scholarly journals The Italians in the Time of Coronavirus: Psychosocial Aspects of the Unexpected COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Favieri ◽  
Giuseppe Forte ◽  
Renata Tambelli ◽  
Maria Casagrande
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Italian Population ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Indirect Contact ◽  
Infected People ◽  
The Social ◽  
Other Information

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide public health emergency that forced the Italian Government to deliberate unprecedented actions, including quarantine, with a relevant impact on the population. The present study is one of the first Italian nationwide survey within the first period of the COVID-19 outbreak aimed to understand the social and psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.Methods: An online survey collected information on sociodemographic data, history of direct or indirect contact with COVID-19, and other information concerning the COVID-19 emergency. The General Psychological Well-Being Index and a modified version of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, focused on the COVID-19 experience, assessed the respondents' general psychological condition.Results: Of 1,639 respondents equally distributed in the Italian territory, 5.1% reported PTSD symptomatology, and 48.2% evidenced lower psychological well-being linked to COVID-19 diffusion. Lower psychological well-being was significantly higher in women, younger than 50 years, and with health risk factors. Lower psychological well-being was also detected in individuals who did not know if they were infected, who have had direct exposure or were uncertain about their exposure to COVID-19, or who knew infected people. Regarding the social and behavioral consequences, respondents perceived worsening in demographic, economic, social, and relational conditions. Moreover, they reported increased film viewing, cookhouse time, social media use, and decreased physical activity.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a risk factor for psychological diseases in the Italian population, as previously reported in the Chinese people. About half of the respondents reported a significant psychological impact. Moreover, we confirmed the role of restraining measures that led to modify lifestyles, social perception, and confidence in the institutions. These results underline the need for further studies aimed to develop psychological interventions to minimize the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals The Enemy Which Sealed the World: Effects of COVID-19 Diffusion on the Psychological State of the Italian Population

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Forte ◽  
Francesca Favieri ◽  
Renata Tambelli ◽  
Maria Casagrande
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological State ◽  
Italian Population ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Indirect Contact ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Reported Data

Background: Starting from the first months of 2020, worldwide population has been facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Many nations, including Italy, took extreme actions to reduce the diffusion of the virus, profoundly changing lifestyles. The Italians have been faced with both the fear of contracting the infection and the consequences of enforcing social distancing. This study was aimed to understand the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and the psychopathological outcomes related to the first phase of this emergency. Methods: The study included 2291 respondents. An online survey collected information on socio-demographic variables, history of direct or indirect contact with COVID-19, and additional information concerning the COVID-19 emergency. Moreover, psychopathological symptoms such as anxiety, mood alterations and post-traumatic symptomatology were assessed. Results: The results revealed that respectively 31.38%, 37.19% and 27.72% of respondents reported levels of general psychopathological symptomatology, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms over the cut-off scores. Furthermore, a significant worsening of mood has emerged. Being a female or under the age of 50 years, having had direct contact with people infected by the COVID-19, and experiencing uncertainty about the risk of contagion represent risk factors for psychological distress. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic appear to impact not only on physical health but also on psychological well-being. Although these results need to be considered with caution being based on self-reported data collected at the beginning of this emergency, they should be used as a starting point for further studies aimed to develop interventions to minimize both the brief and long-term psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An Examination of the Possible Benefits for Well-Being Arising from the Social Interactions that Occur while Dog Walking

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 459-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolina M. Duvall Antonacopoulos ◽  
Timothy A. Pychyl
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Dog Walking ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social

Although researchers have established that companion animals act as social catalysts by promoting interaction between people, they have not examined the possible beneficial effects for well-being arising from the social interactions that occur while dog walking. The present study examined the relations between dog walkers’ social interactions and two components of psychological well-being. A sample of 987 Canadian dog walkers (18-84 years old) completed an online survey. Results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that dog walkers who conversed with the people they encountered while dog walking were less lonely, but not less stressed, than those who did not converse with the people they encountered. Findings from closed- and open-ended questions provided insight into the positive benefits dog walkers received from their social interactions while dog walking. This study provides preliminary evidence that the social interactions that occur through dog walking are related to aspects of psychological well-being.

Instagram: Friend or foe? The application’s association with psychological well-being

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 2160-2182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha B Mackson ◽  
Paula M Brochu ◽  
Barry A Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
The Social ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Insight Into

The current study examined the association between the social media application Instagram and its users’ psychological well-being. Participants, both Instagram users and non-users, were surveyed online on measures of depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-esteem, body image, and social comparison. Participants who reported having an Instagram account were also asked about their time spent on Instagram and Instagram anxiety. To understand the association between Instagram and psychological well-being, the study’s first aim was to compare participants who had an Instagram account with those who did not have one. Results revealed that participants with the application reported lower levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness, and higher levels of self-esteem, than participants who did not have an account. Furthermore, loneliness and self-esteem mediated the association between having an Instagram account and depression and anxiety. The second aim of the study was to examine what factors are associated with Instagram users’ reports of anxiety and depression, focusing specifically on participants who reported having an Instagram account. Results revealed that anxiety and depression were predicted by Instagram anxiety and social comparison, respectively. Overall, these results show that Instagram is associated with psychological well-being. However, when Instagram users experience Instagram anxiety or engage in social comparison, it is associated with poorer psychological outcomes. This research provides an insight into the psychological impact that Instagram can have on its users.

scholarly journals Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Athletes

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford C. Uroh ◽  
Celina M. Adewunmi
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Athletic Identity ◽  
Sports Participation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Individual Sports

This study explored the influence of athletic identity and sports participation on the psychological well-being of athletes during a pandemic. The objective of the study was to understand the psychological impact of the coronavirus lockdown measure on athletes who were not able to carry out their normal daily routine. Athletes from nine different sports completed an online survey during the sixth week of the total lockdown in Nigeria. The online survey consists of an athletic identity scale and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Data collected were analyzed using Multiple regression and the Mann-Whitney test at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the findings revealed that category of sports (individual and team) (M = 0.73, β = −6.116) and athletic identity (M = 59.16, β = −0.166) predicts psychological distress to some degree. Few individual sports athletes and athletes with low athletic identity are prone to higher levels of psychological distress than team sports athletes and athletes with high athletic identity during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. Individual sports athletes reported elevated levels of psychological distress compared to team sports athletes (z = −2.186, p = 0.03, r = 0.27). In conclusion, the results have confirmed that some athletes competing in individual sports experience elevated levels of psychological distress during the coronavirus pandemic, therefore they need the support of a sports psychologist during such periods to help in maintaining their psychological well-being.

scholarly journals Psychological Well-being During the First Wave of COVID-2019 in Italy. The Influence of Personality Traits

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osmano Oasi ◽  
Chiara Rossi ◽  
Andrea Bonanomi
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Clinical Population ◽  
Italian Population ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: The Coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19) had a strong psychological impact on the Italian population. Fear of infection, lock-down, social isolation, loneliness and uncertainty inevitably influenced people’s well-being. The current study represents one of the first Italian researches to provide data on the association between psychological health and personality traits during the COVID-19 outbreak.Methods: This explorative study was conducted to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological health and to identify if psychological well-being could be influenced by personality traits. 2103 participants completed an online survey that included the PGWBI, the ITAPI-S and a general questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical regressions were performed using SPSS software.Results: Vulnerability turns out to be a particularly relevant personality trait within the sample. In the regression analyses it influenced negatively PGWBI total score (β=-0.62), anxiety (β=-0.55), depression (β=-0.46), positivity and well-being (β=-0.51), vitality(β=-0.45), general health (β=-0.12) and self-control (β=-0.52). On the contrary, the dynamicity trait influenced positively vitality (β=0.12) and positivity and well-being (β=0.14).Conclusion: The results highlight that in order to prevent the risk of the onset of mental disorders, it is necessary to take care not only of who is already suffering from psychological disorders but also of the non-clinical population. Before the outbreak of the virus, people did not feel so helpless and vulnerable in the face of events thanks to the evolutions in every scientific field. COVID-19 awoke weakness aspects in terms of anxious and depressive states. The results may assist mental healthcare professionals in safeguarding the psychological well-being of the Italian community in the wake of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Staying Down with the Joneses: Differences in the Psychological Cost of Unemployment across Neighbourhoods

2021 ◽  
pp. 095001702110034
Author(s):  
Peter Howley ◽  
Sarah Knight
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Social Norm ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship

This article demonstrates how the unemployment of neighbours can ameliorate the psychological costs of unemployment. In support of this premise, we find that while unemployment is always harmful, the gap in psychological well-being between employed and unemployed individuals is much less in relatively high unemployment neighbourhoods (particularly so for males and relatively older cohorts). Our proposed explanation is that people employ close points of social comparison with the result that any feelings of shame or embarrassment associated with unemployment are mitigated when surrounded by unemployed neighbours. One potentially important labour market implication of these findings is that it may be more difficult than anticipated to transition some people out of unemployment in high unemployment neighbourhoods. Apart from highlighting the place-specific nature of the relationship between unemployment and psychological well-being, our findings also highlight the importance of non-pecuniary factors, such as the social norm to work, in explaining the substantive negative psychological impact of unemployment.

scholarly journals Young adults’ coping strategies against loneliness during the COVID-19-related quarantine in Greece

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrianos Golemis ◽  
Panteleimon Voitsidis ◽  
Eleni Parlapani ◽  
Vasiliki A Nikopoulou ◽  
Virginia Tsipropoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Cross Sectional

Summary 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.

Weak ties matter: Social network dynamics of mobile media multiplexity and their impact on the social support and psychological well-being experienced by migrant workers

2021 ◽  
pp. 205015792110011
Author(s):  
Piper Liping Liu ◽  
Tien Ee Dominic Yeo
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Mobile Media ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
The Social ◽  
Media Multiplexity ◽  
Mobile Ict

This study investigates the contextual and relational characteristics that underlie people’s information and communication technology (ICT) use and the implications for their well-being. We contextualize this investigation according to migrants, because they are faced with disruptions to their personal networks in the migration process that may attenuate the availability of social support and negatively affect their mental health. Migrants tend to be proficient in using mobile ICT to connect with different social ties to fulfill their needs, which potentially makes a difference to their psychological well-being. Through a survey of 504 internal migrant workers in China, we examined the social network factors that underlie multiple mobile ICT use and the attendant influences on social support and psychological well-being. Redressing the overemphasis on the importance of strong ties in extant literature, this study highlights the salience of mobile media multiplexity (i.e., the use of multiple mobile communication channels for social interactions) in weak tie communication and the greater contribution of weak ties toward social support and psychological well-being than strong ties. Our findings suggest that mobile-mediated communicative relationships with newer and more distanced social connections outside their immediate circles enhance the well-being of migrants. We contend that media multiplexity vis-à-vis weak ties underscores the reconfiguration of migrants’ communicative relationships following the separation from original ties and facilitates rewarding interactions with new ties.

scholarly journals Psychological distress during COVID-19 pandemic in low-income and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study of older persons in Thailand

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e047650
Author(s):  
Wiraporn Pothisiri ◽  
Paolo Miguel Manalang Vicerra
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Ageing Society ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
The Impact

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 situation in Thailand was controlled with various social measures. Much of the information covered in the media and in studies focused on the public health and economic aspects of the pandemic. This study aimed to explore the psychological well-being of older people, which is important especially in an ageing society categorised as low income or middle income due to the limits of economic and healthcare resources.SettingThe impact of COVID-19 on older persons in Thailand, an online survey, taken across nine provinces within the five regions of the country.ParticipantsInformation was collected from 1230 adults aged at least 60 years old.If an older person was illiterate, unable to access the internet or had a disability preventing them from responding to the survey, an intermediary residing in the community conducted the survey interview.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe analysis focused on the worries of older adults and the factors associated with psychological distress experienced during the pandemic using logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe majority of people aged at least 60 years old experienced psychological distress during COVID-19. Employment loss (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.38), inadequate income (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.44) and debt incursion (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.57 to 4.80) were detrimental to psychological well-being. The negative changes in the perception of their health status (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.99) and decreased life satisfaction (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.45 to 1.87) also weighed on older Thais. The protective factors for psychological well-being were residing in rural areas (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.61) and being married (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.01).ConclusionObserving the concerns of the older population is important for introducing policies that can alleviate their precarious financial and health statuses.

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