The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Emotional Systems and Emotional Regulation

Does adult attachment mediate the relationship between primary emotion traits and eating disorder symptoms?

Objectives

Primary emotion traits and attachment patterns, have been linked to various mental disorders. This study aims to shed more light on the less studied relationship with eating disorder (ED) symptoms.

Methods

A total of 921 non-clinical subjects (69.9% females) were assessed for primary emotions traits (B-ANPS-GL), attachment insecurity (ECR-RD8), and eating disorder pathology (EDE-Q8). A theoretically derived model was evaluated by means of a path analysis with attachment anxiety as assumed mediator variable.

Results

Global problematic eating behavior showed negative correlations with the positive emotions PLAY, CARE, and LUST (r = -0.10 to -0.24), positive correlations with the negative primary emotions ANGER, FEAR, and SADNESS (r = 0.12-0.27), as well as with attachment anxiety (r = 0.22, all p < 0.01). Path analyses revealed direct effects between eating behavior pathology with LUST (β = -0.07 to -0.15) and FEAR (β = 0.12-0.19; all p < 0.05). The association of SADNESS and Weight (β = 0.05) and Shape Concern (β = 0.06, p < 0.001) was fully mediated by attachment anxiety. Overall, the path model explained 17% of the variance for attachment anxiety and 6% of the Restraint, 13% for Eating, 10% for Weight and 14% for Shape Concern Subscales.

Discussion

The findings shed light on the multifactorial relationship between affective traits, attachment security, and eating disorder pathology. In line with previous research, the results emphasize the role of attachment and affective functioning in ED symptoms.

Factors influencing coping skills of middle-aged adults in COVID-19, South Korea

Background

In light of the persistent COVID-19 pandemic, there is a compelling imperative to enhance the COVID-19 coping capacity among middle-aged adults within the South Korean population. Consequently, there is a need for further research endeavors in this area.

Objective

This study aims to explore and identify the factors influencing the coping skills of middle-aged adults in COVID-19, South Korea.

Methods

This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design. Participants were 147 middle-aged adults living in Seoul, Geounggi-do, and Chungchung-do in South Korea. Data included demographics, coping skills, the impact of the event, perceived health status, psychological wellbeing, and family support. The data were analyzed using the SPSS Statistics 25.0 program. Data were collected from March to July 2020.

Results

The regression model was significant (F = 13.56, p < 0.001), and the adjusted R-squared representing the explanatory power of the model was 0.63. The strongest predictor was perceived health status (β = 0.34), followed by family support (β = 0.31), impact of event (β = -0.24), underlying disease (β = -0.13), and economic status (β = 0.11).

Conclusion

This study suggests that to improve the coping skills of middle-aged adults with COVID-19, their perceived health status and family support should be strengthened, and the impact of the event should be decreased. Also, it needs that underlying diseases are managed and economic status is improved. Nurses need to pay more attention to the influencing factors to improve the coping skills of middle-aged adults in COVID-19, South Korea.

Social distancing policy and mental health during COVID-19 pandemic: an 18-month longitudinal cohort study in South Korea

Background

Despite the effectiveness of social distancing policies in preventing the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), their impact on mental health remains a concern. Longitudinal studies investigating the psychological effects of social distancing are limited.

Methods

Longitudinal data on psychological variables were collected eight times between May 2020 and November 2021 through online surveys in South Korea.

Results

The participants in the study reported a worsening of depressive and anxiety symptoms, suicide risk, and psychological distress with increasing levels of social distancing. Specifically, during the third wave, when social distancing levels peaked, the highest levels of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress were observed, and the second-lowest levels of vitality were reported. Furthermore, psychological risk factors, such as depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and suicidal risk, were closely associated with vitality levels in daily life.

Discussions

During the pandemic, although social distancing helped prevent the spread of COVID-19, it also led to increased depression, anxiety, suicide risk, psychological distress, and decreased vitality. Engagement at a personal level in fundamental daily activities is important to cope with psychological distress. Our results indicate that commitment to fundamental daily activities and following routines is an important protective factor against psychological distress, notwithstanding COVID-19.

Mediation effect of emotional self-regulation in the relationship between physical activity and subjective well-being in Chilean adolescents

Adolescents' subjective well-being and physical activity have been found to be correlated in previous studies. However, the underlying mechanisms of this relationship, especially the potential contribution of emotional self-regulation, have received little attention. This study aims to investigate the extent to which emotional self-regulation mediates the association between adolescent physical activity habits and their subjective well-being. The study involved 9585 adolescents who completed a cross-sectional survey. Participants were aged between 10 and 19 years old and attended primary and secondary schools in all 16 regions of Chile. The survey utilized a self-report questionnaire to measure physical activity habits, subjective well-being, and emotional self-regulation. Sociodemographic variables, such as age, gender, and socioeconomic level, were also considered in the analysis. The results showed that physical activity habits, emotional regulation, and subjective well-being were positively correlated. Among these factors, the strongest association was found between subjective well-being and emotional self-regulation. The mediation analysis revealed a partial mediation effect of emotional self-regulation between physical activity habits and subjective well-being. In other words, physical activity habits affect subjective well-being to the extent that these habits affect emotional self-regulation. These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the link between physical activity habits and subjective well-being among adolescents. They also offer useful information for the development of public programs and policies aimed at promoting physical activity habits and subjective well-being in young people.

Mental Health in the Post-Lockdown Scenario: A Scientometric Investigation of the Main Thematic Trends of Research

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, researchers and clinicians have published scientific articles on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its medical, organizational, financial, and psychological implications. However, many effects have been observed in the post-lockdown scenario. In this study, we adopted a scientometric-bibliometric approach to drawing the state of the art regarding the emotional and psychological effects of the pandemic after the lockdown. In Scopus, we found 791 papers that were subsequently analyzed using CiteSpace. The document co-citation analysis (DCA) computation generated a network of eight major clusters, each representing a central area of investigation. Specifically, one major cluster-cluster no. 1-focuses on the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and individuals' ability to develop adaptive coping mechanisms and resilience. The results allow us to frame the fields covered by researchers more precisely and the areas that still need more investigation.

Associations between COVID-19 mental impact and distress, resilience, burnout and well-being in Hong Kong community adults: A structural equation model

The COVID-19 pandemic poses substantial risks to individuals' physical and mental health and prolonged psychological responses to the pandemic could lead to emotional exhaustion. The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of COVID-19 related mental impact and distress in the relationship among resilience, burnout, and well-being. The present study recruited 500 community adults (mean age = 38.8 years, SD = 13.9; 76% females) in Hong Kong via an online survey in autumn 2021. The participants completed the Mental Impact and Distress Scale: COVID-19 (MIDc) and validated measures on resilience, burnout, and well-being. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the MIDc. Direct and indirect effects of resilience on burnout and well-being via MIDc were examined via structural equation modeling. Confirmatory factor analysis supported factorial validity for the three factors of MIDc (situational impact, anticipation, and modulation). Resilience showed negative effects on the MIDc (β = -0.69, SE = 0.04, p < 0.01) and burnout (β = 0.23, SE = 0.06, p < 0.01). Burnout was positively associated with MIDc (β = 0.63, SE = 0.06, p < 0.01) and negatively associated with well-being (β = -0.47, SE = 0.07, p < 0.01). Resilience showed a significant and positive indirect effect (αβγ = 0.203, 95% CI = 0.131 to 0.285) on well-being via MIDc and burnout. The results support a potential mediating role for MIDc as psychological responses in the relationship among resilience and burnout and well-being.

The impact of parenting styles on undergraduate students' emotion regulation: The mediating role of academic-social student-faculty interaction

Based on the survey data of 4,462 undergraduate students in Zhejiang Province, mainland China, this study investigated the influence of parenting styles on emotion regulation and the mediating role of student-faculty interaction. The study found that: (1) Male students scored significantly higher than female students on emotion regulation, overprotective parenting style and student-faculty interaction. (2) Parenting style has a direct positive effect on emotion regulation, and warm parenting style has a much greater effect on emotion regulation than overprotective parenting style. (3) The mediating effect of student-faculty interaction in the relationship between parenting style and emotion regulation holds true, with the mediating effect of academic student-faculty interaction being much higher than that of social student-faculty interaction. (4) The influence of warm parenting style on emotion regulation relies more on the direct effect, while the influence of overprotective parenting style on emotion regulation relies more on the mediating effect of student-faculty interaction.

Men and Women as Differential Social Barometers: Gender Effects of Perceived Friend Support on the Neuroticism-Loneliness-Well-Being Relationship in a Younger Adult Population

Loneliness and social isolation are well known to have detrimental effects on mental and physical health, and the perception of social support is frequently viewed as a protective factor. Yet, the beneficial effect varies when perceived support is considered with respect to gender and personality. We examined the mechanism of loneliness as a mediator of personality on health and moderation of this relationship by perceived social support and gender. Five hundred and thirty young adults (325 women) aged 18–32 years (Mage = 25.42, SD = 4.13) provided self-report assessments of personality, loneliness, perceived social support, general health and psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on well-being. Using a series of regression-based mediation and moderated mediation models, we found higher scores on extraversion to be associated with lower loneliness and better general health and well-being; higher neuroticism with greater loneliness and poorer general health. Being male and perceiving greater friend support moderated the neuroticism–loneliness–well-being relationship. Men higher on neuroticism were less able to benefit from lower loneliness when the perception of support from friends was greater, yet were less sensitive to the negative impact on the well-being of perceiving low levels of friend support. Effects suggest important gender differences with the potential to inform health interventions.

Risk Perception and Health Precautions Towards COVID-19 Among Older Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Adults in South Australia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background

Risk perceptions and precaution-taking against COVID-19 are affected by individuals’ health status, psychosocial vulnerabilities and cultural dimensions. This cross-sectional study investigates risk perceptions associated with COVID-19 and specifically the problem- and emotion-focused health precautions of older, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) South Australians.

Methods

Cross-sectional research involving self-administration of an online survey. Participants were CALD adults living in South Australia, aged 60 years and above (n = 155). Multi-indicator surveys were analyzed using Stata/MP version 13.0 and multiple linear regression models fitted to examine associations between risk perceptions and problem- and emotion-focused health precautions.

Results

Dread risk returned the highest mean score; COVID-19 was perceived as a catastrophe. Mean scores for fear showed that participants were worried about COVID-19 and scared of becoming infected. Participants followed health advice as they were worried [β 0.15; 95% CI 0.07, 0.23] and realized the effect of COVID-19 on them [β 0.15; 95% CI 0.02, 0.28], or worried and had trust in experts’ knowledge and managing capacity [β 0.17; 95% CI 0.06, 0.28]. Age was negatively associated with sum-score of problem-focused coping: compared to participants aged 60–69 years, 80+ years revealed a decrease in problem-focused health precautions. Variables like education (primary schooling [β 2.80; 95% CI 0.05, 5.55] and bachelor degree [β 3.16; 95% CI 0.07, 6.25] versus no formal education), self-confidence in reducing risk, and fear [β 0.84; 95% CI 0.31, 1.36] significantly affected emotional-focused health precautions.

Conclusion

This local study has global implications. It showed that COVID-19 has psychosocial and environmental implications for older CALD adults. When many CALD populations have existing vulnerabilities to intersecting disadvantage, cultural-tailoring of interventions and pandemic response plans may buffer the effects of compounding disaster. Larger studies are needed to compare risk perception and health response patterns across countries and cultural groupings.

'Feeling fat' amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining the role of emotion dysregulation in the body displacement hypothesis

'Feeling fat,' the somatic experience of being overweight not entirely explained by objective weight, may occur due to the projection of negative affect onto the body. Individuals may manage 'feeling fat' via eating pathology (e.g., binge eating or dietary restriction) rather than address the source of negative affect. Thus, 'feeling fat' may occur in the absence of adaptive emotion regulation strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative affect widely and may potentially contribute to the experience of 'feeling fat' and eating pathology among individuals with emotion dysregulation. This study examined whether emotion dysregulation moderates 'feeling fat's' role as a mechanism underlying the relationship between COVID-19-related distress and eating pathology. This uniqueness of this model to eating pathology was investigated by comparing effects for binge eating and dietary restriction versus anxiety, depression, and problematic alcohol use. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze questionnaire data from 877 participants (77.3% women). 'Feeling fat' explained significant variance in the relationship between COVID-19-related distress and both binge eating and restriction. Emotion dysregulation modulated the strength of these relationships. However, 'feeling fat's role in the relationship between pandemic-related distress and negative psychological outcomes was not unique to eating pathology and did not vary based upon emotion dysregulation. Individuals with elevated emotion dysregulation are more likely to report eating pathology, but not other outcomes, in the context of 'feeling fat'. In contrast, 'feeling fat' underlies the relationship between COVID-19-distress and transdiagnostic psychological outcomes, meaning 'feeling fat' should be considered in risk for psychopathology beyond eating disorders.

Negative Perception of the COVID-19 Pandemic Is Dropping: Evidence From Twitter Posts

The COVID-19 pandemic hit hard society, strongly affecting the emotions of the people and wellbeing. It is difficult to measure how the pandemic has affected the sentiment of the people, not to mention how people responded to the dramatic events that took place during the pandemic. This study contributes to this discussion by showing that the negative perception of the people of the COVID-19 pandemic is dropping. By negative perception, we mean the number of negative words the users of Twitter, a social media platform, employ in their online posts. Seen as aggregate, Twitter users are using less and less negative words as the pandemic evolves. The conclusion that the negative perception is dropping comes from a careful analysis we made in the contents of the COVID-19 Twitter chatter dataset, a comprehensive database accounting for more than 1 billion posts generated during the pandemic. We explore why the negativity of the people decreases, making connections with psychological traits such as psychophysical numbing, reappraisal, suppression, and resilience. In particular, we show that the negative perception decreased intensively when the vaccination campaign started in the USA, Canada, and the UK and has remained to decrease steadily since then. This finding led us to conclude that vaccination plays a key role in dropping the negativity of the people, thus promoting their psychological wellbeing.

Will Nothing Be the Same Again?: Changes in Lifestyle during COVID-19 Pandemic and Consequences on Mental Health

Social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected lifestyles: from sedentary behaviors to reduced physical activity, from disrupted sleep patterns to altered dietary habits. As a consequence, serious mental and emotional responses have been registered. There was a significant decline in physical and other meaningful activities of daily living, leisure, social activity, and education. In children, collateral effects of the pandemic include inadequate nutrition with a risk of both overweight and underweight, addiction to screens, lack of schooling, and psychosocial difficulties. Older adults are frequently unable to adapt to lockdown measures and suffer from depression and cognitive complaints. Recent studies focusing on changes in lifestyle during the Covid-19 pandemic and consequences on mental health have been identified in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Embase, and ScienceDirect. All the available literature has been retrospectively reviewed. The results of the present narrative review suggest that mental distress caused by social isolation seems to be linked not only to personality characteristics but also to several lifestyle components (sleep disruption, altered eating habits, reduced physical activity). This review aims to explore major changes in the lifestyle and quality of life and the impact of these changes on mental health, and to inform clinicians and policymakers about elements that may reduce the negative psychological effects of the quarantine period imposed during this worldwide crisis. There is an urgent need for tailored preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic mental health interventions for the general population and for higher risk groups.

I Need a Doctor, Call Me a Doctor: Attachment and the Evaluation of General Practitioners before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Attachment is a system of threat regulation, and insecure (anxious and avoidant) attachment orientations are important individual difference antecedents to the cognitive and affective attributions of trait inferences. However, little is known about how threat-related contexts, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, influence attachment-related socio-cognitive schemas. Using an experimental research design across two independent samples of 330 (pre-onset of COVID-19) and 233 (post-onset of COVID-19) participants, we tested whether attachment orientations influenced general practitioner (GP) ratings and selection differently pre- and post-onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, when presented with only negative information signals, avoidant individuals attributed positive ratings to GPs, with differing ratings as the number of positive signals increased. Differences between pre- and post-onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were less pronounced with regards to positive signals. We discuss these results in line with signal detection theory (SDT) and provide practical implications in response to our findings.