Thinking too much about the novel coronavirus. The link between persistent thinking about COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 anxiety and trauma effects

Abstract

Earlier reports have shown that anxiety over the novel coronavirus may predict mental functioning during the pandemic. The objective of this study was to assess the links between persistent thinking about COVID-19, anxiety over SARS-CoV-2 and trauma effects. For the purpose of this study, the Polish adaptation of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS) was implemented. participants and procedureThe study involved 356 individuals aged 18-78 (58% females). In addition to OCS, the participants completed the following questionnaires: the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale and the Short Form of the Changes in Outlook Questionnaire. resultsOCS was characterized by satisfactory psychometric properties (α = .82). Regression analysis indicated that persis-tent thinking about COVID-19 was associated with increased coronavirus anxiety and negative trauma effects. In addition, anxiety served as a partial mediator in the link between persistent thinking about COVID-19 and negative trauma effects. conclusionsThe data obtained suggest that persistent thinking about the pandemic may be dysfunctional for mental health during the spread of the infectious disease.

Religious Coping and Life Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Polish Catholics. The Mediating Effect of Coronavirus Anxiety

“…In other words, people taking advantage of negative religious coping were more likely to experience fear of COVID-19, which in turn was related to a lower level of life satisfaction and social support. The obtained effects correspond with data in the literature to date, according to which the fear of the spread of an infectious disease constitutes a marker of psychosocial functioning during a pandemic and mediates the impact of psychological variables on the effects of trauma [81,85,88].…”

“…It is believed that fear of the spread of an infectious disease constitutes an indicator of mental function during the pandemic [ 84 , 85 , 86 ]. It is associated with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as the post-traumatic growth, life satisfaction, and well-being of an individual [ 26 , 34 , 87 , 88 ]. Therefore, it seems necessary to identify the psychosocial resources that may be associated with an increasing fear of COVID-19.…”

Resilience and Mental Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Serial Mediation by Persistent Thinking and Anxiety About Coronavirus

“…The participants express their attitude toward each of the statements on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = "Not at all" to 4 = "Almost everyday"). The Polish version of the OCS is characterized by good psychometric properties (Cronbach's α = 0.82) (25). Sample items: "I had disturbing thoughts that I may have caught the coronavirus"; "I felt nauseous or had stomach problems when I thought about or was exposed to information about the coronavirus.…”

“…For the purpose of this study, the following working hypothesis has been adopted: the link between resilience and well-being may be serially mediated by persistent thinking about COVID-19 (M1) and the coronavirus anxiety (M2). Although the adopted model is strongly backed by cognitive-behavioral theories, at the same time some researchers argue that anxiety may be linked with the feeling of hopelessness and may reinforce persistent thinking (25). In light of this, we have decided to assess an alternative model as well, in which we reversed the order of the mediators.…”

“…It was estimated that in 2020 the phenomenon of persistent thinking about COVID-19 affected 12-20% of the general population, with the most common symptoms being intrusive beliefs about becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, as well as repeated thoughts about having to undergo coronavirus testing despite the absence of infection symptoms (20)(21)(22)(23)(24). Researchers have also demonstrated the effect of persistent thinking on the severity of coronavirus anxiety (25,26), which is sometimes interchangeably referred to as coronaphobia (27).…”