Resilience and General Self-Efficacy are Related to Perception of COVID-19 Symptomatology, Mental Health, and Coping with Acute COVID-19 Infection

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with massive impacts on mental health. For example, people with pre-existing mental illness were particularly vulnerable to mental health deterioration. It is known that resilience and general self-efficacy can be protective factors for mental health in the face of stress and challenge such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is the first to examine the associations of resilience and general self-efficacy on mental health coping with acute COVID-19 infection in home isolation. This study is a cross-sectional online survey of people with acute, PCR-diagnosed COVID-19 infection during their home isolation. Recruitment was conducted by telephone via the Freudenstadt health department (Germany). After informed consent, study participants received a link for an online questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed sociodemographic aspects, resilience, general self-efficacy, COVID-19 somatic health, psychological burden (depressiveness, anxiety, somatic symptom disorder), stress experience, and coping strategies. Descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and multiple linear regressions with resilience and general self-efficacy as independent variables were performed. A total of 224 home-isolated people with acute COVID-19 infection were included in the study. Lower resilience and lower general self-efficacy were each related with more intense perception of COVID-19 somatic symptoms, higher psychological burden, increased stress perception, lower coping skills, and lower experienced support. Resilience and general self-efficacy are essential for mental health as well as for coping with acute COVID-19 infection. They not only protect against negative effects on mental health but also enhance positive effects. Resilience is positively related to the perception and evaluation of somatic COVID-19 symptoms. More resilient people with COVID-19 infection feel physically healthier. Home-isolated people with acute COVID-19 infection should be screened for support needs using standardized brief questionnaires to avoid negative psychological and somatic consequences. Demand-driven, low-threshold, digital, and individualized intervention programs should also be developed and established for the home isolation setting.