Objective. Research on the psychological toll of the COVID-19 pandemic is being conducted in various countries. This study aimed to examine risk factors for mental health problems among Israeli adults during this crisis. Methods. A total of 204 participants took part in the study. They completed self-report questionnaires assessing perceived stress, anxiety, quality of life, and various questions related to quarantine, pre-existing health issues, and worries related to the virus. The study took place during the last two weeks of March 2020. Results. The majority of participants reported relatively high levels of perceived stress and corona-related worries, but low levels of anxiety. Female gender, younger age, corona-related loneliness, and pre-existing chronic illness were all related to higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of quality of life. Conclusions. While considering the preliminary nature of these results, the current study highlights risk factors for psychological distress in light of the corona pandemic. Attention should be given to sociodemographic variables that were identified as related to psychological distress, as well as to the important role of loneliness, when screening and treating people during this crisis. More research is needed in order to fully understand the scope and correlates of psychological difficulties during these challenging times. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Studies on the psychological implications of COVID-19 are being conducted in many countries, showing a wide variety of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and impaired functioning. In addition, some studies have begun identifying risk factors for psychological distress, including sociodemographic and health-related factors. What does this study add? The present study adds to existing COVID-19 literature, by presenting findings on the pandemic's mental health implications, and their risk factors, in Israel.

Objective War captivity entails severe posttraumatic implications for ex‐prisoners of war (POWs) and their partners. This study examines the role of self‐differentiation in secondary traumatization and dyadic adjustment among ex‐POWs' spouses. Methods A total of 106 spouses of Israeli ex‐POWs and 56 matched spouses of ex‐combatants completed self‐report questionnaires assessing secondary posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (SPS), self‐differentiation (fusion, cut‐off, balanced), general psychiatric distress (GPD), and dyadic adjustment. Results Ex‐POWs' spouses reported lower dyadic adjustment and higher levels of SPS, GPD, and fusion and cut‐off differentiation, compared to ex‐combatants' spouses. A “mixed” differentiation style characterized by high levels of both fusion and cut‐off was associated with particularly high distress levels. Fusion differentiation moderated the association between SPS/GPD and dyadic adjustment. Conclusion Self‐differentiation plays an important role in posttraumatic spousal relationships. Women showing unstable differentiation may be particularly vulnerable when living with a veteran. Treatments for posttraumatic couples should target dysregulated interpersonal distance and promote adaptive differentiation.

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Background United Nations (UN) personnel address a diverse range of political, social, and cultural crises throughout the world. Compared with other occupations routinely exposed to traumatic stress, there remains a paucity of research on mental health disorders and access to mental healthcare in this population. To fill this gap, personnel from UN agencies were surveyed for mental health disorders and mental healthcare utilization. Methods UN personnel (N = 17 363) from 11 UN entities completed online measures of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma exposure, mental healthcare usage, and socio-demographic information. Results Exposure to one or more traumatic events was reported by 36.2% of survey responders. Additionally, 17.9% screened positive for GAD, 22.8% for MDD, and 19.9% for PTSD. Employing multivariable logistic regressions, low job satisfaction, younger age (<35 years of age), greater length of employment, and trauma exposure on or off-duty was significantly associated with all the three disorders. Among individuals screening positive for a mental health disorder, 2.05% sought mental health treatment within and 10.01% outside the UN in the past year. Conclusions UN personnel appear to be at high risk for trauma exposure and screening positive for a mental health disorder, yet a small percentage screening positive for mental health disorders sought treatment. Despite the mental health gaps observed in this study, additional research is needed, as these data reflect a large sample of convenience and it cannot be determined if the findings are representative of the UN.