Profiles in COVID-19: peritraumatic stress symptoms and their relation with death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and emotion dysregulation

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic might be experienced as an ongoing traumatic event and could result in peritraumatic stress symptoms. Evidence implies that individuals’ levels of death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and difficulties in emotion regulation may contribute to their peritraumatic stress symptomatology in the aftermath of trauma exposure. Objective The current study aimed to explore these hypotheses in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method An online survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 846 Israeli adults from April 2 to 19 April 2020. COVID-19-related stressors, death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, difficulties in emotion regulation, and peritraumatic stress symptoms were assessed via self-report questionnaires. Results Analyses indicated significant relations between death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and emotion regulation difficulties, on the one hand, and peritraumatic stress symptoms, on the other. Three distinct profiles were identified. Furthermore, profile type – namely having low, medium, and high levels of death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and emotion dysregulation – had a significant effect in explaining peritraumatic stress symptoms. Conclusions Results suggest that during the pandemic, levels of death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and emotion dysregulation may explain heterogeneity in individuals’ trauma-related symptomatology.

Relationship between Anxiety Sensitivity, Death Anxiety, and Resilience in the Age of Pandemics and Lifelong Learning

“…It was also found that there was not a significant relationship between death anxiety and resilience. But Siegel et al (2021) found that significant relations between anxiety sensitivity and death anxiety Another result of the present study was that there was a significant negative relationship between anxiety sensitivity and resilience. Although not a study examining the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and psychological resilience is available in the literature, there are some studies examining the relationship between anxiety and resilience (Açıkgöz, 2019;Bulut, 2016).…”

COVID-19 victimization experience and university students’ smartphone addiction: the mediating role of emotional intelligence

“…2 , the current findings confirmed Hypothesis 1, supporting that COVID-19 victimization experiences are negative stimuli that have a significant predictive effect on smartphone addiction. This result is consistent with previous studies reporting that intolerance of uncertainty of COVID-19 correlated positively with Internet addiction [ 11 ], that experiencing occurrence of COVID-19 resulted in trauma and negative psychological symptoms [ 59 – 61 ], that fear of COVID-19 was found to influence smartphone addiction and mental wellbeing [ 8 ], that trauma was associated mobile phone addiction and with high insecure attachment [ 12 ], that anxiety about COVID-19 infection was the strongest predictor of smartphone addiction, followed by daily use hours [ 9 ], and risk perception of COVID-19 positively impacted internet addiction [ 5 ]. Aligning with those results, the present study further found the significant relationship between the COVID-19 victimization experience and smartphone addiction among university students.…”

The Effect of COVID-19 Safety Protocols on Hospital Workers’ Mental Health: A Moderated-Mediation Model of COVID-19 Anxiety and Psychological Resilience

“…Siegel et al examined the symptoms of stress, emotions, sensitivity, and anxiety during COVID-19 to determine the mental health problems [ 28 ]. COVID-19 anxiety increased among hospital workers, and many of their family members suffered from depression and anxiety.…”