress, and functional impairment over time; in cross-sectional analyses, TM was negatively associated with COVID-19-related PTSS. TM moderated the relationship between COVID-19 secondary stressor exposure (e.g., lost job/wages) and both global distress and functional impairment over time. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest TM may buffer adverse psychosocial outcomes following collective trauma, with some evidence TM may protect against negative effects of secondary stressor exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay Andrew Lorenzini
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Gabrielle Wong-Parodi
- Department of Earth Systems Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Social Sciences Division, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Dana Rose Garfin
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Malecki WP, Bilandzic H, Kowal M, Sorokowski P. Media experiences during the Ukraine war and their relationships with distress, anxiety, and resilience. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 165:273-281. [PMID: 37549502 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.07.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the relationships between perceiving media as a positive or negative influence (both news media and fictional media) during the war in Ukraine in 2022 and anxiety, distress, and resilience. Corroborating existing research, our study (N = 393, 47.3% male) showed that there was a clear relationship between the perceived negative impact of both news and fictional media during the war and increased symptoms of anxiety (b = .09, SE = 0.04, p = .024; b = 0.16, SE = 0.04, p < .001, respectively) and distress (b = 0.08, SE = 0.04, p = .047; b = 0.17, SE = 0.04, p < .001, respectively) as well as lowered psychological resilience (b = -0.10, SE = 0.05, p = .047; b = -0.15, SE = 0.06, p = .009, respectively). The study is the first to demonstrate this association for fictional media. Contrary to expectations, however, the perception of a positive impact of both news and fiction was not associated with decreased symptoms of anxiety and distress or higher resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- W P Malecki
- Faculty of Philology, University of Wrocław, Plac Nankiera 15, 50-140, Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Helena Bilandzic
- Department for Media, Knowledge and Communication, University of Augsburg, Universitätsstr. 10, 86159, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Marta Kowal
- Scientific Excellence Incubator 'Being Human', University of Wrocław, Plac Uniwersytecki 1, 50-137, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Piotr Sorokowski
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Dawida 1, 50-527, Wrocław, Poland
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Segerstrom SC, Crosby P, Witzel DD, Kurth ML, Choun S, Aldwin CM. Adaptation to changes in COVID-19 pandemic severity: Across older adulthood and time scales. Psychol Aging 2023; 38:586-599. [PMID: 36951696 PMCID: PMC10517079 DOI: 10.1037/pag0000739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has been observed to negatively affect older adults' psychological health compared with prepandemic levels. However, older adults' coping efficacy may differ depending on their age, and little is known about effects of fluctuations in pandemic severity. Two longitudinal studies tested the hypothesis that pandemic severity would affect psychological health and be moderated by age. In Study 1 (N = 111), older adults (aged 62-96) were assessed semiannually before and after the first United States COVID-19 case over up to 10 years. Depressive symptoms and stress, but not cognitive difficulties, were higher during COVID-19; pandemic severity had little effect. Estimated increases were smaller for a 65-year-old than for an 85-year-old. In Study 2 (N = 221), older adults (aged 51-95) were assessed weekly over up to 8 weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher national pandemic severity was associated with more cognitive difficulties, more depressive symptoms, and more stress. In an opposite pattern from Study 1, estimated increases were larger for a 65-year-old than for an 85-year-old. Old-old adults might be most susceptible to long-term psychological effects of the pandemic era, as in Study 1, but more resilient to short-term effects, as in Study 2. Coping strategies associated with increasing age may be less efficacious for more chronic and severe problems. Conversely, the same coping strategies may be more efficacious for shorter, less severe problems. Differentiating between reactivity to longer term and shorter term pandemic stressors can identify the most resilient or vulnerable ages within older adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paris Crosby
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky
| | - Dakota D Witzel
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Oregon State University
| | - Maria L Kurth
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Oregon State University
| | - Soyoung Choun
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Oregon State University
| | - Carolyn M Aldwin
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Oregon State University
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Jones EJ, Ayling K, Wiley CR, Geraghty AW, Greer AL, Holt-Lunstad J, Prather AA, Schreier HM, Silver RC, Sneed RS, Marsland AL, Pressman SD, Vedhara K. Psychology Meets Biology in COVID-19: What We Know and Why It Matters for Public Health. POLICY INSIGHTS FROM THE BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES 2023; 10:33-40. [PMID: 36942265 PMCID: PMC10018248 DOI: 10.1177/23727322221145308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Psychosocial factors are related to immune, viral, and vaccination outcomes. Yet, this knowledge has been poorly represented in public health initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review provides an overview of biopsychosocial links relevant to COVID-19 outcomes by describing seminal evidence about these associations known prepandemic as well as contemporary research conducted during the pandemic. This focuses on the negative impact of the pandemic on psychosocial health and how this in turn has likely consequences for critically relevant viral and vaccination outcomes. We end by looking forward, highlighting the potential of psychosocial interventions that could be leveraged to support all people in navigating a postpandemic world and how a biopsychosocial approach to health could be incorporated into public health responses to future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily J. Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kieran Ayling
- Centre for Academic Primary Care, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Cameron R. Wiley
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Adam W.A. Geraghty
- Primary Care Research Centre, School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Amy L. Greer
- Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Aric A. Prather
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Hannah M.C. Schreier
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Roxane Cohen Silver
- Department of Psychological Science, Department of Medicine, Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Rodlescia S. Sneed
- Institute of Gerontology and Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Anna L. Marsland
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sarah D. Pressman
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Kavita Vedhara
- Centre for Academic Primary Care, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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