Love in Quarantine: Sexting, Stress, and Coping During the COVID-19 Lockdown.

INTRODUCTION: This study investigated the relationships of pandemic-related stress and coping strategies with different kinds of sexting (i.e., experimental, risky, and emotional) during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Italian context. METHODS: A sample of 1929 emerging adults (M age = 24.17, SD age = 2.75; 71.6% girls) completed an online survey about their sexting behaviors during the national lockdown in Italy. Data were gathered in April/May 2020, from 6th to 11th week of home confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic. Hierarchical regression and mediation analyses were performed. RESULTS: Pandemic-related stress directly predicted only risky and emotional sexting. Experimental and emotional sexting were positively predicted by social support, and negatively predicted by turning to religion. Risky and emotional sexting were positively predicted by avoidance, and negatively predicted by problem solving. Adaptive coping (i.e., social support) mediated the relationships from pandemic-related stress to both experimental and emotional sexting. Maladaptive coping (i.e., avoidance and problem solving) mediated the relationships from pandemic related-stress to risky and emotional sexting. CONCLUSIONS: Sexting was a coping tool during COVID-19 lockdown, showing both adaptive and maladaptive facets. POLICY IMPLICATIONS: Findings suggest new directions for implementing programs of sexual education and safer Internet use targeted to young people.

Stability and Change in Adolescents' Sense of Agency: Contributions of Sex, Multiple Risk, Pandemic Stress, and Attachment to Parents.

Although literature states that individual, relational, and contextual factors contribute to adolescents' sense of agency, more research is needed to clarify and understand how adolescents develop this belief over time. The current study examined the stability/change trajectories of the sense of agency during adolescence, specifically across high school, analyzing whether attachment to parents over time, adolescents' sex, cumulative risk in baseline, and pandemic-related stress explained these trajectories. The sample included 467 Portuguese adolescents (40.7% were males; Mage = 15.58 years, SD = 0.80), evaluated three times across 18 months. This work yielded three significant findings. First, adolescents' sense of agency significantly increased over time, with significant between-subject variance at the initial levels but not at the growth rate. Second, attachment to parents consistently links to adolescents' sense of agency across time, despite the differential contributions from attachment to mothers and fathers. Third, boys reported greater growth in the sense of agency than girls. Adolescents' cumulative risk at T1 predicted lower initial levels of sense of agency, whereas higher pandemic-related stress predicted less growth of the sense of agency. These findings emphasize the contributions of individual and family characteristics and the role of the broader social context in shaping the development of adolescents' sense of agency. The findings underline the need to consider further the differential influences of adolescents' relationships with mothers and fathers to understand changes in adolescents' sense of agency.

Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Stress and strain profiles in the German population.

Clinical observations indicate that people frequently display stress-related behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although numerous studies have been published concerning pandemic-related psychological distress, systematic data on the interrelationships between stress sensitivity, personality, and behavioral characteristics of people are still lacking. In the present cross-sectional online survey study, we applied a German version of the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) and standard psychological questionnaires to systematically identify the complex interplay between stress sensitivity, gender, and personality in the modulation of quality of life and mental health in the German population (N = 1774; age ≥ 16 years). A CSS-based cluster analysis revealed two clusters characterized by higher and lower stress levels. Study participants in each cluster differed significantly with respect to neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, quality of life, depression, and anxiety. Females were significantly overrepresented in the higher stress cluster, while there was an overrepresentation of males in the lower stress cluster. Neuroticism was identified as a risk factor and extraversion as a protective factor for enhanced pandemic-related stress responses. For the first time our data show a taxonomy of factors, which modulate pandemic-related stress sensitivity and warrant consideration as key indicators of quality of life and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. We suggest that our data may advise governmental regulation of pandemic-related public health measures, to optimize quality of life and psychological health in different groups of the population.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic related stressors on patients with anxiety disorders: A cross-sectional study

The COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures are affecting mental health, especially among patients with pre-existing mental disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the first wave and its aftermath of the pandemic in Germany (March-July) on psychopathology of patients diagnosed with panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and specific phobia who were on the waiting list or in current treatment at a German university-based outpatient clinic. From 108 patients contacted, forty-nine patients (45.37%) completed a retrospective survey on COVID-19 related stressors, depression, and changes in anxiety symptoms. Patients in the final sample (n = 47) reported a mild depression and significant increase in unspecific anxiety (d = .41), panic symptoms (d = .85) and specific phobia (d = .38), while social anxiety remained unaltered. Pandemic related stressors like job insecurities, familial stress and working in the health sector were significantly associated with more severe depression and increases in anxiety symptoms. High pre-pandemic symptom severity (anxiety/depression) was a risk factor, whereas meaningful work and being divorced/separated were protective factors (explained variance: 46.5% of changes in anxiety and 75.8% in depressive symptoms). In line with diathesis-stress models, patients show a positive association between stressors and symptom load. Health care systems are requested to address the needs of this vulnerable risk group by implementing timely and low-threshold interventions to prevent patients from further deterioration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Sexting Behaviors Before and During COVID-19 in Italian and Colombian Young Adults.

Introduction: Recent research highlight increasing at-risk online sexual activities and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic among young adults. Specifically, sexting refers to exchanging sexually suggestive messages, photos, and videos through technological devices, and it can be placed on a continuum from safer to riskier behavior. This study aims to improve our knowledge about sexting behaviors in Italian and Colombian young adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A survey online was filled in by all recruited participants through a snowball sampling procedure (from December 2019 to June 2021) both in Italy and Colombia, resulting in a total of 2931 participants (2051 from Italy and 880 from Colombia) aged 18 to 35 years old (Mage = 23.85; SDage = 3.63; 67.6% girls). Results: Italian youth were more engaged in risky sexting than Colombian participants, while Colombians indicated being more engaged in non-consensual sexting than Italians. Sexual minority people reported more sharing their own sexts, higher levels of sexting under pressure, and 3.2 times more risky sexting than exclusively heterosexual counterparts. During the pandemic period, participants sent their own sexts 1.5 times more and were less involved in non-consensual sexting than in the pre-pandemic era. Conclusions: The present research could help understand better the cultural dynamics underlying the differences in sexting behaviors, suggesting the relevance of investigating how sexting behaviors and online at-risk activities have changed since the pandemic started. Policy Implications: Results provide implications for educational and prevention programs to improve young people's awareness of sexting behaviors.

Understanding the role of stress, personality and coping on learning motivation and mental health in university students during a pandemic.

The aims explored the associations between stress, personality and coping on student mental health and compared defensive-pessimism and optimism as influences on learning motivation. Most research construes 'stress' as 'distress', with little attempt to measure the stress that enhances motivation and wellbeing. Undergraduate psychology students (N = 162) were surveyed on student and pandemic-related stressors, personality, support, control, mental health and learning motivation. Overall, adverse mental health was high and the lack of motivation acute. While positive ratings of teaching and optimistic thinking were associated with good mental health, context control was key. Adverse ratings of teaching quality lowered learning motivation. Support and conscientiousness bolstered learning motivation and conscientiousness buffered against the adverse impact of stress on motivation. Openness was associated with the stress involved in learning. For those anxious-prone, defensive-pessimism was as effective as optimism was in stimulating learning motivation. Developing context control, support and strategies linked to personality could bolster student resilience during and post Covid-19.

Help Needs among Parents and Families in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Germany.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by multiple disruptions in the everyday lives of families. Previous research has underlined the negative impact of the pandemic on stress among parents and identified factors related to heightened levels of stress. Yet, several potential stressors have not been taken into account. Moreover, little is known about how general and pandemic-related stressors impacted help-seeking intentions for personal or family problems. METHODS: We recruited N = 602 parents and their children (n = 101) for a cross-sectional online survey on parent, child and family well-being, stress and help need after the first wave of COVID-19 infections in Germany. Data were analysed using multinomial regression analyses to predict family help need, taking into account pre-pandemic help-seeking. RESULTS: Parents showed high levels of stress, which were associated with pre-pandemic mental health, family functioning, pandemic related worries about finances, household workload and health worries. While 76.2% of families reported no during-pandemic help need, 11.3% reported a help need before and during the pandemic and 12.5% of families without prior help needs reported a new help need during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study underline the need for help service providers to adapt their offers.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic related stressors on patients with anxiety disorders: A cross-sectional study

The COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures are affecting mental health, especially among patients with pre-existing mental disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the first wave and its aftermath of the pandemic in Germany (March-July) on psychopathology of patients diagnosed with panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and specific phobia who were on the waiting list or in current treatment at a German university-based outpatient clinic. From 108 patients contacted, forty-nine patients (45.37%) completed a retrospective survey on COVID-19 related stressors, depression, and changes in anxiety symptoms. Patients in the final sample (n = 47) reported a mild depression and significant increase in unspecific anxiety (d = .41), panic symptoms (d = .85) and specific phobia (d = .38), while social anxiety remained unaltered. Pandemic related stressors like job insecurities, familial stress and working in the health sector were significantly associated with more severe depression and increases in anxiety symptoms. High pre-pandemic symptom severity (anxiety/depression) was a risk factor, whereas meaningful work and being divorced/separated were protective factors (explained variance: 46.5% of changes in anxiety and 75.8% in depressive symptoms). In line with diathesis-stress models, patients show a positive association between stressors and symptom load. Health care systems are requested to address the needs of this vulnerable risk group by implementing timely and low-threshold interventions to prevent patients from further deterioration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

PTSD Symptoms and Coping with COVID-19 Pandemic among Treatment-Seeking Veterans: Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom levels and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic among treatment-seeking veterans with pre-existing PTSD. METHOD: A cohort of 176 male treatment-seeking veterans with pre-existing PTSD during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (T1) and 132 participants from the same cohort one year after the onset of the pandemic (T2) participated in a longitudinal study. All participants responded to a COVID-19-related questionnaire and the following measures: the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Brief COPE. RESULTS: The intensity of overall PTSD symptoms, avoidance symptoms and negative alterations in cognitions and mood was lower at T2. PTSD symptoms were not significantly correlated with SARS-CoV-2 potentially traumatic events (PTE) at T2. Veterans scored higher on emotion-focused and problem-focused coping than on dysfunctional coping. CONCLUSIONS: Veterans with pre-existing PTSD who were receiving long-term treatment coped with COVID-19 stressors without the effects of retraumatization and a consequent worsening of PTSD symptoms.

Pandemic-Related Stress Symptoms Among Norwegian Parents of Adolescents in Grades 6 to 8.

We investigated pandemic-related stress symptoms during the first COVID-19 lockdown period in spring 2020 among parents of adolescents that were 11 to 13 years old in the study period. We also investigated whether parental stress symptoms were associated with family situation and family activities during lockdown. Altogether 147 couples reported about their own trauma-related stress symptoms following the outbreak of the pandemic. Among the respondents, 9.5% of the mothers and 10.2% of the fathers had scores over cutoff on the screener (IES-6) measuring stress symptoms, a non-significant gender difference. Scores on the screener were not associated with family contamination or lockdown consequences. Family activities during lockdown did not impact the pandemic stress symptom levels. Whereas, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic pose a stressor to most people, it is unlikely to be a criterion A event for other than directly affected families.

The relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and meaning in life: testing the moderating effects of self-compassion and savoring.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The stress people experience in relation to a highly stressful event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can undermine their sense of meaning in life. This study examined the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and meaning in life and whether self-compassion and savoring positive emotional experience moderated this relationship. METHODS: Participants (N = 498) completed measures of pandemic-related stress, dimensions of meaning in life (comprehension, purpose, mattering), self-compassion (self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness), and savoring (savoring through anticipation, savoring the moment, savoring through reminiscence). RESULTS: Results of regression analyses showed that pandemic-related stress related to less meaning in life and that all dimensions of self-compassion and savoring (with the exception of savoring through reminiscence) related positively to a dimension of meaning in life. Only common humanity buffered the relationship between pandemic-related stress and a dimension of meaning in life (purpose) as expected. Unexpectedly, for people high on common humanity the relationship between pandemic-related stress and mattering was positive, and for people high on mindfulness, the relationship between pandemic-related stress and comprehension was negative. CONCLUSIONS: Although cross-sectional, this study's findings suggest that promoting common humanity might be important for protecting purpose and enhancing one's sense of mattering during a pandemic.

Adverse Perinatal Outcomes Predicted by Prenatal Maternal Stress Among U.S. Women at the COVID-19 Pandemic Onset.

BACKGROUND: High stress prenatally contributes to poor maternal and infant well-being. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created substantial stress for pregnant women. PURPOSE: To understand whether stress experienced by women pregnant at the beginning of the pandemic was associated with a greater prevalence of adverse perinatal outcomes. METHODS: Pregnant women across the USA aged ≥18 years old enrolled in a prospective cohort study during the pandemic onset (T1) in April-May 2020. This report focuses on the 1,367 participants who gave birth prior to July-August 2020 (T2). Hierarchical logistic regression models predicted preterm birth, small for gestational age infants, and unplanned operative delivery from T1 stress, sociodemographic, and medical factors. RESULTS: After controlling for sociodemographic and medical factors, preterm birth was predicted by high prenatal maternal stress, delivering an infant small for gestational age was predicted by interpersonal violence and by stress related to being unprepared for birth due to the pandemic, and unplanned cesarean or operative vaginal delivery was predicted by prenatal appointment alterations, experiencing a major stressful life event, and by stress related to being unprepared for birth due to the pandemic. Independent of these associations, African American women were more likely than other groups to deliver preterm. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women who are experiencing high stress during the COVID-19 pandemic are at risk of poorer perinatal outcomes. A longitudinal investigation is critical to determine whether prenatal maternal stress and resulting outcomes have longer-term consequences for the health and well-being of children born in the midst of the current pandemic.