Mental health planning at a very early stage of the COVID-19 crisis: a systematic review of online international strategies and recommendations

Lasting Declines in Couples' Social Network Interactions in the First Years of COVID

Since the onset of COVID-19, a rise in loneliness has raised concerns about the social impact of lockdowns and distancing mandates. Yet, to date, the effects of the pandemic on social networks have been studied only indirectly. To evaluate how the pandemic affected social networks, the current analyses analyzed five waves of detailed social network interviews conducted before and during the first 18 months of the pandemic in a sample especially vulnerable to contracting the virus: mostly non-White couples (243 husbands and 250 wives) recruited from lower income neighborhoods. Pre-COVID interviews asked spouses to name 24 individuals with whom they interact regularly. Post-COVID interviews indicated a nearly 50% decline in face-to-face interactions and a nearly 40% decline in virtual interactions, with little recovery over the first 18 months of the pandemic. Compared with less affluent couples, those with higher incomes maintained more of their network relationships, especially when virtual interactions were taken into account.

Fathers as Key Figures Shaping the Foundations of Early Childhood Development: An Exploratory Longitudinal Study on Web-Based Intervention

Background/Objectives: Early childhood development is profoundly influenced by parent-child interactions, with recent research emphasizing the crucial role fathers play alongside mothers. Paternal involvement, especially in caregiving activities like feeding, positively impacts children's cognitive, emotional, and social development. However, paternal depressive symptoms can hinder the quality of these interactions, potentially leading to long-term behavioral and emotional difficulties in children. Despite this, interventions to enhance caregiving quality that target fathers remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based video feedback intervention in improving father-child feeding interactions and reducing psychopathological symptoms in both fathers and their 12- to 24-month-old children. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted with 244 fathers and their young children. Participants were assessed at two time points (T1 and T2) four weeks apart. Fathers engaged in remote one-hour intervention sessions twice a week, based on the Video Intervention Therapy (VIT) approach. The Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) assessed the fathers' psychopathological symptoms, while the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1½-5) evaluated the children's emotional and behavioral functioning. Father-child feeding interactions were video-recorded and analyzed using the Scala di Valutazione delle Interazioni Alimentari (SVIA). Results: Post-intervention analyses showed significant improvements in father-child feeding interactions, with reductions in maladaptive behaviors and interactive conflicts. Fathers exhibited significant decreases in psychopathological symptoms, particularly in depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Children demonstrated significant reductions in internalizing and externalizing problems. Conclusions: The web-based video feedback intervention effectively enhanced the quality of father-child feeding interactions and reduced psychopathological symptoms in both fathers and children. These findings highlight the importance of supporting fathers in their caregiving roles to promote positive developmental outcomes during critical early childhood periods. Further research is warranted to explore the long-term effects of such interventions and their applicability across diverse populations.

Implementation of an Electronic Mental Health Platform for Youth and Young Adults in a School Context Across Alberta, Canada: Thematic Analysis of the Perspectives of Stakeholders

BACKGROUND

Youth, aged 15 to 24 years, are more likely to experience mental health (MH) or substance use issues than other age groups. This is a critical period for intervention because MH disorders, if left unattended, may become chronic and serious and negatively affect many aspects of a young person's life. Even among those who are treated, poor outcomes will still occur for a percentage of youth. Electronic MH (eMH) tools have been implemented in traditional MH settings to reach youth requiring assistance with MH and substance use issues. However, the utility of eMH tools in school settings has yet to be investigated.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of the perspectives of key school staff stakeholders regarding barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the Innowell eMH platform in secondary schools across the province of Alberta, Canada.

METHODS

Guided by a qualitative descriptive approach, focus groups were conducted to elicit stakeholder perspectives on the perceived implementation challenges and opportunities of embedding the Innowell eMH platform in secondary school MH services. In total, 8 focus groups were conducted with 52 key school staff stakeholders.

RESULTS

Themes related to barriers and facilitators to youth and school MH care professional (MHCP) capacity in implementing and using eMH tools were identified. With respect to youth capacity barriers, the following themes were inductively generated: (1) concerns about some students not being suitable for eMH services, (2) minors requiring consent from parents or caregivers to use eMH services as well as confidentiality and privacy concerns, and (3) limited access to technology and internet service among youth. A second theme related to school MHCP barriers to implementation, which included (1) feeling stretched with high caseloads and change fatigue, (2) concerns with risk and liability, and (3) unmasking MH issues in the face of limited resources. In contrast to the barriers to youth and MHCP capacity, many facilitators to implementation were discussed. Youth capacity facilitators included (1) the potential for youth to be empowered using eMH tools, (2) the platform fostering therapeutic relationships with school personnel, and (3) enhancing access to needed services and resources. MHCP capacity facilitators to implementation were (1) system transformation through flexibility and problem-solving, (2) opportunities for collaboration with youth and MHCPs and across different systems, and (3) an opportunity for the continuity of services.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight nuanced school MHCP perspectives that demonstrate critical youth and MHCP capacity concerns, with consideration for organizational factors that may impede or enhance the implementation processes for embedding eMH in a school context. The barriers and facilitators to implementation provide future researchers and decision makers with challenges and opportunities that could be addressed in the preimplementation phase.

Spanish media coverage of youth mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The media portrayal of mental health is relevant in shaping the population's attitudes towards mental disorders. However, there is little information about the representation of young mental health issues in the Spanish-language press, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The general objective of this study was to analyse the tone and content of Spanish newspaper articles about mental disorders in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We collected media articles from the 10 most read news sources over a 6 month period (January-June 2021). These articles were coded for content using a standardised codebook, followed by an inductive thematic analysis. A total of 205 news items were evaluated.

RESULTS

Results showed that the majority of the news items had an overall positive tone (68.3%), only 5.4% were stigmatising and only 7.3% were related to violence. However, few articles offered help seeking information (6%), adolescents were rarely quoted (14%) and children were never quoted. Substantial differences are described in terms of age, gender and disorder. The thematic analysis led to three emergent themes: (i) violence and victimisation; (ii) the COVID-19 pandemic; and (iii) technology and social media.

CONCLUSIONS

The percentage of news in the Spanish media that refer to young people's mental health in a stigmatising way or in a way associated with violence is very low. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic may have promoted more positive discussion about youth mental health. However, major challenges remain to be addressed, as patients are seldom quoted, very few articles offer help-seeking information, and a narrative of victimisation without appropriate discussion of resilience regularly occurs.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Mental Health Problems among Essential and Nonessential Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic, June 2021, in an Unstable and Developing Country: A Cross-Sectional Study

The two main goals of this research were to assess workers’ mental health (anxiety, depression, and job burnout syndrome) and examine factors related to mental health burdens in two groups of workers. The study was conducted as an online cross-sectional study. The target population consists of workers in essential activities who worked during the pandemic (health, defense, trade, finance, and media), as well as a group of workers who were particularly impacted by the protection measures and either worked under a different regime or were unable to work (caterers, musicians). A questionnaire was constructed for the needs of this research and the scales for anxiety, depression, and burnout syndrome were used. In total, 42.2% of non-essential workers and 39.5% of essential workers reported anxiety symptoms, circa 20% of non-essential activity workers and essential activity workers reported depression, and 28.9% of non-essential activity workers and 33.7% of essential activity workers reported burnout. A significant association has been found between certain sociodemographic and health characteristics of respondents, as well as financial stress (worry about losing a job), social stress, media stress, and respondents’ trust in competent authorities and COVID-19 prevention measures, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout syndrome. The findings of this study pointed to mental health issues in other activities and highlighted the need for and importance of examining mental health in the population of non-essential activities. It is indicative of significant points that can be investigated in the future for prevention.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on relapse of individuals with severe mental illness and their caregiver's burden

Background

The implementation of quarantine and social distancing measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic led to restrictions at the community level and most of in-person psychiatric services were discontinued. This situation could affect the psychopathology of the patients and the burden of their caregivers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on people with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) and their caregivers' burden.

Method

The study sample consisted of 86 patients with severe mental illness and 86 caregivers. The mental status, relapse rate, and rehospitalization rate of the patients and the general health status and burden of caregivers were investigated in three waves, including before and 3 and 6 months after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

The relapse rate of the patients was 14%, 33.7%, and 43% (p = 0.000) and the rehospitalization rate was 4.7%, 7%, and 10.5% in waves 0, 1, and 2, respectively (p = 0.000). Most of the psychopathological scales increased in three waves (p = 0.000). The caregivers' burden and health condition worsened during the nine months of the study as well (p = 0.000).

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the exacerbation of symptoms and increased the relapse rate in people with SMIs. It also worsened the caregivers' condition. People with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) and their caregivers are one of the most vulnerable groups on which the COVID-19 pandemic had a marked negative effect.

COVID-19 mental health challenges: A scoping review

The COVID-19 pandemic has disordered the lives of millions in an unprecedented way. A state of mental health crisis has emerged across the globe. The lifestyle and well-being of the individual and social integrity have been adversely affected. One-third of US citizens and one in five Indian citizens suffer from depression due to this pandemic. This scoping review aimed to estimate the mental health challenges and their possible solutions in the recent two years (2020-2021). Our search strategy used search engines such as Medline, Google Scholar and PubMed. The search strategy used the MeSH keywords "Mental Health AND Covid-19". The findings emerged in the following key points: anxiety and depression, social isolation and quarantine, and vulnerable or high-risk groups. Out of 216 articles screened, 20 were found eligible to meet the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies focused on psychological anxiety, stress and mental disorder during the pandemic. Psychosocial assessment and monitoring in the context of COVID-19 should include inquiries about stressors related to COVID-19, like exposure to infected sources, infected family members, loss of loved ones, physical distance; secondary adverse events like economic loss, psychosocial effects like depression, anxiety, psychosomatic preoccupations, insomnia, increased substance use, domestic violence; and indicators of vulnerability like pre-existing physical or psychological conditions.

A systematic review of the international evolution of online mental health strategies and recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

The global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on mental health (MH). As a response to the pandemic, international agencies and governmental institutions provided an initial response to the population's needs. As the pandemic evolved, the population circumstances changed, and some of these international agencies updated their strategies, recommendations, and guidelines for the populations. However, there is currently a lack of information on the attention given to response strategies by the different countries throughout the beginning of the pandemic.

OBJECTIVES

1) To evaluate the evolution of online MH strategies and recommendations of selected countries to cope with the MH impact of COVID-19 from the early stages of the pandemic (15 April 2020) to the vaccination period (9 June 2021) and 2) to review and analyse the current structures of these online MH strategies and recommendations.

METHODOLOGY

An adaptation of the PRISMA guidelines to review online documents was developed with a questionnaire for MH strategies and recommendations assessment. The search was conducted on Google, including documents from April 2020 to June 2021. Basic statistics and Student's t test were used to assess the evolution of the documents, while a two-step cluster analysis was performed to assess the organisation and characteristics of the most recent documents.

RESULTS

Statistically significant differences were found both in the number of symptoms and mental disorders and MH strategies and recommendations included in the initial documents and the updated versions generated after vaccines became available. The most recent versions are more complete in all cases. Regarding the forty-six total documents included in the review, the cluster analysis showed a broad distribution from wide-spectrum documents to documents focusing on a specific topic.

CONCLUSIONS

Selected governments and related institutions have worked actively on updating their MH online documents, highlighting actions related to bereavement, telehealth and domestic violence. The study supports the use of the adaptation, including the tailor-made questionnaire, of the PRISMA protocol as a potential standard to conduct longitudinal assessments of online documents used to support MH strategies and recommendations.

Developing mental health services during and in the aftermath of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in armed conflict settings: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Mental health is mostly affected by numerous socioeconomic factors that need to be addressed through comprehensive strategies. The aftermath of armed conflict and natural disasters such as Ebola disease virus (EVD) outbreaks is frequently associated with poor access to mental healthcare. To design the basis of improving mental health services via the integration of mental health into primary health care in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we conducted a scoping review of available literature regarding mental illness in armed conflict and EVD outbreak settings.

METHODS

This scoping review of studies conducted in armed conflict and EVD outbreak of DRC settings synthesize the findings and suggestions related to improve the provision of mental health services. We sued the extension of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to scoping studies. A mapping of evidence related to mental disorders in the eastern part of DRC from studies identified through searches of electronic databases (MEDLINE, Scopus, Psych Info, Google Scholar, and CINAHL). Screening and extraction of data were conducted by two reviewers independently.

RESULTS

This review identified seven papers and described the findings in a narrative approach. It reveals that the burden of mental illness is consistent, although mental healthcare is not integrated into primary health care. Access to mental healthcare requires the involvement of affected communities in their problem-solving process. This review highlights the basis of the implementation of a comprehensive mental health care, through the application of mental health Gap Action Program (mhGAP) at community level. Lastly, it calls for further implementation research perspectives on the integration of mental healthcare into the health system of areas affecting by civil instability and natural disasters.

CONCLUSION

This paper acknowledges poor implementation of community mental health services into primary health care in regions affected by armed conflict and natural disasters. All relevant stakeholders involved in the provision of mental health services should need to rethink to implementation of mhGAP into the emergency response against outbreaks and natural disasters.

Concerns and coping mechanisms during the first national COVID-19 lockdown: an online prospective study in Portugal

Objectives

Study design

Methods

Results

Conclusions

A Study on Online Intervention for Early Childhood Eating Disorders during COVID-19

Eating disorders are among the most common clinical manifestations in children, and they are frequently connected with maternal psychopathological risk, internalizing/externalizing problems in children, and poor quality of mother-child feeding exchanges. During the COVID-19 lockdown, in person assessment and intervention were impeded due to the indications of maintaining interpersonal distancing and by limits to travel. Therefore, web-based methods were adopted to meet patients' needs. In this study N = 278 participants completed the SCL-90/R and the CBCL to examine the psychopathological symptoms of mothers and children (age of the children = 24 months); moreover, the dyads were video-recorded during feeding and followed an online video-feedback based intervention. Maternal emotional state, interactive conflict, food refusal in children, and dyadic affective state all improved considerably, as did offspring internalizing/externalizing problems and mothers' depression, anxiety, and obsession-compulsion symptoms. This study showed that video-feedback web-based intervention might be employed successfully to yield considerable beneficial effects.

Perceptions on barriers, facilitators, and recommendations related to mental health service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, Canada: a qualitative descriptive study

Background

There was an increase in self-reported mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, with research showing reduced access to mental health services in comparison to pre-pandemic levels. This paper explores 1) barriers and facilitating factors associated with mental health service delivery via primary care settings during the first two pandemic waves in Quebec, Canada, and 2) recommendations to addressing these barriers.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive study design was used. Semi-structured interviews with 20 participants (health managers, family physicians, mental health clinicians) were conducted and coded using a thematic analysis approach.

Results

Barriers and facilitating factors were organized according to Chaudoir et al. (2013)‘s framework of structural, organizational, provider- and patient-related, as well as innovation (technological modalities for service delivery) categories. Barriers included relocation of mental health staff to non-mental health related COVID-19 tasks (structural); mental health service interruption (organizational); mental health staff on preventive/medical leave (provider); the pandemic’s effect on consultations (i.e., perceptions of increased demand) (patients); and challenges with the use of technological modalities (innovation). Facilitating factors included reinforcements to mental health care teams (structural); perceptions of reductions in wait times for mental health evaluations during the second wave due to diminished FP referrals in the first wave, as well as supports (i.e., management, private sector, mental health trained staff) for mental health service delivery (organizational); staff’s mental health consultation practices (provider); and advantages in increasing the use of technological modalities in practice (innovation).

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore barriers and facilitating factors to mental health service delivery during the pandemic in Quebec, Canada. Some barriers identified were caused by the pandemic, such as the relocation of staff to non-mental health services and mental health service interruption. Offering services virtually seemed to facilitate mental health service delivery only for certain population groups. Recommendations related to building and strengthening human and technological capacity during the pandemic can inform mental health practices and policies to improve mental health service delivery in primary care settings and access to mental health services via access points.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12875-022-01634-w.

Modelling the balance of care: Impact of an evidence-informed policy on a mental health ecosystem

Major efforts worldwide have been made to provide balanced Mental Health (MH) care. Any integrated MH ecosystem includes hospital and community-based care, highlighting the role of outpatient care in reducing relapses and readmissions. This study aimed (i) to identify potential expert-based causal relationships between inpatient and outpatient care variables, (ii) to assess them by using statistical procedures, and finally (iii) to assess the potential impact of a specific policy enhancing the MH care balance on real ecosystem performance. Causal relationships (Bayesian network) between inpatient and outpatient care variables were defined by expert knowledge and confirmed by using multivariate linear regression (generalized least squares). Based on the Bayesian network and regression results, a decision support system that combines data envelopment analysis, Monte Carlo simulation and fuzzy inference was used to assess the potential impact of the designed policy. As expected, there were strong statistical relationships between outpatient and inpatient care variables, which preliminarily confirmed their potential and a priori causal nature. The global impact of the proposed policy on the ecosystem was positive in terms of efficiency assessment, stability and entropy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that formalized expert-based causal relationships between inpatient and outpatient care variables. These relationships, structured by a Bayesian network, can be used for designing evidence-informed policies trying to balance MH care provision. By integrating causal models and statistical analysis, decision support systems are useful tools to support evidence-informed planning and decision making, as they allow us to predict the potential impact of specific policies on the ecosystem prior to its real application, reducing the risk and considering the population’s needs and scientific findings.

Effect of online counselling on emotional outcomes during the COVID‐19 pandemic: An innovative group intervention for university students using the Brain Wave Modulation Technique

Young people's mental health problems are a matter of concern during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Counselling services for university students by means of telemental support can help them to deal with psychological issues that they may be facing due to the pandemic. The present study investigated the effects of four once‐weekly online counselling sessions based on a mind‐body technique (the Brain Wave Modulation Technique; BWM‐T) on enhancing positive affect and on reducing negative affect and anxiety in a sample of 54 university students (96.3% females; M_age = 21.31 years, SD = 2.09). An experimental design was conducted: the participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group, which received 15 min of a guided online BWM‐T session, or to the control group, which watched a 15‐min video on how to sustain their psychological well‐being. The results of a two‐factor mixed‐design analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the participants in the intervention group reported a significant increase in positive affect and a decrease in negative affect over time compared to those in the control group. They also reported a slight decrease in state anxiety compared to the control group, although this was just short of statistical significance. The information provided by this study, regarding emotional outcomes among university students after four brief online counselling sessions, suggests that such interventions could be an effective and sustainable way to reinforce young people's mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic, as well as later in their university careers and adult lives.

Mental Health Needs Assessment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Consensus Based on Delphi Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed significant gaps in mental health in terms of unrecognized and unmet needs. The goal was to accurately assess the needs and identify gaps in this area during the epidemiological crisis. A Delphi study to identify the needs was conducted with a group of decision-makers, experts, and users of mental health services. A starting point of the Delphi study was prepared in two working groups, based on recognizable international recommendations and experiences of the practitioners from the field situation. This initial set of emergency measures was supplemented through the first Delphi round, and consensus about the importance was reached in the second round. A total of 41 activities were derived, the vast majority of which were rated with a score of 4 or more. Mental health activities, which should be addressed in terms of needs, can be divided into systemic measures and service measures. This study recognizes a need to reorganize services in the direction of improving local accessibility and strengthening the network of services for immediate responses to the psychological, health, and social needs of individuals, including those arising from crisis situations, such as COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study are in line with the international recommendations and also influenced the formulation of the Action Plan of the National Mental Health Program, while some of the measures were already implemented during the publication of the research results.

Further Adaptations and Reflections by an Assertive Community Treatment Team to Serve Clients with Severe Mental Illness During COVID-19

In September of 2020, Guan and colleagues wrote about their experience of an Assertive Community Psychiatry Program responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe our own experience as an Assertive Community Treatment team in Minnesota responding to challenges of effectively and safely delivering service to clients. As the pandemic has progressed since last year, so has the literature, and updated references are highlighted. Common threads are woven between our experience, the experience of Guan and colleagues, and others to suggest the beginnings of a template to adapt services to a new post-pandemic world.

Transportation, the pathogen vector to rule them all: Evidence from the recent coronavirus pandemic

Introduction

It is common knowledge that mobility refers to a distinct vector for pathogens, but the importance of prevention and the infusion of public health practices within transportation systems is not manifest. Replication studies of this effect are important because transportation remains veiled in modern societies, since its demand is not direct, but derived.

Methods

Variables mirroring transportation and logistics' systems intensity (trade data, the logistics performance index, and investment in transportation) are cross-tabulated with epidemiological data from the recent coronavirus pandemic. As the samples of the data pertain to a dependent commonality, the statistical hypothesis test applicable is McNemar's test. In addition, the statistical power of the test(s) is calculated as a marker of methodological validity and reliability. To further strengthen the analytical methodology, a plethora of descriptive statistics have been calculated and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) has been conducted.

Results

This work confirms that the domain of transportation bears a strong association with not only mortality of a disease, but its recovery rates as well. All crosstabs provide statistically significant results and the statistical power calculated is very high, signifying the appropriateness of the methodology and the very low probability of Type II error. The MCA results are significant, as well.

Conclusions

The impact, or even the presence of transportation is veiled, as transportation comprises of derived demand dynamics. As such, its activities and even the prerequisites for its efficient operations many times go unnoticed. This work replicates a known effect, that mobility exacerbates the presence of a pathogen. The significance of this research lies on the fact that distinct indicators that reflect transportation and logistics are (though a robust calculatory methodology) statistically associated with epidemiological data.

Active Coping and Anxiety Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spanish Adults

The features of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social operations to contain the spread of the virus might have limited or altered coping, including healthy habits such as exercise, this contributing to a myriad of negative consequences for the mental health of the global population. We explored the contribution of coping and physical activity to the management of anxiety in Spanish adults during an active phase of the epidemic, as well as the relationship between these strategies. A total of 200 young and adult individuals (70% women) voluntarily completed an anxiety inventory, a coping skills self-report and a personal data section including exercise practice. The participants reported in average a mild yet existing level of anxiety symptoms; a third reported noticeable symptoms. At the time of the study, the participants used more adaptive than maladaptive coping styles. Participants' anxiety was inversely correlated with an active coping style, and positively with an avoidant style; physical activity correlated positively with an active coping style, and regular exercisers used more frequently active coping. Controlling for confounders, active coping, avoidant coping and exercise during the pandemic predicted anxiety symptoms. Other findings indicated that exercise was used as a coping strategy for dealing with emotional distress. Our results highlight the positive impact of functional coping and exercise for the management of negative states such as anxiety during the pandemic, and underline the importance of developing interventions aimed at enhancing coping skills for promoting physical and mental well-being of the population during health and social crises.

Psychological Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Influence of Personality Traits in the Italian Population

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has had a strong psychological impact on the Italian population. Italy was heavily affected by the virus before other countries in Europe, experiencing the highest number of deaths. Unknown symptoms in the early stages of the pandemic and the absence of clear transmission links affected people's wellbeing. Individual personality differences played a key role in perceived psychological wellbeing during the pandemic. The present exploratory study sought to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on psychological health and identify how psychological wellbeing is influenced by personality traits. A total of 2103 participants (64% female and 36% male) completed an online survey that included the Psychological General Wellbeing Index (PGWBI), the Italian Short Personality Inventory (ITAPI), and a general questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical regressions were performed using SPSS 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) (The findings showed poor psychological wellbeing in the Italian population. Young people reported the lowest scores. Vulnerability traits negatively influenced some PGWBI domains, such as the total score (β = -0.62), anxiety (β = -0.55), depression (β = -0.46), positivity and wellbeing (β = -0.51), vitality (β = -0.45), general health (β = -0.12), and self-control (β = -0.52). On the other hand, dynamism traits positively affected vitality (β = 0.12) and positivity and wellbeing (β = 0.14). In other words, personality factors related to vulnerability in particular created risk, whereas dynamism offered protection. The results highlight how COVID-19 helped to trigger anxious and depressive states. People feel helpless and vulnerable when facing new, unexpected conditions caused by the virus. These findings may assist mental healthcare professionals in safeguarding psychological wellbeing during emergencies such as the pandemic.