Major Stress-Related Symptoms During the Lockdown: A Study by the Italian Society of Psychophysiology and Cognitive Neuroscience

Abstract

The clinical effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are now the subject of numerous studies worldwide. But what are the effects of the quarantine imposed by the states that implemented the measures of lockdown? The present research aims to explore, in a preliminary way, the major stress-related symptoms during the lockdown, due to Covid-19, in the Italian population. Subjects were asked to fill out a survey, that traced a line identifying the most relevant psychophysiological symptoms that took into account factors such as perceived stress, body perception, perceived pain, quality of sleep, perceptive variations (i.e., olfactory, gustatory, visual, acoustic, and haptic perception). A network approach formulating a hypothesis-generating exploratory analysis was adopted. Main results of the network analysis showed that the beliefs of having had the Covid-19 was related to individual variables (i.e., gender, working in presence, sleep quality, anxiety symptoms), while the familiarity of Covid-19 disease was related to contextual factors (e.g., number of recorded cases in the Region, working in presence). The self-perception of olfactory and perceptive alterations highlighted a great sensorial cross-modality, additionally, the olfactory impairment was related to the belief of having had the Covid-19. Compared to general network data, BAI, perceived stress, anxiety and chronic pain were in relation to daily sleep disturbance. Main study's results show how the management of the Covid-19 stressful representation, in its cognitive aspects, can modulate the psychophysiological responses.

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“…Pessimistic answers in some patients and caregivers were also noted when they answered with a simple ‘nothing’ to what was ‘the best’. Depressive symptoms, loneliness, insomnia, and daily life fatigue have been reported as common disruptions of mental well-being during COVID-19 confinement [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. A prospective cohort study by Andreu-Caravaca et al [ 47 ] conducted in Murcia, a middle-eastern Spanish area, investigated the effects of home confinement on low sleep quality, cardiac autonomic dysfunction, and poor quality of life.…”

“…Their results showed that the strict confinement worsened sleep quality, but not their cardiac autonomic control as measured by heart rate variability, nor their health-related quality of life. The worsening of these three variables is among the major-stress related symptoms reported during lockdown with sleep disorders (so-called coronasomnia) as one of the most prevalent in this COVID-19 scenario [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Considering these and other aspects during the period of confinement, Reguera-García et al [ 48 ] conducted a study on 84 people with MS belonging to MS associations in Castilla and Leon, a northwest area of Spain.…”

“…Perceived stress levels may vary in each country, partly depending on the policy adopted in each territory, and can have important implications for the health and well-being of the population, especially in those already ill [ 6 ]. Poorer mental well-being (depression, loneliness, insomnia, daily life fatigue) during COVID-19 related to home confinement has been reported [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. In the case of the Spanish population, six days after the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, a period of three months of strict confinement of the entire Spanish population was implemented.…”

“…In the case of the Spanish population, six days after the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, a period of three months of strict confinement of the entire Spanish population was implemented. Afterward and still now, other governments adopt similar measures to counteract the fast spread of the pandemic despite severe confinement measures, quarantine, and social isolation exerting significant psychological, societal, and economic secondary impacts [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

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“…This result can be referred to the emerging research on the psychological stressors induced during covid lockdown. The prolonged home confinement during the disease outbreak has been interpreted as potentially affecting people's physical and mental health ( Invitto et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2020 ). The state of stress has been related to the reduced level of physical activity and exposure to daylight, as well as to social isolation and to the state of interdiction of satisfying outdoor activities.…”