The Individuals' Willingness to Get the Vaccine for COVID-19 during the Third Wave: A Study on Trust in Mainstream Information Sources, Attitudes and Framing Effect.

Different inner and external determinants might explain an individual's willingness to get the vaccine for COVID-19. The current study aims at evaluating the effects of trust in mainstream information sources on individuals' willingness to get the vaccine and the moderator role of the message framing. Six hundred and thirty-four participants (68.5% females and 31.5% males) were enrolled in an online survey. Participants filled out a questionnaire assessing: trust in mainstream information sources and vaccinal attitude (trust in vaccine benefit, worries over unforeseen future effects, concerns about commercial profiteering, and preference for natural immunity). In addition, participants were randomly exposed to one of four conditions of framing information about the vaccine (gain-probability; gain-frequency; loss-probability; loss-frequency). Results showed that trust in vaccine benefit (b = 9.90; 95% CI: 8.97, 11.73) and concerns about commercial profiteering (b = -4.70; 95% CI: -6.58, -2.81) had a significant effect on the intention to get the vaccine. Further, a significant interaction was observed between loss-gain and trust in vaccine benefit and between frequency-probability and concerns about commercial profiteering. Future vaccination campaigns should consider the individuals' concerns about vaccine benefit and economic profits to efficaciously deliver frequency-framed or probability-framed information.

Regulation strategies during COVID-19 quarantine: The mediating effect of worry on the links between coping strategies and anxiety Stratégies de régulation pendant la quarantaine COVID-19 : l’effet médiateur de l’inquiétude sur les liens entre stratégies d’adaptation et anxiété

Introduction The COVID-19 outbreak forced Italian citizens into a generalized quarantine from March to May 2020. The quarantine is a successful measure to reduce the virus's spread through physical and social distancing, but it can also have negative psychological consequences on the population. People experience high levels of worry and anxiety and have to cope with the consequences of the health emergency. The aim of this study was to preliminarily assess the causal relations among coping, worry and state anxiety at the time of COVID-19 first wave, and the mediation role of worry between coping and state anxiety. Methods During March 2020, 1273 Italian citizens completed an ad hoc online survey composed of sociodemographic and preoccupation-related questions, and standardized self-report questionnaire (Brief COPE, Penn State Worry Questionnaire and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State form). Three separate mediation models were performed. Results The relationship between coping strategies (i.e.: problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and dysfunctional coping) and state anxiety resulted to be mediated by worry. Dysfunctional and problem-focused coping had a negative effect on anxiety scores and this effect was amplified by high levels of worry. Emotion-focused coping reduced state anxiety scores through its effect on reducing the levels of worry, which in turn was related to a reduction in anxiety. Conclusion The present study offers first evidence for the mediation role of worry in the relation between coping and anxiety during quarantine caused by COVID-19 pandemic. It supports the clinical importance of investigating people's coping strategies along with the levels of (cognitive) worry and their long-term effects on the psychological well-being during the outbreak, in order to deliver adequate personalized interventions. Psychological support should enhance emotion-focused coping strategies that have a protective effect on both worry and anxiety.

Remote Relaxation and Acceptance Training for the Management of Stress in Cancer Patients: A Study Protocol.

Background: Cancer patients are now facing a double distinctive challenge of survival against both the disease and fear of contracting COVID-19. This challenge has resulted in the forced adoption of social distancing measures and reorganization of the delivery of medical and psychological treatments. The perceived loneliness and uncertainty increased distress and symptoms burden. In the current period, eHealth interventions might provide valuable benefits in the field of cancer care. Objective: The overall goal of the study protocol will be to provide an innovative intervention for cancer patients based on an online platform, to help them manage and prevent psychological problems related to social isolation. Specifically, the efficacy of two web-based interventions aimed at lowering stress in cancer patients will be tested and compared. Methods: One hundred and fifty participants (75 per group) will be enrolled in a two-group randomized trial. The two interventions will be composed either by exercises on relaxation and meditation practices, presented in both automated online content and interactive group sessions or by fixed psychoeducational online content. Stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, distress, resilience, and perceived social isolation will be measured before the start of the interventions (T0), 2 weeks (T1), 4 weeks (T2), and 2 months (T3) after the beginning of the interventions in both groups. A repeated measures ANOVA will be performed to test differences in the questionnaires' scores between groups across the four-time points. Expected Results: We hypothesized greater improvement in the specific domain of stress symptoms (IES-R) assessed in the group receiving the interactive intervention, compared to the group which will receive only fully automated psychoeducational content. Secondarily, we expect the same trend of improvement across all the psychological variables in the blended intervention group. Conclusions: Implementing these practices on people who are forced into mandatory social isolation may help them become more aware of their mind-body condition and reduce negative effects. Moreover, relaxation techniques help individuals in achieving a greater state of well-being, increasing the ability to cope with stressful situations (resilience), and strengthening the immune system.

Emotional Tone, Analytical Thinking, and Somatosensory Processes of a Sample of Italian Tweets During the First Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is a traumatic individual and collective chronic experience, with tremendous consequences on mental and psychological health that can also be reflected in people's use of words. Psycholinguistic analysis of tweets from Twitter allows obtaining information about people's emotional expression, analytical thinking, and somatosensory processes, which are particularly important in traumatic events contexts. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to analyze the influence of official Italian COVID-19 daily data (new cases, deaths, and hospital discharges) and the phase of managing the pandemic on how people expressed emotions and their analytical thinking and somatosensory processes in Italian tweets written during the first phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. METHODS: We retrieved 1,697,490 Italian COVID-19-related tweets written from February 24, 2020 to June 14, 2020 and analyzed them using LIWC2015 to calculate 3 summary psycholinguistic variables: emotional tone, analytical thinking, and somatosensory processes. Official daily data about new COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospital discharges were retrieved from the Italian Prime Minister's Office and Civil Protection Department GitHub page. We considered 3 phases of managing the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. We performed 3 general models, 1 for each summary variable as the dependent variable and with daily data and phase of managing the pandemic as independent variables. RESULTS: General linear models to assess differences in daily scores of emotional tone, analytical thinking, and somatosensory processes were significant (F6,104=21.53, P<.001, R2= .55; F5,105=9.20, P<.001, R2= .30; F6,104=6.15, P<.001, R2=.26, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic affects how people express emotions, analytical thinking, and somatosensory processes in tweets. Our study contributes to the investigation of pandemic psychological consequences through psycholinguistic analysis of social media textual data.

From virtual to real healing: a critical overview of the therapeutic use of virtual reality to cope with mourning.

In recent years, virtual reality (VR) has been effectively employed in several settings, ranging from health care needs to leisure and gaming activities. A new application of virtual stimuli appeared in social media: in the documentary 'I met you' from the South-Korean Munhwa Broadcasting, a mother made the experience of interacting with the avatar of the seven-year-old daughter, who died four years before. We think that this new application of virtual stimuli should open a debate on its possible implications: it represents contents related to grief, a dramatic and yet natural experience, that can have deep psychological impacts on fragile subjects put in virtual environments. In the present work, possible side-effects, as well as hypothetical therapeutical application of VR for the treatment of mourning, are discussed.

Regulation strategies during COVID-19 quarantine: The mediating effect of worry on the links between coping strategies and anxiety.

Introduction: The COVID-19 outbreak forced Italian citizens into a generalized quarantine from March to May 2020. The quarantine is a successful measure to reduce the virus's spread through physical and social distancing, but it can also have negative psychological consequences on the population. People experience high levels of worry and anxiety and have to cope with the consequences of the health emergency. The aim of this study was to preliminarily assess the causal relations among coping, worry and state anxiety at the time of COVID-19 first wave, and the mediation role of worry between coping and state anxiety. Methods: During March 2020, 1273 Italian citizens completed an ad hoc online survey composed of sociodemographic and preoccupation-related questions, and standardized self-report questionnaire (Brief COPE, Penn State Worry Questionnaire and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State form). Three separate mediation models were performed. Results: The relationship between coping strategies (i.e.: problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and dysfunctional coping) and state anxiety resulted to be mediated by worry. Dysfunctional and problem-focused coping had a negative effect on anxiety scores and this effect was amplified by high levels of worry. Emotion-focused coping reduced state anxiety scores through its effect on reducing the levels of worry, which in turn was related to a reduction in anxiety. Conclusion: The present study offers first evidence for the mediation role of worry in the relation between coping and anxiety during quarantine caused by COVID-19 pandemic. It supports the clinical importance of investigating people's coping strategies along with the levels of (cognitive) worry and their long-term effects on the psychological well-being during the outbreak, in order to deliver adequate personalized interventions. Psychological support should enhance emotion-focused coping strategies that have a protective effect on both worry and anxiety.

Introduction: L'épidémie de COVID-19 a contraint les citoyens italiens à une quarantaine généralisée de mars à mai 2020. La quarantaine est une mesure efficace pour réduire la propagation du virus grâce à l'éloignement physique et social, mais elle peut également avoir des conséquences psychologiques négatives sur la population. Les gens éprouvent des niveaux élevés d'inquiétude et d'anxiété et doivent faire face aux conséquences de l'urgence sanitaire. Le but de cette étude a été d'évaluer de manière préliminaire les relations causales entre l'adaptation, l'inquiétude et l'anxiété d'état au moment de la première vague de COVID-19, et le rôle médiateur de l'inquiétude entre l'adaptation et l'anxiété d'état. Méthodes: Au cours du mois de mars 2020, 1273 citoyens italiens ont rempli une enquête ad hoc en ligne composée de questions concernant des données socio-démographiques et liées aux préoccupations, et d'un questionnaire d'auto-évaluation standardisé (Brief COPE, Penn State Worry Questionnaire et State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, l'échelle d'anxiété ­ État). Trois modèles de médiation distincts ont été réalisés. Résultats: La relation entre les stratégies d'adaptation (c'est-à-dire l'adaptation centrée sur le problème, l'adaptation centrée sur les émotions et l'adaptation dysfonctionnelle) et l'anxiété liée à l'état a été influencée par l'inquiétude. L'adaptation dysfonctionnelle et axée sur les problèmes a eu un effet négatif sur les scores d'anxiété et cet effet a été amplifié par des niveaux élevés d'inquiétude. L'adaptation axée sur les émotions a réduit les scores d'anxiété d'état par son effet sur la réduction des niveaux d'inquiétude, qui à son tour était liée à une réduction de l'anxiété. Conclusion: La présente étude offre une première preuve du rôle médiateur de l'inquiétude dans la relation entre l'adaptation et l'anxiété pendant la quarantaine causée par la pandémie de COVID-19. Elle soutient l'importance clinique d'étudier les stratégies d'adaptation des personnes ainsi que les niveaux d'inquiétude (cognitive) et leurs effets à long terme sur le bien-être psychologique pendant l'épidémie, afin de fournir des interventions personnalisées adéquates. Le soutien psychologique devrait améliorer les stratégies d'adaptation axées sur les émotions qui ont un effet protecteur sur l'inquiétude et l'anxiété.

Web-Based Relaxation Intervention for Stress During Social Isolation: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Relaxation practices might be helpful exercises for coping with anxiety and stressful sensations. They may be of particular utility when used in web-based interventions during periods of social isolation. OBJECTIVE: This randomized study aimed to test whether web-based relaxation practices like natural sounds, deep respiration, and body scans can promote relaxation and a positive emotional state, and reduce psychomotor activation and preoccupation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions. Each condition was characterized by a single online session of a guided square breathing exercise, a guided body scan exercise, or natural sounds. The participants listened to one of the fully automated audio clips for 7 minutes and pre-post completed self-assessed scales on perceived relaxation, psychomotor activation, level of preoccupation associated with COVID-19, and emotional state. At the end of the session, qualitative reports on subjective experience were also collected. RESULTS: Overall, 294 participants completed 75% of the survey and 240 completed the entire survey as well as one of three randomly assigned interventions. Perceived relaxation, psychomotor activation/stress, and preoccupation related to COVID-19 showed a positive improvement after participants listened to the audio clips. The same pattern was observed for the valence and perceived dominance of the emotional state. The square breathing and body scan exercises yielded superior results compared to natural sounds in lowering perceived stress. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a novel insight that can guide the development of future low-cost web-based interventions to reduce preoccupation and stress in the general population. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/19236.