The Effect of COVID-19 Anxiety on General Health: the Role of COVID-19 Coping

The effect of a prosocial environment on health and well-being during the first COVID-19 lockdown and a year later

The outset of the COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by prolonged periods of chronic stress and social isolation. While studies have investigated the changes to well-being (WB) during this period, the impact of the social environment on long-term physical and mental health requires further study. This study aimed to assess the factors influencing WB and health outcomes, with the hypothesis that a positive social environment would play a significant immediate and long-term role in improving WB and preventing the effects of anxiety associated with the pandemic. At time point 1 (April 2020), an Israeli sample of 206 participants (84% female, mean age 31.5) responded to traditional questionnaires assessing mental health and social support. Factors affecting WB were assessed within subjects during the first COVID-19 lockdown for 6 weeks using a daily survey (Beiwe phone application). A year later, in May 2021, at time point 2, the initial questionnaires were readministered to a subset of the same participants (N = 94). We found that anxiety during the first lockdown adversely affected WB and predicted health and WB deterioration a year later. In contrast, a high quality of social relationships was associated with better short- and long-term WB, and mitigated the adverse effects of anxiety. Daily activities, including physical activity, meditation, and romantic relations, were also positively associated with WB during the first lockdown but did not have long-term effects. In summary, our study underscores the enduring health advantages of a positive social environment, particularly during stressful periods. These results have implications for health policymakers: programs which support individuals with high anxiety and low support, by integrating them into community-based interventions, promise to enhance well-being (WB) and health, as well as to fortify the community as a whole.

Machine learning and data analysis-based study on the health issues post-pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on the health of individuals and communities around the world. While the immediate health impacts of the virus itself are well-known, there are also a number of post-pandemic health issues that have emerged as a result of the pandemic. The pandemic has caused increased levels of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues among people of all ages. The isolation, uncertainty, and grief caused by the pandemic have taken a toll on people's mental well-being, and there is a growing concern that the long-term effects of the pandemic on mental health could be severe. Many people have delayed or avoided medical care during the pandemic, which could lead to long-term health problems. Additionally, people who have contracted COVID-19 may experience ongoing symptoms, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and muscle weakness, which could impact their long-term health. Machine learning (ML) can be a powerful tool to analyze the health impact of the post-pandemic period. With the vast amounts of data available from electronic health records, public health databases, and other sources, this article is making use of ML methods which can help identify patterns and insights to conclude the study. The proposed ML models can analyze health data to identify trends and patterns that may indicate future health problems. By monitoring patterns in medical records and public health data, the proposed ML model can help public health officials detect and respond to outbreaks more quickly. The survey outcome reveals that the level of physical activities has been decreased by 22% during COVID-19-outbreak. The variance is shown at 49% during COVID-19 outbreak. The absence of physical activity (PA) and perceived stress (PS) are observed to be suggestively correlated with the QoL (quality of life) of adults. Deteriorated mental health also disrupts the normal lives and impacts the sleeping quality of people. The analysis of the data is performed using statistical analytical tools to depict the consequences of pandemic on the health of individuals aged between 50 to 80 years.

COVID-19 fear and anxiety as mediators in the relationship between repetitive negative thinking and psychopathology: a community-based study during the 2nd confinement in Portugal

Repetitive negative thinking is a cognitive dimension of the onset and maintenance of psychopathology, and increased levels of psychopathology have been observed during COVID-19 lockdowns. The role of fear of COVID-19 and COVID-19 anxiety has been poorly explored in terms of psychopathology during lockdowns due to the pandemic crisis. This study examines the mediating role of fear of COVID-19 and COVID-19 anxiety in the relationship between repetitive negative thinking and psychopathology during the second lockdown in Portugal. Participants completed a web survey that included a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, the Persistent and Intrusive Negative Thoughts Scale, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale - 21. The results showed a positive and significant correlation between all variables and identified fear of COVID-19 and COVID-19 anxiety as significant mediators in the relationship between repetitive negative thinking and psychopathology during the second lockdown in Portugal, after controlling for being isolated, being infected, and working in first line response of COVID-19. Overall, the current findings highlight the role of cognitive dimensions such as anxiety and fear in the context of COVID-19, nearly a year after the pandemic outbreak and after the release of a vaccine. Mental health programs should consider improving coping strategies for emotion regulation, particularly fear and anxiety, during major catastrophic health-related events.

High-efficient capture and degradation of formaldehyde based on the electric-field-enhanced catalytic effect

Enhancing the generation of active groups is of great significance for alleviating the catalyst deactivation of formaldehyde (HCHO) by accelerating the decomposition of intermediate products. Herein, an electric-field-enhanced catalytic effect was proposed for the efficient capture and degradation of HCHO base on carbon cloth loaded manganese oxide catalyst (MnO_x-CC). Under the action of electric field, MnO_x can generate more hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and superoxide radicals (•O₂^-), thus accelerating the degradation of HCHO and intermediates at room temperature. After the introduction electric field (∼1 ×10⁴ V/m), •O₂^- and •OH radical on the surface of MnO_x-CC catalyst can be increased by 8 times and 23 times, respectively. At weight hourly space velocity of 300,000 mL/(g_cat h) for ∼15 ppm HCHO, MnO_x-CC-Electric Field catalyst reached the removal efficiency of 99.4%, and the CO₂ conversion efficiency of 81.2%, without decrease significantly within 80 h. Theoretical calculation shows that the electric field can increase the electron state density of Mn atom at the Fermi level and reduce the adsorption energy of HCHO, O₂ and H₂O, thus promoting the generation of active groups and degradation of intermediate products. The electric-field-enhancement catalytic effect provides a new approach for the degradation of Volatile Organic Compounds.

Determining the effect of selected mental factors on turnover intention through two modulators - stress and resilience over COVID-19 period

INTRODUCTION

Turnover intention among nurses has risen in an alarming rate since the onset of the pandemic. There are various underlying factors to turnover intention. The present study aims to determine the effect of a number of mental factors on nurses' professional-turnover intention through two modulators of stress and resilience over COVID-19 period.

METHODS

The current cross-sectional study was conducted at three hospitals in Khuzestan Province, southern Iran, during the winter of 2021. To collect the data, given the restrictions in place during COVID-19 period, the web link of electronic self-reported questionnaires (including general health, mental workload, work-family conflict, resilience, job stress, corona fear, and turnover intention) were sent to 350 nurses through e-mail and other social media (WhatsApp and Telegram). Accordingly, they were asked to complete the questionnaire during rest periods within two weeks. Totally, 300 people (85% participation) filled out the questionnaires. Finally, a model was constructed in the Amos software.

RESULTS

The results showed that the four independent parameters of decreasing general health, increasing mental workload, increasing WFCs and fear of COVID-19 can indirectly increase nurses' turnover intention by increasing job stress. Among these variables, the highest indirect effect coefficient on turnover intention was related to the general health parameter (-0.141). The results also demonstrated a negative correlation between job stress and resilience, with lower resilience raising job stress and, consequently, increasing intention to quit the job.

CONCLUSION

Mental factors affecting turnover intension were identified in this study through path analysis. Therefore, it is recommended that the required resilience-enhancing measures to be taken by hospitals and nursing administrations to reduce psychological pressures caused by mentioned variables with the aim of minimizing job-related stress and fostering nurse retention.

How Do COVID-19 Risk, Life-Safety Risk, Job Insecurity, and Work-Family Conflict Affect Miner Performance? Health-Anxiety and Job-Anxiety Perspectives

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has created challenging working conditions in coal-production activities. In addition to the massive loss of resources for miners, it has had a devastating impact on these individuals' mental health. Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory and a resource-loss perspective, this study examined the impact of COVID-19 risk, life-safety risk, perceived job insecurity, and work-family conflict on miners' job performance. Moreover, this study investigated the mediating role of job anxiety (JA) and health anxiety (HA). The study data were collected through online structured questionnaires disseminated to 629 employees working in a coal mine in China. The data analysis and hypothesis generation were conducted using the structural equation modeling (partial least squares) method. The results demonstrated that the perception of COVID-19 risk, life-safety risk, job insecurity, and work-family conflict negatively and significantly impacted miners' job performance. In addition, JA and HA negatively mediated the relationships between the perception of COVID-19 risk, life-safety risk, perceived job insecurity, work-family conflict, and job performance. The findings of this study can give coal-mining companies and their staff useful insights into how to minimize the pandemic's effects on their operations.

Examining Cancer Patients' Perceptions of the Impact of COVID-19 on Teleoncology: Findings From 15 Nigerian Outpatient Cancer Clinics

PURPOSE

To examine cancer patients' perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on teleoncology in Nigeria.

METHODS

Data from a multicenter survey conducted at 15 outpatient clinics to 1,097 patients with cancer from April and July 2020 were analyzed. The study outcome was telemedicine, defined as patients who reported their routine follow-up visits were converted to virtual visits because of COVID-19 (coded yes/no). Covariates included patient age, ethnicity, marital status, income, cancer treatment, service disruption, and cancer diagnosis/type. Stata/SE.v.17 (StataCorp, College Station, TX) was used to perform chi-square and logistic regression analyses. P values ≤ .05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The majority of the 1,097 patients with cancer were female (65.7%) and age 55 years and older (35.0%). Because of COVID-19, 12.6% of patients' routine follow-ups were converted to virtual visits. More patients who canceled/postponed surgery (17.7% v 7.5%; P ≤ .001), radiotherapy (16.9% v 5.3%; P ≤ .001), and chemotherapy (22.8% v 8.5%; P ≤ .001), injection chemotherapy (20.6% v 8.7%; P ≤ .001) and those who reported being seen less by their doctor/nurse (60.3% v 11.4%; P ≤ .001) reported more follow-up conversions to virtual visits. In multivariate analyses, patients seen less by their doctors/nurses were 14.3 times more likely to have their routine follow-ups converted to virtual visits than those who did not (odds ratio, 14.33; 95% CI, 8.36 to 24.58).

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 caused many patients with cancer in Nigeria to convert visits to a virtual format. These conversions were more common in patients whose surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and injection chemotherapy treatments were canceled or postponed. Our findings suggest how COVID-19 affects cancer treatment services and the importance of collecting teleoncological care data in Nigeria.

Psychiatric Issues Encountered in Home Healthcare in the age of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused physical and mental harm to home healthcare clinicians as well as the patients we serve. As home healthcare professionals, we became acutely aware of our patients' suffering while simultaneously dealing with our own personal and professional challenges. It is critical that those who provide healthcare learn how to manage the deleterious effects of this frightening virus. This article focuses on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients and healthcare providers and suggests ways of developing resilience. Home healthcare providers must be able to manage their own psychological needs before they can assess and intervene with the multiple mental health consequences of anxiety and depression in their patients that can result from COVID-19.

Factors Associated with Psychosocial Symptoms Experienced by Students in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multivariate Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted many sectors, including the education sector. After in-person school activities were suspended due to the pandemic, a number of educational institutions in Indonesia reported concerns in implementing online learning due to the institutions' unpreparedness. This issue may potentially induce mental health disorders among students and triggers long-term stress. This study aimed to examine factors linked to the psychosocial symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression in response to the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online cross-sectional study in Indonesia was conducted with 433 undergraduate and senior high school students aged 15 to 26 years old, both female and male. The self-reported symptoms were analyzed using both bivariate and multivariate linear regression methods. It was found that the percentage of participants with depression symptoms was 66%, while 61% and 43% participants experienced stress and anxiety respectively. The bivariate analysis presented strong correlations between anxiety and gender, learning duration and use of gadgets, internet expenses, and highly-interrupted learning. Furthermore, the multivariate regression revealed that only anxiety was significantly linked to internet expenses. This study indicates that many students are affected by COVID-19, the impacts of which manifest in psychosocial issues in the form of anxiety. We suggest that creating a supportive and positive family environment would help to alleviate some of these issues.

Satisfaction With Life Among Vaccinated Turkish People

Abstract. Introduction: Past research has shown that psychological and behavioral factors, including anxiety, fear, and preventive behaviors, are related to well-being outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet little is known about the simultaneous effects of those factors in predicting satisfaction with life among vaccinated people. Methods: This cross-sectional study is among the first to examine whether COVID-19 anxiety, fear of COVID-19, and preventive behaviors predicted satisfaction with life among the vaccinated general public in Turkey. Participants were 1,017 Turkish adults (69.71% female; mean age = 36.28, SD = 10.83 years) who completed online self-reported questionnaires. Results: Results showed that increased levels of anxiety and fear of COVID-19 significantly predicted reduced satisfaction with life over and above the effects of sociodemographic and clinical factors. Discussion: The findings suggest the importance of tailoring and implementing interventions focusing on the improvement of the well-being of people during the pandemic.

Family Communication and Psychological Distress in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic: Mediating Role of Coping

This study aims to examine the association between family communication and psychological distress with coping as a potential mediator. The study also developed and validated the Family Communication Scale (FCS) in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (n = 658; 74.9% female) were general public ranged in age between 18 and 58 years (mean age = 26.38, SD = 10.01). The results showed that family communication directly influenced psychological distress and indirectly influenced through approach coping. However, avoidant coping was not directly associated with psychological distress, nor did it mediate the association between family communication and psychological distress. The findings suggest that people, who have better family communication, highly engage in approach coping which in turn leads to better psychological health in face of adversity. The findings have important empirical and theoretical implications.

COVID-19 Anxiety and Wellbeing at Work in Finland during 2020-2022: A 5-Wave Longitudinal Survey Study

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted workers globally during 2020-2022 and it has had major psychological implications for workers' wellbeing. This longitudinal study analyzed risk and protective factors predicting COVID-19 anxiety among workers in Finland. Longitudinal national sample of Finnish workers (n = 685) participated in a five-wave study conducted in 2020-2022, covering multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Our outcome measure was COVID-19 anxiety. Predictors were psychological distress, work exhaustion, technostress, and loneliness. Models also controlled for self-regulation; social support at work and remote working; and socio-demographic background factors. Both within-person and between-person effects were analyzed using multilevel hybrid regression models. COVID-19 anxiety varied between time points which is explained by changes in circumstances during the pandemic. Highest anxiety was expressed in the middle of the Delta variant surge and lockdown in spring 2021. Within-person changes in psychological distress, work exhaustion, technostress, self-regulation, and perceived loneliness were all associated with COVID-19 anxiety. Between-person results showed that distressed, exhausted, technostressed, and lonely workers expressed more anxiety than others. Remote workers reported higher anxiety over time than others. Those who had reported high self-regulation reported lower anxiety than others. Female gender and younger age were associated with higher anxiety. COVID-19 anxiety continues to be an important phenomenon with a magnitude of consequences on people and numerous industries. This study showed that general mental health and work stressors predict COVID-19 anxiety. Promoting social support and workers' self-regulation skills can be beneficial for overcoming anxiety during and after the pandemic.

The emotion bias of health product consumers in the context of COVID-19

The ongoing COVID-19 has led to an increase in negative emotions and health awareness among consumers. This paper discusses the emotion bias of Chinese consumers during the three periods: the pre-COVID-19 period, the COVID-19 lockdown period, and the COVID-19 normalization period. This study takes health products as the research object and crawls relevant reviews on the JD platform to classify products. The data were classified into emotion, the intensity of emotion was calculated, and the logistic regression model and variance analysis were used to analyze the difference in emotion expression. The study reveals that consumers are willing to express fear and sadness during the COVID-19 lockdown era and are willing to express like emotions before the pandemic compared to the three periods. There are also differences in the emotional intensity of different product reviews. The intensity of emotional expression is more vigorous for consumers who purchase nutritional products, while for those who purchase healthcare equipment, the intensity of emotional expression is lower. This study offers the emotion bias of consumers in response to COVID-19 to provide a theoretical basis and reference solution for implementing marketing strategies for health product companies.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and academic performance of medical postgraduates

Background

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented a major challenge to the health, economic, and social sectors of the entire world. This study aimed to investigate the mental health and academic performance of medical postgraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from March 20 to April 20, 2022 at the Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: general information, mental health and academic performance. Mental health outcomes were assessed according to the Generalized Anxiety Scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Scale (PHQ-9).

Results

A total of 153 valid questionnaires were obtained. Of the medical postgraduates in this study, (1) 41.8% had no anxiety symptoms. In addition, 51.0% had mild anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the participants had a severe anxiety or depression disorder; (2) Females experienced significantly more symptoms in mental health measure scores than the males (P < 0.01); (3) 78.4% believed that the COVID-19 pandemic had varying degrees of impact on their academics. Doctoral postgraduates showed greater academic stress, and they were more worried about not meeting graduation standards than the master's postgraduates (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the surgical postgraduates and internal postgraduates in either mental health or academic performance.

Conclusions

Our study found that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a mild impact on the mental health and academic performance of medical postgraduates in China. Females experienced significantly more symptoms on mental health measure scores than the males. Doctoral postgraduates showed greater academic stress than the master's postgraduates. There is uncertainty regarding how long this COVID-19 situation will persist and increasing recognition that there may be periods of recurrence in the future. We need more active curricular innovation and transformation to maintain and improve medical postgraduates' mental health and academic performance.

Coping Strategies Used by Older Cancer Survivors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study

Objectives: The objective of this study is to longitudinally examine the coping strategies used by older cancer survivors (≥60 years of age) during COVID-19. Methods: An interpretive descriptive approach was used to collect and analyse qualitative data collected via 1:1 telephone interviews at three timepoints: June/July 2020, January 2021, and March 2021. Main Findings: Coping strategies used by older adults reflected the resources available to them, and their agency in self-triaging and deciding on resources to support their coping. These decisions were impacted by pandemic-imposed restrictions and necessitated readjustment over time. Three themes were developed to describe coping strategies (including any changes): adapting means and methods to connect with others; being intentional about outlook; and taking actions toward a brighter future. Conclusion: Older adults used a variety of coping strategies, though their reliance on resources beyond themselves (e.g., family/friends) indicates a need to add tailored resources to existing professional services.

Adult attachment and trait anxiety among Chinese college students: A multiple mediation model

The present study discusses the relationship between adult attachment and trait anxiety of Chinese college students based on the "internal working models" theory. Six hundred and seventy-two valid data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire. The mediating roles of self-esteem, perceived social support, and security in the relationship between adult attachment orientations (anxiety and avoidance) and trait anxiety were investigated using the structural equation model and bootstrap methods. The results showed that: self-esteem and security play mediating roles in the relationship between attachment anxiety and trait anxiety. self-esteem, perceived social support, and security play mediating roles in the relationship between attachment avoidance and trait anxiety. In addition, there were different mediation mechanisms in the correlation between different attachment dimensions and trait anxiety. This study provided empirical data for exploring the formation and maintenance of trait anxiety in college students and had a specific significance for the early prevention and clinical intervention of anxiety-related disorders.

Determinants of Quality of Life in the COVID-19 Pandemic Situation among Persons Using Psychological Help at Various Stages of the Pandemic

This article presents the results of three surveys conducted during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 and in late June/early July 2020, when pandemic restrictions were in force. The surveys covered patients who had used psychological assistance before the pandemic. two were cross-sectional and one was longitudinal. The first survey involved 270 people (age: M = 29.59, SD = 10.74, women 79.3%), and the second one covered 117 subjects (age: M = 29.40, SD = 11.49, women 85.5%). The third, longitudinal, survey covered 83 subjects (age: M = 26.61, SD = 7.17, women 89.2%). In our research we used the Conservation of Resources Evaluation questionnaire, the abbreviated version of the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced, the WHO Quality of Life Scale, and a questionnaire for collecting sociodemographic information. Our analysis of the quality-of-life correlates in the two cross-sectional studies leads to an observation that for people using psychological help, the constant determinants of quality of life during a pandemic are high gain in resources and little loss of resources. In the first phase of the pandemic, active strategies were not linked to the sense of quality of life. This sense, however, was diminished by a number of negative strategies, such as denial, venting, substance use, restraint, and self-blame. After 3 months of the ongoing pandemic, perceived quality of life was positively correlated with strategies related to seeking instrumental support and active coping. this most likely points to a process of adapting to a difficult situation. The results of our longitudinal surveys demonstrate increasing escapism. Our attempt at explaining which factors determined the quality of life after 3 months of the ongoing pandemic showed that the crucial factors are: a sense of quality of life before the occurrence of the pandemic, changes in the distribution of resilience-oriented resources, changed frequency of using passive strategies, and active ways of coping-but only after 3 months into the pandemic. The results thus obtained can be used both in prevention and in work with persons affected by the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Linking COVID-19-Related Awareness and Anxiety as Determinants of Coping Strategies’ Utilization among Senior High School Teachers in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

Cognitive-behavioral coping among teachers is an important issue of investigation due to the reported high prevalence of anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas several studies have assessed COVID-19 awareness of individuals as a predictor of anxiety, the moderating role of awareness in anxiety and coping mechanisms remains unclear. The study primarily examined the nexus between awareness of COVID-19 and (a) anxiety and (b) coping strategies, including the interaction effect of COVID-19-related awareness in the link between anxiety and coping strategies among senior high school teachers. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted to conveniently select 184 teachers from senior high schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Questionnaires were administered to the participants and data were analyzed with means, standard deviation, Pearson correlation, and linear regression statistical procedures. Summarily, the results revealed a negative relationship between COVID-19 awareness and anxiety levels of teachers. COVID-19-related anxiety significantly predicted coping mechanisms of teachers. Further, COVID-19 awareness significantly moderated the relationship between anxiety and coping strategies adopted. These findings imply that the public health education and mass awareness campaign programs on COVID-19 could act as buffers against the spread of COVID-19, its associated comorbidities, and help improve the mental health of teachers. Promoting adaptation to COVID-19 through the use of functional management strategies such as active coping and emotional support should be encouraged in the Cape Coast Metropolis among teachers.

The multidimensionality of anxiety among nursing students during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Over the past year, healthcare workers constantly report their COVID-19 anxiety. However, this concept remained understudied among nursing students (NSs).

AIM

This study investigated the difference between NSs' three types of anxiety and their profile variables during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This study used a cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational design. Three instruments were used: COVID-19 anxiety scale (CAS), COVID-19 anxiety syndrome scale (COVID-19ASS), and short health anxiety inventory (SHAI) to collect data from 484 Saudi NSs. We applied the Mann-Whitney U test and linear regression to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Across the three instruments; CAS, Item 1 "I feel bad when thinking about COVID-19"; COVID-19ASS, Item 11 "I have imagined what could happen to my family members if they contracted COVID-19"; and SHAI, Item 17 "A serious illness could ruin many aspects of my life" yielded the highest means. COVID-19ASS showed a significant difference for the profiles "known positive" (p = 0.05) and "action taken after with testing" (p = 0.05). NS, who knew someone with COVID-19, was the only predictor of CAS.

CONCLUSION

Our study concludes NSs experience anxiety symptoms. Anxiety is specific to COVID-19 or a set of similar anxiety symptoms. Further research is needed to explore the anxiety state of NSs during the pandemic.

Psychological Well-Being During the Second Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediation Role of Generalized Anxiety

Introduction

The outbreak of the COVID-19 has largely impacted individuals’ health and lifestyles. This study aimed to investigate people’s psychological well-being during the second phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We selected six indicators of psychological well-being: fear of COVID-19, loneliness, social interaction anxiety, generalized anxiety, PTSD, and depression. A sample of 231 Italian participants (56.3% women), with a mean age of 32.7 (SD=12.61), completed an online survey from February to March 2021, during the so called “second wave”. It included the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), the UCLA Loneliness Scale- Version 3, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R), and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS).

Results

Apart from loneliness, women reported lower levels of psychological well-being than men. Fairly good associations between all the detected variables were found. Based on a mediation model evaluation (in which generalized anxiety was introduced as a mediator in the relationship between fear of COVID-19, PTSD, loneliness, social interaction anxiety, and depression), except for social interaction anxiety, total and partial mediation effects suggested that generalized anxiety played a crucial role in exacerbating depressive symptoms during the pandemic.

Conclusion

Our outcomes may expand the knowledge about the psychological well-being during the pandemic experience, with a focus on the mediating role of generalized anxiety.

Online survey comparing coping responses to SARS-CoV-2 by people with and without existing health conditions in the UK

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on self-reported mood, coping and health behaviours of people living with existing health conditions in the UK to understand how to improve coping responses to the threat of SARS-CoV-2.

DESIGN

Quantitative design using a cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

Online survey in the UK.

PARTICIPANTS

UK adults (18+ years) were eligible to participate. A total of 9110 people participated. Of these, 4377 (48%) reported at least one existing health condition, 874 (10%) reported having two or more existing conditions, and 715 (8%) reported having an existing mental health condition.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Multivariable linear regression and sequential multiple mediation analysis were used to estimate differences in average scores for active and avoidant coping response scores due to pre-existing health conditions, and to investigate the extent to which these differences are explained by differences in perceptions, beliefs, concerns and mood.

RESULTS

People with pre-existing physical (+1.11 higher; 95% CI 0.88 to 1.34) and especially mental health conditions (3.06 higher; 95% CI 2.65 to 3.48) reported poorer health and used more avoidant coping compared with healthy participants. Under some strong untestable assumptions, we estimate that experiencing low mood or concern related to SARS-CoV-2 mostly explained the relationship between existing health conditions and avoidant coping.

CONCLUSION

Psychological support and interventions including behaviour change are required to mitigate the psychological burden of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and increase autonomy in people with and without pre-existing conditions during this highly uncertain time. Psychologists are well placed to support clinicians and people with existing health conditions to minimise the psychological impact of SARS-CoV-2, in order to alleviate the subsequent strain on healthcare services.

Studying the psychology of coping negative emotions during COVID-19: a quantitative analysis from India

The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus adversely affected the material and mental well-being of the infected individuals and their families. The poor health system combined with lack of fear of infection has created significant negative health effects for people. The present research consider the notable models of coping with negative emotions, including '3Cs' and 'direct action and palliation approach'. With the observation method's help, a detailed perspective was found on people's coping processes, categorized as psychological, control, coherence, and connectedness coping. The present study considers the notable models of dealing with negative feelings, including '3Cs' and 'direct intervention and palliation strategy'. With the observation method's support, a detailed viewpoint was found on people's coping mechanisms, categorized as neurological, regulation, coherence, and connectedness coping. Using the ANOVA and t-tests, a significant augmentation in people's negative emotions was found since the beginning of the pandemic. Using GMM regression technique, 'avoidance', 'proactive preparedness', 'emotional resilience', 'entertainment', and 'spiritualism' were highly significant techniques in curbing the negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the LOGIT regression found cumulative negative emotions and emotions about negative career outlooks to be the most significant to bring negative emotions to normalcy. The study suggests that policymakers design a national-level strategy to strengthen the mental health systems to boost mental well-being.

Relationship between social support, coping strategy against COVID-19, and anxiety among home-quarantined Chinese university students: A path analysis modeling approach

With the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the strict implementation of quarantine policy, the levels of anxiety among university students surged in the lockdown period. Previous studies confirmed the effectiveness of social support in mitigating anxiety, so offering social support should be of high priority in COVID-19, especially in quarantine. However, various coping strategies against the pandemic may explain the link between social support and anxiety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations of social support, coping strategy against COVID-19, and anxiety, identifying the potential mediating effect of coping strategy between social support and anxiety during the COVID-19 quarantine. Home-quarantined Chinese university students (N = 2640; 68.79% female) completed online ratings of social support, coping, and anxiety from February 21st to 24th, 2020, when they had been confined to their homes in the peak of the pandemic. Sex and academic attainment being covariates, path analysis with parallel mediation were conducted using "lavaan" package in R environment. Anxiety was significantly negatively related to subjective support and counselor support, while family support did not demonstrate substantive associations with anxiety. The mediating role of cognitive coping was found between all the three social support sources and anxiety. Emotional coping and behavioral coping were found to partially mediate the relationship between subjective support and anxiety, fully mediate the associations of family support and anxiety. However, the impact of counselor support on anxiety was not found to be mediated by emotional coping and behavioral coping. This large-scale online study provides initial evidence that various coping strategies may mediate the relationship between three sources of social support and anxiety in quarantine to some extent. Given that coping against COVID-19 is a valuable reasearch goal upon the global ongoing challenge, the findings will shed more light on the mechanism in the link between coping, social support, and anxiety.

Anxiety, anger, and mindfulness as predictors of general health in the general population during COVID-19 outbreak: A survey in southeast Iran

Communities have been exposed to the complications and problems caused by COVID‐19 disease, which has had various and complex effects on general health. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between anxiety, anger, mindfulness, and general health in the general population during the COVID‐19 outbreak in Iran. This cross‐sectional study was performed on 456 participants from September 2020 to April 2021. For data collection, Demographic Characteristics Form, General Health Questionnaire, Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory‐Short Form, The trait anxiety section of the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory, The State‐Trait Anger Expression Inventory‐2 were used. General health was positively correlated with anxiety and anger and negatively correlated with mindfulness. Anxiety was positively correlated with anger and negatively correlated with mindfulness. No significant correlation was found between anger and mindfulness. Based on the multiple regression model, anxiety, anger and a family member infected with COVID‐19 were the predictors of general health (p < 0.001). Given that anxiety, anger, and family members infected with COVID‐19 are all predictors of public health, it is suggested that psychological programs and interventions be designed to reduce anxiety and anger, as well as to support family members infected with COVID‐19, to promote general health.

Social and Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 Online Content at a Lockdown Phase—Europe and Asia Comparison

After more than a year in a pandemic world, more than 171 million people worldwide have been infected and over 3.5 million have died. The number of those who have suffered mentally due to the pandemic is well above this number. The virus, lockdowns, forced quarantines, and problems related to jobs and everyday functioning have left their mark on mental health. Additionally, the massive spread of COVID-19 content of varying quality in social media is exacerbating this impact. On the other hand, in times of social distancing, these media are an important link with other people and a source of social support. The impact of the COVID-19 content in social media still requires further exploring. This influence on mental health may also vary geographically. There are more and more reports of discrimination against Asians due to COVID-19. We conducted a survey during lockdown in which 1664 respondents took part. After analyzing the impact of COVID-19 content in social media on the level of life satisfaction, anxiety, and depression, we compared this impact between European and Asian respondents. The results showed that dealing with these contents affects the level of anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction. Although most often these relations turned out to be negative, we have also identified those indicating a positive impact. This was particularly noticeable among Asian respondents, who additionally showed a lower relationship between reading COVID-19 content and their mental well-being than European respondents.

The Effect of Mental Health Status on the Quality of Life of Faculty of Medicine Students during the Pandemic Coronavirus Disease 2019 Period

BACKGROUND: The spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease which has not been balanced with effective protocols can create mental health problems which could affect the quality of life; as of today, there is not any research that examines the influence of both factors. AIM: This study purpose was to analyze the mental health status on the quality of life amongst medicine students during COVID-19 period. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey on 361 students from Faculty of Medicine Tanjungpura University. This study was conducted from June 2019 to November 2020 by spreading Depression Anxiety Stress Scale questionnaire and a WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire through online. The data analysis was administered using Kruskal–Wallis statistics. RESULT: The students’ mental health status was dominantly on the normal category with depression domain by 323 students (89.5%), anxiety domain by 311 students (86.1%), and stress domain by 343 students (95%). The quality of life measurement was in category medium in all domains which are physical health (88.6%), psychological health (92.5%), social relationships (50.7%), and environment (78.7%). There was significant effect of mental health status of depression and anxiety toward the aspect of physical health, psychological health, and social relationships (p < 0.05). Stress significantly influenced all domains of quality of life, and there was no significant effect of mental health status domain depression (p = 0.051) and anxiety (p = 0.881) toward the environment aspect. CONCLUSION: Students’ mental health status in this research belongs to the category normal with moderate level in quality of life. To compare, there was a significant effect of mental health status toward the quality of life domains. The good application of self-coping mechanisms and the social encouragement from the environment is suitable intervention strategies during the pandemic COVID-19 period.

Courage, Justice, and Practical Wisdom as Key Virtues in the Era of COVID-19

Fowers et al. (2017) recently made a general argument for virtues as the characteristics necessary for individuals to flourish, given inherent human limitations. For example, people can flourish by developing the virtue of friendship as they navigate the inherent (healthy) human dependency on others. This general argument also illuminates a pathway to flourishing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the risks of which have induced powerful fears, exacerbated injustices, and rendered life and death decisions far more common. Contexts of risk and fear call for the virtue of courage. Courage has emerged more powerfully as a central virtue among medical personnel, first responders, and essential workers. Longstanding inequalities have been highlighted during the pandemic, calling for the virtue of justice. When important personal and public health decisions must be made, the central virtue of practical wisdom comes to the fore. Wise decisions and actions incorporate the recognition of relevant moral concerns and aims, as well as responding in fitting and practical ways to the specifics of the situation. Practicing courage, justice, and practical wisdom illuminates a path to flourishing, even in a pandemic.