Relationship between the fear of COVID-19 disease and sleep quality: the mediating role of stress

Reevaluating Sleep Quality During COVID-19 and Associations With Quarantine, Mental Health, Stress, and Screen Time in Young Adults: Results From a Cross-Sectional Online Survey

The COVID-19 pandemic affected individual sleep quality, especially with high-stress levels. We assessed sleep quality in young adults during COVID-19, and mental health, stress, and screen time (ST) use. An international cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2020 to January 2021. The surveys assessed sleep quality (PSQI), ST use, and mental health. 183 participants were eligible for analysis. The average global PSQI score was 7.29 (sd = 3.58, n = 99). Associations were found between global PSQI scores and Fear of COVID-19 (r (98) = .223, P = .027), anxiety scores (r (99) = -.541, P < .001), increased total stress scores (r (88) = .486, P < .001), and depression (r (97) = .628, P < .001). Those currently quarantining had statistically higher PSQI scores than those who quarantined in the past (F (2,175) = 3.397, P = .036), but not for those who did not quarantine. Differences were found between genders for global PSQI (F (4,94) = 2.865, P < .027) and poor vs good sleep (X2 (1,98) = 3.982, P = .046). There was also a relationship between ethnicity and poor vs good sleep quality (X2 (2,94) = 6.538, P = .038). We did not find associations between ST and sleep quality but found poor sleep quality significantly related to mental health during COVID-19. We found no direct evidence that quarantining itself results in poor sleep quality. Interventions need to maximize sleep quality in certain groups, like females and ethnic minorities.

Effects of stress on sleep quality: multiple mediating effects of rumination and social anxiety

BACKGROUND

In contemporary society, with the accelerated pace of work and life, more and more people feel different degrees of stress. Long-term stress may not only lead to insomnia, but also to mental health problems (e.g., anxiety and depression), which has a significant impact on people's quality of life and mental health.

OBJECTIVE

This study primarily investigates the mechanism through which stress affects sleep quality among college students.

METHODS

We conducted research on 1653 Chinese college students using four scales with high reliability and validity: stress, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, social anxiety, and rumination.

RESULTS

The study found: (1) Stress can significantly and positively predict sleep quality and rumination; (2) Rumination can positively predict social anxiety; (3) Social anxiety can positively predict sleep quality; (4) Stress can affect sleep quality through social anxiety and rumination separately, and stress can also affect sleep quality through the chained mediation of rumination and social anxiety.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals the relationship and mechanisms between stress and sleep quality. It not only deepens the research on the impact of stress on sleep quality but also provides theoretical support and new methods for mental health professionals to help clients improve their sleep quality. In practice, in addition to using some common psychological intervention methods to help individuals reduce stress, we should pay more attention to how to help clients reduce rumination and social anxiety, This is significant in improving the quality of an individual's sleep.

Sleep disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the second phase of web-based EPICOVID19 study

The COVID-19 pandemic has induced significant impairments, including sleep disturbances. The present study aimed to explore the impact of fear in relation to stress on sleep disorders among Italian adults and older participants in the second phase of the EPICOVID19 web-based survey (January-February 2021). Sleep disturbances during the pandemic were evaluated using the Jenkins Sleep Scale, perceived stress through the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale and fear of contagion and about economic and job situation with four ad hoc items. The strength of the pathways between stress, sleep disturbances and fear was explored using structural equation modelling, hypothesising that stress was related to sleep disturbances and that fear was associated with both stress and sleep problems. Out of 41,473 participants (74.7% women; mean age 49.7 ± 13.1 years), 8.1% reported sleep disturbances and were more frequently women, employed in a work category at risk of infection or unemployed, and showed higher deprivation scores. Considering an a priori hypotheses model defining sleep and stress scores as endogenous variables and fear as an exogenous variable, we found that fear was associated with sleep problems and stress, and stress was associated with sleep problems; almost half of the total impact of fear on sleep quality was mediated by stress. The impact of stress on sleep quality was more evident in the younger age group, among individuals with a lower socioeconomic status and healthcare workers. Fear related to COVID-19 seem to be associated with sleep disturbances directly and indirectly through stress.

Understanding adaptability in the family environment in facing COVID-19: A review

Adaptation is a research field that is trending in the face of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in various parts of the country. The ability to adapt is one way for individuals to survive in uncertain situations. This article reviews the adaptation process in a family environment focusing on finding models from various literatures on family institution adaptations and then mapping them into adaptations that families can implement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study showed that family resilience in dealing with changes in various areas of life was performed through family adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as: (a) the ability of family members to be more open and respect privacy when communicating during all activities at home, (b) culture and values applied in the family are the determining factors for individuals to be able to adapt to new habits, (c) the resources owned by the family determine the attitudes and ways in which the family develops its potential in dealing with limitations and negative emotions, (d) the adaptive power of men as husbands or fathers with women as wives or mothers is driven by different factors, where men are driven generally due to external factors, while women due to internal factors. Families with different environments produce different adaptability, depending on the social capital and support received by the family.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 and determinants among Spanish university students

Background

University students are a vulnerable population and faced a significant psychological impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the level of fear of COVID-19 among university students and to evaluate the possible relationship between fear of COVID-19 and socio-demographic, health-related determinants, variables related to the COVID-19 and variables related to the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study between December 2020 and December 2021 on a sample of 950 university students from two universities in southern Spain. Participants completed a form that collected socio-demographic, health-related and COVID-related variables, a validated questionnaire related to the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fear of COVID Scale (FCV-19S). Descriptive, inferential, and multivariable linear regression analyzes were conducted.

Results

The mean FCV-19S score was 14.86 ± 5.16 points. The factors identified as predictors of FCV-19S were being female (p < 0.001), holding religious beliefs (p = 0.04), living in towns with over 10,000 inhabitants (p < 0.01), living with someone vulnerable to COVID-19 (p = 0.02), watching TV to keep informed about COVID-19 (p < 0.01), believing in a low probability of surviving if infected with COVID-19 (p < 0.001), having a higher level of death anxiety (p < 0.001) and suffering from insomnia (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

An average fear of COVID-19 score of 14.86 ± 5.16 points has been found among university students in Spain. These findings can aid in identifying specific factors contributing to fear of COVID-19 and in developing coping strategies to alleviate the stress of the pandemic.

Unravelling the link between sleep and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

The emergence of COVID-19 brought unparalleled changes in people's lifestyle, including sleep. We aimed to assess the bidirectional association between sleep quality and mental health and describe how sleep and mental health were affected in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic (between June 2020 and September 2021). Data were obtained from the Omtanke2020 study. Participants who completed the baseline survey and each of the 8 monthly follow-up surveys were included (N = 9035). We described the distribution of sleep and mental health in the different Swedish regions using maps and over the study period with longitudinal graphs adjusting for sex, age, recruitment type (self-recruitment or invitation), and COVID-19 status. The inner relationships between mental health, sleep and Covid infection were described through relative importance networks. Finally, we modelled how mental health affects sleep and vice versa using generalized estimating equations with different adjustments. Seasonal and north-south regional variations were found in sleep and mental health outcomes at baseline and attenuated over time. The seasonal variation of sleep and mental health correlated moderately with the incidence rate of COVID-19 in the sample. Networks indicate that the relationship between COVID-19 incidence and mental health varies over time. We observed a bidirectional relationship between sleep quality and quantity at baseline and mental health at follow-up and vice versa. Sleep quality and quantity at baseline was associated with adverse symptom trajectories of mental health at follow-up, and vice versa, during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was also a weak relationship between COVID-19 incidence, sleep, and mental health.

Mental Well-Being of Nursing Staff and Destructive Role of COVID-19 Fear and Perceived Stress

Health crises across the globe bring dramatic changes to the lives of individuals and organizations. These crises have some psychological effects on society. The COVID-19 pandemic also caused some serious problems for individual and organizational life. Globally, the COVID-19 situation precipitated various economic and psychological issues that are far-reaching and exceptional. Health crises are increasing following the occurrence of COVID-19 due to its psychological effects on individuals worldwide. The current study highlighted the impact of COVID-19 fear on mental well-being (MWB). Most studies have examined the MWB of nursing staff and related their MWB to psychological factors. Few studies have considered the health crisis factors that are important in terms of bringing about variation in the MWB of nursing staff. Nursing staff MWB is impacted by various health crises (including COVID-19) at the global level and it has been ignored by researchers. In this study, a list of 1940 healthcare units with 6758 nursing staff was obtained. A total of 822 nurses were selected with the help of random sampling. The collected data were analyzed using correlation analysis, SPSS (statistical package for social sciences) version 23, and SEM. Thus, in this study we examined the effect of a health crisis (i.e., COVID-19) fear on the MWB of nurses. Moreover, we also examined the extent to which perceived stress (PS) influences the link between COVID-19 fear and MWB. The study's findings confirmed that COVID-19 fear shown negative effect on MWB, while PS mediated the link between COVID-19 fear and MWB.

Managing Fear During Pandemics: Risks and Opportunities

Fear is an emotion triggered by the perception of danger and motivates safety behaviors. Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were ample danger cues (e.g., images of patients on ventilators) and a high need for people to use appropriate safety behaviors (e.g., social distancing). Given this central role of fear within the context of a pandemic, it is important to review some of the emerging findings and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and their implications for managing fear. We highlight factors that determine fear (i.e., proximity, predictability, and controllability) and review several adaptive and maladaptive consequences of fear of COVID-19 (e.g., following governmental health policies and panic buying). Finally, we provide directions for future research and make policy recommendations that can promote adequate health behaviors and limit the negative consequences of fear during pandemics.

Association of smartphone use with abnormal social jetlag among adolescents in Korea before and after COVID-19

PURPOSE

This study aimed to use social jetlag to determine how smartphone overuse by adolescents before and after the COVID-19 pandemic might be associated with their circadian rhythm.

METHODS

We used 2017 and 2020 Korea Youth Risk Behavior web-based Survey data and conducted a survey analysis on 100,976 adolescents. The dependent variable was abnormal social jetlag. Based on the times recorded by the survey, we calculated the weekday midpoint and weekend sleep time. The main independent variable was smartphone usage time (<2h/day, 2-3.9 h/day, 4-5.9 h/day, and ≥ 6 h/day). Multiple logistic regression and relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) were performed.

RESULTS

Abnormal social jetlag was most prevalent in male and female adolescents who used smartphones ≥ 6 h/day (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.60, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 2.47-2.74). The longer the smartphone usage time, the higher the association with abnormal social jetlag. This association was more prominent in female adolescents. The additive interaction between longer smartphone usage time and post-COVID-19 year was statistically significant (total: RERI = 0.92, 95 % CI = 0.90-0.95; males: RERI = 0.83, 95 % CI = 0.80-0.87; females: RERI = 1.13, 95 % CI = 1.08-1.18).

CONCLUSION

Our results clearly indicated that increased smartphone usage time tended to result in greater social jetlag, an association that was more pronounced in female. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly strengthened this relationship. Further research is needed regarding the proper use of smartphones to ensure good sleep-in adolescents after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The relationship between stress and sleep quality: The mediating effect of fatigue and dizziness among patients with cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of non-noncommunicable disease mortality worldwide. Therefore, this study analyzes the mediating effect of dizziness and fatigue in the relationship between stress and sleep quality in patients with heart disease. This study was conducted on patients with heart disease diagnosed by a cardiologist from December 7, 2021 to August 30, 2022 at the Outpatient Department of Cardiology at Hanyang University Hospital in Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do. To verify the serial multiple mediation effect, serial multiple mediation analysis was performed using SPSS Macro Process Model 6 as the most appropriate verification method for this study. The analysis indicated that the more dizziness a participant experienced, the more severe their physical and psychological fatigue and the poorer their quality of sleep. Also, the more severe the physical fatigue, the worse the psychological fatigue and the worse the quality of sleep. In other words, the more severe the psychological fatigue, the poorer the quality of sleep. In summary, in the relationship in which stress in patients with heart disease affects sleep quality, stress is a variable that directly affects sleep quality, and this means that the stress of patients with heart disease can affect the quality of sleep through the parameters, dizziness and fatigue, sequentially; this research model can thus be considered a partial mediator model. Fatigue in patients with cardiovascular disease had a direct effect on sleep quality, and there was a mediating effect through dizziness and fatigue in the relationship between stress and sleep quality. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a sleep management program that can improve the quality of sleep in patients with cardiovascular disease as well as a nursing intervention plan that can alleviate fatigue and control stress in such patients.

Risk Perception, Perceived Government Coping Validity, and Individual Sleep Problems in the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic in China: Mediation Analysis Based on Negative Emotions

This study aimed to investigate the relationship among risk perception, negative emotions, perceived government coping validity, and the sleep problem of the public, through regression analysis and mediation analysis of data from the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in China (three months after the outbreak). It found that people's perception of the risk of the pandemic, negative emotions, and perceived government coping validity significantly affected people's sleep quality and nightmares. Further analysis found that individuals' perception of risk not only affected their sleep but also intensified their negative emotions, ultimately impairing the quality of their sleep and leading to nightmares. However, having a high level of coping validity can mitigate negative emotions and consequently decrease the occurrence of nightmares, thereby enhancing the quality of sleep. Specifically, perceived government coping validity could not only directly reduce nightmares, but also indirectly reduce nightmares by lowering negative emotions. However, it could only indirectly improve sleep by reducing negative emotions. It implicated that improving and resolving sleep problems required not only medical intervention but also psychological intervention. Simultaneously, improving the government's response effectiveness could strengthen people's trust in the government, stabilize their mental states, and significantly improve their quality of life by reducing negative emotions and improving sleep.

COVID-19 Fear, Sleep Quality, Anxiety and Depression: A Moderated Mediation Model

The available literature demonstrates that COVID-19 fear (CV-19 F) may increase depressive symptoms in adolescents. However, few studies have explored the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. This study aimed to understand the role of anxiety and sleep quality in the association between CV-19 F and depression in Vietnamese adolescents. A sample of 685 adolescents, ages 15 to 19 (mean = 16.09, SD = 0.860), was recruited to participate in the study. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale were completed by participants. Results indicated that the link between CV-19 F and depression was fully mediated by anxiety. Furthermore, this indirect relationship was moderated by sleep quality. Our findings provided new insights into the link between CV-19 F and depression as well as highlighted the potential value of reducing anxiety and improving sleep quality in the prevention of depression in adolescents with high levels of CV-19 F.

Socioeconomic Background and Self-Reported Sleep Quality in Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted sleep quality. However, research regarding older adults' sleep quality during the pandemic has been limited. This study examined the association between socioeconomic background (SEB) and older adults' sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on 7040 adults aged ≥50 were acquired from a COVID-19 sub-study of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). SEB was operationalized using educational attainment, previous financial situation, and concern about the future financial situation. Sociodemographic, mental health, physical health, and health behavior variables were included as covariates. Chi-squared tests and binary logistic regression were used to examine associations between SEB and sleep quality. Lower educational attainment and greater financial hardship and concerns were associated with poor sleep quality. The relationship between educational attainment and sleep quality was explained by the financial variables, while the relationship between previous financial difficulties and sleep quality was explained by physical health and health behavior variables. Greater financial concerns about the future, poor mental health, and poor physical health were independent risk factors for poor sleep quality in older adults during the pandemic. Healthcare professionals and service providers should consider these issues when supporting older patients with sleep problems and in promoting health and wellness.

Social Media, Anxiety and COVID-19 Lockdown Measurement Compliance

The aim of the present research was to analyze the effect of anxiety levels during the COVID-19 pandemic in the use of social media and compliance with lockdown measures during the confinement. A total of 1723 participants (32.1% males and 77.9% females; 32.6 ± 9.2 years) were interviewed by a Spanish version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. From the results obtained, the sample was divided into two 50th percentile groups, a high anxiety group (HAG) and a low anxiety group (LAG). We found how the LAG had lower use of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter during confinement. Also, this group presented a higher rate of leaving home during the confinement and higher values in people with whom they had lived with during confinement than high anxiety group. Regardless of the lack of results in the remaining variables, the present study nuances the high levels of anxiety experienced during COVID-19 confinement. The multifactorial analysis of factors related to the perception of anxiety during COVID-19 confinement may be a useful tool to measure multiple social behaviors when examining mental health factors. Thus, explaining and preventing the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The present knowledge could be used to determine key intervention factors for reducing the perception of fear and anxiety.

Factors Affecting Sleep Quality of College Students during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the correlation between college students' fear of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), intolerance of uncertainty, and sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify factors affecting sleep quality. Materials and Methods: Data were collected through an online survey of 310 college students from three universities located in three regions in Korea. Results: The average sleep quality score of college students was 4.76 ± 2.86 points, the average fear of COVID-19 was 14.01 ± 5.05 points, and the average intolerance of uncertainty was 31.50 ± 7.92 points. Fear of COVID-19 and intolerance of uncertainty were positively correlated (r = 0.302, p < 0.001). Sleep quality was positively correlated with fear of COVID-19 (r = 0.246, p < 0.001). Sleep quality was positively correlated with intolerance of uncertainty (r = 0.212, p < 0.001). Health status was the most powerful factor that affected sleep quality (β = 0.377, p < 0.001). The next most powerful factors that affected sleep quality were fear of COVID-19 (β = 0.164, p = 0.003) and intolerance of uncertainty (β = 0.122, p = 0.027), respectively. Conclusions: These results are expected to be used as basic data for the development of health intervention programs to protect and improve the psychological well-being of college students by improving their sleep quality.

Mental and social burden of COVID-19 on the Iraqi people

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 pandemic has affected all crucial aspects of daily life, including; food security, education, gender relation, mental health, and environmental air pollution, in addition to the impact of the lockdown that had far-reaching effects in different strata of life.

AIMS

To study the impact of COVID-19 on people with respect to their mental and social suffering and consequences.

METHODS

This cross sectional study was conducted during the period from November 2020 through August 2021. A sample of 1,000 attendants to four teaching hospitals and eight PHCCs, was collected. The mental and social sequels of COVID-19 were assessed for all participants whether previously infected or not.

RESULTS

Out of the total sample (1,000), 389 had a history of infection with COVID-19. The main mental symptoms reported were depression (67.8%), and anxiety (46.9%), males and females equally reported symptoms of anxiety, while depressive symptoms were reported more among females (59.9%), Fear and worries of the participants about their health and their families' was the main reason for mental symptoms (94.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Symptoms of depression and anxiety in time of COVID-19 are prevalent. Suspending educational activities was the most social burden that affect people while increase the price of food and cessation of work were the main causes of economic burden.

Impact of Post-Covid-19 on driver behaviour: A perspective towards pandemic-sustained transportation

INTRODUCTION

With the announcement of novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) as a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020, the whole world went into a lockdown that heavily affected human economic and social life. Since December 2020, with the discovery of effective vaccines, the world is now returning to some normality, particularly for those who are vaccinated. The multimodal transportation has resumed with majority of vaccinated drivers being back on road, driving to their work, and providing transport services. However, there are still several long-term Post-Covid-19 factors, affecting driver health and psychology.

METHODS

The study deployed a systematic search strategy and selected 62 research publications after rigorous evaluation of the literature. The review was based on (1) forming the inclusion and exclusion criteria, (2) selecting the appropriate keywords, and (3) searching of relevant publications and assessing the eligible articles.

RESULTS

A broad perspective study is carried out to gauge the impact of Post-Covid-19 scenarios on the driver physical health and mindset in the context of road safety and pandemic-sustained transportation. It was found that the Post-Covid-19 factors such as wearing face-mask during driving, taking oral anti-viral drugs, and fear of contracting disease, significantly impact the driver's performance and situation awareness skills. The analysis suggested that driver's health vitals and psychological driving awareness can be precisely detected through hybrid driver state monitoring methods.

CONCLUSIONS

The paper conducts a comprehensive review of the published work and provides unique research opportunities to counteract the challenges involved in precise monitoring of driver behaviour under the effects of different Post-Covid-19 factors. The perspective suggested the possible solutions to live with the pandemic in the context of pandemic-sustained transportation.

Experience of COVID-19 disease and fear of the SARS-CoV-2 virus among Polish students

Background

The SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic has significantly affected individuals and entire societies. It has caused a number of adverse consequences for public health. It has contributed to lower average life expectancy and significantly reduced the sense of health security. It has affected not only physical but also mental health. COVID-19 infections have become so common in many countries, including Poland, that almost every member of society has either experienced it themselves or has a family member or friend who have been affected by the disease. The investigations undertaken in the article concern the fear of COVID-19 infection among Polish university students, determined by the experience of the disease -whether direct or among loved ones.

Methods

An online survey was conducted with 851 students. It took place between 1 and 15 March 2021, a year after detection of the first case of infection with the virus in Poland. The aim of the study was to find out about the relationship between the experience of COVID-19 disease (whether direct or among people close to the respondent) and fear of this disease among university students in Poland. The analysis used intergroup comparison tests (Mann-Whitney U Test and t-test).

Results

The results indicate that the level of fear of COVID-19 among Polish university students was low (M = 1.98; SD = .49), with women (M = 2.04; SD = .75) presenting statistically higher (t (620.46) = 3.05; p = .002) fear than men (M = 1.87; SD = .74). The situation of the respondent having had a close person fall ill with COVID-19 or die as a result of coronavirus infection was found to be significant for the level of experienced fear of COVID-19 in the studied group (t (469.46) = -2.98; p = .003).

Conclusions

The significantly higher level of fear in the group of young people who knew someone close with severe (fatal) COVID-19 disease indicates that psychological support may be more significant for such people than for individuals who have not experienced such a situation. A similar conclusion can be formulated taking into account the gender criterion, as the results make it possible to predict that women expect more support in a pandemic situation.

Neuroticism and fear of COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic: Testing the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty and sense of control among Chinese high school students

Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2019, neuroticism has been proven a predictor of fear of COVID-19 infection. However, only few studies have been conducted on the factors affecting the relationship between neuroticism and this kind of fear. The present study is aimed at analyzing the role intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and sense of control (SOC) play in relation to neuroticism and the fear of COVID-19. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, China, and we collected complete datasets from 792 high school students. The main results can be described as follows: (a) individuals with high neuroticism tended to have higher intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and a lower sense of control (SOC); (b) IU and SOC played a mediating role between neuroticism and fear of COVID-19, and a serial mediation effect was found between these factors; (c) after controlling for both IU and SOC, the effect of neuroticism on fear was no longer significant. The results suggested a critical role of IU and sense of control in the causal relationship between neuroticism and fear.

Sleep quality among workers in the health sector exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global health crisis that has posed enormous pressure on workers in the health sector (WHS), having a massive impact on their mental health. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the sleep quality of WHS during the pandemic and compare frontline WHS to those who are not directly engaged in the care of COVID-19 patients. This cross-sectional, self-reported online survey assessed the sleep quality of WHS in Austria using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The same questionnaire was sent out two times. Due to the unequal sample and anonymity of the study participants, we analyzed the data of each time point separate from each other. The first study was conducted in April/May 2020, during the first lockdown in Austria (Study1), and the second study was conducted in July/August 2020, when the social restrictions were loosened (Study2). T-test was used to compare the mean values of PSQI scores between frontline vs. non-frontline WHS, while two two-way ANCOVAs were used to analyze differences in the PSQI mean scores (controlled for age) for male vs. female between frontline vs. non-frontline WHS. During the first lockdown in Austria (Study1) we identified a shorter sleep duration of frontline WHS compared to the non-frontline group, however the difference in global PSQI score between these groups was statistically not significant. In the period after loosened restrictions (Study2) the sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency and global PSQI score was worse in frontline WHS compared to the non-frontline WHS. Furthermore, female WHS scored higher in the PSQI indicating a worse sleep than male WHS. In addition, nurses and nursing assistants had a higher prevalence of poor sleep quality than other occupational groups. Our results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacts the sleep of WHS, affecting particularly frontline WHS. Preventive interventions aiming to promote good sleep quality in WHS during a healthcare crisis like this pandemic are essential to enhance resilience and mitigate the vulnerability of this specific population.

The Monkeypox Fear Scale: development and initial validation in a Peruvian sample

BACKGROUND

Fear is one of the basic emotions generated during periods of infectious diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and validate a scale that assesses monkeypox fear, the Monkeypox Fear Scale (MFS).

METHODS

A total of 451 Peruvians participated (61% women and 39% men), with a mean age of 28.31 years (SD = 9.72). based on procedures from classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) procedures were used.

RESULTS

The results showed that MFS has a two-factor structure related to emotional and physiological fear factors (χ2 = 41.87; df = 12; p < .001; CFI = .99; TLI = .99; RMSEA = .074 [IC90% .051-.100]). In addition, the physiological and emotional factors showed good reliability. Measurement invariance analysis showed that the factor structure of the MFS is strictly invariant between male and female groups. Finally, the discrimination and difficulty parameters of the items show adequacy. In addition, the scale seems to be more accurate in measuring high levels of fear of monkeypox.

CONCLUSION

The MFS has adequate psychometric evidence to assess fear of monkeypox in the Peruvian population. These findings may guide future studies related to the consequences of monkeypox on mental health.

Network analysis of the relationships between conspiracy beliefs towards COVID-19 vaccine and symptoms of fear of COVID-19 in a sample of latin american countries

The present study examined how conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines specifically relate to symptoms of fear of COVID-19 in a sample of four South American countries. A total of 1785 people from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru participated, responding to a sociodemographic survey, the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19 S) and the Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale-COVID-19 (VCBS-COVID-19). Network analysis identified the most important symptoms of fear and conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines (nodes) and the associations between them (edges). In addition, the robustness of the network of these indicators of centrality and the possible differences in the structure and connectivity of the networks between the four countries were evaluated. The results suggest that the nodes with the highest centrality were items 2 and 5 of the FCV-19 S and item 2 of the VCBS-COVID-19. Likewise, item 6 is the belief that most predicts conspiracy beliefs about vaccines against COVID-19; while item 6 was the symptom that most predicts fear of COVID-19. The findings strongly support cross-cultural similarities in the networks across the four countries rather than differences. Although it was expected that a higher presence of symptoms of fear of COVID-19 may lead people to compensate for their fear by believing in conspiratorial ideas about vaccines and, consequently, rejecting the COVID-19 vaccine, the results do not clearly show this relationship. This could lead other researchers to generate evidence to explain the differences between Latin American countries and countries in other contexts in terms of vaccination rates. This evidence could be useful to develop policies favoring vaccination against COVID-19 that are more contextualized to the Latin American region, characterized by social instability and economic recession during the pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Perception on Job Stress of Construction Workers

Construction has been regarded as one of the most stressful industries, and the COVID-19 pandemic has deteriorated this situation. This research developed and tested a model of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic perception on job stress of construction workers. Both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping were considered as mediators. Empirical data were collected using a detailed questionnaire from the Chinese construction industry. The results showed that pandemic perception was significantly related to psychological and physical stress. Emotion-focused coping was mainly triggered by pandemic fear and job insecurity, while problem-focused coping was mainly triggered by organizational pandemic response. Furthermore, the effects of pandemic fear and organizational pandemic response on job stress were mediated by problem-focused coping. Finally, the theoretical and practical significance, research limitations, and future research directions of this study are discussed.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Insomnia in Military Personnel: A Retrospective Study during the Second COVID-19 Epidemic Wave in Peru

Studies in military personnel are scarce and have reported increased rates of medical consultations and insomnia. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a number of factors that increase the prevalence of insomnia, which has established consequences in the military. However, reported data are from different settings. We aimed to identify the prevalence and factors associated with insomnia during the second COVID-19 epidemic wave in Lambayeque, Peru. A retrospective study in 566 participants was conducted face-to-face in November 2021. The dependent variable was insomnia, measured with the Insomnia Severity Index. The independent variables were socio-labor variables, physical activity, food insecurity, eating behavior disorder, fear of COVID-19, and resilience. The prevalence of insomnia was 23% (95% CI: 19.6–26.7%). In multivariate analysis, insomnia was associated with a personal history of mental health (PR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.01–2.93), food insecurity (PR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.05–1.95), fear of COVID-19 (PR: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.87–3.54), and high resilience (PR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.42–0.86). Overall, the Peruvian military population presents a high prevalence of insomnia during the pandemic period. Special attention should be paid to factors that influence insomnia. Prevention and promotion programs should be established to reverse this negative trend in the military.

Factors Affecting Undergraduates’ Academic Performance during COVID-19: Fear, Stress and Teacher-Parents’ Support

The emergency transition from physical to online learning during COVID-19 has affected university students in various aspects, especially their academic performance. It can be caused by many factors, such as individual, environmental and social factors. Therefore, this study aims to determine the impact of fear, stress, well-being, teacher and parents’ support (independent variables) on undergraduates’ academic performance (dependent variable) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A structured online questionnaire has been developed and administered to 400 undergraduates. A structural equation model that integrated all variables under investigation was built and statistically validated using AMOS. The results demonstrated that well-being, teacher emotional support and teacher academic support have the highest significant impact on the respondents’ academic performance. It can be concluded that teachers’ support is the most substantial influence in ensuring student learning sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fear of COVID-19 and Perceived Stress: The Mediating Roles of Neuroticism and Perceived Social Support

Background: Fear of COVID-19 leads to stress and may result in various kinds of mental health problems. Many factors are associated with an individual’s perception of stress, including neuroticism and perceived social support. This study aimed to examine the role of neuroticism and perceived social support as mediators of fear of COVID-19 on perceived stress. Methods: Data from 3299 participants aged ≥18 years from the HOME-COVID-19 survey in 2020 were used for analysis. Measurements used included the Fear of COVID-19 and Impact on Quality of Life Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale-10, the Neuroticism inventory and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support-12. A parallel mediation model within a structural equation modeling framework with 5000 bootstrapping sampling was used to test the mediating effect. Results: Fear of COVID-19 had a direct effect on perceived stress (B  =  0.100, 95% CI = 0.080−0.121, p < 0.001), whereas neuroticism, but not perceived social support, partially mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress (B = 0.018, 95% CI = 0.000−0.036). Among all types of social support, only perceived support from friends was a significant mediator (B = 0.016, 95% CI = 0.006−0.025). Conclusions: Neuroticism and perceived support from friends are critical factors in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress.

Fear of COVID-19 and its association with mental health-related factors: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The severity of COVID-19 remains high worldwide. Therefore, millions of individuals are likely to suffer from fear of COVID-19 and related mental health factors.

AIMS

The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize empirical evidence to understand fear of COVID-19 and its associations with mental health-related problems during this pandemic period.

METHOD

Relevant studies were searched for on five databases (Scopus, ProQuest, EMBASE, PubMed Central, and ISI Web of Knowledge), using relevant terms (COVID-19-related fear, anxiety, depression, mental health-related factors, mental well-being and sleep problems). All studies were included for analyses irrespective of their methodological quality, and the impact of quality on pooled effect size was examined by subgroup analysis.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis pooled data from 91 studies comprising 88 320 participants (mean age 38.88 years; 60.66% females) from 36 countries. The pooled estimated mean of fear of COVID-19 was 13.11 (out of 35), using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. The associations between fear of COVID-19 and mental health-related factors were mostly moderate (Fisher's z = 0.56 for mental health-related factors; 0.54 for anxiety; 0.42 for stress; 0.40 for depression; 0.29 for sleep problems and -0.24 for mental well-being). Methodological quality did not affect these associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Fear of COVID-19 has associations with various mental health-related factors. Therefore, programmes for reducing fear of COVID-19 and improving mental health are needed.

The Effect of COVID-19 on Airline Transportation Services: A Study on Service Robot Usage Intention

Robots have started to be used in the service sector as well as in the manufacturing industry. The use of service robots in airport services, tourism, and hospital services also brings many advantages. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing physical contact and providing hygiene are essential benefits of service robots. For this purpose, the effect of COVID-19 fear on perceived trust in service robots and the intention to use them at airports was investigated in this study. For analysis, data were collected from 730 participants from 64 different countries, by questionnaire. The data were analyzed with the SPSS and AMOS package programs. As a result of the structural equation model analysis, it was determined that COVID-19 fear affects perceived trust in service robots and the intention to use them positively, and perceived trust also affects the intention to use service robots positively. In addition, as a result of the Process Macro analysis, it was found that perceived trust has a high mediating effect on the effect of COVID-19 fear on the intention to use. The research results show that people’s attitudes towards COVID-19 shape the perception of robot usage in air transport services.

Risk Perception, Perception of Collective Efficacy and Sleep Quality in Chinese Adults during COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Only a few studies have studied the link between risk perception and sleep in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of our study is to propose and test a theoretical model to understand the relationships between COVID-19 risk appraisals—risk perception and perception of collective coordinated defense (PCCD) in particular—and subjective sleep quality in Chinese adults in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19-related fear and rumination were examined as potential mediators of the relationships. Methods: Data were collected using a self-report online questionnaire from a convenience sample of 224 Chinese adults during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. Results: Risk perception and PCCD were found to predict poor sleep quality. Mediation analysis showed that both fear and rumination mediated the relationship between risk perception and sleep quality, whereas only fear mediated the relationship between PCCD and sleep quality. The model was an excellent fit to the data and accounted for 44% of the variance in sleep quality in Chinese adults. This study indicated that both perception of high risks of contracting COVID-19 and anticipations of collective disease preventive efforts had adverse effects on subjective sleep quality via increasing COVID-19-related fear. Conclusions: These findings underscore the need for addressing sleep problems induced by psychological consequences of the pandemic. While policy makers often deliver public messaging campaigns that frame disease prevention as a collective goal, developing evidence-based coping strategies to combat COVID-19 adverse impacts on psychological health is equally important.

Stress, coping, resilience, and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic: A representative survey study of US adults

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health emergency resulting in widespread death and substantial disruption to daily life. Previous research has shown that novel disease outbreaks are associated with high stress levels and sleep impairments that lead to neuropsychiatric consequences. Therefore, it is vital to study both stress and protective factors such as coping and resilience that may hinder or help sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, as gender disparities exist in sleep quality, it is important to understand the relationship between pandemic-related stress, coping strategies, resilience, and sleep in bothgenders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Our study examined how gender, stress, coping, and resilience were associated with sleep cross-sectionally during the COVID-19 pandemic in a representative sample of US adults (N = 393).

RESULTS

Consistent with many recent studies, we found that worsened sleep quality in women compared to men persisted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, pandemic-related stress was not significantly associated with sleep quality, but pandemicrelated coping was associated with sleep independent of robust controls and trait resilience.

CONCLUSIONS

Greater primary control engagement coping was associated with better sleep quality, while involuntary engagement coping was associated with poor sleep quality. Future research should extend the findings with actigraphy and explore ways to enhance beneficial coping and sleep health during pandemics.

The Relationship Between Fear of COVID-19 and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on public health. Previous studies showed that the fear of COVID-19 was positively correlated with depression, anxiety, and stress. This study aims to compile and meta-analyze the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and depression, anxiety, and stress among the general population. The studies published between March 2020 and June 2021 were scanned from various databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science [ISI], and SCOPUS). As a result of the literature search, 746 studies were reached, 88 studies were found suitable, and 21 met the inclusion criteria. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA Version 3.0) and metafor package in R were used for analyses. A strong relationship was observed between the fear of COVID-19 and anxiety ( r = .55, p < .001); there were moderate relationships between the fear of COVID-19 and depression ( r = .34, p < .001) and stress ( r = .44, p < .001). All these relationships were significant. The results showed that the relationships between the fear of COVID-19 and depression, anxiety, and stress had a high level of heterogeneity. Meta-regression analyses revealed that the average of the sample age was a significant predictor of the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and anxiety. However, other covariates (female proportion and culture) were not statistically significant for the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and anxiety. None of these covariates was significant predictors of the relationship between fear of COVID-19 with depression and stress. Although the current meta-analysis has some limitations, the results revealed that the fear of COVID-19 is associated with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and stress.

The Prevalence of Psychological Distress and Its Relationship to Sleep Quality in Saudi Arabia's General Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

We aimed to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation measures on sleep quality and psychological distress in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

Subjective sleep quality over the preceding 30 days was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). In addition, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) was used to assess the psychological distress.

RESULTS

The study included 836 participants. The median age was 28 years, 624 (74.64%) were females, and 158 (18.90%) were healthcare workers. Factors associated with poor sleep were recent changes in the sleep habits p = 0.004), anxiety or fear because of coronavirus news on social media p = 0.02), fear because there was no approved drug to treat COVID-19 p = 0.03), and unaware of the presence of chronic diseases p = 0.03). Female gender p = 0.02), fear or anxiety because of coronavirus news on social media p = 0.04), recent change in sleep habits (OR: 1.97 (1.15-3.39); p = 0.01), fear because there is no approved drug to treat COVID-19 p = 0.001), monthly income <1000 SR p = 0.01), and isolation p = 0.01) were associated with distress. PSQI and K10 scores were significantly correlated p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Poor sleep and psychological distress are common during the COVID-19 outbreak in Saudi Arabia. Identifying factors associated with poor sleep and psychological distress would help develop specific intervention programs that enhance mental health and sleep quality during pandemics.