Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Sep-Dec;20(3):183-191.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2020.06.002. Epub 2020 Jun 28.

Predicting adaptive and maladaptive responses to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak: A prospective longitudinal study

Julia Brailovskaia  1 , Jürgen Margraf  1
Affiliations

Predicting adaptive and maladaptive responses to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak: A prospective longitudinal study

Julia Brailovskaia et al. Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2020 Sep-Dec.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Background/objective: The outbreak of COVID-19 and the lack of vaccine made extraordinary actions such as social distancing necessary. While some individuals experience the restrictions on daily life as a heavy burden, others adapt to the situation and try to make the best of it. The present longitudinal study investigated the extent and predictors of the burden induced by the outbreak of COVID-19 in Germany.

Method: Data were assessed in October 2019 using the DASS-21 and the PMH-Scale, and in March 2020 adding a six-item measure of burden and a 2-item rating of sense of control.

Results: In a sample of 436 participants, about 28% stayed in self-quarantine, 22 persons had relevant symptoms and one person was positively tested for COVID-19. Most participants experienced medium to high levels of burden but tried to make the best of it. Stress symptoms in 2019 predicted a higher level of burden and PMH predicted a lower level of burden in March 2020. Remarkably, depression and anxiety symptoms did not significantly predict burden. The protective effect of PMH and the negative impact of stress symptoms were mediated by perceived sense of control.

Conclusions: The results emphasize the protective effect of PMH in extraordinary situations such as the current outbreak of COVID-19.

Antecedentes/objetivo: El brote COVID-19 y la falta de vacuna hicieron necesarias acciones extraordinarias como la distancia social. Algunas personas experimentan las restricciones en la vida diaria como sobrecarga emocional y otras se adaptan a la situación, tratando de sacar lo mejor de ella. Se investigó el alcance y predictores de sobrecarga emocional inducida por el COVID-19 en Alemania.

Método: Se evaluaron niveles de estrés y salud mental positiva en octubre de 2019 con DASS-21 y Escala-PMH, y en marzo de 2020, agregando medidas de sobrecarga emocional y percepción de control.

Resultados: En una muestra de 436 participantes, el 28% permaneció en cuarentena, 22 personas tuvieron síntomas relevantes y una dio positivo en COVID-19. La mayoría experimentaron niveles de sobrecarga emocional medio-alto, aunque trataron de sobrellevar la situación lo mejor posible. Los síntomas de estrés en octubre 2019 predijeron un nivel de sobrecarga más elevado en marzo 2020 y, contrariamente, los niveles de salud mental positiva en octubre 2019 predijeron un menor nivel de sobrecarga emocional en marzo 2020. Sorprendentemente, los síntomas de depresión y ansiedad no predijeron la sensación de sobrecarga posterior. El efecto protector de la salud mental positiva y el impacto negativo de los síntomas de estrés fueron mediados por la percepción de control.

Conclusiones: Se resalta el efecto protector de la salud mental positiva en situaciones extraordinarias como el brote COVID-19.

Keywords: Burden; COVID-19; Depression, Anxiety, and Stress symptoms; Descriptive survey study; Positive mental health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
a) Mediation model with Positive Mental Health (BL, predictor), Sense of Control (FU, mediator), and burden caused by COVID-19 (FU, outcome); b) Mediation model with Stress Symptoms (BL, predictor), Sense of Control (FU, mediator), and burden caused by COVID-19 (FU, outcome). Note. c = total effect, c’ = direct effect; b = standardized regression coefficient; SE = Standard Error; CI = Confidence Interval; BL = Baseline; FU = Follow-up.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Andrews B., Wilding J.M. The relation of depression and anxiety to life‐stress and achievement in students. British Journal of Psychology. 2004;95:509–521. doi: 10.1348/0007126042369802. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Assari S. Race, sense of control over life, and short-term risk of mortality among older adults in the United States. Archives of Medical Science: AMS. 2017;13:1233–1240. doi: 10.5114/aoms.2016.59740. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bonanno G.A., Brewin C.R., Kaniasty K., La Greca A.M. Weighing the costs of disaster: Consequences, risks, and resilience in individuals, families, and communities. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 2010;11:1–49. doi: 10.1177/1529100610387086. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brailovskaia J., Rohmann E., Bierhoff H.-W., Margraf J., Köllner V. Relationships between addictive Facebook use, depressiveness, insomnia, and positive mental health in an inpatient sample: A German longitudinal study. Journal of Behavioral Addictions. 2019;8:703–713. doi: 10.1556/2006.8.2019.63. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brailovskaia J., Schönfeld P., Kochetkov Y., Margraf J. What Does Migration Mean to Us? USA and Russia: Relationship Between Migration, Resilience, Social Support, Happiness, Life Satisfaction, Depression, Anxiety and Stress. Current Psychology. 2019;38:421–431. doi: 10.1007/s12144-017-9627-3. - DOI