Young adults' coping strategies against loneliness during the COVID-19-related quarantine in Greece.

COVID-19 and the related quarantine disrupted young adults' academic and professional life, daily routine and socio-emotional well-being. This cross-sectional study focused on the emotional and behavioural responses of a young adult population during the COVID-19-related quarantine in April 2020, in Greece. The study was conducted through an online survey. A total of 1559 young adults, aged 18-30 years, completed Steele's Social Responsibility Motivation Scale and the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and answered questions about compliance with instructions, quarantine-related behaviours and coping strategies. According to the results, participants displayed a relatively high sense of social responsibility (M = 16.09, SD = 2.13) and a trend towards moderate feeling of loneliness (M = 2.65, SD = 1.62); young women reported significantly higher levels of loneliness than men. The majority complied with instructions often (46.4%) or always (44.8%). Significantly more women created a new social media account and used the social media longer than 5 h/day, compared with men. Resorting to religion, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted higher levels of social responsibility; humour, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted lower levels of loneliness. Conclusively, COVID-19 is expected to have a significant psychological impact on young adults. Currently, Greece is going through the second quarantine period. This study raises awareness about loneliness in young adults during the COVID-19-related quarantine and highlights the importance of developing online programmes, attractive to younger people, to nurture adaptive coping strategies against loneliness.

Young adulthood is a critical developmental period, related with significant changes in life roles. COVID-19 disrupted young adults' academic and professional life, daily routine and socio-emotional well-being. This cross-sectional study investigated social responsibility, compliance with health guidelines, loneliness, coping strategies and quarantine-related behaviours in a sample of 1559 young adults, aged 18−30 years, during the first COVID-19-related quarantine in April 2020, in Greece. According to the results, participants displayed a relatively high sense of social responsibility and complied often/always with guidelines. A trend towards moderate feeling of loneliness was observed; young women reported significantly higher levels of loneliness than men. Significantly more women created a new social media account, and used the social media for longer hours, compared with men. Humour, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted lower levels of loneliness. Currently, Greece is going through the second COVID-19-related quarantine, which has no foreseeable end. This study raises awareness about loneliness in young adults, a negative emotional state that should not be overlooked during this novel public health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic offers the opportunity to develop online programmes nurturing adaptive coping strategies to reduce loneliness in young adults.

The mediating role of fear of COVID-19 in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and depression.

OBJECTIVES: Living during the COVID-19 pandemic is characterized by the emergence of great uncertainty surrounding multiple aspects of daily life. This study explored the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and depression, as well as the potential mediation effect of COVID-19-related fear. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey from 10 April until 13 April 2020, three weeks after a national lockdown had been imposed in Greece. The convenience sample used in this study consisted of 2,827 adults. Participants voluntarily provided sociodemographic data and completed the following scales: the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12), the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), and the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) Depression Scale. RESULTS: Participants appeared to be moderately depressed [M = 14.75, SD = 4.52]. There was a significant indirect effect of IU to depressive symptoms ((.058), CI (0.051-0.066)). FCV-19S was tested as a mediator in the relationship between IUS-12 (independent variable) and PHQ-9 (dependent variable). Partial mediation of fear of COVID-19 was supported ((.54) (.41) = 13, CI (0.051-0.066), Sobel z-value = 14.93). CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptomatology affected study participants at a moderate level. IU was shown to be a significant predictor of depressive symptomatology with higher levels of IU being associated with more severe depressive symptoms. Fear of COVID-19 partially mediated this association. The mediation effect may be explained by the uncertainty around COVID-19-related health issues, which are reflected in the FCV-19S and cause worry and/or anxiety. Uncertainty related with other factors, such as the impact on the economy and education, not assessed by the FCV-19S, may explain part of the relationship between IU and depressive symptoms that is not mediated by FCV-19S. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Intolerance of uncertainty is related to depressive symptomatology, and fear of COVID-19 explains part of the relation. Fear of COVID-19 indicates worry and anxiety related to health issues. Psychotherapeutic interventions enhancing individuals' capacity to endure uncertainty could be beneficial. Provision of simple and clear information by the authorities should be a priority issue.

Robust regional cerebral blood flow perfusion deficits in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients with executive function impairment.

OBJECTIVES: Cognitive impairment is present in up to 65% of Relapsing Remitting Multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients and can be extremely debilitating. Although deficits in episodic memory and processing speed occur more frequently than executive deficits, executive dysfunction tends to have a significant impact on MS patients' ability to generate strategies, think divergently, solve and estimate problems, and reason in abstract terms with substantial negative impacts on activities of daily living. In the present study we investigated perfusion detection rate and pattern, as well as the association between perfusion rates and cognitive dysfunction in cognitively impaired RRMS patients. METHODS: We present findings from 17 cognitively impaired RRMS patients who were evaluated with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and additionally evaluated by brain perfusion radiopharmaceutical technetium-99m hexamethyl-propylene amine oxime (99mTc HMPAO). RESULTS: RRMS patients had hypoperfusion in several predefined Brodmann areas and lobes of the brain, relatively to demographically matched healthy controls according to an established normative database NeuroGam™. However, we noted blood flow reduction, mainly in the frontal lobes and other related prefrontal areas, involving both hemispheres, but with asymmetric left hemisphere predominance. Moreover, associations between measures of response inhibition, set shifting (executive functions) and severity of hypoperfusion in the left frontal lobes were also established. CONCLUSION: Cerebral hypoperfusion is an integral feature of MS pathology. Executive dysfunction is associated with robust cerebral perfusion deficits in the frontal and prefrontal cortex of cognitively impaired RRMS patients.

Cognitive functions and social cognition in multiple sclerosis: An overview.

Cognitive decline has been widely reported in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) despite its clinical heterogeneity, at all stages and in all subtypes of the disease. Deficits are most commonly present in attention, processing speed, working memory, verbal fluency and executive function. However, MS patients also show decreased performance in tasks related to social cognition, i.e. mental operations thatdrive interpersonal skills such as social perception, empathy and theory of mind. Social cognitive deficits are an underestimated but important aspect of impairment in MS, reflecting how people process, store, and apply information in social interactions. Deficits in these domains have been associated with reduced social and psychological quality of life, even after controlling for severity and duration of the disease, age, and neurocognitive performance. Social cognition impairment is not entirely dependent on and parallel to general cognitive dysfunction, given that some patients experience disorganization of their social life before a significant or detectable cognitive impairment. The decrease in performance of social cognition tasks may reflect changes in brain activity and brain structure, either general or regional. Both subtle diffuse pathology and acute local lesions have at least partially independent effects on aspects of social cognition. The observed white matter damage contributes to a mechanism of disruption in the network of brain connections involved in social cognition. Undoubtedly, there is a wide variability in the relationship of social cognitionand neuroanatomical findings, not only due to the brain's complex connectivity, but also to the lack of a unique operative definition of these cognitive domains. Furthermore, it is difficult to compare study results, given the variability of clinical presentations in all stages of the disease.More research would contribute in understanding social cognition deficits better and in determining whether and what kind of training could be beneficial.

Development of the Greek Verbal Learning Test: reliability, construct validity, and normative standards.

We developed a multiple-form list learning test appropriate for use with the Greek population and generated norms for clinical and research use. This task, the Greek Verbal Learning Test (GVLT), was based on the California Verbal Learning Test. We administered the standard version (Form A) to a sample of 354 healthy individuals, as well as two alternative forms (B and C) to a subgroup of the initial sample. Performance on the three forms was equivalent, and each test presented excellent internal consistency. We found good sensitivity and specificity in the testãs (Form A) utility in differentiating individuals with schizophrenia (n = 50) and individuals with traumatic brain injury (n = 53) from healthy adults. A multiple regression analysis indicated that age, education and sex predicted performance. Regression-based norms are also provided. Taken together, these data provide preliminary support for the reliability and construct validity of the GVLT.