The relationship between psychological distress, meaning in life, and life satisfaction in the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the fear of being infected, losing relatives, and measures taken to prevent contamination (e.g., lock-downs, quarantining, spatial distancing, etc.) have all increased the risk of depression, anxiety and stress. In the present study, the relationship be-tween psychological distress, meaning in life, and life satisfaction was ex-plored among individuals who were infected and not infected with COVID-19 during the pandemic. The present study is the first to examine these variables simultaneously. The sample comprised 687 adult individuals over the age of 18 years (mean=30.51 years). Results indicated that adult individuals with high life satisfaction had lower levels of psychological dis-tress, find life more meaningful, and seek meaning less. Psychological dis-tress was positively related with the search for meaning in life and nega-tively related with the existence of meaning in life. Moreover, depressive symptoms and the existence of meaning in life were significant predictors of life satisfaction. © 2023, Universidad de Murcia Servicio de Publicaciones. All rights reserved.

Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Mental Health Among Iranians

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its consequences may impact individuals' mental health. Objective(s): The present study aimed to investigate the psychological status of individuals during the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran following the government's social distancing plan. Method(s): Data from 1,524 people were collected using a cross-sectional web-based survey via social media. Demographic variables and psychological status were evaluated using the General Health Questionnaire, Stress Response Inventory, and Brunel Mood Scale. Result(s): Individuals reported that their mental health decreased during the pandemic. Four factors were associated with increased stress: (1) Fear of getting sick;(2) indefinite quarantine duration;(3) impaired daily activities;and (4) reduced social communication. One-third of the participants reported physical symptoms (32.7%), 47% anxiety, 72% social dysfunction, and 28.3% depression. Approximately half of the participants (52.2%) reported mental health disorder symptoms. Detrimental mental health characteristics were higher among females, younger people, and singles. Conclusion(s): Health policies should be implemented to help reduce the psychological burden during and after the Iranian government's SDP, especially among females, singles, and younger people.Copyright © 2023, Author(s).

Psychological Impacts of Returning Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Survey Among Iranian Students

Background: In addition to its potentially harmful physical consequences, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause various negative psychological consequences for individuals. One cohort likely to have been affected is university students who have had to return and study from their home cities due to the physical closures of universities. Objectives: The present study was conducted on students to assess psychological impacts (i.e., anxiety, depression, and stress) on predicting COVID-19 anxiety resulting from returning home and quarantining due to university closure. Methods: The study sample comprised 715 Iranian students who were asked to complete the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) and the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale. Results: The mean scale scores for COVID-19 anxiety, stress, depression, and anxiety were 13.75 (out of 54), 6.68 (out of 21), 5.54 (out of 21), and 4.74 (out of 21), respectively. Significantly higher levels of COVID-19 anxiety were observed among students who had been infected with the virus or had family/friends infected with the virus (compared to individuals who had not). Moreover, students who lived with their friends reported significantly higher COVID-19 anxiety than those who lived with their families. Conclusions: The study also showed a positive association between psychological distress and COVID-19 anxiety among students who returned to their homes during the pandemic. The findings suggest that mental health interventions are needed for students and should be implemented in the early stages of future pandemics. © 2023, Author(s).

Antecedents and job outcomes from a self-efficacy perspective while working from home among professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: Working from home (WFH) was one of the major changes that occurred in many organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This also led to online training being conducted during this WFH period. The present study investigated the role of technology, manager support and peer support on self-efficacy and job outcomes (i.e. training transfer, work engagement and job satisfaction) of employees while WFH. Design/methodology/approach: The study framework incorporated Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Data were collected from 852 employees in India, and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings: The study found positive relationships between ease of technology use, manager support and peer support on self-efficacy and a negative relationship between self-efficacy and technostress. The study also found significant positive relationships between self-efficacy and training transfer, work engagement and job satisfaction. Moreover, the study also identified the moderating effects of WFH and technical issues in the relationships of self-efficacy with training transfer, work engagement and job satisfaction. Originality/value: The study is novel in that it extended self-efficacy theory regarding the WFH context with influencers such as technology, managers and peers as organizational factors. It also demonstrated the effectiveness of remote working and online training considering the potential antecedents while WFH. Moreover, the study highlighted the simultaneous role of technology and people (managers and peers) in enhancing job outcomes by increasing self-efficacy among employees. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The associations between loneliness, anxiety, and problematic gaming behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of mentalization

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted mental health, contributing to increase the feeling of loneliness, the psychological distress, and the gaming involvement. Despite accumulating data in the field of gaming, the research examining the psychological determinants of gaming severity, especially in the unique circumstances of COVID-19 pandemic, is still in its infancy. The aim of the present study was to examine, for the first time, the role of mentalization in gaming and to clarify the pattern of associations between loneliness, psychological distress, and problematic gaming behavior, as well as the mediating role of mentalizing in this relationship during COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Methods: A total of 466 adults aged 18-29 years completed an online survey including the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Results: Regression analysis showed that male gender, anxiety, hypermentalizing, and loneliness were good predictors of problematic gaming behavior. The path analysis indicated that gender predicted gaming directly, whereas anxiety and loneliness contributed to gaming both directly and indirectly via hypermentalizing. Conclusions: The present study is the first to examine the role of mentalizing in gaming during COVID-19 pandemic and provide insight into the interrelationships between mentalization, psychological distress, perceived loneliness, and problematic gaming behavior, demonstrating that an inaccurate mentalization has a key role in contributing to problematic gaming. The study provides a useful contribution for prevention of gaming severity and indicates that specific intervention on mentalizing could be effective in reducing problematic gaming by reducing levels of both anxiety and perceived loneliness. © 2022. by the Author(s);licensee Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology, Messina, Italy. This article is an open access article, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 10, No. 1 (2022).

COVID-19 pandemic related excessive electronic media exposure and mental health in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: Due to the continued spread of COVID-19 and the emergence of novel mutated viral variants, families all over the world are experiencing wide-ranging stressors that threaten not only their financial well-being but also their physical and mental health. The present study assessed the association between excessive electronic media exposure of pandemic-related news and mental health of the residents of Ha'il Province, Saudi Arabia. The present study also assessed the prevalence of perceived stress, fear of COVID-19, anxiety, depression, and loneliness due to COVID-19-related restrictions in the same population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 490 residents of Ha'il Province participated in a cross-sectional online survey during a two-month period (March to April 2021). A validated 38-item self-report survey was used to collect the data. RESULTS: Significant associations were reported between excessive electronic media exposure and the prevalence of perceived stress (χ2=140.56; p<.001), generalized anxiety (χ2=74.55; p<.001), depression (χ2=71.58; p<.001), COVID-19-related fear (χ2=24.54; p<.001), and loneliness (χ2=11.46; p<.001). It was also found that participants without depressive symptoms were 0.28 times less likely to have been exposed to excessive electronic media exposure (AOR: 0.28; C.I. 0.16-0.48; p<.001). Similarly, participants with no stress/mild stress were 0.32 times less likely to have been exposed to excessive electronic media exposure (AOR: 0.32; C.I. 0.19-0.52; p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study suggest an urgent need for educational resilience programs (online and in-person) for susceptible individuals (females, unemployed, urban residents, etc.). Such programs would help them to develop skills to cope with the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fear of COVID-19 Among Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students in Pakistan

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the lifestyles of individuals all over the world, induced a fear of virus transmission and confusion, and brought about many other potentially devastating psychological impacts. To minimize the spread of COVID-19, governments all over the world have implemented various practices including lockdowns, home quarantines, spatial distancing, and online teaching within schools, colleges, and/or universities. The present cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the associations between socio-demographic factors and fear of COVID-19 among undergraduate and postgraduate students in public universities Lahore, Pakistan. Data were collected utilizing an online GoogleForms survey based on a convenience sample of 397 undergraduate and postgraduate students of public universities (78% female;mean age = 24 years), enrolled in the subject of education (54%) and psychology (46%) when the virus was spreading rapidly throughout Pakistan. All the participants completed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and questions concerning socio-demographic variables. Results indicated that the fear of COVID-19 was higher among the education students and female students. Fear of COVID-19 (i.e., scores on the FCV-19S) was positively associated with the participants’ personal or family history of illness and number of deaths in family. The level of fear of COVID-19 was different among the students who had physical illness, psychological illness, and no any history of illness personally or in their family. © 2021, Associação Brasileira de Psicologia.

Motivation to Have COVID-19 Vaccination Explained Using an Extended Protection Motivation Theory among University Students in China: The Role of Information Sources

BACKGROUND: The aims of the present study were to examine the prediction of the threat and coping appraisal utilizing an extended protection motivation theory (PMT) for the motivation to have COVID-19 vaccination and the influence of various information sources on coping appraisal among university students in China. METHODS: The sample comprised 3145 students from 43 universities in China who completed an online survey including PMT constructs as well as constructs added to PMT. The PMT constructs comprised motivation to have COVID-19 vaccination, threat appraisal, and coping appraisal. The extended PMT constructs comprised knowledge about mechanisms and information sources of COVID-19 vaccination. RESULTS: Perceived severity of COVID-19 was positively associated with motivation to have COVID-19 vaccination. Receiving information concerning COVID-19 vaccination from medical personnel was associated with greater self-efficacy, response efficacy, and knowledge, whereas receiving information concerning COVID-19 vaccination from coworkers/colleagues was associated with less response efficacy and knowledge. Receiving online information concerning COVID-19 vaccination was associated with greater response cost of vaccination efficacy and less knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: This study supported the prediction of perceived severity in the PMT for motivation to have COVID-19 vaccination among university students in China. Vaccination information sources have different effects on students' coping appraisal of COVID-19 vaccination.

Assessing whether COVID-19 patients will benefit from critical care, and an objective approach to capacity challenges during a pandemic: An Intensive Care Society clinical guideline.

This national professional society guidance lays out operational and ethical principles for decision-making during a pandemic, in the immediate context of COVID-19 in the early 2020 surge iteration but with potential ongoing relevance. It identifies the different phases of a pandemic and the implications for capacity and mutual aid within a national healthcare system, and introduces a revised CRITCON-PANDEMIC framework for shared operational responsibilities and clinical decision-making. Usual legal and ethical frameworks should continue to apply while capacity and mutual aid are available (CRITCON-PANDEMIC levels 0-3); clinicians should focus on current clinical needs and should not treat patients differently because of anticipated future pressures. In conditions of resource limitation (CRITCON-PANDEMIC 4), a structured and equitable approach is necessary and an objective Decision Support Aid is proposed. In producing this guidance, we emphasise that all patients must be treated with respect and without discrimination, because everyone is of equal value. The guidance has been put together with input from patient and public groups and aims to provide standards that are fair to everyone. We acknowledge that COVID-19 is a new disease with a partial and evolving knowledge base, and aim to provide an objective clinical decision-making framework based on the best available information. It is recognised that a factual assessment of likely benefit may take into account age, frailty and comorbidities, but the guidance emphasises that every assessment must be individualised on a balanced, case by case, basis and may inform clinical judgement but not replace it. The effects of a comorbidity on someone's ability to benefit from critical care should be individually assessed. Measures of frailty should be used with care, and should not disadvantage those with stable disability.