COVID-19 uncertainty and sleep: the roles of perceived stress and intolerance of uncertainty during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic brings unprecedented uncertainty and stress. This study aimed to characterize general sleep status among Chinese residents during the early stage of the outbreak and to explore the network relationship among COVID-19 uncertainty, intolerance of uncertainty, perceived stress, and sleep status. Methods A cross-sectional correlational survey was conducted online. A total of 2534 Chinese residents were surveyed from 30 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions of China and regions abroad during the period from February 7 to 14, 2020, the third week of lockdown. Final valid data from 2215 participants were analyzed. Self-report measures assessed uncertainty about COVID-19, intolerance of uncertainty, perceived stress, and general sleep status. Serial mediation analysis using the bootstrapping method and path analysis were applied to test the mediation role of intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress in the relationship between uncertainty about COVID-19 and sleep status. Results The total score of sleep status was 4.82 (SD = 2.72). Age, place of residence, ethnicity, marital status, infection, and quarantine status were all significantly associated with general sleep status. Approximately half of participants (47.1%) reported going to bed after 12:00 am, 23.0% took 30 min or longer to fall asleep, and 30.3% slept a total of 7 h or less. Higher uncertainty about COVID-19 was significantly positively correlated with higher intolerance of uncertainty (r = 0.506, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis found a mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between COVID-19 uncertainty and general sleep status (β = 0.015, 95%C.I. = 0.009–0.021). However, IU was not a significant mediator of the relationship between COVID-19 uncertainty and sleep (β = 0.009, 95%C.I. = − 0.002–0.020). Moreover, results from the path analysis further showed uncertainty about COVID-19 had a weak direct effect on poor sleep (β = 0.043, p < 0.05); however, there was a robust indirect effect on poor sleep through intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress. Conclusions These findings suggest that intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress are critical factors in the relationship between COVID-19 uncertainty and sleep outcomes. Results are discussed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and practical policy implications are also provided.

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COVID-19 Uncertainty and Sleep: The Roles of Perceived Stress and Intolerance of Uncertainty during the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Outbreak

10.21203/rs.3.rs-200280/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dan Wu ◽

Tingzhong Yang ◽

Daniel Hall ◽

Guihua Jiao ◽

Can Jiao

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Sleep Disturbance ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Early Stage ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Self Report ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Background. The COVID-19 pandemic brings unprecedented uncertainty and stress. This study aimed to characterize sleep behaviors among Chinese residents during the early stage of the outbreak and to test the extent to which sleep quality was driven by COVID-19 uncertainty, intolerance of uncertainty, and perceived stress. Methods. A cross-sectional correlational survey was conducted online. A total of 2,534 Chinese residents were recruited from February 7 to 14, 2020, the third week of lockdown. Self-report measures assessed uncertainty about COVID-19, intolerance of uncertainty, perceived stress, and sleep quality. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the relationships among uncertainty about COVID-19, intolerance of uncertainty, perceived stress, and sleep quality. Results. Sleep disturbance was common, with approximately half of participants (47.1%) reporting going to bed after 12:00am, 23.0% taking 30 minutes or longer to fall asleep, and 30.3% sleeping a total of 7 hours or less. Higher uncertainty about COVID-19 was significantly positively correlated with higher intolerance of uncertainty (r = 0.506, p < 0.001). Uncertainty about COVID-19 had a weak direct effect on poor sleep (β = 0.043, p < 0.05); however, there was a robust indirect effect on poor sleep through intolerance of uncertainty (β = 0.506, p < 0.001) and perceived stress (β = 0.479, p < 0.001). Conclusions. These findings suggest that intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress are critical targets for reducing sleep disturbance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the sustained uncertainties and challenges managing COVID-19, it is likely that, if unmanaged, COVID-19 related uncertainty will persist and continue to impact sleep outcomes.

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Workaholism, Intensive Smartphone Use, and the Sleep-Wake Cycle: A Multiple Mediation Analysis

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16193517 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (19) ◽

pp. 3517 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Spagnoli ◽

Balducci ◽

Fabbri ◽

Molinaro ◽

Barbato

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Sleep Disorders ◽

Daytime Sleepiness ◽

Self Report ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Multiple Mediation ◽

Smartphone Use ◽

The Relationship ◽

Mediation Models

Recent contributions have reported sleep disorders as one of the health impairment outcomes of workaholism. A possible factor affecting the sleep-wake cycle might be the intensive use of smartphones. The current study aimed to explore the role of intensive smartphone use in the relationship between workaholism and the sleep-wake cycle. Two serial multiple mediation models were tested on a sample of 418 employees, who filled self-report questionnaires measuring workaholism, use of smartphones, sleep quality and daytime sleepiness, using conditional process analysis for testing direct and indirect effects. Results supported our hypotheses regarding two serial multiple mediation models—that intensive smartphone use and poor sleep quality mediated the relationship between workaholism and daytime sleepiness, and that smartphone use and daytime sleepiness mediated the relationship between workaholism and poor quality of sleep. Although the use of a cross-sectional design and the snowball technique for collecting data can be considered as possible limitations, the current study is one of the first to document the potential detrimental role of the intensive smartphone use on the workaholism-sleep disorders relationship.

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The mediating role of self-compassion between proactive coping and perceived stress among students

Science Progress ◽

10.1177/00368504211011872 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 104 (2) ◽

pp. 003685042110118

Author(s):

Thi Hong Thai Bui ◽

Thi Nhu Trang Nguyen ◽

Hanh Dung Pham ◽

Cong Thanh Tran ◽

Thanh Hien Ha

Keyword(s):

Perceived Stress ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Stressful Events ◽

Self Report ◽

Proactive Coping ◽

Common Humanity ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Self Compassion ◽

The Relationship

Proactive coping has been documented as a significant predictor of perceived stress. When facing stressful events, the more individuals use proactive coping strategies, the lower their stress level will be. However, there is still little research of possible latent factors participating in this relationship to explain how proactive coping can reduce of perceived stress, directly and indirectly. This study aimed to examine whether self-compassion can mediate the relationship between proactive coping and perceived stress among students. In a cross-sectional study carried out in 2019, we invited 384 undergraduate students in Hanoi (Vietnam) to voluntarily complete a self-report questionnaire that measured proactive coping, self-compassion and perceived stress scale. Results showed that proactive coping was positively related to level of self-compassion, and both proactive coping and self-compassion were negatively related to stress scores. The effect of proactive coping on stress was eliminated when self-compassion was controlled, showing the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between proactive coping and perceived stress score. Furthermore, among six factors contributing to the concept of self-compassion, data documented mediating role of “self-kindness,”“self-judgment,” and “mindfulness” while no mediating role of “common humanity,”“isolation,” and “over-identification” was observed. Among three mediating factors, mindfulness appeared to be the most important factor explaining the relationship between proactive coping and perceived stress. These results consolidate existing literature of the protective role of self-compassion on psychological health, and hence provide more support for the application of self-compassion, especially of mindfulness, in working with people with stress.

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Associations between Personality Traits, Intolerance of Uncertainty, Coping Strategies, and Stress in Italian Frontline and Non-Frontline HCWs during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Multi-Group Path-Analysis

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9081086 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 1086

Author(s):

Ramona Bongelli ◽

Carla Canestrari ◽

Alessandra Fermani ◽

Morena Muzi ◽

Ilaria Riccioni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Path Analysis ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Self Report ◽

Omnibus Test ◽

Emotionally Focused ◽

Psychological Challenge ◽

And Coping

The COVID-19 pandemic represented a very difficult physical and psychological challenge for the general population and even more for healthcare workers (HCWs). The main aim of the present study is to test whether there were significant differences between frontline and non-frontline Italian HCWs concerning (a) personality traits, intolerance of uncertainty, coping strategies and perceived stress, and (b) the models of their associations. A total of 682 Italian HCWs completed a self-report questionnaire: 280 employed in COVID-19 wards and 402 in other wards. The analysis of variance omnibus test revealed significant differences between the two groups only for perceived stress, which was higher among the frontline. The multi-group path analysis revealed significant differences in the structure of the associations between the two groups of HCWs, specifically concerning the relations between: personality traits and intolerance of uncertainty; intolerance of uncertainty and coping strategies. Regarding the relation between coping strategies and stress no difference was identified between the two groups. In both of them, emotionally focused coping was negatively related with perceived stress, whereas dysfunctional coping was positively related with stress. These results could be useful in planning actions aiming to reduce stress and improve the effectiveness of HCWs’ interventions. Training programs aimed to provide HCWs with a skillset to tackle uncertain and stressful circumstances could represent an appropriate support to develop a preventive approach during outbreaks.

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Coping moderates the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and stress in men during the Covid-19 pandemic

Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP ◽

10.1590/1980-220x-reeusp-2021-0303 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 56 ◽

Author(s):

Emanuel Missias Silva Palma ◽

Anderson Reis de Sousa ◽

Franciane Andrade de Morais ◽

Ramon Evangelista Luz ◽

Álvaro Lima Freitas Neto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Objective: To test the explanatory power of coping strategies and intolerance of uncertainty on men’s perceived stress levels and test the moderating role of coping strategies in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress during the Covid-19 pandemic. Method: This was an online cross-sectional study in which 1,006 men living in Brazil during the Covid-19 pandemic participated. Participants were recruited using a snowball sampling technique and completed a questionnaire containing measures of all study variables. Data were examined using a correlation and a regression analysis. Results: Intolerance of uncertainty (β = .51) and refusal (β = .15) positively predicted perceived stress, whereas control (β = –.31) and isolation (β = –.06) negatively predicted it. Together, these variables explained 52% of men’s perceived stress (p < .001). Isolation and social support lessened the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and stress (p < .001). Conclusion: Men high in intolerance of uncertainty and refusal were more vulnerable to stress during the pandemic. However, coping helped mitigate the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress, thus being a promising psychosocial intervention in this context.

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Mediation Role of Anxiety Sensitivity on the Relationships between Intolerance of Uncertainty and Fear of COVID-19

Anales de Psicología ◽

10.6018/analesps.469511 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Eyüp Çelik ◽

Eda Biçener ◽

Ümit Bayın ◽

Erol Uğur

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Sensitivity ◽

Mediation Analysis ◽

Screening Method ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Research Data ◽

Sensitivity Index ◽

Anxiety Sensitivity Index ◽

The Relationship

The aim of the present study is exploring the mediation role of anxiety sensitivity on the relationships between intolerance of uncertainty and fear of COVID-19. The study was conducted with the relational screening method. The research data were collected online from 302 individuals (Male n = 76, Female n = 226) with Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. The result of both mediation analysis and bootstrapping analysis (with 5000 bootstrap resamples) showed that the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and fear of COVID-19 was mediated by anxiety sensitivity. Anxiety sensitivity decreased the effect of intolerance of uncertainty on fear of COVID-19. Moreover, comparing intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety sensitivity in terms of their predictive levels of the fear of COVID-19, it was concluded that anxiety sensitivity predicted the fear of COVID-19 more, and that anxiety sensitivity included the variance of intolerance to uncertainty associated with the fear of COVID-19. El objetivo del presente estudio es explorar el papel mediador de la sensibilidad a la ansiedad en las relaciones entre la intolerancia a la incertidumbre y el miedo al COVID-19. El estudio se realizó con el método de cribado relacional. Los datos de la investigación se recopilaron en línea de 302 personas (hombres n = 76, mujeres n = 226) con la escala de miedo a COVID-19, índice de sensibilidad a la ansiedad-3, escala de intolerancia a la incertidumbre. El resultado tanto del análisis de mediación como del análisis bootstrapping (con un remuestreo de 5000 bootstrap) mostró que la relación entre la intolerancia a la incertidumbre y el miedo al COVID-19 estaba mediada por la sensibilidad a la ansiedad. La sensibilidad a la ansiedad disminuyó el efecto de la intolerancia a la incertidumbre sobre el miedo al COVID-19. Además, al comparar la intolerancia a la incertidumbre y la sensibilidad a la ansiedad en términos de sus niveles predictivos del miedo al COVID-19, se concluyó que la sensibilidad a la ansiedad predijo más el miedo al COVID-19 y que la sensibilidad a la ansiedad incluyó la varianza de la intolerancia a la incertidumbre asociada. con el miedo al COVID-19.

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Media Exposure to COVID-19 Predicted Acute Stress: A Moderated Mediation Model of Intolerance of Uncertainty and Perceived Social Support

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2020.613368 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Xiangcai He ◽

Yu Zhang ◽

Meng Chen ◽

Jihong Zhang ◽

Weixing Zou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Perceived Social Support ◽

Media Exposure ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Self Report ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Background: Previous studies have found that disaster-related media exposure could predict acute stress responses. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between media exposure to COVID-19 and acute stress, and less is known about the mechanisms that translate media exposure to COVID-19 into acute stress. The current study explored the impact of media exposure to COVID-19 on acute stress, and examined the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and the moderating role of perceived social support (PSS).Methods: A total of 1,483 Chinese participants (Mage = 27.93 years, SD = 8.45) completed anonymous online questionnaires regarding media exposure to COVID-19, IU, PSS, and acute stress during the COVID-19 outbreak in China.Results: Media exposure to COVID-19 was positively related to acute stress, and IU partially mediated this relationship. The direct effect of media exposure to COVID-19 on acute stress, and the relationship between IU and acute stress, were both moderated by PSS. The impacts of both media exposure to COVID-19 and IU on acute stress were stronger for individuals with low PSS.Limitations: This study collected data in a shorter timeframe, and no assessments occurred during the follow-up, which may prevent us from detecting the changes of the relationships between variables over time. Meanwhile, the self-report method limited the validity of the data due to subjective reporting bias.Conclusions: These findings contribute to a better understanding of how and when pandemic-related media exposure affects acute stress, and provide new perspectives for the prevention to reduce psychological problems following traumatic events.

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The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction in the Work Stress-Marital Interaction Relationship

South African Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1177/008124639402400303 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 122-130 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Lynne Widrich ◽

Karen Ortlepp

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Work Stress ◽

Causal Link ◽

Work And Family ◽

Specific Aspect ◽

Self Report ◽

Marital Interaction ◽

Marital Functioning ◽

The Relationship

The present study examined the relationship between work stress and a specific aspect of marital functioning, namely, marital interaction. An interactionist model of stress was adopted, with three role stresses, namely, role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload, being used as indicators of work stress. Despite the abundance of studies investigating the link between employment and family functioning over the past decade, the causal link between the two domains remains unclear. As previous research has indicated that the relationship between work and family is neither simple nor linear, the present study aimed to investigate the role of job satisfaction in the relationship. The final sample of the study consisted of 80 married men employed in a large financial organization. Data were gathered in the form of self-report questionnaires. Statistical analysis, using a longitudinal path analytic research design, did not support the proposed mediational model, that is, job satisfaction was not found to mediate the relationship between work stress and marital functioning.

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Mediation analysis of social deficits between self-criticism and aggression in adolescents

Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/13591045211005823 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 135910452110058

Author(s):

Sayyeda Taskeen Zahra ◽

Sadia Saleem ◽

Halima Khurshid

Keyword(s):

Mediation Analysis ◽

Positive Association ◽

Social Deficits ◽

Significant Positive Association ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Study Results ◽

Interpersonal Difficulties ◽

Behavior Scale ◽

The Relationship

This research aims to determine the mediating role of social deficits in self-criticism and aggression using a sample of 695 adolescents (girls = 49%, boys = 51%), aged 12 to 19 years ( M = 14.97, SD = 1.30) from an urbanized city of Pakistan. Interpersonal Difficulties Scale, Self-Criticism Scale, and Aggressive Behavior Scale were used in the present study. Results indicated a significant positive association of social deficits with self-criticism and aggression ( p < .001). Furthermore, findings also suggested a significant positive association between self-criticism and aggression. Mediation analysis revealed that self-criticism partially mediated the relationship between social deficits and aggression. Findings are discussed in terms of the expression and manifestation of self-criticism, social deficits, and aggression in adolescents in collectivistic cultures.

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Perceived stress and psychological well-being of working mothers during COVID-19: a mediated moderated roles of teleworking and resilience

Employee Relations ◽

10.1108/er-05-2020-0244 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Vartika Kapoor ◽

Jaya Yadav ◽

Lata Bajpai ◽

Shalini Srivastava

Keyword(s):

Perceived Stress ◽

Working Mothers ◽

Well Being ◽

Inverse Association ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Content Type ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Practical Implications

PurposeThe present study examines the mediating role of teleworking and the moderating role of resilience in explaining the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being of working mothers in India. Conservation of resource theory (COR) is taken to support the present study.Design/methodology/approachThe data of 326 respondents has been collected from working mothers in various sectors of Delhi NCR region of India. Confirmatory factor analysis was used for construct validity, and SPSS Macro Process (Hayes) was used for testing the hypotheses.FindingsThe results of the study found an inverse association between perceived stress and psychological well-being. Teleworking acted as a partial mediator and resilience proved to be a significant moderator for teleworking-well-being relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is based at Delhi NCR of India, and future studies may be based on a diverse population within the country to generalize the findings in different cultural and industrial contexts. The present work is based only on the psychological well-being of the working mothers, it can be extended to study the organizational stress for both the genders and other demographic variables.Practical implicationsThe study extends the research on perceived stress and teleworking by empirically testing the association between perceived stress and psychological well-being in the presence of teleworking as a mediating variable. The findings suggest some practical implications for HR managers and OD Practitioners. The organizations must develop a plan to support working mothers by providing flexible working hours and arranging online stress management programs for them.Originality/valueAlthough teleworking is studied previously, there is a scarcity of research examining the impact of teleworking on psychological well-being of working mothers in Asian context. It would help in understanding the process that how teleworking has been stressful for working mothers and also deliberate the role of resilience in the relationship between teleworking and psychological well-being due to perceived stress, as it seems a ray of hope in new normal work situations.

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