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. 2020 Dec:76:102307.
doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102307. Epub 2020 Sep 8.

COVID-19 and traumatic stress: The role of perceived vulnerability, COVID-19-related worries, and social isolation

Güler Boyraz  1 , Dominique N Legros  2 , Ashley Tigershtrom  2
Affiliations

COVID-19 and traumatic stress: The role of perceived vulnerability, COVID-19-related worries, and social isolation

Güler Boyraz et al. J Anxiety Disord. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to propose and test two models to understand the relationship between perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 (PVC) and COVID-19-related traumatic stress (TS), as well as the variables that may mediate and moderate this relationship among individuals who have not yet been infected with COVID-19. Using an online survey, data were collected between late March and early April 2020. Participants were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk and included 747 adults living in the United States. Supporting our hypotheses, results indicated that both COVID-19-related worries and social isolation were significant mediators of the relationship between PVC and TS (Model 1). In addition, the results of a moderated mediation analysis indicated that the indirect effect of PVC on TS through COVID-19-related worries was stronger for participants who reported greater social isolation (Model 2). Although future research is needed, these findings suggest that both social isolation and disease-related worries may be important variables that can be targeted in interventions to reduce pandemic-related TS.

Keywords: COVID-19-related worries; Coronavirus disease (COVID-19); Perceived vulnerability to COVID-19; Social isolation; Traumatic stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Standardized Parameter Estimates of Model 1. Note. Non-significant relationships are not shown. PEMHC = pre-existing mental health conditions; CRW = COVID-19-related worries; TS = traumatic stress. Gender is coded as 0 = man, 1 = woman. PEMHC is coded as 0 = no, 1 = yes or uncertain. * p < .05. ** p < .01. *** p < .001.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Standardized Parameter Estimates of Model 2. Note. Non-significant relationships are not shown. PEMHC = pre-existing mental health conditions; CRW = COVID-19-related worries; TS = traumatic stress. PEMHC is coded as 0 = no, 1 = yes or uncertain. * p < .05. ** p < .001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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