Factors Related to Women's Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from a Two-Wave Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of research has highlighted the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's mental health. Previous studies showed that women have higher levels of depression, anxiety and PTSD, and worse psychological adjustment than men, which also persisted after the earlier phase of the pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate changes in women's psychological distress during the pandemic and to evaluate the factors that have a more significant impact in predicting women's psychological distress. METHODS: This two-wave longitudinal study (T1 = Italian first lockdown, and T2 = second phase, when the restrictive measures were eased) involved 893 women (Mage = 36.45, SD = 14.48). Participants provided demographic and health data as well as measures of psychological distress, emotion regulation processes, and ability to tolerate uncertainty. RESULTS: No significant changes were found in women's psychological distress between T1 and T2, i.e., during and after the first lockdown. Lower social stability status and higher maladaptive emotional coping predicted high psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that modifiable psychological variables play a central role in predicting distress and indicated that emotion regulation interventions might be helpful in increasing psychological resilience and mitigating the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic within the female population.

Transdiagnostic Model of Anxiety and Depression According to the Relationship with Affect, Intolerance of Uncertainly, and Anxiety Sensitivity / Modelo transdiagnóstico de ansiedad y depresión según la relación con el afecto, intolerancia a la incertidumbre y sensibilidad a la ansiedad

Abstract The transdiagnostic model allows explaining and developing treatments based on the etiology and maintenance factors of comorbid psychopathologies; however, the relationships between its explanatory variables still require investigation. The purpose of this paper was to develop a structural model that includes these transdiagnostic variables: positive and negative affect, intolerance to uncertainty and anxiety sensitivity, in emotional problems such as anxiety and depression. Quantitative research was carried out with an explanatory cross-sectional design in which a structural network of relationships between constructs was defined using a diagram of paths and structural equations. 486 Colombians between the ages of 20 and 40 were intentionally randomly sampled. The following instruments were used to assess the fitting of the model: Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3), Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory, second edition, Spanish version (BDI-II). The results showed significant correlations between transdiagnostic and symptomatic variables (depression and anxiety symptoms), using an adjusted model that explained the predictive capacity of anxiety sensitivity with anxiety symptoms, and intolerance of uncertainty with depression symptoms, both transdiagnostic variables associated with positive and negative affect as predictors of anxious and depressive emotional symptoms (R2 = .74).

Resumen El modelo transdiagnóstico permite explicar y desarrollar tratamientos basados en la etiología y factores mantenedores de las psicopatologías comórbidas, no obstante, las relaciones entre sus variables explicativas aún requieren investigación. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue desarrollar un modelo estructural que incluye las variables transdiagnósticas: afecto positivo y negativo, intolerancia a la incertidumbre y sensibilidad a la ansiedad, en problemas emocionales como ansiedad y depresión. Se llevó a cabo una investigación cuantitativa con un diseño transversal explicativo en el cual se definió una red estructural de relaciones entre constructos mediante un diagrama de senderos y ecuaciones estructurales. Se conformó una muestra no probabilística intencional de 486 colombianos entre 20 y 40 años. Para evaluar el ajuste del modelo se utilizaron los siguientes instrumentos: Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3), Intolerance Uncertainty Scale (IUS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) y Beck Depression Inventory, second edition, Spanish version (BDI-II). Los resultados indicaron correlaciones significativas entre las variables transdiagnósticas y las sintomáticas (síntomas de depresión y ansiedad), mediante un modelo ajustado que permitió explicar la capacidad predictiva de la sensibilidad a la ansiedad con los síntomas de ansiedad, y la intolerancia a la incertidumbre con los síntomas de depresión, ambas variables transdiagnósticas asociadas al afecto positivo y negativo como predictores de los síntomas emocionales ansiosos y depresivos (R2 = .74).