The impact of COVID-19-related quarantine on psychological outcomes in patients after cardiac intervention: a multicenter longitudinal study.

Mandatory quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic had substantial negative consequences on psychological health in the general population. Depression, anxiety, and insomnia were reported to increase the morbidity and mortality risk in cardiac patients after cardiac interventions. Nonetheless, a gap in the evidence appeared regarding the effects of COVID-19-related quarantine on psychological outcomes in patients after cardiac interventions. The present study aimed to longitudinally investigate the effects of quarantine on depressive, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms in a group of patients who underwent cardiac intervention. Seventy-three patients admitted for cardiac rehabilitation completed a psychological assessment before and a reassessment after the quarantine and were included in the quarantine group. The control group included 76 patients who completed both evaluations before the quarantine. Depressive (Beck Depression Inventory-II; BDI-II), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory-II; BAI), and insomnia (Sleep Condition Indicator; SCI) symptoms were evaluated in both groups at one (assessment) and eight (reassessment) months after cardiac intervention. The statistical analyses revealed that at reassessment, the quarantine group showed higher global depressive, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms than the control group and increased cognitive symptoms of depression. A higher presence of clinically relevant depressed patients was seen in the quarantine group. The present results showed that the COVID-19-related mandatory quarantine negatively affected psychological outcomes in patients after cardiac intervention, increasing the probability for these patients to be depressed. This, in turn, could influence patients' health in a critical period for morbidity and mortality risk. This underlines the priority of integrating and improving targeted mental health support as the pandemic continues, especially for cardiac patients.

The impact of emotion regulation and mental health difficulties on health behaviours during COVID19.

The COVID-19 outbreak is having a profound impact on individuals' psychological and physical wellbeing. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of this impact and its mechanisms on a sample of adults living in Italy during the first lockdown (April-May 2020). Two hundred ninety-two individuals (67.1% females) were recruited from the community through social media. They completed baseline online questionnaires to collect demographic information, data on past and present general health and health behaviours, and to assess emotion regulation strategies. Participants completed a brief survey to assess mood and health behaviours three times a week, for three weeks. Individuals with lifetime psychiatric disorders (about 50%) reported greater negative mood and use of unhealthy behaviours over time, compared to those with no psychiatric vulnerability. The use of cognitive reappraisal to regulate emotions was associated with greater resilience (i.e., feelings of hope and resourcefulness, and ability to seek social support and enjoyable activities). Cognitive reappraisal is a skill that can be trained and could be utilised to buffer the effect of general stress (i.e. stress caused by the pandemic) on individuals' wellbeing.

The Influence of Personality, Resilience, and Alexithymia on Mental Health During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries worldwide have put lockdowns in place to prevent the virus from spreading. Evidence shows that lockdown measures can affect mental health; it is, therefore, important to identify the psychological characteristics making individuals more vulnerable. The present study aimed, first, to identify, through a cluster analysis, the psychological attributes that characterize individuals with similar psychological responses to the COVID-19 home confinement; second, to investigate whether different psychological characteristics, such as personality traits, alexithymia, and resilience, specifically influence anxiety, stress, and depression, depending on the scope of the confinement. We analyzed data from 393 participants who completed an online survey on their experiences during two different phases of the Italian lockdown, characterized by more or less strict measures of confinement. Two clusters were identified which included participants reporting a better (+ER) and worse (-ER) emotional response to the lockdown, respectively. Individuals in the -ER group showed lower emotional stability, resilience, and higher alexithymia. Moreover, even if lifting part of the restrictions decreased psychological distress among all participants, a reduction in perceived stress was observed only among individuals with high resilience. Finally, personality traits, alexithymia, and resilience differently affected depression, anxiety, and stress. Our results suggest that different psychological interventions should be planned depending on the context: mental health professionals should focus on enhancing the individuals' coping strategies to alleviate stress in emergencies, while long-term intervention aiming at alleviating anxiety and depressive symptoms should focus on alexithymic tendencies and personality constructs.

Increased emotional eating during COVID-19 associated with lockdown, psychological and social distress.

Due to the spread of COVID 2019, the Italian government imposed a lockdown on the national territory. Initially, citizens were required to stay at home and not to mix with others outside of their household (Phase 1); eventually, some of these restrictions were lifted (Phase 2). To investigate the impact of lockdown on emotional and binge eating, an online survey was conducted to compare measures of self-reported physical (BMI), psychological (Alexithymia), affective (anxiety, stress, and depression) and social (income, workload) state during Phase 1 and Phase 2. Data from 365 Italian residents showed that increased emotional eating was predicted by higher depression, anxiety, quality of personal relationships, and quality of life, while the increase of bingeing was predicted by higher stress. Moreover, we showed that higher alexithymia scores were associated by increased emotional eating and higher BMI scores were associated with both increased emotional eating and binge eating. Finally, we found that from Phase 1 to Phase 2 binge and emotional eating decreased. These data provide evidence of the negative effects of isolation and lockdown on emotional wellbeing, and, relatedly, on eating behaviour.