Threat Appraisal, Resilience, and Health Behaviors in Recovered COVID-19 Patients: The Serial Mediation of Coping and Meaning-Making

Effects of Covid-19-related anxiety on overeating and weight gain in a diverse college sample

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has been linked with caloric overeating and weight gain. We employed a mediation analysis to determine whether pandemic-associated overeating was a direct effect of Covid-19-related anxiety (affect regulation theory) or mediated by a coping mechanism of escape eating (escape theory). A diverse pool of college students participated in a repeated cross-sectional study during three separate waves: May 2021 (wave 1, n = 349), December 2021 (wave 2, n = 253), and March 2022 (wave 3, n = 132). The results revealed a significant indirect effect of Covid-19-related anxiety on high-caloric overeating mediated by escape eating, but no direct path between Covid-19-related anxiety and caloric overeating. Analysis of racial/ethnic status uncovered significantly greater Covid-weight gain in Hispanic participants compared with White, Black, and Asian participants. Our results suggest that Covid-19 weight gain is a byproduct of a mediated escape mechanism differentially affecting racial/ethnic groups.

Personal Resources and Total Pain: Exploring the Multiple Mediation of Fear of Recurrence, Meaning-Making, and Coping in Posttreatment Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND

People with cancer who have completed treatment still experience negative effects, such as an increased risk of experiencing cancer-related pain. Psychological factors tend to influence cancer patients' ability to cope with pain in various dimensions. Although personal resources are an important factor in buffering total pain, still little is known about the intervening variables and underlying mechanisms.

PURPOSE

The current study examined the relationship between psychological flexibility, self-esteem, and total pain, while considering fear of recurrence, meaning-making, and coping as potential mediating factors.

METHODS

Adults (N = 304) who completed medical treatment (radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and combined therapy) participated in this study. They completed questionnaires measuring the aforementioned variables. Structural equation models were used to examine mediation effects.

RESULTS

Psychological flexibility, and partly self-esteem, were negatively related to the dimensions of total pain. However, to a large extent, these relationships were serially and parallelly mediated by fear of recurrence, meaning-making, and emotion-oriented coping.

CONCLUSIONS

Consistent with the meaning-making model, cognitive (meaning-making), and affective (fear of recurrence and emotional coping) factors may be potential mechanisms underlying the association between psychological flexibility, self-esteem, and total pain in posttreatment cancer patients. In this study, they tended to interact in the area of physiological and psychosocial experiences of cancer-related pain.

Psychological resilience, resilient coping, and health behaviors among adults in Puerto Rico after multiple adverse events

Objective: Residents of Puerto Rico have recently experienced multiple adverse events, including hurricanes, earthquakes, and political unrest. Such adversity is associated with worse mental and physical health. Psychological resilience and effective coping may mitigate these relations by fostering positive health behaviors, like consuming a high-quality diet and being physically active. However, empirical evidence for these relationships is limited. Methods: We assessed psychological resilience, resilient coping, and health behaviors among two groups of adults in Puerto Rico, before and during the pandemic, in 2019-2023 (total N = 1,342). Resilience and resilient coping were assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale and Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Diet quality was defined by the Alternate Healthy Eating Index from a food frequency questionnaire. We collected data on sleep, physical activity, alcohol intake, and tobacco use using validated questionnaires. Results: Adjusting for confounders, higher resilience z-scores were associated with being in the highest category of diet quality [OR: 1.25, 95 % CI: 1.04, 1.50]; getting 7-8 h of sleep per night [OR: 1.15, 95 % CI: 1.02,1.30]; and reporting moderate or heavy physical activity (vs. light or sedentary) [OR: 1.17, 95 % CI: 1.02,1.34]. The same patterns were observed for higher resilient coping z-scores, and for categorical measures of resilience and resilient coping. These relationships were stronger among participants interviewed during (vs. before) the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that resilience and resilient coping may be particularly relevant during an ongoing stressor. Conclusion: Identifying supportive strategies to cultivate resilience and effective coping mechanisms may contribute to healthier behaviors, particularly in a vulnerable population.

Relationship between resilience and death anxiety of the older adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

BACKGROUND

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused an increase in the incidence of physical and psychological problems, particularly in the older adult. Considering the special physical and mental health conditions of the older adult, they were more exposed to psychological problems associated with the pandemic, such as death anxiety. Therefore, assessing the psychological status of this group is necessary in order to implement appropriate interventions. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between resilience and death anxiety in the older adult during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 283 older adult people over the age of 60 years. The older adult population was selected from 11 municipal districts of Shiraz, Iran, using the cluster sampling method. The resilience and death anxiety scales were used for data collection. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22, using Chi-square test, t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient test. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The mean and standard deviation of the older adult's resilience and death anxiety scores were 64.16 ± 9.59 and 6.3 ± 2.95, respectively. There was a significant correlation between resilience and death anxiety scores (P < 0.01, r=-0.290). Also, sex (P = 0.00) and employment status (P = 0.00) were significantly associated with the older adult's resilience. Besides, sex (P = 0.010) and employment status (P = 0.004) were significantly related to death anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings showcase levels of resilience and death anxiety in older adults during the covid-19 pandemic and suggest that resilience and death anxiety are inversely linked. This has implications on policy planning for future major health events.