Predicting Compliance with Sanitary Behaviors among Students in Higher Education During the Second COVID-19 Wave: The Role of Health Anxiety and Risk Perception.

To limit the spread of COVID-19, public authorities have recommended sanitary behaviors such as handwashing, mask-wearing, physical distancing, and social distancing. We recruited a large sample of higher education students in Belgium (N = 3201-3441) to investigate the role of sociodemographic variables, mental health, previous COVID-19 infections, academic involvement, and risk perception on adherence to these sanitary behaviors. This cross-sectional study took place during the second COVID-19 wave in Belgium, between February and March 2021. Analyses showed that living alone, being female, later in the academic curriculum, having higher general and health anxiety, higher academic involvement, and higher risk perception were positively associated with adherence to the four aforementioned sanitary behaviors. Conversely, previous infection with COVID-19 and having been quarantined were negative predictors. Our results show a set of predictors highly similar for the four sanitary behaviors. We discuss potential initiatives to increase adherence to sanitary behaviors in this group of highly educated youngsters.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on the Practices and Mental Health of Psychologists in Belgium: Between Exhaustion and Resilience.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has created psychological distress in the general population and increased the need for psychological care, little research has been done on how mental health practitioners (MHP) have been affected by the pandemic, and these health professionals have received little attention from public authorities. In this article, we focus on psychologists and the impact that the pandemic has had on their mental health and practices by exploring the adaptive and innovative responses generated. This study is based on an online survey (including multiple choice questions, several validated scales, and eight free text items) completed by 187 psychologists (86% female) one year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium (February-April 2021). Most participants considered that the crisis had an impact on their well-being and mental health. However, the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety was relatively low (17%; 12%). On the other hand, the majority of psychologists (72%) suffered from a medium level of burnout (BO), 7% suffered from a high level of BO, and only 21% had low levels of BO. Psychologists working in face-to-face settings had the highest scores on the "exhaustion" subscale of the BO, and those working primarily with patients in precarious situations had significantly higher scores of BO and exhaustion. Qualitative analysis of free text items showed that MHP were resilience and developed new frameworks and modes for proactive interventions in order to reach their patients, meet the psychological and social population's needs, and maintain their relationships with the network. In a crisis or pandemic context, public policies should take into account the psychological and social needs of the most socially precarious populations in reinforcing and supporting mental health professionals working in this sector.

Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health during Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: This study took place in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research assesses the association between lockdown conditions (such as time spent at home, living environment, proximity to contamination and social contacts), mental health (including intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety and depression) and intimate partner violence within the community. This study evaluates the indirect effect of anxiety and depression on the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and intimate partner violence (physical assault and psychological aggression). METHODS: 1532 adults (80.8% of women, Mage = 35.34) were recruited from the Belgian general population through an online self-report questionnaire completed during the lockdown (from April 17 to 1 May 2020). RESULTS: The results demonstrate that the prevalence of physical assault (including both perpetration and victimization) was significantly higher in men, whereas the prevalence of psychological aggression was significantly higher in women. Men reported significantly more violence during lockdown. Women, on the other hand, were more anxious and more intolerant of uncertainty. No difference between men and women was found for depression. Anxiety and depression significantly mediated the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and physical assault and psychological aggression. Sex did not moderate the mediation. CONCLUSION: Clinical implications for public health policy are highlighted.

Psychological Distress among Students in Higher Education: One Year after the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the psychological well-being of students. Several stressors (such as socioeconomic and education-related contexts) could influence mental health, as well as individual and relational dimensions. This study proposes to evaluate the predictive effect of these factors on anxiety and depressive symptoms among students in higher education one year after the beginning of the pandemic. A sample of 23,307 students (Mage = 20.89; SD = 1.96; 69.08% of women) was assessed through an online self-report questionnaire including adapted and validated measures. The main rates were as follows: 50.6% of students presented anxiety symptoms; 55.1% reported depressive symptoms; 20.8% manifested suicidal ideations; 42.4% saw their financial situation deteriorate; 39.1% felt they were dropping out of school. One year after the beginning of the pandemic, students in higher education are anxious and depressed, especially those who identify as women (for both anxiety and depression) and as a non-binary gender (only for anxiety), experience a deterioration in their financial situation, are dropping out of school, or manifest hostility (for both anxiety and depression). The degree of study affects the symptoms' severity (Bachelor 2 and 3 for anxiety and Master for depression). Contact with family and friends (for both anxiety and depression) as well as regular physical activity (only for depression) should provide some protection against psychological distress. Policy-makers must make a long-term investment in the well-being and positive mental health of the student community.