Lack of robust associations between prepandemic coping strategies and frontolimbic circuitry with depression and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A preregistered longitudinal study.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing stressor that has resulted in the exacerbation of mental health problems worldwide. However, longitudinal studies that identify preexisting behavioral and neurobiological factors associated with mental health outcomes during the pandemic are lacking. Here, we examined associations between prepandemic coping strategy engagement and frontolimbic circuitry with internalizing symptoms during the pandemic. In 85 adults (71.8% female; age 18-30 years), we assessed prototypically adaptive coping strategies (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging functional connectivity (FC) of frontolimbic circuitry, and depression and anxiety symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory, Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders-Adult, respectively). We conducted general linear models to test preregistered hypotheses that (1) lower coping engagement prepandemic and (2) weaker frontolimbic FC prepandemic would predict elevated symptoms during the pandemic; and (3) coping would interact with FC to predict symptoms during the pandemic. Depression and anxiety symptoms worsened during the pandemic (ps < .001). Prepandemic adaptive coping engagement and frontolimbic FC were not associated with depression or anxiety symptoms during the pandemic (uncorrected ps > .05). Coping interacted with insula-rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) FC (p = .003, pFDR = .014) and with insula-ventral ACC FC (p < .001, pFDR < .001) to predict depression symptoms, but these findings did not survive FDR correction after removal of outliers. Findings from our preregistered study suggest that specific prepandemic factors, particularly adaptive coping and frontolimbic circuitry, are not robustly associated with emotional responses to the pandemic. Additional studies that identify preexisting neurobehavioral factors implicated in mental health outcomes during global health crises are needed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations between early-life stress exposure and internalizing symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic: Assessing the role of neurobehavioral mediators.

Background: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a major stressor that has been associated with increased risk for psychiatric illness in the general population. Recent work has highlighted that experiences of early-life stress (ELS) may impact individuals' psychological functioning and vulnerability for developing internalizing psychopathology in response to pandemic-related stress. However, little is known about the neurobehavioral factors that may mediate the association between ELS exposure and COVID-related internalizing symptomatology. The current study sought to examine the mediating roles of pre-pandemic resting-state frontoamygdala connectivity and concurrent emotion regulation (ER) in the association between ELS and pandemic-related internalizing symptomatology. Methods: Retrospective life-stress histories, concurrent self-reported ER strategies (i.e., reappraisal and suppression), concurrent self-reported internalizing symptomatology (i.e., depression- and anxiety-related symptomatology), and resting-state functional connectivity data from a sample of adults (N = 64, M age = 22.12, female = 68.75%) were utilized. Results: There were no significant direct associations between ELS and COVID-related internalizing symptomatology. Neither frontoamygdala functional connectivity nor ER strategy use mediated an association between ELS and COVID-related internalizing symptomatology (ps > 0.05). Exploratory analyses identified a significant moderating effect of reappraisal use on the association between ELS and internalizing symptomatology (ß = -0.818, p = 0.047), such that increased reappraisal use buffered the impact of ELS on psychopathology. Conclusions: While frontoamygdala connectivity and ER do not appear to mediate the association between ELS and COVID-related internalizing symptomatology, our findings suggest that the use of reappraisal may buffer against the effect of ELS on mental health during the pandemic.

Associations Among Resilient Coping Strategies, Frontolimbic Functional Connectivity, and Depression and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing stressor that has resulted in millions of deaths and worsening of psychiatric health worldwide. However, we lack knowledge regarding the influence of specific behavioral and neural factors that may alleviate the impact of the pandemic on mental health. Thus, we assessed whether pre-pandemic resilient coping strategy engagement and frontolimbic circuitry influence depression and anxiety symptoms during the pandemic. Methods: In 72 young adults (72.2% female, mean age 24 years), we assessed depression and anxiety symptoms (BDI and SCARED-A), resilient coping strategies (CD-RISC), and resting-state functional connectivity (FC) of frontolimbic circuitry using fMRI. We conducted general linear models to test preregistered hypotheses that 1) less resilient coping pre-pandemic and 2) weaker frontolimbic FC pre-pandemic would predict more severe symptoms during the pandemic;and 3) coping would interact with FC to predict symptoms during the pandemic. Results: Anxiety symptoms worsened during the pandemic as compared to pre-pandemic, while depression symptoms improved (ps<0.001). Less resilient coping predicted more severe depression symptoms during the pandemic (p=0.023). Weaker frontolimbic FC pre-pandemic predicted more severe obsessive-compulsive (p=0.015) and separation anxiety symptoms (p=0.040) during the pandemic. Resilient coping interacted with frontolimbic FC to predict depression (p<0.001), obsessive-compulsive (p=0.041), panic (p=0.017), and generalized anxiety (p=0.027) symptoms during the pandemic. Conclusions: Less coping strategy engagement and weaker frontolimbic FC may represent risk factors for poor psychiatric health during the pandemic. This research may inform efforts to ameliorate the adverse psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as subsequent global stressful events. Supported By: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5OD021370) to DGG;Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression;NARSAD) Young Investigator Award to DGG;and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Award to BHG and JCF. Keywords: Depression, Anxiety, Brain Imaging, fMRI, Coping Strategies, COVID-19 Pandemic