The COVID-19 pandemic as a traumatic event and the associated psychological impact on families – A systematic review

Kaubisch, Lea Teresa; Reck, Corinna; Tettenborn, Alexandra von; Woll, Christian Franz Josef

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.08.109

“…While such crowd-based online samples have been found to be reasonably representative of the general population and to provide high-quality data [ 114 ], participants in these samples have been found to report increased levels of depressiveness with up to three times higher levels as compared to prevalence estimations in the general population [ 115 ]. Moreover, all data had been collected prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had been shown to have impacted individuals’ well-being and mental health in the general population worldwide ([ 116 ]) and especially in highly vulnerable subgroups (e.g., [ 117 , 118 ]). Finally, both samples were relatively homogeneous regarding cultural background and educational levels, and the language of all measures in our studies was German.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Susceptibility to positive versus negative emotional contagion: First evidence on their distinction using a balanced self-report measure

Marx,

Frenzel,

Fiedler

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Susceptibility to emotional contagion is defined as the disposition of how susceptible someone is to catch others’ emotions and it has long been studied in research on mental health, well-being, and social interaction. Given that existing self-report measures of susceptibility to emotional contagion have focused almost exclusively on negative emotions, we developed a self-report measure to assess the susceptibility to emotional contagion of both positive and negative emotions (2 scales). In two studies, we examined their factor structure, validity, and reliability using exploratory factor analysis (Study 1, N = 257), confirmatory factor analysis (Study 2, N = 247) and correlations. Our results confirmed the two-factor structure and demonstrated good internal consistencies. Regarding external validity, our scales showed diverging correlational patterns: While susceptibility to negative emotional contagion was linked to mental health problems and negative emotions, susceptibility to positive emotional contagion was linked to interpersonal functioning and prosocial tendencies. In conclusion, our scales appear to be internally/externally valid and a promising tool for future research.

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“…participants in these samples have been found to report increased levels of depressiveness with up to three times higher levels as compared to prevalence estimations in the general population [115]. Moreover, all data had been collected prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had been shown to have impacted individuals' well-being and mental health in the general population worldwide ( [116]) and especially in highly vulnerable subgroups (e.g., [117,118]). Finally, both samples were relatively homogeneous regarding cultural background and educational levels, and the language of all measures in our studies was German.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Susceptibility to positive versus negative emotional contagion: First evidence on their distinction using a balanced self-report measure

Marx,

Frenzel,

Fiedler

et al. 2024

Preprint

0

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Susceptibility to emotional contagion is defined as the disposition of how susceptible someone is to catch others’ emotions and it has long been studied in research on mental health, well-being, and social interaction. Given that existing self-report measures of susceptibility to emotional contagion have focused almost exclusively on negative emotions, we developed a self-report measure to assess the susceptibility to emotional contagion of both positive and negative emotions (2 scales). In two studies, we examined their factor structure, validity, and reliability using exploratory factor analysis (Study 1, N = 257), confirmatory factor analysis (Study 2, N = 247) and correlations. Our results confirmed the two-factor structure and demonstrated good internal consistencies. Regarding external validity, our scales showed diverging correlational patterns: While susceptibility to negative emotional contagion was linked to mental health problems and negative emotions, susceptibility to positive emotional contagion was linked to interpersonal functioning and prosocial tendencies. In conclusion, our scales appear to be internally/externally valid and a promising tool for future research.

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“…Their frontline role in patient care frequently exposes them to traumatic events, such as witnessing severe injuries and fatalities, as well as experiencing vicarious trauma [32] . Furthermore, many researchers argue that pandemics, like the recent one, and the associated restrictive measures can induce trauma-related symptoms [33] – [35] . Studies report that the gravity and chronicity of the traumatic experience is usually associated with an elevated risk of nightmares [36] , [37] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nightmare distress, insomnia and resilience of nursing staff in the post-pandemic era

Pachi,

Tselebis,

Sikaras

et al. 2024

AIMSPH

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<abstract><sec> <title>Introduction</title> The pandemic has led to notable psychological challenges among healthcare professionals, including nurses. </sec><sec> <title>Objective</title> Our aims of this study were to assess insomnia and nightmare distress levels in nurses and investigate their association with mental resilience. </sec><sec> <title>Methods</title> Nurses participated in an online survey, which included the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire (NDQ), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Demographic information, such as age, professional experience and gender, was also collected. </sec><sec> <title>Results</title> The study included 355 female and 78 male nurses. Findings revealed that 61.4% had abnormal AIS scores, 7% had abnormal NDQ scores and 25.4% had low BRS scores. Female nurses had higher AIS and NDQ scores but lower BRS scores compared to males. BRS demonstrated negative correlations with both AIS and NDQ. Multiple regression analysis indicated that NDQ accounted for 24% of the AIS variance, with an additional 6.5% explained by the BRS. BRS acted as a mediator, attenuating the impact of nightmares on insomnia, with gender moderating this relationship. </sec><sec> <title>Conclusions</title> Nursing staff experienced heightened sleep disturbances during the pandemic, with nightmares and insomnia being prevalent. Nightmares significantly contributed to insomnia, but mental resilience played a vital role in mitigating this effect. Strategies are warranted to address the pandemic's psychological impact on nursing professionals. </sec></abstract>

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The COVID-19 pandemic as a traumatic event and the associated psychological impact on families – A systematic review

Cited by 18 publications

References 69 publications

Susceptibility to positive versus negative emotional contagion: First evidence on their distinction using a balanced self-report measure

Susceptibility to positive versus negative emotional contagion: First evidence on their distinction using a balanced self-report measure

Susceptibility to positive versus negative emotional contagion: First evidence on their distinction using a balanced self-report measure

Nightmare distress, insomnia and resilience of nursing staff in the post-pandemic era

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