Late Adolescents' Attachment to Parents and Peers and Psychological Distress Resulting from COVID-19. A Study on the Mediation Role of Alexithymia.

Renata Tambelli,Eleonora Marzilli,Luca Cerniglia,Giulia Ballarotto,Silvia Cimino

doi:10.3390/ijerph182010649

Abstract

The scientific literature has shown the key role played by attachment to parents and peers and difficulties in recognizing, processing, and regulating emotions (i.e., alexithymia) in the (mal-)adaptive psychological response to the COVID-19 pandemic during late adolescence. No study has yet explored the complex interplay between these variables. We recruited a sample of 454 late adolescents (Mage = 22.79, SD = 2.27) and assessed attachment to parents and peers, alexithymia, and peritraumatic distress due to COVID-19 through self-report instruments. Attachment to fathers and peers, but not to mothers, and alexithymia significantly predicted levels of peritraumatic distress. Alexithymia fully and partially mediated the effect of, respectively, attachment to mothers and attachment to peers on peritraumatic distress due to COVID-19. These findings suggested that intervention programs focused on the promotion of peer social relationships, supportive parent–adolescent relationships, and the ability to recognize and discriminate one’s own and others’ emotions are needed in helping late adolescents to face the current health emergency and preventing short- and long-term psychopathological consequences related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

The COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China, in late December2019
18 and 25 years) via social media. After giving their written agreement to participate, each participant filled out an anonymous online survey composed of self-report instruments assessing the quality of adolescents’ attachment to mothers, fathers, and peers, alexithymia, and peritraumatic distress resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic
Higher levels of adolescents’ alexithymia were negatively associated with attachment to mother, father, and peers, supporting the prerequisites for the hypothesized mediation role played by alexithymia on the relationship between adolescents’ attachment to parents and peers and peritraumatic distress due to COVID-19

Summary

Introduction

The COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China, in late December2019. Its rapid diffusion across the world and the related measures put in place to stem its spread have had a crucial impact on the global economy, as well as on the daily habits and quality of life of people [1], especially young people’s lives [2]. Some individuals have experienced a sense of efficacy and managed to adapt to the new circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 restrictions [3], manifesting an adaptive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a large part of the general population has shown maladaptive psychological responses, reporting psychopathological symptoms, including anxiety [4,5], depression [6,7], and post-traumatic stress symptoms [8,9,10]. The developmental phase of “late adolescence/emerging adulthood” (between the ages of 18 and 25) [13,14,15] represents a developmental period at risk for the psychological short- and long-term consequences of COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions. Recent works have suggested the importance of expanding the definition and timeframe of adolescence, including youths up to about 25 years of age, to more closely reflect current patterns of

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