Covid-19 Outbreak In Italy: Are We Ready for the Psychosocial and the Economic Crisis? Baseline Findings From the PsyCovid Study

Having any mental health condition before the COVID-19 pandemic as a risk factor of COVID-19 contagion during the first year of pandemic: A Spanish adult cohort

Numerous studies suggest that subjects suffering from a mental health condition before the COVID-19 pandemic were at higher risk of contagion, but mostly are cross-sectional or retrospective. The BIOVAL-D-COVID-19 is a longitudinal cohort study design with 922 subjects who full filled two evaluations from an online survey of Spanish residents before and during the pandemic. Mental health conditions assessed were: Major Depressive Episode (MDE), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours (STB) and subthreshold of panic and bipolar disorder (BD). Mental health screening instruments used were: the Spanish version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) version 3.0 for the evaluation of MDE, the GAD-7 scale to evaluate GAD; STB was evaluated with four items from the CIDI questionnaire. Panic Disorder and BD were screened from a modified and self-reported version of the CIDI. A bivariate plus five logistic regression models were developed for each mental health condition adjusted by socio-demographic variables; employment status; general and physical health; comorbidity; and including all previous variables and the other mental health conditions. We found in bivariate model that MDE; GAD and STB were statistically significant risk factors of contagion of COVID-19. The logistic regression models developed reveal that having a previous GAD (aOR 3.30 1.31-8.31) or STB (aOR 2.16 CI 95% 1.01-4.62) was statistically significant associated with COVID-19 contagion, independently of all variables included. MDE was not a risk factor of contagion when it was adjusted by comorbidity (aOR 0.99 CI 95% 0.47-2.09). It is recommended to detect those subjects with previous GAD or STB as vulnerable groups of infection to reduce contagion rates.

Student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Are international students more affected?

Background: The psychological well-being of students may be especially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; international students can lack local support systems and represent a higher risk subgroup. Methods: Self-reported depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), insomnia, alcohol use, academic stress, and loneliness were examined in two cohorts of university students (March 2020 n = 207, March 2021 n = 142). We investigated differences i) between 2020 and 2021, ii) between domestic and international students, and ii) whether differences between the two cohorts were moderated by student status. Results: More depressive symptoms, academic stress, and loneliness were reported in 2021. International students reported more depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, anxiety, PTSD, academic stress, and loneliness. The main effect of cohort was not moderated by student status. Conclusions: International students had worse mental health outcomes overall, but were not affected more by the COVID-19 pandemic than domestic students.

Temporal changes in mental response and prevention patterns, and their impact from uncertainty stress during the transition in China from the COVID-19 epidemic to sporadic infection

An epidemic of a highly lethal disease can overwhelm people emotionally and physically. Little is known about how public mental and preventive patterns changed during the transition from the COVID-19 epidemic to sporadic infection. This study examined changing trends of metal response and behavioral variables, and their impact from uncertainty stress in this process in China. A prospective longitudinal observation design was utilized. There were 7 waves of surveys from COVID-19 epidemic status to the sporadic infection period. Sixty-two participants completed all observation points and were included in the study. The Mann-Kendall Test was used to assess changing trends across the seven observation points. The nonparametric linear mixed effects model was used to examine the association between uncertainty stress and mental and behavioral responses. The mean uncertainty stress did not change significantly over the observation period (Z: -0.911, p > 0.05). This trend was also true for perceived risk, perceived severity, self-efficacy for prevention, and prevention behavior. There was a statistically significant downward trend in irrational beliefs about prevention (Z: -4.993, p < 0.01), sleep (Z: -2.499, p < 0.05), emotions (Z: -5.650, p < 0.01), and lifestyle (Z: -5.978, p < 0.01). The results showed that uncertainty stress was positively associated with irrational beliefs (β: 0.16298, p < 0.01), their sleep (β: 0.02070, p < 0.05), emotions (β: 0.03462, p < 0.01), and lifestyle (β: 0.02056, p < 0.05). High levels of uncertainty stress were negatively associated with self-efficacy for prevention and prevention behavior, β was -1.33210 (p < 0.01) and -0.82742 (p < 0.01). These results may have important policy and disease prevention in post-epidemic times.

Evaluating the relationship of empathic concern to college students' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: Empathic concern (EC) for others may be related to COVID-19 pandemic responses. Participants and methods: The purpose of this survey study was to examine differences in pandemic responses in 1,778 college students rated as low (LE) versus high (HE) on the EC subscale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Results: HE participants reported greater concerns in numerous pandemic-related domains, including acquiring COVID-19; access to COVID-19 treatment; number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths reported; staying employed; and being isolated for long periods of time. Generalized anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress scores were significantly higher for individuals in the HE group compared to the LE group. The HE group reported being significantly more adherent to health and safety recommendations than the LE group. Conclusions: Empathic concern for others is important for promoting college student prosocial behavior but is associated with anxiety and depression symptomatology during times of traumatic stress.

Risk factors for post-COVID cognitive dysfunctions: the impact of psychosocial vulnerability

BACKGROUND

Cognitive dysfunction is a well-established manifestation of the post-COVID syndrome. Psychological vulnerability to stressors can modify disease trajectories, causing long-term risk for negative outcomes. Nonetheless, how premorbid risk factors and response to stressor affect neuropsychological changes is still incompletely understood. In this study, we explored the impact of psychosocial variables on cognitive functioning in a post-COVID sample.

METHODS

All subjects were submitted to a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and an assessment of perceived loneliness, post-traumatic stress, and changes in anxiety and depression levels. A social vulnerability index was also calculated. The set of psycho-social variables was reduced to two Principal Component Analysis (PCA) components: distress and isolation.

RESULTS

Forty-five percent of individuals showed cognitive impairments, with predominant memory and executive deficits. Post-traumatic stress disorder was clinically relevant in 44% of the sample. Social vulnerability scores of the sample were comparable to those of general population. The individual performance in learning and response initiation/suppression was directly related to distress component, encasing anxiety, stress, and depression measures.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that psychosocial assessment of post-COVID patients can detect fragile individuals at risk of cognitive impairments. Dedicated psychological support services may play a useful role in the prevention of post-COVID cognitive dysfunction.

Stress coping strategies of Iranian healthcare staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed healthcare staff to mental distress. Given the importance of applying effective strategies to cope with stress caused by COVID-19, this study aimed to assess the stress-coping strategies of Iranian healthcare providers. This cross-sectional study was performed through a web-based survey. Data collection was done online using a demographic data questionnaire and the short form of Endler and Parker's coping inventory. The mean scores of task-oriented strategies (27.06 ± 5.13) were higher than avoidance-oriented (19.42 ± 5.77) and emotion-oriented strategies (18.45 ± 5.76), and the healthcare workers mainly used task-oriented styles to cope with COVID-19-related stress. There was a significant difference between the score of task-oriented strategy in terms of age groups (P < 0.001), work experience (P = 0.018), level of education (P < 0.001), having children (P = 0.002), and type of hospital (P = 0.028). The score of task-oriented strategies was lower in employees who were in the age group of 20-30 years and had less than 10 years of work experience, and it was higher in employees who had children, worked in private hospitals, and had a master's degree or higher. The score of emotion-oriented strategies in the age group of 51-60 years was significantly lower than other age groups (P < 0.01) and was significantly higher in employees with a bachelor's degree than those with a master's degree or higher (P = 0.017). There was no significant difference between the scores of avoidance-oriented strategies and any socio-demographic variables. According to the findings of this study, young and less experienced employees were more inclined to utilize emotion-oriented coping styles. Therefore, considering appropriate training programs for these employees to apply effective coping strategies is extremely important.

Primacy Effect of Dynamic Multi-Sensory Covid ADV Influences Cognitive and Emotional EEG Responses

Advertising uses sounds and dynamic images to provide visual, auditory, and tactile experiences, and to make the audience feel like the protagonist. During COVID-19, companies modified their communication by including pandemic references, but without penalizing multisensorial advertising. This study investigated how dynamic and emotional COVID-19-related advertising affects consumer cognitive and emotional responses. Nineteen participants, divided into two groups, watched three COVID-19-related and three non-COVID-19-related advertisements in two different orders (Order 1: COVID-19 and non-COVID-19; Order 2: non-COVID-19 and COVID-19), while electrophysiological data were collected. EEG showed theta activation in frontal and temporo-central areas when comparing Order 2 to Order 1, interpreted as cognitive control over salient emotional stimuli. An increase in alpha activity in parieto-occipital area was found in Order 2 compared to Order 1, suggesting an index of cognitive engagement. Higher beta activity in frontal area was observed for COVID-19 stimuli in Order 1 compared to Order 2, which can be defined as an indicator of high cognitive impact. Order 1 showed a greater beta activation in parieto-occipital area for non-COVID-19 stimuli compared to Order 2, as an index of reaction for painful images. This work suggests that order of exposure, more than advertising content, affects electrophysiological consumer responses, leading to a primacy effect.

Evaluating the COVID-19 impact in Italian regions via multi criteria analysis

Italy was the first European country to be significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of similar previous experiences and the initial uncertainty regarding the new virus resulted in an unpredictable health crisis with 243,506 total confirmed cases and 34,997 deaths between February and July 2020. Despite the panorama of precariousness and the impelling calamity, the country successfully managed many aspects of the early stages of the health and socio-economic crisis. Nevertheless, many disparities can be identified at the regional level. The study aims to determine which aspects of regional management were considered more important by the citizens regarding economic and health criteria. A survey was designed to gather responses from the population on the Italian regions' response and provide a ranking of the regions. The 29-item online survey was provided to 352 individuals, and the collected data were analyzed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process methodology. The results show a general agreement in considering of greater relevance the healthcare policies rather than the economic countermeasures adopted by regional governments. Our analysis associated a weight of 64% to the healthcare criteria compared to the economic criteria with a weight of 36%. In addition to the results obtained from the Analytic Hierarchy Process, the sample's composition was analyzed to provide an overall assessment of the Italian regions. To do so, we collected objective data for each region and multiplied them by the overall weight obtained for each sub-criteria. Looking at the propensity to vaccination or the belief in a relation between COVID-19 and 5G according to age and educational qualification helps understand how public opinion is structured according to cultural and anthropological differences.

Evaluating the social outcomes of COVID-19 pandemic: empirical evidence from Pakistan

The study aims to assess and analyze the social outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study uses the discourse of comprehensive literature review to identify the outcomes, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) for developing a structural model and Matrices' Impacts Cruise's Multiplication Appliquée a UN Classement (MICMAC) for analysis, classification of societal outcomes, and corroboration of results of ISM. Data from fifteen experts was collected through a survey questionnaire. As a result of the literature review, a list of sixteen outcomes was generated and verified by a panel of experts. Results of ISM revealed that the outcomes, namely, "emotional instability," "mental health self-harm," loneliness reduced recreational activities, obesity, and "increased screen time" come at the top of the model; therefore, they are less vital outcomes, whereas the most significant outcome which is at the bottom of the model is "employment instability"; hence it has a major impact on the society. The remaining outcomes fall in the middle of the model, so they have a moderate-severe impact. Results of MICMAC validate the findings of ISM. Overall findings of the study reveal that "employment instability" is the crucial social outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an original attempt based on real-time data, which is helpful for society at large, researchers, the international community, and policymakers because this study provides a lot of new information about the phenomenon. The study includes understanding society at large, policymakers, and researchers by illustrating the complex relations and simplifying the connections among a wide range of social outcomes of COVID-19.

Resilience to COVID-19 challenges: Lessons for school psychologists serving school-attending black South African youth aged 10 to 19 years old

Several studies have highlighted the mental health challenges of children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period, especially, in relation to an escalation of depression, anxiety, and stress. Whilst this may be the reality, it is unfortunate that most of the studies adopt a psychopathological point of departure often portraying doom and gloom. Adopting a social ecological resilience perspective the author focuses on the resilience of school-attending black South African youth during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The Child and Youth Resilience Measurement (CYRM-28) was completed by 4165 respondents in grades 4 to 12 (females = 2431, 58.4%; males = 1734, 41.6%) from the Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North-West provinces in South Africa. The findings indicate that school psychologists must consider gender, age and school levels when they design school-based resilience programmes for black South African children. Particular emphasis should be placed on contextual resilience highlighting spiritual, religious, cultural and educational factors. A major lesson for school psychologists is to ensure that school-based resiliency programmes adopt a whole school approach that includes children, their families and local communities for the successful promotion of resilience during adverse situations as postulated by the social ecological resilience model.

Dark Triad and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: the role of conspiracy beliefs and risk perception

With the spread of the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the mass vaccination plan represents the primary weapon to control the infection curve. Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy also spread out worldwide. This led to exploring the critical factors that prevent vaccination from improving the efficacy of vaccine campaigns. In the present study, the role of the Dark Triad (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) in vaccine hesitancy was investigated, considering the sequential mediating effects of conspiracy beliefs and risk perception. Via a cross-sectional design, the study was conducted with 210 participants surveyed using an online questionnaire to assess the Dark Triad, vaccine hesitancy, conspiracy beliefs, risk perception, and a set of demographic and socio-cultural control variables. Results showed that conspiracy beliefs and risk perception fully mediated the association between the Dark Triad and vaccine hesitancy. This finding suggested that albeit personality accounts for individual differences in human behaviour, vaccine hesitancy is also affected by irrational and false beliefs that, in turn, weaken the risk perception associated with COVID-19. Implications and future research directions were discussed.

Impact of COVID-19 on the private and professional lives of highly educated women working in global health in Europe-A qualitative study

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a deepening of existing inequalities and a rollback of achievements made in gender equality. Women in Global Health (WGH) is a global movement that aims to achieve gender equality in health and increase female leadership in global health. Here, the aim was to understand how the pandemic affects the private and professional lives of women working in global health in different European countries. Suggestions for future pandemic preparedness including how gender perspectives should be integrated into pandemic preparedness and how a women's network such as WGH helped them to overcome the impact of the pandemic were explored.

Methods

Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted in September 2020 with a sample size of nine highly educated women with a mean age of 42.1 years from the different WGH European chapters. The participants were informed of the study and were formally asked for their consent. The interviews were held in English via an online videoconference platform and lasted 20-25 min each. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted according to Mayring Qualitative Content Analysis using MAXQDA.

Results

The pandemic has both positive and negative effects on the professional and private lives of women. It led to an increased workload and stress as well as pressure to publish on COVID-19-related themes. Increased childcare and household responsibilities represented a double burden. The available space was limited if other family members were also working from home. Positive aspects included more time for family or partners and reduced travel. The participants report on perceived gender differences in the experience of the pandemic. International cooperation is considered to be a key factor for future pandemic preparedness. Being part of a women's network such as WGH was perceived as being very supportive in difficult situations during the pandemic.

Conclusion

This study provides unique insights into the experiences of women working in global health in different European countries. The COVID-19 pandemic influences their professional and private lives. Perceived gender differences are reported and suggest the need for integrating gender perspectives in pandemic preparedness. Networks for women, such as WGH, can facilitate the exchange of information in crises and provide women with professional and personal support.

Workers' individual and dyadic coping with the COVID-19 health emergency: A cross cultural study

The aim of this study was to examine workers' psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic as a function of their individual coping, dyadic coping, and work-family conflict. We also tested the moderating role of gender and culture in these associations. To achieve this aim, we run HLM analyses on data from 1521 workers cohabiting with a partner, coming from six countries (Italy, Spain, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, and Russia) characterized by various degrees of country-level individualism/collectivism. Across all six countries, findings highlighted that work-family conflict as well as the individual coping strategy social support seeking were associated with higher psychological distress for workers, while the individual coping strategy positive attitude and common dyadic coping were found to be protective against workers' psychological distress. This latter association, moreover, was stronger in more individualistic countries.

Core self-evaluations as resilience and risk factors of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic

In view of the grave consequences of distress reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigated CSE (Core Self-evaluations) - internal/external health locus of control, generalized self-efficacy and trait optimism - and intolerance of uncertainty as potential correlates of distress reactions. We conducted an online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study with 422 Israeli respondents. Pandemic-related distress was defined by perceived stress, negative and positive affect, and worries. Predictors were: health locus of control, generalized self-efficacy, trait optimism, and intolerance of uncertainty. The findings show that CSEs and intolerance of uncertainty added between 11% (to perceived stress) and 22% (to negative affect) of explained variance beyond the background variables. Specifically, higher trait optimism and generalized self-efficacy were associated with less distress, and greater intolerance of uncertainty was correlated with higher distress. In conclusion, the CSE framework is useful for explaining psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond their theoretical contribution, the findings may have practical implications for increasing resilience and ameliorating distress during a pandemic.

Farmers' cognition of the COVID-19 outbreak, risk perception and willingness of green production

Existing literature reports that COVID-19 outbreak may affect people's risk perceptions, with disturbances ranging from mild negative emotional reactions to overall mental health. At the same time, the pneumonia pandemic reveals all the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of our ecosystem and makes people reflect on traditional ecologically harmful production practices. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to review the existing scientific literature on these variables, through a survey and empirical analysis, in order to present and comment on the effects and mechanisms of influence between them. The results showed that: (1) Increasing farmers'cognition of COVID-19 outbreak could significantly enhance the green production willingness. Specifically, the probability of "Very willing"to participate in green production increased by 29.9% for each unit of increase in cognition. (2) Farmers'cognition of COVID-19 outbreak can significantly enhance the level of risk perception and thus enhance their green production willingness, that is, risk perception is an important transmission medium of this effect. (3)The analysis of inter-generational difference showed that the impact of cognition of COVID-19 outbreak on green production willingness was significant for both the new generation and the old generation. On the basis of this, some policy suggestions are put forward, such as strengthening the propaganda and education of natural ecological environment protection, establishing the propaganda mechanism of green agricultural products market in the later period of epidemic situation, raising farmers'risk perception level through multi-channels and so on.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 after hospital discharge: A follow-up study on Italian recovered patients

BACKGROUND

Since COVID-19 outbreak, clinical experience on its management during the acute phase has rapidly grown, including potential effects on the psychopathological dimension. However, still few data are available regarding the impact on survivors' mental health over the long-term.

METHODS

A sample of 1457 COVID-19 patients underwent a multidisciplinary follow-up protocol, approximately 3 months after hospital discharge, including a psychological evaluation. The primary outcomes were anxiety, depression, resilience, post-traumatic symptoms, and health-related quality of life. Furthermore, we examined the potential role of hospitalization and delay in the follow-up assessment on the increased burden of illness.

RESULTS

Although a general high level of resilience emerged, suggesting most patients relied on their individual and interpersonal resources to face difficulties related to the pandemic, almost one third of the sample reported signs of psychological distress over time, especially post-traumatic symptoms, with anxiety being more represented than depression. Furthermore, hospitalization - regardless of the setting of care - and promptness in follow-up evaluation were found to play a protective role on patients' recovery and mental wellbeing.

LIMITATIONS

Selection bias of patients exclusively admitted to the hospital; absence of a control group; psychological assessment relying on self-reported instruments.

CONCLUSIONS

The current crisis demands resilience and adjustment resources, either in the acute and post-acute phase. Thus, the clinical effort should aim at relieving the traumatic impact of such condition through timely interventions. Further investigation may address potential predictors of developing a traumatic stress response, in order to identify and promptly treat at-risk subpopulations.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Success of Traditional Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): An Investigation of the Footprints of Economic Crisis Attributable to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic created a significant economic decline and altered market behavior, forcing buyers and dealers online. The traditional local market merchants are not fully equipped with e-commerce business techniques and strategies, which is a barrier to their e-commerce behavior and success. The study aims to help small-medium firms adapt to an uncertain economic environment instead of reducing or shutting down business-like in Pakistan. From health to education, economy to domestic and social protection, various researches have been done since 2020. The researcher used primary data sources and did a Quantitative study after collecting the 240 samples size of data from the successful e-commerce players of Pakistan. The results confirm that customer satisfaction is essential for entrepreneurs to succeed, as customers were not satisfied with online shopping during COVID-19. Customer knowledge management (CKM) and job satisfaction (JS) are studied as potential and realized capacity variables. CKM act as a strategic asset to collect and assimilate the external customer knowledge. In contrast, satisfied employees act as a valuable asset that dynamically responds to changing customer needs and business environment by efficiently utilizing their knowledge and skills and reaching business success which is mirrored in customer satisfaction. Conclusive results enable practitioners to perceive the business success during economic crises in the organization's absorptive capacity.

Feeling lonelier during the early COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional analysis of adults living in the United States

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had many negative consequences, one of which was the increase of loneliness. We aimed to explore associations between sociodemographic, work-related, home-related, and COVID-19-related characteristics and increased feelings of loneliness among adults living in the United States (US). We analyzed cross-sectional baseline data from The Quickly Understanding Impacts of COVID-19 Study (The QUICk Study) collected from May to October 2020 using online surveys completed by a sample of adults living in the US. We used chi-square tests, Fisher exact tests, and logistic regression to identify characteristics associated with increased loneliness. The study sample included 577 adults living in the US. Approximately 37% of the sample reported feeling lonelier than usual over the past month. Younger age, sexual minority status, lower education level, depression, living alone, part-time employment status, and student employment status were significantly associated with increased feelings of loneliness. Depression, younger age, and living alone remained significantly associated with increased feelings of loneliness in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. In the US, young adults, adults with depression, and adults who live alone may have been more likely to experience increased feelings of loneliness during the early COVID-19 pandemic.

Stress-related to COVID-19, anxiety, and protective factors among middle-aged and older adults in the largest outbreak areas in South Korea

OBJECTIVES

The present study examined the impact of psychological stress related to COVID-19 on anxiety as well as protective factors against these negative psychological consequences among middle-aged and older adults in the largest outbreak areas in South Korea.

METHOD

Participants included 667 middle-aged and older adults (ages 40 to 76) living in the largest outbreak areas at the time of the survey based on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea. Path analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

Stress related to COVID-19 and loneliness were positively associated with anxiety. However, family cohesion, resilience, health, and being married were negatively associated with anxiety. Also, family cohesion, resilience, income, and being married were negatively associated with loneliness among middle-aged and older adults in the largest outbreak areas in South Korea.

CONCLUSION

As postulated by the Stress Process Model, stress related to COVID-19 may have increased loneliness and anxiety among middle-aged and older adults in the largest outbreak areas in South Korea; however, resilience and family cohesion reduced these negative consequences both directly and indirectly. Findings are discussed and implications are addressed.

Mental health status of healthcare workers at a third line Tunisian hospital during COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

During the COVID-19(coronavirus-19 disease) pandemic, health care workers (HCWs) faced the risk of infection and distressing work to meet health requirements. The aim of the present stud ywas to evaluate perceptions of HCWs of their security at work in COVID-19 units and their coping strategies, at the military hospital of Tunis, during the second wave of COVID-19.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted via an auto-questionnaire on February 2021.HCWs of the military hospital of Tunis were included. Participants were asked about their perceived security at work in COVID-19 units and their coping behaviors. Mental disorders were assessed, via qualitative questionnaires.

RESULTS

A total of 110 HCWs' responses were collected. Fifty-eight participants (52.7%) were females. The mean age was 33.7 years (SD 9.3). They were doctors at 45.5% and nurses at 39.1%. HCWs declared having worked in COVID-19 units in 81.8% of cases. The participants reported their fears about being infected in 58.2% and infecting family members in 85.5% of cases. Protective factors included information about the disease (80%), availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) (80.9%), support from colleagues(72.7%)or superiors at work (50.9%), and ability to communicate with others (63.6%). Depression, anxiety, and insomnia were found in respectively 25.5%, 30%, and 41.8% of HCWs. In multivariate analysis, suffering from a traumatic distress was significantly associated with anxiety and depression (p (p<0.01 and, p<0.05 respectively). In addition, insomnia severity was linked to age (p=0.05) and having colleagues infected with COVID-19 (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

In the present study, HCWs of the military hospital of Tunis stated having high levels of insomnia, anxiety, and depression since the early outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. These mental disorders may have a negative impact on the quality of life of HCWs and should be enhanced by psychological support and preventive measures.

A five-nation study of the impact of political leaning and perception of crisis severity on the preference for female and minority leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic

Research on underrepresented groups in leadership has shown that women and ethnic minorities are preferred as leaders during a crisis. In the present study, we investigated factors that shape voter preferences for minority political leaders in the COVID-19 crisis. We examined participant perceptions of the severity of the COVID-19 crisis in health, social, and economic domains and self-reported political leaning, and their impact on preference for a female (vs male) or minority political leader. We collected survey data in autumn 2020 using online platforms in France, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and a snowball sample in Germany (total N = 1,259). Results showed that female leaders were generally more preferred by politically left- than right-leaning participants independent of severity perceptions of the social or economic crisis. In addition, we found that preference for female leaders amongst right-leaning participants increased when their current regional leader's actions were judged insufficient to manage the health crisis, an effect primarily driven by participants in Germany and the United Kingdom. Left-leaning political orientation also predicted the preference for minority leaders across countries. Moreover, a more severe perception of the social aspects of the crisis increased minority preference, as expected, but mostly in Germany and the United States. We discuss cross-country variation of our results. Overall, our findings affirm and expand prior research showing the importance of political leaning and changing leadership demands in a crisis and their impact on the preference for minority leaders.

Coping strategies at the frontline of care: Comparisons between Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 units' nurses and the role of moderator variables

INTRODUCTION

Relatively few studies focused on the coping strategies adopted by the healthcare workers during the second phase of the pandemic. The present study compared the coping strategies between Italian nurses working in Covid-19 and in other units and it explored whether socio-demographic and work-related variables moderate the relation between the type of unit and coping strategies.

METHODS

A web-based questionnaire that included sociodemographic and work-related questions and the Coping Orientation to Problem Experienced-New Italian Version-25 item was administered. Moderation effects between variables and coping strategies were analyzed using generalized linear models.

RESULTS

253 nurses participated. Nurses who worked in a Covid-19 unit had significantly lower scores on Avoidance Strategies subscale and higher scores on Positive Attitude and Social Support subscales than nurses working in other units.

DISCUSSION

Gender differences emerged only on the social support coping dimension, with women being more likely to adopt social support than men. No association between the type of unit and the other coping strategies was found.

CONCLUSION

Nurses working in Covid-19 units showed better coping strategies than their colleagues: this suggests that support interventions aimed to promote coping strategies should be offered also to Covid-19-free units' nurses.

Challenges of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to understand the challenging effect of the pandemic on children and adolescents with ADHD.

METHODS

100 children and adolescents with ADHD aged 7-18 years were included in the study. They were evaluated in terms of internet addiction diagnostic criteria. Symptom severity was assessed using the CBCL, CPRS, and SNAP-IV.

RESULTS

We found that 42% spent less time outdoors, and 26% spent more time watching TV. 57% had increased internet use and 28% were diagnosed as having internet addiction. There was a significant difference in terms of symptom severity between the groups depending on whether the children took part in sports activity before the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

Children and adolescents with ADHD have experienced challenges in many areas, especially internet use in the pandemic. The positive long-term effects of exercise in children with ADHD are thought to be protective in terms of symptom management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anxiety, Worry, Life Satisfaction and Coping During the Acute VS Prolonged Pandemic Stress: Evidence From a Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic remains a continuous stressor worldwide. Our study aimed at comparing the data of waves from two lockdowns in Georgia, one in the acute stress phase (May 2020) and the other in the prolonged stress phase (December 2020).

Methods: In total, 750 and 716 individuals participated in the study with a repeated cross-sectional design. Sample equivalence was reached via controlling demographic variables. Anxiety, COVID-19 worry, and life satisfaction were measured along with coping behaviors and four coping styles—information-accessing/processing and action-planning (two problem-focused coping styles), and passive-submissive and avoidant (two emotion-focused coping styles).

Results: As pandemic prolonged, mental health indicators worsened, the action-planning style and behavioral coping decreased, while the information-accessing/processing style increased. The link between the COVID-19 worry and the action-planning coping style was strong in the acute stage and dissapeared in the prolonged stage. The individual context, namely, a history of coronavirus in the household, accounted for lower protective behaviors and higher information seeking in the prolonged phase.

Conclusion: The findings highlighted the importance of timing and general and individual contexts in coping with the pandemic.

ADV at the Time of COVID-19 Brain Effect between Emotional Engagement and Purchase Intention

In pandemic times, taking advantage of COVID-19-elicited emotions in commercials has been a popular tactic employed by corporations to build successful consumer engagement and, hopefully, increase sales. The present study investigates whether COVID-19-related emotional communication affects the consumer’s emotional response and the approach/avoidance motivation toward the brand—measured as a function of brain hemodynamic changes—as well as the purchase intentions. The functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to record neural correlates from the prefrontal cortex while the experimental and control groups were observing respectively COVID-19-related and unrelated advertisements (ads). The hemodynamic patterns suggest that COVID-19-related ads may promote deeper emotional elaboration, shifting consumers’ attention from the semantic meaning to the affective features and perhaps supporting a more favorable brand evaluation. Conversely, purchase intentions were only related to the pre-existing level of brand engagement. The findings suggest that leveraging the negative emotional potential of COVID-19 may not shift the explicit purchase intentions but could nonetheless boost emotional engagement, benefitting the final evaluation of the brand at an implicit level.

Modeling economic losses and greenhouse gas emissions reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic: Past, present, and future scenarios for Italy

Unprecedented nationwide lockdowns were adopted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the socioeconomic impact of the past and future restrictions while assessing the resilience of a local economy emerged as a worldwide necessity. To predict the economic and environmental effects of the lockdowns, we propose a methodology based on the well-established input-output inoperability model, using Italy as a case study. By reconstructing the 2020 restrictions, we analyzed the economic losses and greenhouse gas emissions reductions, identifying the most economically impacted sectors because of the restrictions and the sectoral interdependencies and those avoiding most air emissions. We constructed four partial-lockdown scenarios by minimizing the economic losses for increasing restrictions to highlight the model's utility as a tool for policymaking. By revealing the most interconnected and, thus, crucial sectors, the simulated scenarios showcase how the restrictions can be selected to avoid sudden and unpredicted economic damage.

Psychological impact of the quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic on the general European adult population: a systematic review of the evidence

AIMS

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) different countries implemented quarantine measures to limit the spread of the virus. Many studies analysed the mental health consequences of restrictive confinement, some of which focused their attention on specific populations. The general public's mental health also requires significant attention, however. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 quarantine on the general population's mental health in different European countries. Risk and protective factors associated with the psychological symptoms were analysed.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted on four electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus and Google Scholar). Studies published up until 20th April 2021, and following eligibility criteria were selected for this review. One thousand three hundred thirty-five (1335) studies were screened, 105 of which were included. Via network analysis, the current study investigated the pathways that underlie possible risk factors for mental health outcomes.

RESULTS

Anxiety, depression, distress and post-traumatic symptoms are frequently experienced during the COVID-19 quarantine and are often associated with changes in sleeping and eating habits. Some socio-demographic and COVID-19-related variables were found to be risk factors for an individual's wellbeing. In particular, being female, young, having a low income, being unemployed and having COVID-19-like symptoms or chronic disorders, were found to be the most common risk factors for mental health symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic represented an unprecedented threat to mental health globally. In order to prevent psychological morbidity and offer support tailored to short-, medium- and long-term negative outcomes, it is essential to identify the direct and indirect psychosocial effects of the lockdown and quarantine measures, especially in certain vulnerable groups. In addition to measures to reduce the curve of viral transmission, policy makers should urgently take into consideration provisions to alleviate hazards to mental health.

Wastewater-based epidemiology for early warning of SARS-COV-2 circulation: A pilot study conducted in Sicily, Italy

There is increasing evidence of the use of wastewater-based epidemiology to integrate conventional monitoring assessing disease symptoms and signs of viruses in a specific territory. We present the results of SARS-CoV-2 environmental surveillance activity in wastewater samples collected between September 2020 and July 2021 in 9 wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) located in central and western Sicily, serving over 570,000 residents. The presence of SARS-CoV-2, determined in 206 wastewater samples using RT-qPCR assays, was correlated with the notified and geo-referenced cases on the areas served by the WTPs in the same study period. Overall, 51% of wastewater samples were positive. Samples were correlated with 33,807 SARS-CoV-2 cases, reported in 4 epidemic waves, with a cumulative prevalence of 5.9% among Sicilian residents. The results suggest that the daily prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 active cases was statistically significant and higher in areas with SARS-CoV-2 positive wastewater samples. According to these findings, the proposed method achieves a good sensitivity profile (78.3%) in areas with moderate or high viral circulation (≥133 cases/100,000 residents) and may represent a useful tool in the management of epidemics based on an environmental approach, although it is necessary to improve the accuracy of the process.

Risk-Perception Change Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine's Side Effects: The Role of Individual Differences

The COVID-19 vaccine appears to be a crucial requirement to fight the pandemic. However, a part of the population possesses negative attitudes towards the vaccine. The spread of conspiracy theories and contradictory information about the pandemic have altered the population’s perception of risk. The risk-perception of the vaccine’s side effects may be affected by individual differences. The complex relationship between risk-perception and individual differences is relevant when people have to make decisions based on ambiguous and constantly changing information, as in the early phases of the Italian vaccination campaign. The present study aimed at measuring the effect of individual differences in risk-perception associated with the COVID-19 vaccine’s side effects in a context characterized by information ambiguity. An online survey was conducted to classify a sample of Italian pro-vaccine people into cognitive/behavioral style groups. Furthermore, changes in vaccine risk-perception after inconsistent communications regarding the vaccine’s side effects were compared between groups. The results showed that “analytical” individuals did not change their perception regarding the probability of vaccine side effects but changed their perception regarding the severity of side effects; “open” and “polarized” individuals neither changed their perception regarding the probability nor of the severity of side effects, showing a different kind of information processing, which could interfere with an informed decision-making process.

Impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Emotional and Physical Health of Older Adults Compared with Younger Cohorts

OBJECTIVES

This study compared emotional and physical health and overall well-being related to social restrictions during the pandemic among older, middle-aged, and younger adults in the United States (n = 276).

METHODS

Online surveys collected information on mental and physical health, as well as positive and negative impacts of the pandemic. One-way MANOVAs and hierarchical regressions were used to analyze data.

RESULTS

Depressive symptoms and coronavirus anxiety differed significantly by age, with older adults reporting less depressive and anxious symptoms than younger cohorts. Negative COVID experiences significantly predicted higher levels of stress, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms in younger adults as compared to older cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate that social restrictions had a more substantial negative impact amongst younger adults compared to older adults, particularly in terms of mental health and well-being.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Older adults may be more resilient to the impacts of the pandemic than younger cohorts and thus may serve as a critical resource for how to navigate crisis situations of this nature. Future studies should continue to monitor health outcomes as the pandemic subsides in conjunction with the vaccine rollout, as the long-term effects of social distancing and stay-at-home measures are yet to be determined.

A Longitudinal Nationwide Study of Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chile

BACKGROUND

Despite numerous efforts to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, there are few longitudinal studies that examine the change in the burden of psychological distress over time and its associated factors, especially in developing countries.

OBJECTIVE

The primary aim of this study was to assess the levels of psychological distress at two time points during the COVID-19 outbreak based on a representative community sample in Chile. The secondary aim was to identify groups that are more vulnerable to psychological distress during the pandemic.

METHODS

A nationally representative, longitudinal telephone survey of Chilean adults was conducted. This study analyses panel data from two waves in 2020: May 30 to June 10 and September 15 to October 9. A total of 823 people participated in both surveys. Changes in mental health outcomes (anxiety and depressive symptoms) were assessed, estimating the effect of demographic characteristics, psychosocial and economic factors, household conditions, and health status.

RESULTS

There was a significant increase in psychological distress (PHQ-4 ≥ 6) between Waves 1 (22.6%) and 2 (27.0%), especially among younger participants. Overall, the results of this study show that being female, living in or near the capital, living in overcrowded households and having a perceived lack of space in the home, loneliness or perceived social isolation, and having received mental health treatment within the last year are significantly associated with psychological distress over time (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the need to implement psychosocial programs to protect people's psychological well-being, as well as social policies to improve household living conditions and levels of social connectedness during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Understanding social problems during lockdown and its relationship to perceived stress - An online survey among adult residents of India

Context

Nationwide lock down imposed due to Covid 19 might bring about various social problems, constraints in availing essential services, difficulty in taking care of morbid elderly persons and inaccessibility to health care which can lead to stress.

Aims

To identify social problems among adult Indian residents during lockdown period, to assess perceived stress among them and to identify the factors associated with it.

Settings and Design

The study was conducted through the online platform using a google form among adult residents of India. Perceived stress was assessed by Perceived Stress Scale 10.

Statistical Analysis Used

Data were analysed using SPSS version 16.0., using chi square, Odd's Ratio and binary logistic regression.

Results

One fourth of the respondents faced economic problem, 11.7% of them had experienced some sort of violence and worsening of familial relationship. The problems encountered in seeking care were chi square test due to non availability of transportation facilities and health services. Overall 80.78% of the respondents were observed to have moderate and high levels of perceived stress. Multivariate analysis revealed single marital status, owing a debt and experiencing violence had 1.62, 1.8 and 9 times higher odds of having moderate to high perceived stress. Violence was identified as its chief correlate.

Conclusions

The present study found negative economic and social consequences on the Indian population and also posed an enormous psychological stress due to sudden lock down in pandemic situation.

Managing life during the pandemic: communication strategies, mental health, and the ultimate toll of the COVID-19

Background/aim

The purpose of this review was to present the ultimate toll of the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on the communication strategies and mental health.

Materials and methods

We unsystematically reviewed the studies published between 2020 and 2021 from databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science and ScienceDirect. Firstly, “new-normal” life challenges during the pandemic were discussed along with the public risk communication strategies. Later, mental health problems, posttraumatic growth, and protective factors were reviewed.

Results

Literature highlighted that individuals mainly experience COVID-19 related fear, anxiety, stress, negative emotions and sleep problems. Furthermore, the rates of clinically significant depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder suggest an increase. Specifically, COVID-19 stress syndrome, loneliness, and sleep problems were associated with mental health problems in the pandemic. However, some individuals seem to be resilient to the COVID-19 trauma and experience posttraumatic growth. Brief online intervention studies are promising for reducing the emotional toll of the COVID-19 as well as for making individuals more resilient.

Conclusion

To conclude, the negative conditions of the pandemic seem to make some people, but not all, vulnerable to mental illness. In addition, framing the public warnings in an optimal emotional tone seems to be more effective to comply with the precautions.

Pre-pandemic Predictors of Loneliness in Adult Men During COVID-19

Loneliness is a major public health issue, with its prevalence rising during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and mandated "social distancing" practices. A 2020 global study (n = 46,054) found that, in comparison to women, men experienced the greatest levels of loneliness. Although research on predictors of loneliness during COVID-19 is increasing, little is known about the characteristics of men who may be particularly vulnerable. Studies using prospective data are needed to inform preventative measures to support men at risk of loneliness. The current study draws on rare longitudinal data from an Australian cohort of men in young to mid-adulthood (n = 283; aged M = 34.6, SD = 1.38 years) to examine 25 pre-pandemic psychosocial predictors of loneliness during COVID-19 social restrictions (March-September 2020). Adjusted linear regressions identified 22 pre-pandemic predictors of loneliness across a range of trait-based, relational, career/home and mental health variables. Given the extensive set of predictors, we then conducted penalized regression models (LASSO), a machine learning approach, allowing us to identify the best fitting multivariable set of predictors of loneliness during the pandemic. In these models, men's sense of pre-pandemic environmental mastery emerged as the strongest predictor of loneliness. Depression, neuroticism and social support also remained key predictors of pandemic loneliness (R 2 = 26, including covariates). Our findings suggest that men's loneliness can be detected prospectively and under varying levels of social restriction, presenting possible targets for prevention efforts for those most vulnerable.

High perceived isolation and reduced social support affect headache impact levels in migraine after the Covid-19 outbreak: A cross sectional survey on chronic and episodic patients

BACKGROUND

Psychosocial variables are key factors influencing psycho-physical equilibrium in migraine patients. Social isolation and vulnerability to stressors may prevent efficient psychological adjustment negatively affecting adaptation to life changes, as that imposed during Covid-19 lockdown. Here, we explored psychosocial dimensions and changes in clinical condition during Covid-19 lockdown in migraine patients, with regard to migraine type and headache impact.

METHODS

Sixty-four migraine patients (32 episodic and 32 chronic) and 64 healthy control subjects were included in a case-control cross-sectional study. A two-step clustering procedure split patients into two clusters, based on the Headache Impact Test. Perceived global distress, loneliness, empathy, and coping levels were compared in groups, as well as changes in clinical condition.

RESULTS

Migraine patients reported higher general loneliness and lower social support compared to healthy control subjects. Emotional loneliness was more marked in patients with higher headache impact. This subgroup of patients more frequently reported changes in the therapeutic and care paths as the perceived cause of the occurrence of motor or extra-motor symptomatology.

CONCLUSIONS

Migraine patients, especially those more severely affected, proved more vulnerable than healthy control subjects to Covid-19 lockdown. Long-lasting interruption of social interactions may be detrimental in fragile patients that are in need of structured support interventions to maintain psycho-physical wellbeing.

Quality of Life, Insomnia and Coping Strategies during COVID-19 Pandemic in Hospital Workers. A Cross-Sectional Study

COVID-19 became a pandemic in a few months, leading to adverse health outcomes, reducing the quality of life, affecting the sleep/wake cycle, and altering coping strategies, especially among hospital personnel. Life quality, insomnia, and coping strategies were thus assessed among hospital personnel during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. This cross-sectional study was conducted from May to November 2020 through an online survey. There were 558 participants (28.5% males and 71.5% females) enrolled in two different metropolitan areas (in North and South of Italy, respectively). Three standardized questionnaires were administered: European Quality of life–5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), and Brief COPE. Differences in sociodemographic characteristics and work-related factors were also investigated in order to identify possible predictors through a generalized linear model and logistic regression analysis. Results showed good perceived life quality and high insomnia prevalence. After sample stratification, the statistical analysis highlighted that personal (gender, age, educational level) and work-related factors (employment in COVID wards, remote working) played different roles in predicting quality of life, insomnia, and coping attitude. Active, Planning, and Acceptance were the most frequently adopted coping strategies. Despite women confirming their attitude in reacting to the difficulties, adopting emotion-focused coping strategies, they showed a higher probability to develop insomnia, so a gender perspective should be considered in the health protection of this working category. An integrated approach should be implemented at individual, interpersonal and organizational levels aiming to monitor psychological distress, favor regular sharing and communication between peers, and also allow conciliation of work with family life. At the organizational level, preventive and protective measures adequate to work-related risk to COVID-19 should be adopted.

Psychological distress during the COVID-19 epidemic in Chile: The role of economic uncertainty

Previous research has shown that the COVID-19 outbreak, social distancing, and lockdown can affect people’s psychological well-being. The aims of this study were (1) to estimate the extent to which perceptions and expectations regarding the social, economic, and domestic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak are associated with psychological distress and (2) to identify some demographic, psychosocial, and economic factors associated with increased vulnerability to psychological distress during the COVID-19 outbreak in Chile. 1078 people participated in a telephone survey between May 30 and June 10, 2020. The sample is representative of the Chilean adult population. Psychological distress was assessed through a questionnaire of anxious and depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-4). We analyzed the data set using ordinary least-squares regression models, first estimating models for the entire sample, and then stratifying the sample into different groups to explore differences by gender and age. 19.2% of participants displayed significant psychological distress (PHQ-4 ≥ 6), with moderate to severe anxiety-depression symptoms being more prevalent in women than in men (23.9% vs 14.1%, χ² 16.78, p<0.001). The results of this study suggest that being a woman, feeling lonely and isolated, living in the areas hit hardest by the pandemic and lockdown, expecting a lack of income due to having to stop working as a consequence of the pandemic, and having a history of diagnosed mental disorders are significantly associated with psychological distress (p<0.05). The results of this study highlight the need to implement psychosocial programs to guard people’s psychological well-being and social policies to address economic uncertainty during the current COVID-19 outbreak in Chile.

Short-term psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of the first wave of an ecological daily study in the Italian population

COVID-19 pandemic involved several psychosocial consequences. We aimed at monitoring the mental health of Italian adults during the lockdown imposed by the government. We present here results from the baseline assessment of the "EmotionalThermometer [TermometroEmotivo] project on a sample of 1548 Italian adults. We assessed the socio-demographic conditions of participants, individuals' perception of the COVID-19-situation, psychological distress, emotion regulation strategies, and perceived social support. Having a worse representation of COVID-19 and consulting news more frequently, with higher anxiety and less credibility of different sources of information, were positively associated with psychological distress and post-traumatic responses. Being female, younger age, living in high-risk regions, having symptoms of COVID-19, and having relatives/friends with such symptoms represented risk factors for a worse perception of COVID-19 and distress. Social support and cognitive reappraisal represented protective factors for mental health.

Uncertain crisis time affects psychosocial dimensions in beta-thalassemia patients during Covid-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Psychosocial variables are key factors influencing the delicate equilibrium of chronic patients during crisis time. In this study, we explored distress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, coping strategies, and changes in life habits in 43 beta-thalassemia patients and 86 controls during Covid-19 pandemic. Patients showed higher anxiety levels and a predominant transcendent coping profile compared to controls. Patients significantly differed from controls in outdoor habits. Social isolation and habits changes in uncertain life-threaten situations as Covid-19 pandemic are particularly detrimental in fragile beta-thalassemia patients. Structured support interventions are needed to promote well-being in the Covid-19 era.

A 6-Month Follow-Up Study on Worry and Its Impact on Well-Being During the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic in an Italian Sample

The Italian state adopted serious safety measures to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020. The lockdown was associated with negative psychological consequences in healthy populations, mostly in terms of anxiety, distress, depression, and even traumatic symptoms. This longitudinal study aimed at briefly documenting the psychological impact among an Italian sample, in terms of worry and its impact on psychological well-being levels, of the first wave of COVID-19, taking into account the changes in the lockdown scenario. A three-time follow-up survey was administered to 177 subjects (Female: 78%, M age = 36.33), during (T0), at the end (T1), and 3 months after the end of the first lockdown (T2). Since the first wave of COVID-19, results showed a decrease in worry and the perception of virus diffusion's controllability over time while psychological well-being increased. Furthermore, factors such as personality traits (neuroticism and agreeableness) and dysfunctional coping strategies predicted increases in worry levels at the end of the lockdown and 3 months after in the Italian context. However, worry levels during and at the end of the lockdown did not predict well-being levels 3 months after the end of the lockdown. Based on these findings, mental health policymakers should design tailored interventions able to improve the perception of virus diffusion management, as well as address the psychological needs of Italian citizens and support it, including a plan for the follow-up evaluation.

Posttraumatic symptoms, posttraumatic growth, and internal resources among the general population in Greece: A nation-wide survey amid the first COVID-19 lockdown

Scarce and inconclusive evidence exists on the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 lockdown. This study examined the psychological impact of the lockdown in Greece, resilience levels, use of coping strategies, and identified high-risk groups. A sample of 1661 participants (mean age = 39.5, SD = 12.2; 75.5% females) completed a web-based survey, which was distributed through social networking sites, webpages, and personal contacts. Posttraumatic symptoms, posttraumatic growth, resilience, and coping strategies were assessed. Different population subgroups suffered the impact of lockdown disproportionately. Healthcare workers, females, younger, less educated, and those living alone reported higher rates of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Females achieved more posttraumatic growth and were using coping strategies more frequently than men. Men, older, healthcare workers, and those with a partner were more resilient. Interventions need to be developed to target personal resources, protect vulnerable populations, facilitate posttraumatic growth, and ameliorate wellbeing and quality of life.

Face Masks Protect From Infection but May Impair Social Cognition in Older Adults and People With Dementia

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will have a high impact on older adults and people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Social cognition enables the understanding of another individual's feelings, intentions, desires and mental states, which is particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent further spread of the disease face masks have been recommended. Although justified for prevention of this potentially devastating disease, they partly cover the face and hamper emotion recognition and probably mindreading. As social cognition is already affected by aging and dementia, strategies must be developed to cope with these profound changes of communication. Face masking even could accelerate cognitive decline in the long run. Further studies are of uppermost importance to address face masks' impact on social cognition in aging and dementia, for instance by longitudinally investigating decline before and in the pandemic, and to design compensatory strategies. These issues are also relevant for face masking in general, such as in medical surroundings—beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Making sense of the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative longitudinal study investigating the first and second wave in Italy

The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the crucial role of people's compliance for the success of measures designed to protect public health. Within the frame of Semiotic Cultural Psycho-social Theory, we discuss how the analysis of people's ways of making sense of the crisis scenario can help to identify the resources or constraints underlying the ways the citizens evaluate and comply with the anti-covid measures. This study aimed to examine how Italian adults interpreted what was happening in the first wave of the pandemic and how the interpretation varied in the period up to the beginning of the second wave. Diaries were collected for six months, from 11 April to 3 November 2020. Participants were periodically asked to talk about their life 'in the last few weeks'. A total number of 606 diaries were collected. The Automated Method for Content Analysis (ACASM) procedure was applied to the texts to detect the factorial dimensions - interpreted as the markers of latent dimensions of meanings- underpinning (dis)similarities in the respondents' discourses. ANOVA were applied to examine the dissimilarities in the association between factorial dimensions and production time. Findings show that significant transitions occurred over time in the main dimensions of meaning identified. Whereas the first phase was characterized by a focus on one's own daily life and the attempt to make sense of the changes occurring in the personal sphere, in the following phases the socio-economic impact of the crisis was brought to the fore, along with the hope to returning to the "normality" of the pre-rupture scenario. We argued that, despite the differences, a low sense of the interweaving between the personal and public sphere emerged in the accounts of the pandemic crisis throughout the sixth months considered; a split that, we speculate, can explain the "free for all" movement that occurred at the end of the first wave and the beginning of the second wave.

Factors impacting resilience as a result of exposure to COVID-19: The ecological resilience model

Despite the severe psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, some individuals do not develop high levels of psychological distress and can be termed resilient. Using the ecological resilience model, we examined factors promoting or hindering resilience in the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 1034 participants (49.9±16.2 years; females 51.2%) from Italian general population, 70% displayed resilient outcomes and 30% reported moderate-severe anxiety and/or depression. A binary regression model revealed that factors promoting resilience were mostly psychological (e.g., trait resilience, conscientiousness) together with social distancing. Conversely, factors hindering resilience included COVID-19-anxiety, COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms, intolerance of uncertainty, loneliness, living with children, higher education, and living in regions where the virus was starting to spread. In conclusion, the ecological resilience model in the COVID-19 pandemic explained 64% of the variance and identified factors promoting or hindering resilient outcomes. Critically, these findings can inform psychological interventions supporting individuals by strengthening factors associated with resilience.

The relationship between individuals' sources of information, perceptions, and anxiety regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led individuals to experience psychological distress as a result of their perceptions of the disease. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with these perceptions, the sources of information about the pandemic that may have contributed to them, and the level anxiety felt by adults living in Turkey in the initial phase of COVID-19, with a primary focus on generalized anxiety. The study had a web-based cross-sectional survey design 482 (327 female, 155 male) Turkish responders completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) self-reported questionnaire, a measurement tool related to their perceptions of COVID-19 and questions about their sources of information about the pandemic between 3 and 19 April, 2020. Women experienced higher levels of anxiety than men. Those with severe symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) believed that the COVID-19 pandemic would have a long duration, stated that the risk of transmission had had serious effects on their lives, felt little personal control with regard to the risk of transmission and did not believe that existing treatments would be effective against the risk of transmission. Moreover, those with severe GAD symptoms had little comprehension of how the disease was transmitted. Finally, it was concluded that those with severe GAD symptoms used the internet and, in particular, Instagram as their main sources of information about the pandemic. Although the anxiety levels were found to be moderate in general, women were more vulnerable. Using the internet and, in particular, Instagram as sources of information affected individuals’ perceptions of the pandemic, and led to psychological distress.

Smartphone-based services, perceived accessibility, and transport inequity during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-lagged panel study

Individuals have experienced various degrees of accessibility loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may consequently influence transport equity. However, conventional measurements of accessibility cannot capture individual experiences and perceptions of accessibility. Moreover, since many daily necessities and services can only be acquired online during the pandemic, the ease of using smartphone-based services play an essential role in people's everyday lives. Therefore, this paper investigates the relationship between the ease of using smartphone-based services, perceived accessibility, and perceived transport equity during the pandemic. Based on 186 family interviews, a panel survey with 569 respondents was conducted monthly from February to October 2020 in Kunming, China, and a three-wave cross-lagged panel model was developed to understand the causal relationship between the three constructs. The results indicate that the ease of using smartphone-based services dominantly influence transport equity in the early phase of the pandemic, but its effect faded after the lifting of travel restrictions. Perceived accessibility to services appears a sound indicator for transport equity in the new normal, but perceived accessibility and transport equity are not strongly associated when staying at home is perceived as desirable. Moreover, we found that contemporary practices of smartphone-based new mobility services only favour those who already have convenient access to services and have further excluded and marginalised disadvantaged populations, which urgently require policy interventions.

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on the Role of Empathy during COVID-19’s First Wave

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread throughout the world, and concerns about psychological, social, and economic consequences are growing rapidly. Individuals’ empathy-based reactions towards others may be an important resilience factor in the face of COVID-19. Self-report data from 15,375 participants across 23 countries were collected from May to August 2020 during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, this study examined different facets of empathy—Perspective-Taking, Empathic Concern, and Personal Distress, and their association with cross-cultural ratings on Individualism, Power Distance, The Human Development Index, Social Support Ranking, and the Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index, as well as the currently confirmed number of cases of COVID-19 at the time of data collection. The highest ratings on Perspective-Taking were obtained for USA, Brazil, Italy, Croatia, and Armenia (from maximum to minimum); on Empathetic Concern, for the USA, Brazil, Hungary, Italy, and Indonesia; and on Personal Distress, from Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Armenia, Indonesia. Results also present associations between demographic factors and empathy across countries. Limitations and future directions are presented.

Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Occupational Therapists: An Online Survey in Japan

IMPORTANCE

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a severe psychological impact on frontline and second-line medical workers. However, few empirical reports have been published on its impact on occupational therapists. Clarifying the mental health status of occupational therapists is important to maintain care quality and prevent psychological problems in this population.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the psychological impact of COVID-19 on Japanese occupational therapists in prefectures with and without severe pandemic-related restrictions and elucidate factors associated with psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional online survey using region-stratified two-stage cluster sampling conducted May 28-31, 2020.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample included 371 participants (63.1% women) in the prefectures under specific cautions (i.e., where residents were strictly advised to refrain from outings) and 1,312 in the prefectures without such cautions (61.9% women).

RESULTS

The increase in workload due to the pandemic was significantly related to an increase in anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and an attempt to avoid talking face to face with others was significantly related to an increase in anxiety regardless of area. In prefectures under specific cautions as of May 25, 2020, the provision of sufficient information on COVID-19 by the workplace significantly reduced the risk of insomnia. In other prefectures, the provision of sufficient information significantly reduced the risk of depression.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

These results demonstrate the severe negative psychological impact of the increase in workload resulting from COVID-19 and suggest the importance of psychological support for occupational therapists, such as the provision of sufficient information by the workplace. What This Article Adds: This study highlights the importance of providing psychological support for occupational therapists worldwide.

Risk-Aversion for Negative Health Outcomes May Promote Individual Compliance to Containment Measures in Covid-19 Pandemic

First-person experience of stressful life events can change individuals' risk attitudes, driving to increased or decreased risk perception. This shift to more risk-averse or risk-loving behaviors may find a correlate in the individual psycho-socio-emotional profile. To this purpose, we aimed to estimate the relationship between differences in risk-taking attitudes toward possible negative health outcomes and psycho-socio-emotional dimensions modulating the experience of life-threatening situations, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, we launched the PsyCovid Study (https://wprn.org/item/428452) to assess psycho-socio-emotional changes due to Covid-19 pandemic in the Italian population. Additionally, we distributed to 130 participants the Covid-19 Risk Task, including monetary and health-related stimuli, estimating a measure of risk-aversion toward health and classifying participants on the basis of their risk-attitude profiles. The set of psycho-socio-emotional variables was reduced to three PCA components: Proactivity, Isolation, Inactivity. The individual degree of risk-aversion toward negative health outcomes was directly related to Proactivity, encasing empathic, social support and positive coping strategies, which may prompt individuals to put in place self-protection strategies toward possible negative health consequences. These findings indicate that a risk-averse profile toward possible negative health outcomes may be associated to higher levels of individual prosocial and proactive dispositions, possibly making individuals' more compliant with the social and hygienic guidelines and, thus, reducing their exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Catharsis Through Cinema: An Italian Qualitative Study on Watching Tragedies to Mitigate the Fear of COVID-19

Background: Among different ways of coping with the unsettling situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, a very peculiar one has been identified: a more frequent request, by the general population, of movies or TV series related to the very theme of viruses, contagions, and epidemics. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to explore this peculiar phenomenon, in order to identify people's emotions and cognitions during and after the process, and to better understand the possible psychological function cinema can have during moments of intense and generalized crisis like the present COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Fifteen Italian adults took part in the study - eight women and seven men (average age = 30 years, SD = 10.54). Participants were recruited through social media via a specific announcement, and subsequently, through a "snowball sampling." Method: For the present study a qualitative approach was adopted, and more specifically, the principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) have been followed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by telephone or through online meeting platforms (Zoom or Skype). The written texts obtained from the transcription of each interview were analyzed using thematic analysis with the support of the software Atlas.ti, in order to highlight their fundamental contents. Results: From the data analysis, four main areas of thematic prevalence emerged, which reflected the participants' condition during the pandemic that actually led them to watch epidemic-themed movies or TV series: the need to document themselves concerning the theme of epidemics, the need to exorcize contagion anxiety, the desire to find a character with which they could identify, and the casual condition of finding a peculiar movie related to the theme of pandemics and being interested in it because of the striking resemblance with real life. Conclusions: The findings suggest that cinema could indeed represent a powerful tool to help people face the intense uncertainty of the new COVID-19 epidemic, since it allows spectators to both obtain more insight into the current situation, and to project their fears and uncertainties into the movie or TV series, thus reaching a sort of cathartic liberation that offers them hope toward the future.