The COVID-19 Outbreak and Psychological Distress in Healthcare Workers: The Role of Personality Traits, Attachment Styles, and Sociodemographic Factors

The COVID-19 outbreak has exposed healthcare professionals (HPs) to increased workloads and a high risk of contagion. The present study aimed at examining the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health of HPs in Italy, investigating the role of attachment style, personality traits, and sociodemographic variables. An online survey was administered from 18 to 22 March 2020. Respondents were 296 HPs (77% female, 23% male; aged 21–77 years). The measures employed were a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-BF (PID-5-BF), the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21). The findings showed that PID-5-BF Negative Affect, female gender, and ASQ Preoccupation with Relationships predicted high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, respectively. Furthermore, PID-5-BF Detachment predicted higher psychological distress, as captured in the DASS-21 total score and DASS-21 Depression score, and having an infected loved one was associated with high psychological distress. Overall, the results suggest that HPs are experiencing high rates of psychological distress during the pandemic, and that specific attachment styles and personality traits might be useful in identifying those at greatest risk for developing mental health symptoms.

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Psychological Distress in Healthcare Workers between the First and Second COVID-19 Waves: The Role of Personality Traits, Attachment Style, and Metacognitive Functioning as Protective and Vulnerability Factors

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182211843 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (22) ◽

pp. 11843

Author(s):

Loredana Cena ◽

Matteo Rota ◽

Stefano Calza ◽

Jessica Janos ◽

Alice Trainini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Psychological Stress ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Emotional States ◽

Vulnerability Factors ◽

General Psychological Distress

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs) since its outbreak, but little attention has been paid to person-level vulnerability and protective factors. This study aims to determine the prevalence of both general and pandemic-related psychological distress among HCWs between the first and second COVID-19 waves in Italy and analyze associations between psychological distress and personality traits, attachment style, and metacognitive functioning. Between June and October 2020, 235 Italian HCWs completed questionnaires concerning psychological stress, personality traits, attachment style, and metacognitive functioning; 26.5% of respondents presented with moderate to extremely severe levels of general psychological distress and 13.8% with moderate to extremely severe levels of pandemic-related psychological distress. After controlling for demographic and occupational variables, significant associations emerged among high emotional stability as a personality trait and both general (aOR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.41–0.79) and pandemic-related psychological stress (aOR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41–0.90). Additionally, higher scores regarding one’s ability to understand others’ emotional states were associated with lower odds of developing psychological distress (aOR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63–0.93). Lastly, when comparing those with fearful attachment styles to those with secure attachments, the aOR for psychological distress was 4.73 (95% CI: 1.45–17.04). These results highlight the importance of conducting baseline assessments of HCWs’ person-level factors and providing regular screenings of psychological distress.

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Quantifying the Predictive Role of Temperament Dimensions and Attachment Styles on the Five Factor Model of Personality

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs10100145 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 145

Author(s):

Efrat Barel ◽

Yonathan Mizrachi ◽

Maayan Nachmani

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Adult Attachment ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Attachment Security ◽

Factor Model ◽

Five Factor Model ◽

Self Report

Background: The present study investigated the role of temperament and attachment security in predicting individual differences in the five factor personality traits among adults. As previous studies suggested the potential moderating role of attachment in the association between temperament and personality traits, the present study sought to examine an interactionist model combining attachment and temperament in explaining individual differences in personality traits. Methods: A sample of 1871 participants (1151 women and 719 men) completed self-report measures of adult attachment style (the Relationships Questionnaire—RQ), temperament dimension (the Fisher Temperament Inventory—FTI), and personality domain (the Five Factor Model—FFM). Results: Partial correlational analyses revealed associations between attachment security and each of the five domains of the FFM, and few associations between some temperament dimensions and several domains of the FFM. Moderated regression analyses showed that attachment security moderated the associations between temperament dimensions and the Agreeableness domain of the FFM. Among secure individuals, those with higher scores on the Curious/Energetic, Cautious/Social Norm Compliant and Prosocial/Empathetic scales exhibited higher Agreeableness scores, whereas among insecure individuals, those with higher scores on the Analytic/Tough-minded scale exhibited lower scores on the Agreeableness scale. Conclusion: Overall, the current study provides evidence in support of the substantive role of social-environmental factors (Adult Attachment) as a moderating element bridging temperament-related personality elements and a number of their FFM manifestations.

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Attachment Style and Working Models of Parenting in Individuals without Children

10.26686/wgtn.17008078 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Arlene P. Conway

Keyword(s):

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Online Survey ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Community Based ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Working Models ◽

Desire To Have Children ◽

Negative Expectations

<p>This study investigated the extent to which insecure attachment predicted negative attitudes and expectations of parenting among people yet to have children. In total, 572 participants aged between 18 to 40 years completed an online survey that rated attachment styles, working models of parenting, and the desire to have children. As predicted, more avoidant people held more negative attitudes. In addition, a lower desire to have children mediated the link between attachment and negative working models of parenting. In contrast and as expected, more anxious people held less negative expectations of childrearing, were more interested in having children, and expected to be satisfied by the future role of parent. There were two novel features of the current study. First, it replicated and extended findings to an older, community based population. Second, analyses across two different samples (those in current relationships and single people) showed they were generally similar, although insecurity of attachment had stronger links with negative attitudes for those in current relationships.</p>

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Attachment Style and Working Models of Parenting in Individuals without Children

10.26686/wgtn.17008078.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Arlene P. Conway

Keyword(s):

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Online Survey ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Community Based ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Working Models ◽

Desire To Have Children ◽

Negative Expectations

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Psychological Distress in Nepalese Residents during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Community Level Survey

10.21203/rs.3.rs-42469/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dhan Bahadur Shrestha ◽

Bikash Bikram Thapa ◽

Nagendra Katuwal ◽

Bikal Shrestha ◽

Chiran Pant ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Secondary Education ◽

Online Survey ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Health Centre ◽

Female Gender ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Post Secondary

Abstract Background: COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented health and economic impact. Psychological stress, anxiety and depression are affecting not only COVID-19 patients but also health professionals, and general population. Restrictive measures; fear of contracting COVID-19; hardship to carry out livelihood is causing traumas to mental health. Nepal is a developing country from South Asia where the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to reach at peak. This online survey has been carried out to understand impact of COVID 19 on mental health of Nepalese community dwellers.Methods: The COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) questionnaire adapted from the Shanghai Mental Health Centre was used for collecting data in this online survey. Data were collected from 11 April-17 May 2020. Collected data extracted to Microsoft excel-13 and imported and analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version-22. An initial univariate analysis was conducted for all variables to assess the distribution and logistic regression analyses were done to estimate the odds ratios of relevant predicting variables.Results: A total of 410 participants completed the whole self-rated questionnaires. Mean age of study participants was 34.8 (± 11.7) with male preponderance. Overall 88.5% of the respondents were not in distress (score less than 28) while, 11% had mild to moderate distress and 0.5% had severely distress. The prevalence of distress is higher among age > 45 years age group, female gender, and post-secondary educated. Health professional were more likely to get distressed. Respondents with post-secondary education higher odds (OR = 3.32 (p = 0.020) of developing distress as compared to respondents with secondary education or lower.Conclusion: There is lower rate of psychological distress in city dwellers and people with low education. Adequate and timely focus should be directed to mental health awareness, psychosocial support with extra focus on vulnerable groups like health care workers, female and elderly individuals.

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Mental Health in Residential Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Role of Selfobject Needs

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.596618 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Eamonn P. Arble ◽

Sneha Shankar ◽

Steven W. Steinert ◽

Ana M. Daugherty

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Online Survey ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Selfobject Needs

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected healthcare across all levels. Older adults and those with chronic illness are at greatest risk for infection complications and mortality, which presents significant psychological distress for residential healthcare workers. The concept of selfobject needs, consisting of Mirroring, Idealizing, and Twinship, may be relevant in explaining psychological distress. This study seeks to enhance our understanding of the needs of healthcare workers responsible for elderly patients and evaluate the role of psychosocial support through selfobject needs to mitigate the effects of trauma during the pandemic. Participants (N = 103) employed in residential healthcare facilities in the metropolitan Detroit, MI (USA) region completed an online survey during the peak initial infection. Assessments included standardized measures of trauma-related symptoms, depression, anxiety, and general distress symptoms, as well as a validated measure of selfobject needs. Residential healthcare workers reported mental health symptoms across domains, including clinical elevations in symptoms of trauma, depression, and anxiety. Selfobject needs and mental health outcomes were positively correlated, indicating that greater unmet relational need was associated with greater severity of symptoms. Greater trauma symptom severity as a proxy index of current experience during the pandemic predicted high depressive symptoms, and greater Mirroring need worsened the effect. These results suggest that interventions targeting selfobject needs, specifically Mirroring, may be effective at mitigating acute mental health symptoms among healthcare workers during a distressing event.

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The Relationship Between Attachment Style and Social Network Addiction with the Mediating Role of Personality Traits

international journal high risk behaviors & addiction ◽

10.5812/ijhrba.101501 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Maisam Shafiee ◽

Ahmad Ashouri ◽

Mahmood Dehghani

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Social Network ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Structural Model ◽

Sample Population ◽

Mediating Role ◽

The Relationship

Background: Social network sites (SNS) addiction has recently been a major concern and a common problem worldwide that makes it essential to examine the specifications of users and identify antecedents of it. Objectives: This study aimed at examining the relationship between attachment style and social media addiction with the mediating role of personality traits. Patients and Methods: In this research, the sample population was comprised of all of the students of universities in Tehran, Iran, during the academic year of 2018 - 2019. The participants (n = 241) were selected from universities in Tehran using the conventional method. The data were collected using measure of attachment qualities (MAQ), Social Media Disorder scale (SMDS), and Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), and then the data were analyzed using the chi-square, correlation coefficient, and structural modeling tests by SPSS and LISREL software. Results: The results showed there is a significant relationship between the worry-ambivalent (r = 0.308, P < 0.05) and the disorganize-ambivalent (r = 0.322, P < 0.05) (attachment styles) and the SNS addiction. Moreover, the structural model showed that among attachment styles, the ambivalence-disorganize attachment could mediate the social network addiction based on the character dimension of self-directedness (CFI: 0.94, NFI: 0.92, RMSEA: 0.09). Conclusions: The character dimension of self-directedness can reduce the adverse effects of insecure attachment and thus reduce the risk of addiction to SNS.

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The Mediating Role of Resilience and Extraversion on Psychological Distress and Loneliness Among the General Population of Tyrol, Austria Between the First and the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.766261 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Chernova ◽

Beatrice Frajo-Apor ◽

Silvia Pardeller ◽

Franziska Tutzer ◽

Barbara Plattner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Online Survey ◽

Age Groups ◽

Protective Role ◽

Federal State ◽

Study Participants ◽

The Relationship ◽

Second Wave

Background: During the first 3 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal state of Tyrol, Austria had one of the strictest curfews in Austria and worldwide. The aim of the current study was to investigate the assumingly protective role of resilience and extraversion and its impact on mental health following such an uncertain and unpredictable situation.Methods: Between the first and the second wave of the pandemic, adult residents of Tyrol were invited to participate in an online survey. Next to the assessment of sociodemographic and COVID-19-related variables the Brief-Symptom-Checklist, the Three-Item Loneliness Scale, the Resilience Scaled, and the Big Five Inventory were used to assess psychological distress, loneliness, resilience, and extraversion. Mediation analysis was used to investigate the role of resilience and extraversion in the context of age-, sex-, and partnership- related differences in psychological distress and loneliness.Results: One hundred and forty-five participants took part in the survey (68.2% female). Overall, psychological distress and severe loneliness were more often detected in women and singles. They also were less resilient, while men and singles presented with a lower degree of extraversion. Study participants under the age of 30 experienced severe loneliness more frequently than older people, whereas psychological distress, resilience, and extraversion were comparable between age groups. Resilience significantly mediated the relationship between both study participants' sex and partnership situation on one hand and psychological distress and severe loneliness on the other. In addition, extraversion significantly mediated the relationship between participants' partnership situation and psychological distress.Discussion: Our findings suggest that women, singles, and young people may be particularly affected by the measures and sequelae of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interventions promoting resilience and extraversion among these groups are urgently needed to foster mental health. Ideally, they can be utilized at home in case of renewed mobility restrictions or quarantine in the future.

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Gender and Organizational Conflict Management: The Mediating Role of Personality

10.31234/osf.io/zewmr ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Maciej Kościelniak ◽

Jarosław Piotrowski ◽

Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska

Keyword(s):

Conflict Management ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Conflict Behavior ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Conflict Management Styles ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Big Five Model

Many authors examined the interplay between gender and conflict management preferences, but those findings were often mixed and inconsistent. In the current paper we tried to explain those inconsistencies by investigating the mediating role of personality for the relationship of gender and conflict management. Rahim's inventory was used for identifying five conflict management styles, and Big Five Model theory was a base for assessing participants' personality traits. Data were collected from a sample of 1,055 working Poles (52.7% women), in an online survey. Based on the structural equation modeling we detected multiple indirect mediating paths of gender on conflict management via personality traits, while no direct effect of gender was observed. Despite some limitations, the study sheds light on the actual role of gender in conflict behavior and the importance of personality traits in the conflict management, both from a theoretical and practical perspective.

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How is the COVID-19 lockdown impacting the mental health of parents of school-age children in the UK? A cross-sectional online survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043397 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. e043397

Author(s):

Austen El-Osta ◽

Aos Alaa ◽

Iman Webber ◽

Eva Riboli Sasco ◽

Emmanouil Bagkeris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Female Gender ◽

School Age Children ◽

School Age ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

ObjectiveInvestigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on feelings of loneliness and social isolation in parents of school-age children.DesignCross-sectional online survey of parents of primary and secondary school-age children.SettingCommunity setting.Participants1214 parents of school-age children in the UK.MethodsAn online survey explored the impact of lockdown on the mental health of parents with school-age children, and in particular about feelings of social isolation and loneliness. Associations between the UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale (UCLATILS), the Direct Measure of Loneliness (DMOL) and the characteristics of the study participants were assessed using ordinal logistic regression models.Main outcome measuresSelf-reported measures of social isolation and loneliness using UCLATILS and DMOL.ResultsHalf of respondents felt they lacked companionship, 45% had feelings of being left out, 58% felt isolated and 46% felt lonely during the first 100 days of lockdown. The factors that were associated with higher levels of loneliness on UCLATILS were female gender, parenting a child with special needs, lack of a dedicated space for distance learning, disruption of sleep patterns and low levels of physical activity during the lockdown. Factors associated with a higher DMOL were female gender, single parenting, parenting a child with special needs, unemployment, low physical activity, lack of a dedicated study space and disruption of sleep patterns during the lockdown.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 lockdown has increased feelings of social isolation and loneliness among parents of school-age children. The sustained adoption of two modifiable health-seeking lifestyle behaviours (increased levels of physical activity and the maintenance of good sleep hygiene practices) wmay help reduce feelings of social isolation and loneliness during lockdown.

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