Insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Greek population

Insomnia is a major health issue associated with great psychological burden. Research of insomnia during a pandemic crisis is limited. The aim of the present study was to explore sleep difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Greek population. The three-day online survey included questions about sociodemographic characteristics, contact with COVID-19 and COVID-19-related negative attitudes, as well as the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the Intolerance to Uncertainty scale (IUS), the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness scale (JGLS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) Depression Scale. Altogether, 2,427 individuals participated in the study (with 2,363 of them providing all basic demographic data). Sleep problems were detected in 37.6% of the participants. Women and people in urban areas were more vulnerable to sleep problems, while younger age showed a non-significant trend. Those uncertain about having themselves, or someone close to them contracted the virus, also demonstrated elevated insomnia scores. Lastly, according to the regression analysis, higher levels of intolerance to uncertainty, COVID-19-related worry, loneliness, as well as more severe depressive symptoms, were all predictive of insomnia. Results may be used for the development of therapeutic strategies and implementation of social policies to support people with sleep difficulties.

Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among partners during COVID-19 lockdown

OBJECTIVE Τo investigate the psychological impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) quarantine measures on people who were experiencing conflict in their relationships with their co-habiting partners in Greece. METHOD A total of 2,998 participants completed four questionnaires: the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), and the Post-Τraumatic Stress Disorder-8 items (PTSD-8). The quality of the bond between partners before and during the lockdown was assessed with two items exploring relationship quality. RESULTS A subsample of 145 respondents (4.8%) reported that the quality of their intimate relationship worsened during the lockdown. Roughly 5% of the subsample reported being in true danger, and 85% reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms, and 50% moderate to severe depressive symptoms, while 17.6% met the criteria for probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). CONCLUSIONS In addition to the psychological burden attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the related restriction measures, this study underscores the importance of investigating additional psychosocial factors affecting individuals, and couples, during lockdown. © Athens Medical Society.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in a sample of Greek adults.

The ongoing COVID-19 global medical crisis carries a plethora of consequences and various sequelae, of which the most striking is the impact on physical and mental health. After the relaxing of imposed measures in Greece, in May 2020, a cross-sectional web survey based on a convenience sample was conducted exploring the attributions about the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents were asked to rank their hesitancy to be vaccinated when the COVID-19 vaccine will be available and provided data on gender, age, educational level, professional status, marital status and residential area, as well as a questionnaire exploring COVID-19 attributions.In accordance with relevant studies, the present study confirmed that there is a sizable portion of vaccine-hesitant individuals. Female and less educated participants were more hesitant to get vaccinated. Similar reluctance was identified in participants who strongly believed that the spread of the pandemic is part of a hidden agenda.

Substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece

Background and Objectives: The recent outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic can be stressful for many people, who could resolve to addictive substances or other addictive behaviors as coping strategies. The purpose of this study was to detect changes in alcohol, tobacco, cannabis use and gambling in the general population, during the covid-19 lockdown in Greece. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted online, using the AUDIT-C questionnaire for alcohol use, the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, and qualitative questions about alcohol, tobacco, cannabis use and gambling. Results were analyzed using the SPSS v.26 software. Results: Of N = 1365 responders, 300 abstained completely. During lockdown: 43.7% of alcohol users reported drinking less or abstain, followed by a lower mean score in AUDIT-C (p < 0.001), 1/3 of tobacco smokers reported that they smoked more, confirmed by a difference in Fagerstrom Test scores (p < 0.001). 67.4% of cannabis users reported abstinence and 71.4% of gamblers answered that they played less or not at all (females > males, p = 0.031). Changes were mostly attributed to factors linked to the lockdown. Discussion and Conclusions: Alcohol, cannabis users and gamblers seemed to quit their habits during lockdown. Tobacco smoking seemed to become heavier, despite reports that smokers are more vulnerable to heavier respiratory symptoms after covid-19 infection. Present situation played a more important role, than fears about health. A significant percentage used alcohol or tobacco to cope with anxiety or depression.

Hesitancy to Return to the Pre-pandemic Routine.

The goal of the present study was to explore COVID-19 related hesitancy, which represents the inability of people to return to previous levels of functioning after a major medical crisis like the current pandemic. A new questionnaire was developed to evaluate participants' hesitancy. The study was conducted online in November, 2020, using convenience sampling. A total of 538 individuals from the general Greek population participated in the study and completed the Hesitancy Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD-2), the Short Health Anxiety Inventory and a COVID-19-related worry question. The Hesitancy Questionnaire proved to have adequate psychometric properties. Correlation with anxiety as assessed by GAD-2 proved to be significant but low, indicating that the two scales are measuring two different concepts. The greatest hesitancy was observed in older adults for both genders (males, M = 40.86, SD = 15.24; females, M = 49.34, SD = 14.74). Women in general appeared more hesitant than men scoring higher (males, M = 36.13, SD = 15.25; females, M = 42.63, SD = 17.31) with a statistically significant difference [t(536) = - 3.706, p = .001). This study provided a tool to informed understanding on how citizens perceive the new normality after the COVID-19 pandemic. If not appropriately addressed, hesitancy may increase stress levels and result in mental health or socialization problems.

Mental Health Screening for COVID-19: a Proposed Cutoff Score for the Greek Version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S).

The COVID-19 pandemic elicited fear. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) is a newly developed self-reported measure, originally developed in Persian to assess COVID-19-related fear. To date, the scale has been translated and validated in 19 other languages, among which Greek. This study, conducted through an online survey, aimed to further explore the validity of the Greek FCV-19S version, as well as to identify appropriate cutoff scores. A total of 538 respondents completed the sociodemographic data sheet, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, the Short Health Anxiety Inventory, and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-8 inventory. According to the results, a cutoff point score of 16.5 or higher revealed a significant predictive power for anxiety, health anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Altogether, although the cutoff scores of the Greek FCV-19S version were explored to further evaluate the scale's validity, they may facilitate discrimination of adults with extreme COVID-19-related fear from those with normal fear reactions.