Perfectionism and Eating Behavior in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a massive global health crisis leading to different reactions in people. Those reactions may be adaptive or not depending on situational or psychological processes. Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors are likely to be exacerbated by the pandemic through multiple pathways as suggested by Rodgers et al. (2020). Among the psychological variables that may have increased dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviors as a consequence of the social distancing and isolation, we looked at perfectionism. Perfectionism is a well-recognized risk and maintaining factor of eating-related symptoms and interact with stress increasing the probability of dysfunctional reactions (e.g., Wang and Li, 2017). The present study investigated the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and eating behaviors by considering the mediating role of psychological distress. Data were collected from two countries (Italy and Spain) by means of an online survey. The samples included 465 (63.4% female) participants from Italy and 352 (68.5% female) from Spain. Participants completed the short form of the Hewitt and Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Lombardo et al., 2021) to assess self-oriented, other-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism, as well as the short form of Three Factors Eating Questionnaire (Karlsson et al., 2000) and the Italian version of Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (Bottesi et al., 2015), respectively used to assess restrictive, emotional and uncontrolled eating on one hand, and depression, anxiety and stress on the other. Multigroup analysis was performed to test the hypothesized model. Results showed that other-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were indirectly related to most of the dysfunctional eating aspects through the mediation of psychological distress, and the pattern obtained was consistent in both countries. These findings evidence that the psychological distress potentially related to the COVID-19 disease mediates the negative impact of interpersonal perfectionism and the tendency to eat in response to negative emotions.

Longitudinal associations between stress and sleep disturbances during COVID-19.

The psychological consequences of COVID-19 pandemic may include the activation of stress systems, that involve the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which influences many physiological functions, including sleep. Despite epidemiological studies evidenced greater prevalence of stress symptoms and sleep disturbances during COVID-19, longitudinal evidence investigating the effects of stress on sleep disturbances during the pandemic is lacking. We collected measures of perceived stress and sleep disturbances during the first wave of COVID-19 (March 2020) and at 8-10 months follow up in a sample of 648 adults (M = 33.52, SD = 12.98 years). Results showed that 39.4% of participants reported moderate to extremely severe stress in March 2020. Prevalence of sleep disturbances was 54.8% in March 2020 and 57.4% at follow-up. Structural equation modelling highlighted that perceived stress in March 2020 significantly predicted sleep disturbances at follow up (ß = 0.203; p < 0.001), even after controlling for baseline sleep disturbances. Results remained significant even after controlling for the effects of covariates including age, sex, depression and anxiety symptoms, and referring to psychological services (ß = 0.179; p < 0.05). Findings confirm the high prevalence of stress symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide first longitudinal evidence for the effects of perceived stress on sleep disturbances during the pandemic.

"Waste not and stay at home" evidence of decreased food waste during the COVID-19 pandemic from the U.S. and Italy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted household food purchasing and preparation, including elements identified as important drivers of household food waste. The two main aims of this study were (1) to examine changes in food waste behaviors since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and Italy; and (2) to investigate potential predictors of food waste behavior, including avoidance of supermarkets, increased home cooking, and increased role of health concerns in food choices. A sample of n = 478 (79% female) individuals from the U.S., mean (SD) age = 30.51 (10.85), and n = 476 individuals from Italy, (78% female), mean (SD) age = 33.84 (12.86), completed an online survey between April 8th and April 28th 2020. Just under half of respondents (49%) reported decreased food waste since the start of the pandemic. Rates were significantly higher among the U.S. sample (61.5%, n = 294) compared to the Italian sample (38%, n = 180). Controlling for the time since restrictions were introduced, age, gender, and perceived financial security, logistic regression revealed greater reduction in food waste since the beginning of the pandemic for U.S. individuals relative to participants from Italy (OR = 0.47, p < .001). In addition, increased importance of health concerns when making food choices (OR = 1.34, p < .005) as well as more frequent cooking (OR = 1.35, p < .001), and greater avoidance of supermarkets (OR = 1.15, p = .049) were associated with greater probability of less food waste. Scarcity and greater reliance on cooking may encourage individuals to reflect on food waste practices. Further research should explore how these factors may be targeted to reduce food waste beyond the pandemic.

Caring for the carers: Advice for dealing with sleep problems of hospital staff during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Hospital staff are at the frontline in the COVID-19 outbreak. The stressors they experience may induce sleep problems in a population already at risk. Sleep deprivation, long shifts and insomnia in hospital staff have been associated with individual, organizational and public health hazards. These include increased risk of mental and somatic disorders, altered immune responses, medical errors, misunderstandings, drowsy driving and burnout. In March 2020, the World Health Organization called for providing access to mental health and counselling for health professionals involved in the COVID-19 outbreak. To answer this call, we propose practical advice for the management of sleep problems (sleep deprivation, insomnia and shift work) that can be included in supportive interventions. The advice is based on psychobiological principles of sleep regulation and on guidelines for the treatment of insomnia and was implemented within an initiative offering psychological support to the staff of three university hospitals in Rome.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating disorder risk and symptoms.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has created a global context likely to increase eating disorder (ED) risk and symptoms, decrease factors that protect against EDs, and exacerbate barriers to care. Three pathways exist by which this pandemic may exacerbate ED risk. One, the disruptions to daily routines and constraints to outdoor activities may increase weight and shape concerns, and negatively impact eating, exercise, and sleeping patterns, which may in turn increase ED risk and symptoms. Relatedly, the pandemic and accompanying social restrictions may deprive individuals of social support and adaptive coping strategies, thereby potentially elevating ED risk and symptoms by removing protective factors. Two, increased exposure to ED-specific or anxiety-provoking media, as well as increased reliance on video conferencing, may increase ED risk and symptoms. Three, fears of contagion may increase ED symptoms specifically related to health concerns, or by the pursuit of restrictive diets focused on increasing immunity. In addition, elevated rates of stress and negative affect due to the pandemic and social isolation may also contribute to increasing risk. Evaluating and assessing these factors are key to better understanding the impact of the pandemic on ED risk and recovery and to inform resource dissemination and targets.