The Moderating Effect of Attentional Control on the Relationship Between COVID Stress and Generalized Anxiety Symptoms

Youth pre-pandemic executive function relates to year one COVID-19 difficulties

Introduction

The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic presented a series of stressors that could relate to psychological difficulties in children and adolescents. Executive functioning (EF) supports goal achievement and is associated with life success, and better outcomes following early life adversity. EF is also strongly related to processing speed, another predictor of life outcomes.

Methods

This longitudinal study examined 149 youths' pre-pandemic EF and processing speed abilities as predictors of self-reported emotional, cognitive, and social experiences during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. EF and processing speed were measured with a total of 11 behavioral tasks. The COVID-era data was collected during two timepoints, during early (May-July 2020) and mid- (January-March of 2021) pandemic.

Results

Better pre-pandemic EF skills and processing speed abilities predicted more mid-COVID-19 pandemic emotional and cognitive difficulties. On the other hand, better switching (a subcomponent of EF) and processing speed abilities predicted more mid-pandemic social interactions. EF and processing speed abilities did not relate to the well-being reports from the initial months of the pandemic. Our EF - but not processing speed - results were largely maintained when controlling for pre-pandemic mental health burden, socioeconomic status (SES), and gender.

Discussion

Better cognitive abilities may have contributed to worse mid-pandemic functioning by supporting the meta-cognition needed for attending to the chaotic and ever-changing pandemic news and advice, leading to higher stress-induced worry and rumination. Our study highlights a potential downside of higher EF - often largely viewed as a protective factor - in youth.

COVID-19 Lockdown Effects on Mood, Alcohol Consumption, Academic Functioning, and Perceived Immune Fitness: Data from Young Adults in Germany

Recently, a study was conducted in the Netherlands to evaluate the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated lockdown periods on academic functioning, mood, and health correlates, such as alcohol consumption. The Dutch study revealed that lockdowns were associated with significantly poorer mood and reductions in perceived immune fitness. Overall, a reduction in alcohol consumption during lockdown periods was shown. Academic functioning in terms of self-reported performance was unaffected. However, a significant reduction in interactions with other students and teachers was reported. However, there was considerable variability among students; both increases and reductions in alcohol consumption were reported, as well as both improvements and poorer academic functioning during periods of lockdown. The aim of the current online study was to replicate these findings in Germany. To achieve this, a slightly modified version of the survey was administered among young adults (aged 18 to 35 years old) in Germany. The survey assessed possible changes in self-reported academic functioning, mood, and health correlates, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, perceived immune functioning, and sleep quality during periods of lockdown as compared to periods with no lockdowns. Retrospective assessments were made for five periods, including (1) ‘BP’ (the period before the COVID-19 pandemic), (2) ‘L1’ (the first lockdown period, March–May 2020), (3) ‘NL1’ (the first no-lockdown period, summer 2020), (4) ‘L2’ (the second lockdown, November 2020 to May 2021), and (5) ‘NL2’ (the second no-lockdown period, summer 2021). This article describes the content of the survey and the corresponding dataset. The survey was completed by 371 participants.

Mental Health Inequalities During COVID-19 Outbreak: The Role of Financial Insecurity and Attentional Control

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns negatively impacted the mental health of populations. This impact is not equally distributed and increases existing mental health inequalities. Indeed, government restrictions and the economic consequences of the pandemic affect more the less educated and less wealthy people. However, psychological processes implicated in this increase of mental health inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic remain unexplored. The present study (N=591) tested the role of financial insecurity and attentional control in the relation between socioeconomic status and mental health, along with the influence of trait anxiety. Based on Structural Equation Modelling, findings showed a mediation effect of financial insecurity, but not of attentional control, in the relationship between socioeconomic status and mental health. In addition, exploratory analyses suggested that financial insecurity also mediated the effect of attentional control on mental health. Results of the present research point at the importance of understanding psychological processes implicated in the effect of economic crises on mental health inequalities.