Global Psychological Implications of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). What Can Be Learned From Italy. Reflections, Perspectives, Opportunities

Giorgio, Andrea De

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01836

Cited by 15 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…It is beyond doubt that this decision helped to prevent the further spread of the virus and was a necessary imposition to limit the number of patients being admitted to hospital. Nevertheless, from a psychological point of view, people undergoing this first form of intervention were exposed to feelings of uncertainty, fear, anger, and frustration that may easily lead to anxiety, boredom, and/or uneasiness ( Brooks et al, 2020 ; De Giorgio, 2020 ; Holmes et al, 2020 ; Rubin and Wessely, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2020a ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poor Sleep Quality and Its Consequences on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy

et al. 2020

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Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) seriously affected the whole of Italy. The extreme virulence and the speed of propagation resulted in restrictions and home confinement. This change was immediately perceived by people who found themselves exposed to feelings of uncertainty, fear, anger, stress, and a drastic change in the diurnal but above all nocturnal lifestyle. For these reasons, we aimed to study the quality of sleep and its connection to distress levels and to evaluate how lifestyle changed in the Italian population during the lockdown. Methods By means of an Internet survey we recruited 6,519 adults during the whole of the COVID-19 lockdown (from March 10–1st phase to May 4–2nd phase). We investigated the sociodemographic and COVID-19-related information and assessed sleep quality using the Medical Outcomes Study–sleep scale (MOS-SS) and mental health with the short form of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–21 Items (DASS-21). Multiple logistic regression model was used to evaluate the multivariate association between the dependent variable (good sleeper vs. poor sleeper) and all the variables that were significant in the univariate analysis. Results A total of 3,562 (55.32%) participants reported poor sleep quality according to the MOS-Sleep Index II score. The multiple binary logistic regression results of poor sleepers revealed several risk factors during the outbreak restrictions: female gender, living in Central Italy, having someone close who died because of COVID-19, markedly changed sleep–wake rhythms characterized by earlier or postponed habitual bedtime, earlier habitual awakening time and reduced number of afternoon naps, and extremely severe levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion This is the first study designed to understand sleep quality and sleep habits during the whole of the lockdown period in the Italian population that provides more than 6,000 participants in a survey developed specifically for the health emergency related to COVID-19. Our study found that more than half of the Italian population had impaired sleep quality and sleep habits due to elevated psychological distress during the COVID-19 lockdown containment measures. A multidisciplinary action should be undertaken in order to plan appropriate responses to the current crisis caused by the lockdown for the COVID-19 outbreak.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poor Sleep Quality and Its Consequences on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy

et al. 2020

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“…Recent reviews indicated that the short-term psychological consequences included post-traumatic and depressive symptoms, high perceived stress, and an increase in anxiety and sleep disorders. 6,[12][13][14][15] A study carried out during the first three weeks of the lockdown in Italy indicated that 37% of participants experienced post-traumatic stress, while 17-23% reported significant levels of anxiety, perceived stress, and adjustment disorders 16 . Some authors underlined that such effects can be pervasive and long-lasting, suggesting that the exposure to the psychological stress experienced during the "quarantine" and the consequent social isolation can provoke long-term effects for mental health 17,18 As reported by Gruber et al 19 , there are three peculiar and unique ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic is a stressor able to adversely affect mental health in global population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Free Weekly Self-Administered at-Home Virtual Reality based Protocol for Overcoming the Psychological Burden of Coronavirus: A Pragmatic Waitlist-Controlled Trial Conducted During COVID-19 lockdown in Italy with 2-week follow-up

Riva¹,

Bernardelli²,

Castelnuovo³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is generating extreme psychological stress associated with sadness, grief, irritability, and mood swings. Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive technology that may enhance individuals’ personal efficacy, emotional response, and wellbeing.Objective: We aimed to conduct a single-cohort, controlled trial with a 2:1 (waiting-list – VR protocol) allocation for a self-administered at-home weekly VR-based protocol for reducing the psychological burden experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy.Methods: A national convenience sample of individuals having experienced at least two months of strict social distancing measures (including the stay-at-home order) experienced the following weekly protocol (“COVID Feel Good”, available online here: www.covidfeelgood.com) consisting of two integrated parts: the first part consists of a 10-minute 360° VR video entitled “Secret Garden” and the second part includes a series of social exercises, with a specific goal for each day of the week. Half of the sample experienced the VR video on the smartphone only, while the other half experienced the VR video using an immersive headset. Primary outcome measures were depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms (measured using the DASS-21, the PSS and the BHS scales). Secondary outcomes were the experienced social connectedness and the level of fear experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic (measured using the SCS and FCOR scales). Analytic methods included different separate linear mixed-effects models.Results: The study sample was 40 adults [18 females; mean age 30.3± 12.00 (range: 21–65)]. Results indicated no significant changes (P=1.000) in study variables between the waiting period (i.e., data collected 7 days before the start of the treatment) and the baseline (i.e., data collected at the beginning of the intervention, T0). Participants exhibited improvement from baseline to postintervention for almost all primary variables (all Ps < 0.05), except for the perceived hopelessness (P=0.1098). Results for the secondary outcomes indicated an increase in social connectedness from T0 to T1 (P=0.0327), but not a significant reduction in the perceived fear of Coronavirus (P=0.4121). Results indicated that treatment positive effects were stable at the 2-weels of follow-up for all study variables, except for depressive symptoms. None of the models were significant on the factor “Immersion”, suggesting that there is no significant effect of the modality (immersive vs non immersive) on the results of the treatment.Conclusions: This pragmatic pilot trial tried to understand if and how a weekly VR self-help protocol can help individuals in overcoming the psychological burden associated with spread of the COVID-19 and the consequent health emergency. The results, even if preliminary, suggest the efficacy of the proposed protocol. Moreover, its current availability in 12 different languages - English, Spanish, French, Brazilian/Portuguese, German, Italian, Turkish Japanese, Korean, Farsi, Romanian and Catalan – make COVID Feel Good a free and effective choice for helping individuals worldwide to cope with the psychological distress related to the COVID-19 crisis.

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“…The COVID-19 became pandemic in March 2020 as stated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Until this paper was written, institutions and individuals are still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic and all of its implications (De Giorgio, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The uncertain feeling is towards the government, the health care system, and the duration of the existing pandemic. Quarantine, | 8 lockdown, confinement, any mitigation forms, and social distancing will make anxiety and fear worsened (De Giorgio, 2020). Social mitigation during the COVID-19 pandemic will give a big threat to physical human connection, individual mental health, motivation, and brain profile in general (Hagerty & Williams, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Amygdala Changes Through Breathing Exercise in Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic

Yuliana¹

2021

ijrse

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The COVID-19 pandemic brings many psychological and physical changes. In coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, breathing exercise meditation is useful to calm the mind and body. Breathing exercise practice can change the brain, especially amygdala. This paper aims to give insight about amygdala changes through breathing exercise meditation in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This paper is a literature review. Literature was identified from the archives from PubMed, Scopus, and Elsevier. The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed paper. Keywords were amygdala, breathing, COVID-19, meditation, mindfulness. Results: Breathing exercise meditation and mindfulness practice can increase our awareness and reflections. In the long term, there will be changes in brain structure such as the amygdala. Conclusion: This paper is useful for psychology health knowledge. Patients, individuals, psychologists, physiotherapists, and psychiatrists can apply breathing exercise meditation and mindfulness methods for relaxing to prevent bad brain changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Global Psychological Implications of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). What Can Be Learned From Italy. Reflections, Perspectives, Opportunities

Cited by 15 publications

References 54 publications

Poor Sleep Quality and Its Consequences on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy

Poor Sleep Quality and Its Consequences on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy

A Free Weekly Self-Administered at-Home Virtual Reality based Protocol for Overcoming the Psychological Burden of Coronavirus: A Pragmatic Waitlist-Controlled Trial Conducted During COVID-19 lockdown in Italy with 2-week follow-up

Amygdala Changes Through Breathing Exercise in Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic

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