Coping with emotions in pandemic as a factor of somatic complaints during lockdown

Introduction: Increase in affective and somatic complaints during pandemic is considered as related to experienced stress (Wang et al., 2020, Roy et al., 2020, Robillard et al., 2020). Expression or suppression of emotions related to pandemic could affect the vulnerability of people to stressful situations (Gross, Thompson, 2007, Roberts et al., 2008). Objective(s): The aim was to reveal a role of suppression / expression emotions regarding pandemic in the changes in somatic and affective complaints in people without coronavirus during lockdown. Method(s): In May 2020 110 people 18-65 years old (61.2% females) without coronavirus appraised their strategy of dealing with different emotions regarding pandemic on the 1-5 scale from emotional expression to hiding and suppression (Cronbach's alphas) and 26 somatic and emotional symptoms including sleep-related symptoms, daytime functioning, affective symptoms, general physical condition (Cronbach's alphas .81-.90). In December 2020 they reappraised 26 complaints. Result(s): There were no statistically significant changes in somatic and affective complaints during May-December 2020 (p>.20). Increase in sleep-related complaints (beta=.23, p<.05, DELTAR2=5.0%) and complaints regarding general physical condition (beta=.32, p<.05, DELTAR2=10.0%) were more pronounced in those reporting higher expression of emotions related to COVID. Conclusion(s): People with higher emotional reactivity to pandemic situation tend to report increase in sleep-related problems and general worsening of their physical condition during lockdown.

Can Physical Exercise Help Deal With the COVID-19 Stressors? Comparing Somatic and Psychological Responses.

This research aims to explore whether physical exercise can buffer the impact of the COVID-19 stressors. Based on the cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis, we proposed a moderated mediation model relating the COVID-19 stressors to sleep disorder via somatic and worry complaints, depending on the amount of physical exercise. A sample of working adults in Beijing (N = 207) filled surveys in two waves during the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural regression analysis showed that physical exercise moderates the impact of the COVID-19 stressors on sleep disorder via somatic complaints (index = -0.11, 95% CI [-0.22, -0.01]), rather than psychological worry complaints (index = -0.01, 95% CI [-0.07, 0.04]). Specifically, the COVID-19 stressors increase somatic complaints for people with a low amount of physical exercise (b = 0.17, p = 0.01]), while the COVID-19 stressors are not significantly related to somatic complaints for people with a high amount of physical exercise (b = -0.06, p = 0.33). This research extends the cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis and provides evidence on an individual intervention of physical exercise to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental Health and Physical Activity of Female Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study from Lithuania.

During emerging adulthood (EA), higher education medical students undergo a higher risk of anxiety and depression compared to the general population. The aim of this comparative cross-sectional study was to compare the proportions of three mental disorders, namely anxiety, depression and somatisation in terms of their symptoms and self-reported physical activity (PA) levels across the cohorts of biomedical and non-biomedical female students as well as to assess the association between the mental health outcomes and PA use. Between September 2021 and January 2022, a total of 1231 female higher education students aged between 18 and 29 years old were recruited for the study. Severe symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as unexplained somatic complaints, were suffered by 51.9%, 11% and 23% of female students, respectively. Non-biomedical female students, compared to medicine and health sciences students, were more vulnerable due to the increased prevalence of negative mental health outcomes. The relationship between increased sports activity as a potential trigger for mental well-being and decreased severity of depressive symptoms was identified in the cohorts of both biomedical (adjusted odd ratio (ORadj) 0.4; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.1-1.0) and non-biomedical (ORadj 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2-0.9) female students. The current research highlights the importance of increasing sports activity by involving students in regular physical exercise of specific types for decreasing the severity of depressive symptoms in student-aged female populations.