The Arab COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C-19ASS): COVID-19 anxiety syndrome and psychological symptoms in the Saudi Arabian population.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C-19ASS) is a reliable scale assessing dysfunctional coping strategies activated in response to COVID-19 fear and threat. The present study aimed to provide a validation of the Arabic version of the C-19ASS and to explore the association between the C-19ASS and psychological symptoms syndrome. METHOD: In Study 1, a community sample of 404 participants completed the Arabic version of the C-19ASS and results were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, a community sample of 903 participants completed the Arabic version of the C-19ASS and a series of measures assessing depressed mood and anhedonia, generalized anxiety and health anxiety. Internal consistency, construct validity and incremental validity were assessed. Associations between C-19ASS and psychological symptoms were assessed. RESULTS: Factor analysis identified a two-factor solution (i.e., C-19ASS-Perseveration and C-19ASS-Avoidance), and confirmatory factor analysis suggested a two-factor model best fits the data. The Arabic version of the C-19ASS showed good internal consistency, good construct and incremental validity. COVID-19 anxiety syndrome was associated with more severe anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms and health anxiety. Females had higher levels of COVID-19 anxiety syndrome than males. Participants diagnosed with COVID-19, and those who had experienced loss as a consequence of COVID-19, had higher levels of COVID-19 anxiety syndrome (Perseveration). CONCLUSIONS: The Arabic version of the C-19ASS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome. The COVID-19 anxiety syndrome could be a suitable therapeutic target to improve psychological recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic among Arabs.

The Italian COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale: Investigation of the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome and its association with psychological symptoms in an Italian population.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C-19ASS) is a quick and reliable scale assessing dysfunctional coping strategies activated in response to COVID-19 fear and threat. The present study aimed to provide a preliminary validation of the Italian version of the C-19ASS and investigated whether the C-19ASS would mediate the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and psychological outcomes. METHOD: In Study 1, a community sample of 271 participants completed the Italian version of the C-19ASS and results were subjected to a Principal Component Analysis. In study 2, a community sample of 484 participants completed the Italian version of the C-19ASS and a series of measures assessing COVID-19 anxiety, COVID-19 fear, functional impairment, personality traits, depression, generalized anxiety and health anxiety. Internal consistency, concurrent and incremental validity were assessed. Path analyses were run. RESULTS: Factor analysis identified a two-factor solution (i.e., C-19ASS Perseveration and C-19ASS Avoidance) and confirmatory factor analysis suggested a two-factor model best fits the data. The Italian version of the C-19ASS showed good internal consistency. There was also evidence of convergent validity and incremental validity. Path analyses showed that C-19ASS Perseveration mediates the relationship between emotional stability and psychological symptoms (depression, generalized anxiety and health anxiety). CONCLUSION: The Italian version of the C-19ASS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome. The COVID-19 anxiety syndrome could be a suitable therapeutic target to reduce psychological symptoms typically linked to pandemic events, such as depression generalized anxiety and health anxiety.

Anxiety in the Medically Ill: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background: Although anxiety is highly represented in the medically ill and its occurrence has relevant clinical implications, it often remains undetected and not properly treated. This systematic review aimed to report on anxiety, either symptom or disorder, in patients who suffer from a medical illness. Methods: English-language papers reporting on anxiety in medically ill adults were evaluated. PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched from inception to June 2021. Search term was "anxiety" combined using the Boolean "AND" operator with "medically ill/chronic illness/illness/disorder/disease." Risk of bias was assessed via the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tools-Checklist for Prevalence Studies. The PRISMA guidelines were followed. Results: Of 100,848 citations reviewed, 329 studies met inclusion criteria. Moderate or severe anxious symptoms were common among patients with cardiovascular, respiratory, central nervous system, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, endocrine, musculoskeletal system or connective tissue, dermatological diseases, cancer, AIDS and COVID-19 infections. The most common anxiety disorder was generalized anxiety disorder, observed among patients with cardiovascular, respiratory, central nervous system, dermatologic diseases, cancer, primary aldosteronism, amenorrhea, and COVID-19 infection. Panic disorder was described for cardiovascular, respiratory, dermatology diseases. Social anxiety was found for cardiovascular, respiratory, rheumatoid diseases. Specific phobias were relatively common in irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux, end-stage renal disease. Conclusion: Anxiety is a major challenge in medical settings. Recognition and proper assessment of anxiety in patients who suffer from a medical illness is necessary for an appropriate management. Future reviews are warranted in order also to clarify the causal and temporal relationship between anxiety and organic illness.

Fear of missing out (FoMO) and internet use: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: FoMO has been considered a predisposing factor toward excessive internet use, and a great deal of literature has investigated the link between FoMO and internet use. However, there is still a lack of cohesion in the literature. METHODS: The current study have been conducted and reported in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). RESULTS: In the current systematic review and meta-analysis of 86 effect-sizes, representative of 55,134 participants (Mean age = 22.07, SD = 6.15, females = 58.37%), we found that the strength of the trait FoMO- internet use association significantly varies from r = 0.11 to r = 0.63. In some populations, FoMO appears to increase with age and it is reverse in other populations. Facebook use was unrelated to FoMO in some populations, and higher FoMO was linked with stopping Instagram use for some individuals. The FoMO- internet use association was independent of their severity, as the interaction was not significant, and this association was neither linear nor curvilinear. The FoMO-internet use association does not appear to be associated with depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms or level of life satisfaction. The COVID-19 pandemic was the only significant moderator of the FoMO-internet use association, strengthening this relationship. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: FoMO demonstrates a considerable role in internet use; however, there is no evidence of interaction or bi-directional association between the mentioned. Overall, we still don't know what factors contribute to individuals exhibiting distinct patterns in the FoMO-internet use association.

Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on Italian healthcare workers versus general population: Results from an online survey.

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 pandemic has been a stressful condition. We explored life changes and health-related consequences of COVID-19 outbreak in Italian healthcare workers in comparison to the general population. METHODS: A total of 593 subjects participated to the online CoRonavIruS Health Impact Survey. Life events and changes, physical health and worries were evaluated referring to 2 weeks prior to the survey. Mood states and daily behaviour were retrospectively evaluated referring to 3 months before COVID-19 (T1) and 2 weeks prior to the survey (T2). Student t test, Mann-Whitney test and multivariate logistic regression analyses were run. RESULTS: Five hundred and twenty-one subjects were analysed (healthcare workers: n = 163, 31.84%; general population: n = 349, 68.16%). Healthcare workers were more likely to report fatigue and have spent more time outside home during the 2 weeks prior to the survey than the general population (χ2 (df) = 266.03(17) , p < 0.001, R2 = 0.57). From T1 to T2, healthcare workers had a significant increase in negative mood, worry, restlessness, loneliness and a decrease in happiness, while subjects from the general population had a statistically significant increase in negative mood, worry, attention, concentration difficulties and a decrease in happiness, pleasure related to daily activities, time spent outdoors and alcohol use. CONCLUSION: In the framework of a growing literature on healthcare workers' status during the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study allowed to identify fatigue and loneliness as psychosomatic modifiable variables in need of being monitored and, possibly managed, to ameliorate the health status of healthcare workers.

The association between depression symptoms, psychological burden caused by Covid-19 and physical activity: An investigation in Germany, Italy, Russia, and Spain.

The outbreak of Covid-19 required the re-organization of everyday life. While some people accepted this challenge, other experienced the current situation as a heavy burden that impedes the adaptation to the new life conditions. The present study investigated factors that can impact the level of burden caused by Covid-19. Burden, depression symptoms and frequency of physical activity (e.g., jogging, cycling) were assessed via online surveys in overall 1,931 people from four countries (Germany: N = 625; Italy: N = 936; Russia: N = 230; Spain: N = 140). Similar result patterns were found in all country-specific samples. Burden by Covid-19 was significantly positively associated with depression symptoms, while it was significantly negatively linked to physical activity. Moreover, physical activity buffered the association between depression symptoms and burden. The present cross-national findings emphasize the protective effect of physical activity specifically in times of Covid-19. This issue should be addressed in governmental programs to longitudinally protect mental and physical health and to enhance the willingness to adhere to the anti-Covid-19 measures among the population.