Worry and Mental Health in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Vulnerability Factors in the General Norwegian Population

Abstract

BackgroundThere is an urgent need for knowledge about the mental health consequences of the ongoing pandemic. The aim of this study was to identify vulnerability factors for psychological distress and reduced life satisfaction in the general population. Furthermore, we aimed to assess the role of COVID-related worries for psychological distress and life satisfaction. Methods A presumed representative sample for the Norwegian population (n=1041, response rate=39.9%) responded to a web-survey in May 2020. The participants were asked about potential vulnerability factors including increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 (underlying illness, older age), socioeconomic disadvantage (living alone, unemployment, economic problems), and pre-existing mental health vulnerability (recent exposure to violence, previous mental health challenges). Additional measures included COVID-related worry, psychological distress, and life satisfaction. ResultsMore than one out of four reported current psychological distress over the threshold for clinically significant symptoms. Socioeconomic disadvantages, including living alone and pre-existing economic challenges, and pre-existing mental health vulnerabilities, including recent exposure to violence and previous mental health problems, were associated with a higher level of psychological distress and a lower level of life satisfaction.ConclusionThis study identified several vulnerability factors for mental health problems in the pandemic. Individuals recently exposed to violence and individuals with pre-existing mental health problems are at particular risk. Worrying about the consequences of the pandemic contributes negatively to current mental health. However, worry cannot explain the excess distress in vulnerable groups. Future research should focus on how COVID-related strains contribute to mental health problems for vulnerable groups.

Excessive Worrying as a Central Feature of Anxiety during the First COVID-19 Lockdown-Phase in Belgium: Insights from a Network Approach

“…The pandemic also has yielded substantial impacts on mental health, as indexed by global increases in the prevalence and severity of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms during the pandemic (e.g., Gonzalez-Sanguino et al, 2020;Xiong et al, 2020). The immediate and long-term health, economic, and social consequences of the COVID-19 lockdown and other social distancing measures have been distressing and sources of worries for many people (e.g., Blix et al, 2020;Mertens et al, 2020;Quiu et al, 2020), regardless of whether they have had direct exposure to the virus or not. In this study, our main goal was to clarify how excessive worrying may interact with other hallmark features of anxiety and examine whether it appears especially central to the network organization of anxiety features during the early phase of the first Belgian COVID-19 lockdown-phase.…”

“…From a theoretical perspective, the observation of a highly central role of excessive worrying in the present study is not surprising. Indeed, for decades, research on anxiety has been emphasizing the determining role of worries in triggering anxiety feelings when one's concerns are not only broadly diffuse but also future-oriented and related to threats that are not immediately present and may or may not occur-as in the present pandemic context (e.g., worry about the uncertain post-pandemic economic recession, worry about possible job loss, worry about uncertain risks of future COVID-19 resurgence; Blix et al, 2020;Cook & Grimshaw, 2021;Fana, Torrejón Pérez, & Fernández-Macías, 2020;Tamesberger & Bacher, 2020). Moreover, it is worth reminding the assumed adaptive nature of anxiety as an emotion.…”

“…For instance, the threat of infection posed by the virus may trigger worry about significant others' infection and death (e.g., Mertens et al, 2020;Schimmenti, Billieux, & Starcevic, 2020). Likewise, the potential economic consequences of the lockdown phases and social distancing measures may foster one's worry about the coming economic recession, reduced purchasing power, and risk of jobs loss for oneself and one 'significant others (e.g., Blix et al, 2020;Cook & Grimshaw, 2021;Fana, Torrejón Pérez, & Fernández-Macías, 2020;Tamesberger & Bacher, 2020).…”

Cognitive Rehabilitation for Neurocognitive Late Effects in Adult Survivors of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Feasibility and Case-Series Study

“…In contrast, self-reported psychosocial health showed a marked deterioration in participant 4, which further supports the interpretation of reduced responsiveness in this subject. Several factors unrelated to GMT, such as the registered negative life events and the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to these outcomes (Blix et al, 2021;Ebrahimi et al, 2021). Moreover, since the BRIEF-A has been found to be strongly associated with psychological distress (Løvstad et al, 2016), it is possible that psychological distress also affected the increased EF complaints of participant 4 at follow-up.…”

Changes in Mental Health and Views on Communication and Activities of Public Institutions among Swedes during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Cross-Sectional Repeated Measures Design

“…In this study, we focus on some aspects that can indicate good mental health, such as good life satisfaction, low worries, and psychological distress [20].…”