Coping moderates the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and stress in men during the Covid-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To test the explanatory power of coping strategies and intolerance of uncertainty on men's perceived stress levels and test the moderating role of coping strategies in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress during the Covid-19 pandemic. METHOD: This was an online cross-sectional study in which 1,006 men living in Brazil during the Covid-19 pandemic participated. Participants were recruited using a snowball sampling technique and completed a questionnaire containing measures of all study variables. Data were examined using a correlation and a regression analysis. RESULTS: Intolerance of uncertainty (ß = .51) and refusal (ß = .15) positively predicted perceived stress, whereas control (ß = -.31) and isolation (ß = -.06) negatively predicted it. Together, these variables explained 52% of men's perceived stress (p < .001). Isolation and social support lessened the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and stress (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Men high in intolerance of uncertainty and refusal were more vulnerable to stress during the pandemic. However, coping helped mitigate the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress, thus being a promising psychosocial intervention in this context.

Mindfulness and psychological distress in men during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of environmental mastery and purpose in life.

Men's mental health has been severely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many studies focussing on the determinants of men's psychological distress. This study aimed at examining the relationships between mindfulness, environmental mastery (EM), purpose in life (PL) and indicators of psychological distress (i.e., common mental disorders and perceived stress). This was a cross-sectional online study in which participants were 1,006 men aged between 29 and 39 years (45.1%), residing in Brazil during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A parallel multiple mediator model was used to test the study variables' relationships, using mindfulness as the independent variable and indicators of psychological distress as the dependent variables. Results indicated that EM and PL significantly mediated the effects of mindfulness on men's psychological distress, lowering its levels and accounting for 31% of common mental disorders and 51% of perceived stress. Implications for public health policies and clinical practice are discussed.

Influence of Sociodemographic and Emotional Factors on the Relationship between Self-Compassion and Perceived Stress among Men Residing in Brazil during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The analysis of sociodemographic and emotional factors is essential to understanding how men perceive stress and practice self-compassion. In health crises, this problem becomes an emergency for public health. This study aimed to analyze the influence of sociodemographic and emotional factors on the relationship between self-compassion and the perceived stress of men residing in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a nationwide cross-sectional study carried out between June and December 2020 with 1006 men who completed a semi-structured electronic questionnaire. Data were collected using the snowball technique. Perceived stress was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), and self-compassion was assessed using the Self-Compassion Scale. Most men had low self-compassion (51.5%; n = 516) and a moderate level of perceived stress (60.9%; n = 613), while 15.9% (n = 170) had a high level of stress. The prevalence of men in the combined situation of low self-compassion and high perceived stress was 39.4% (n = 334). Living with friends had a higher prevalence of low self-compassion and high perceived stress. The prevalence of common mental disorders was high (54.3%). Men with low levels of self-compassion reported higher levels of perceived stress; however, this association was moderated by emotional and sociodemographic variables. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual and contextual factors in public policies promoting men's mental health.

Psychological Distress in Men during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: The Role of the Sociodemographic Variables, Uncertainty, and Social Support.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationships between sociodemographic variables, intolerance to uncertainty (INT), social support, and psychological distress (i.e., indicators of Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) and perceived stress (PS)) in Brazilian men during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with national coverage, of the web survey type, and conducted with 1006 Brazilian men during the period of social circulation restriction imposed by the health authorities in Brazil for suppression of the coronavirus and control of the pandemic. Structural equation modeling analysis was performed. RESULTS: Statistically significant direct effects of race/skin color (λ = 0.268; p-value < 0.001), socioeconomic status (SES) (λ = 0.306; p-value < 0.001), household composition (λ = 0.281; p-value < 0.001), PS (λ = 0.513; p-value < 0.001), and INT (λ = 0.421; p-value < 0.001) were evidenced in the occurrence of CMDs. Black-skinned men with higher SES, living alone, and with higher PS and INT levels presented higher prevalence values of CMDs. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of PS and INT were the factors that presented the strongest associations with the occurrence of CMDs among the men. It is necessary to implement actions to reduce the stress-generating sources as well as to promote an increase in resilience and the development of intrinsic reinforcements to deal with uncertain threats.

Men's mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of intolerance of uncertainty and social support

The COVID-19 pandemic exerted a tremendous toll on individuals' mental health. This study aimed to examine the associations between men's common mental disorders (CMD), intolerance of uncertainty (IU), and social support (SS). A cross-sectional online study was carried out in all Brazilian states. Participants were 1.006 adult men recruited through social media using a snowball technique. Men completed the Self-Report Questionnaire-20, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, the Two-Way Social Support Scale, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. In addition, a t-Test and a regression analysis were performed. Men in the clinical group reported significantly higher levels of IU and lower levels of SS. Furthermore, SS moderated the relationship between IU and CMD, suggesting that SS might help protect men's mental health against the deleterious effects of IU in a pandemic scenario. These results indicate that different forms of social support seem to be a promising focus of psychosocial intervention in this context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Portuguese) A pandemia da COVID-19 impactou consideravelmente a saude mental dos individuos. Este estudo teve por objetivo examinar associacoes entre transtornos mentais comuns (TMC) de homens, a intolerancia a incerteza (II) e apoio social (AS). Trata-se de um estudo transversal online realizado em todos os estados brasileiros, com 1.006 homens adultos recrutados em redes sociais mediante a tecnica de bola de neve. Os participantes responderam ao Self-Report Questionnaire-20, a Escala de Intolerancia a Incerteza, a Escala de Apoio Social Two-way e a um questionario sociodemografico. Teste t e analise de regressao foram realizados. Os homens do grupo clinico relataram significativamente niveis maiores de II e niveis inferiores de AS. Alem disso, o AS moderou a relacao entre II e TMC, sugerindo que AS protege a saude mental dos homens contra efeitos deleterios da II na pandemia. Esses resultados sugerem que o apoio social parece ser um foco promissor de intervencao psicossocial nesse contexto. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) La pandemia de COVID-19 afecto considerablemente la salud mental individual. Este estudio examino las asociaciones entre los trastornos mentales comunes (TMC) de los hombres, la intolerancia a la incertidumbre (II) y el apoyo social (AS). Es un estudio transversal online realizado en los estados brasilenos, con 1.006 hombres adultos reclutados en redes sociales mediante la tecnica de bola de nieve. Respondieron el Self-Report Questionnaire-20, la Escala de Intolerancia a Incertidumbre, la Escala de Apoyo Social Two-way y un cuestionario sociodemografico. Se realizaron el test t y el analisis de regresion. Hombres del grupo clinico informaron significativamente niveles superiores de II e inferiores de AS. Ademas, AS modero la relacion entre II y TMC, lo que sugiere que AS protege la salud mental de los hombres contra los efectos nocivos de II en la pandemia. Estos resultados sugieren que el apoyo social es un foco prometedor de intervencion psicosocial en este contexto. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)