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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Research has linked specific COVID-19-related stressors to the mental health burden, yet most previous studies have examined only a limited number of stressors and have paid little attention to their clinical significance. This study tested the hypothesis that individuals who reported greater COVID-19-related stressors would be more likely to have elevated levels of anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and serious psychological distress. Methods: An online survey was administered to a convenience sample from 18 June to 19 July 2020, in US states that were most affected by COVID-19 infections and deaths at the time. Individuals who were 18 or older and residents of five Northeast US states were eligible to participate (N = 1079). In preregistered analyses, we used logistic regression models to test the associations of COVID-19 stressors with symptoms on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and K6, adjusting for sociodemographic covariates. Results: COVID-19-related stressors (i.e., essential worker status, worry about COVID-19 infection, knowing someone hospitalized by COVID-19, having children under 14 at home, loneliness, barriers to environmental rewards, food insecurity, loss of employment) were associated with meeting thresholds (i.e., positive screening) for anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and/or serious psychological distress. Loneliness and barriers to environmental rewards were associated with all mental health outcomes. Limitations: We used a non-probability sample and cannot assume temporal precedence of stressors with regard to development of mental health symptoms. Conclusions: These findings link specific stressors to the mental health burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Details

Title
COVID-19-Related Stressors and Clinical Mental Health Symptoms in a Northeast US Sample
Author
Monnig, Mollie A 1 ; Clark, Samantha E 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Avila, Jaqueline C 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sokolovsky, Alexander W 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Hayley Treloar Padovano 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Goodyear, Kimberly 3 ; Aston, Elizabeth R 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Haass-Koffler, Carolina L 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Tidey, Jennifer W 3 ; Ahluwalia, Jasjit S 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Monti, Peter M 1 

 Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA 
 Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA 
 Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA 
First page
1367
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
1661-7827
e-ISSN
1660-4601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2767226951
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.