Longing for Touch and Quality of Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hasenack, Birgit; Meijer, Larissa L; Kamps, J C C; Mahon, Andy; Titone, Giulia; Dijkerman, H. Chris; Keizer, Anouk

doi:10.3390/ijerph20053855

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…An average score of 50 suggests satisfaction with the amount of touch that is received by the participant. The reliability of this questionnaire was high in previous studies 2 , 3 and in the current sample, Cronbach’s α = 0.92.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 44%

“…The LFTQ used in the post-pandemic studies was an adapted version of the questionnaire used in the During-COVID study 2 , 3 . The primary difference was the range: the initial version of the LFTQ used a continuous scale from 0 to 10 2 , 3 , whereas the current version ranged from 0 to 100. In both cases, responses were rounded to integer values.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study included additional measurements that are not relevant to the aim of the current study. As such, they are not reported here, but an extensive overview can be found in previous publications 2 , 3 . Participants did not receive any form of compensation for their participation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research has shown that LFT is associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including increased levels of stress, lower psychological resilience and difficulties in coping with stress 6 . In addition, LFT was found to be associated with lower levels of physical, social and psychological quality of life during the pandemic 2 . Given the potential consequences of LFT, it is important to investigate whether feelings of touch deprivation remain prevalent in the absence of COVID-19 regulations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…These restrictions significantly limited opportunities for interpersonal physical contact. Recent studies show that, as a result of the regulations, a large portion of the general population experienced longing for touch (LFT 2 – 4 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Longing for touch post-COVID-19: current observations and future directions

Hasenack,

Meijer,

van Harmelen

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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Previous studies have reported an association between the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing regulations and longing for touch (LFT; i.e., a discrepancy between actual touch frequency and one’s desire to be touched). However, less is known about the prevalence and severity of LFT in the general population in the absence of social distancing regulations. The aim of this study was therefore to exploratively compare data collected during and after the pandemic. Pandemic data was collected online in an international sample (n = 1982), of which a matched subsample (n = 115) was used in the reported analyses. Post-pandemic data was collected one week after social distancing regulations restrictions were lifted in the Netherlands (n = 60) and when virtually no restrictions were in place (n = 55). The severity of LFT was significantly higher during the pandemic than afterwards. Although there were no significant differences in the general prevalence of LFT, significantly more participants reported high levels of LFT (score of 75–100) during the pandemic. We cautiously conclude that, although LFT may have peaked during the pandemic, a large portion of the general population desires to experience more interpersonal touch, even in the absence of social distancing regulations.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 44%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Longing for touch post-COVID-19: current observations and future directions

Hasenack,

Meijer,

van Harmelen

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Stroking and Leaning: The Give and Take of Social Touch Between Humans and Their Pets

Cham,

Kaufmann,

Schirmer

2024

Anthrozoös

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Covid-19 psychological pressures, depression and FOMO: the mediating role of online social support and emotional regulation

Dong,

Chen,

et al. 2024

BMC Psychol

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Background The spread of the coronavirus has led to significant anxiety among university students, resulting in various mental health problems that could potentially impact their academic performance. Method To examine the mediating role of emotional regulation and online social support in the relationships between COVID-19 psychological pressures, depression, and the fear of missing out (FoMO) among young adult university students, a cross-sectional research design was employed using an online survey. The sample consisted of 521 full-time university students from China, currently enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Results Findings revealed that more than half (55.09%, n=287) of the university students experienced COVID-19 psychological pressures. These pressures directly contributed to increased levels of depression (β = 0.339, p < .001) and fear of missing out (β = 0.236, p < .001). Moreover, online social support and emotional regulation exhibited partial mediating effects on the association between COVID-19 psychological pressures, depression, and the fear of missing out. The results indicated that COVID-19 psychological pressures were linked to higher levels of depressive symptoms and a greater fear of missing out among university students. Conclusions However, the provision of timely and adequate online social support, as well as the implementation of emotional regulation strategies, mitigated the negative effects of the pandemic on students' social and emotional well-being. Consequently, this led to reduced levels of depression and fear of missing out.

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Longing for Touch and Quality of Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 6 publications

References 26 publications

Longing for touch post-COVID-19: current observations and future directions

Longing for touch post-COVID-19: current observations and future directions

Stroking and Leaning: The Give and Take of Social Touch Between Humans and Their Pets

Covid-19 psychological pressures, depression and FOMO: the mediating role of online social support and emotional regulation

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