COVID-19 Anxiety Research Articles

Associations between social COVID-19 exposure and psychological functioning.

The negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health have been widely reported, but less is known about how the impact of COVID-19 on others in one's social circle shapes these high distress levels. This study examines associations between social COVID-19 exposure-knowing someone who had a COVID-19 infection-and psychological functioning, as well as whether socio-demographic factors moderate these relationships. In June 2020, respondents (N = 343) from clinics in Tampa, Florida, U.S.A. reported whether they had social COVID-19 exposure, anxiety, depression, and stress, and other COVID-19-related concerns. Social COVID-19 exposure was associated with increased anxiety, stress, and concerns about a family member getting sick, and concerns about drinking and substance use. Several associations between exposure and psychological functioning were stronger in women, younger people, and people with lower income, implying these groups face elevated psychological risks due to the pandemic, and should be prioritized in mental health recovery efforts.

Is Fear of COVID-19 Leading to Future Career Anxiety and Turnover Intentions? Problematic Social Media Use and Confidence in the Vaccine as a Mediator

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on future career anxiety. It employs problematic social media use and confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine as the mediators to understand the impact of future career anxiety on the turnover intention during this pandemic. A structured questionnaire was used to collect responses from faculty of education institutes in India. Two hundred forty responses from 24 institutions are utilized for further analysis using PLS-SEM. Our findings show that the mediators, confidence in the vaccine and problematic social media use, mediate the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and future career anxiety. Future career anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered turnover intention mainly due to the drastic change in the work culture it has brought in its wake. Fear of COVID-19 has a significant relationship with future career anxiety, leading to turnover intention among the faculty. Problematic social media use impacts future career anxiety. This study provides a model to explore the relationship between fear of COVID-19, and future career anxiety with confidence in vaccine and problematic social media use as the mediating variables. Our findings extend the conservation of resources theory.

Nurses’s Burnout and Anxiety about Risk of Infection toward Quality of Life during the COVID-19 Outbreak

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global pandemic in all over countries. Nurses as frontline worker who taking care of infected patients and have high risk of being infected by COVID-19. This pandemic affects physical and psychological conditions of nurses. The aim of this study was to identify the correlation between nurse’s burnout and risk of infection anxiety toward quality of life. This study used descriptive cross-sectional design. A total of 102 participants joined this research. The participants were nurses who work in COVID-19 isolation room. The data collecting process has done by online. The participants filled informed consent and questionnaire by online questionnaire. The study was assessed by Professional Quality of Life-5 (ProQOL-5), C-19ASS (COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale), and CBI (Copenhagen Burnout Inventory). This study was analyzed using non-parametric Kruskal Wallis. The results of the study were 56.9% of respondents had a high level of anxiety, 50% of them experienced burnout. There is a significant relationship between length of work and quality of life of CS (p value = 0.048). There is also a relationship between burnout and STS quality of life (p value = 0.033). The pandemic situation is being fluctuated and people adapted to it. The anxiety and burnout feeling was also change anytime. The more nurses being prepared, the lower burnout, and having good quality of life. The good teamwork to support and feeling of being appreciate give good quality of life for nurses.

Predictors of COVID-19 anxiety in UK university students

ABSTRACT The current research aimed to evaluate UK student mental health during the first 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we were interested in exploring factors that contribute to students’ anxiety levels about COVID-19. Demographics, mental health symptomatology and well-being-related variables were tested as predictors of COVID-19 anxiety. A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 1,164 UK university students (71.8% females). Measures included self-reported data on stress, social phobia, anxiety, depression, psychotic-like experiences, hopefulness, group membership, social identity, belonging, loneliness, COVID-19 related variables and demographics. The majority of participants were between 18 and 24 years old (92.2%), White British (57.9%) and in the first or second year of their course study (63.12%). A series of multiple linear regressions revealed that being female, experiencing more stress and anxiety, and greater worry about COVID-19 and its effects on social relationships were significant in explaining students’ pandemic-related anxiety. Students’ level of pandemic-related anxiety was independent of ethnicity, socioeconomic background and pre-existing mental health problems. Worrying about the future was the most common pandemic-related stressor, but it was not a significant predictor of COVID-19 anxiety. Our findings are in line with previous findings that females and students experiencing more stress have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings could inform the delivery of targeted stress-management interventions that might prove beneficial for student wellbeing.

Mental Well-Being of Health Care Workers in Vietnam During the Fourth Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact of COVID-19 Exposure, Anxiety, and Resilience Capacity.

Mental Well-Being of Health Care Workers in Vietnam During the Fourth Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact of COVID-19 Exposure, Anxiety, and Resilience Capacity.

Impact of COVID-19 anxiety on functional foods consuming intention: role of electronic word of mouth

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic, which involving mass quarantines in many nations, has affected consumer health consciousness behaviors, including food consumption. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 anxiety on functional food consumption within the framework of changes in health concerns and electronic word-of-mouth communication through digital platforms, paying special attention to the moderating effect of trust on eWOM information. Design/methodology/approach: This cross-sectional study included 527 participants. The data were analyzed using a structural equation modeling approach. Mediating moderating effects were tested using bootstrapping and multigroup methods. FindingsAnxiety about the COVID-19 virus has a great impact on individuals’ health concerns, word-of-mouth information seeking, and functional food consumption intention. Mediating effects of health consciousness and eWOM on functional food consumption intention were also observed. The anxiety about the COVID-19 virus and health consciousness triggers eWOM communication, and is a strong driver of intention to purchase functional foods if people trust the eWOM information source. Originality/valueWhile scholars have demonstrated the impact of COVID-19 on human behavior, a largely uninvestigated issue is the effect of COVID-19 virus anxiety on health product consumption. This is one of the first studies to examine the interrelationships among COVID-19 anxiety, health consciousness, eWOM, and functional food consumption intention.This study provides valuable insights into consumer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should consider the effect of COVID-19 virus anxiety on health-related issues and nutritional behavioral consequences. Based on the results, implications for managers and researchers are proposed.

Mental Status and Fear of COVID-19 in Mothers of Hospitalized Children With Chronic Diseases During the Pandemic

Background: Mothers may experience a great deal of fear and anxiety during their child’s hospitalization during a pandemic, which can affect their decision to proceed with the child’s treatment. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between mental status and fear of COVID-19 in mothers of children with chronic diseases, hospitalized during the pandemic in 2021. Methods: This is a descriptive correlational study. The research sample was 196 mothers of children with chronic diseases hospitalized in hospitals affiliated with the Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran who were selected by convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale (HADS) and analyzed by SPSS software, version 22, using analysis of variance, independent two-sample t-test, Pearson correlation test, and regression analysis. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The Mean±SD of hospital anxiety, depression, and fear of COVID-19 were 9.6±3.2, 10.86±2.2, and 10.8±2.2, respectively. Most mothers suffered from borderline anxiety (63.3%) and depression (86.7%). There was a significant association between hospital anxiety (P<0.001) and depression (P<0.001) with fear of COVID-19. The mothers' hospital anxiety was significantly associated with the child's type of disease (P<0.001) and the frequency of hospitalizations (P=0.1). Besides, there was a direct relationship between hospital depression with the child's age (P=0.3) and length of hospitalization (P=0.002). Furthermore, their fear of COVID-19 had a significant relationship with the child's age (P=0.008), type of disease (P<0.000), and length and frequency of hospitalizations (P<0.000). Conclusion: Providing the possibility of receiving mental health counseling during the hospitalization of children seems necessary considering the conditions of mothers during the epidemic.

COVID-19 and Perinatal Stress Experience - a Study Conducted as Part of the COVGEN Initiative.

Introduction During the COVID-19 pandemic, stress and anxiety in the population increased due to concerns about people's own health and that of their relatives, as well as changes in everyday life due to measures taken to reduce the infection rate. Pregnant women are particularly stressed. The present study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the stress experience and mental health of pregnant women and mothers of newborns and how care could be optimized. Methods As part of the international COVGEN initiative ( https://www.covgen.org ) to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the peripartum period, pregnant and postpartum women were asked about their experience with stress using the COPE-IS (Coronavirus Perinatal Experiences - Impact Survey) questionnaire developed for this purpose and translated from the English. In addition, demographic data, pre-existing diseases, pregnancy complications and the care situation were recorded. The questionnaire was either administered as hardcopy to inpatients at the Department of Women's Health, University Hospital Tübingen, Germany, or online. All pregnant women and mothers who were pregnant or had given birth after the official start of the COVID-19 pandemic (11 March 2020) were eligible to participate. Results Complete data sets of n=156 pregnant women and n=221 postpartum women were available for evaluation. The general stress level assessed with the COPE-IS was significantly increased by the COVID-19 pandemic in both, pregnant and postpartum women, with pre-existing conditions such as respiratory diseases and pregnancy-related diseases like gestational diabetes adding to the stress. The subjectively perceived quality of care/support during pregnancy also influenced the stress level. Conclusions Fears of a COVID-19 infection and changes in preventive and aftercare services were a burden for the women surveyed. Intensified care during pregnancy and puerperium could help to stabilize the mental situation and reduce stress.

The Role of Organizational Cynicism and Covid-19 Anxiety in Predictions of School Counselors and Teachers’ Technostress

The COVID -19 pandemic provides a unique context for examining technostress among teachers and school counselors. This study examined teacher and school counselor technostress and the effects of COVID -19anxiety and organizational cynicism on technostress. The sample consisted of 276 teachers (x̄= 32.63) and 119 school counselors (x̄= 30.12). Results showed that after controlling for teacher gender, COVID -19 anxiety and organizational cynicism were important variance factors for teachers' technostress. Among school counselors, organizational cynicism accounted for important variance in technostress. Specifically, higher COVID -19 anxiety and organizational cynicism were associated with higher technostress in the teacher group during COVID -19. COVID -19 Anxiousness influenced technostress differently in teachers and school counselors. Results show a positive correlation between teacher and school counselor technostress, COVID -19 anxiety, and organizational cynicism. The results suggest a predictive relationship between COVID -19 anxiety and organizational cynicism in teachers, organizational cynicism in school counselors, and technostress.

Anxiety and depression among patient's companions during admission to the ICU in the Omicron wave of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in Aleppo University Hospital.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety and depression have reached high levels, especially after the last wave, Omicron. Healthcare workers in contact with COVID-19 patients or those who come in contact with them may exhibit high levels of anxiety and depression. Therefore, we aimed to assess anxiety and depression symptoms among ICU companions of COVID-19 patients. From 30 November 2021 to 1 March 2022, sixth-year medical students at Aleppo University Hospital conducted interviews with the companions of COVID-19 patients who they brought their patient to the ICU centre as part of a cross-sectional quantitative study using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 tools to gauge their level of anxiety and depression among companions of COVID-19 patients. The data were analyzed using the SPSS program. In addition, logistic regression models were used to study possible factors of anxiety and depression symptoms during COVID-19. The total number was 997 participants in contact with COVID-19 patients. The mean score of the depression assessment tool (PHQ-9) in our questionnaire was 9.5 with a range of 0 to 27. At the same time, the anxiety assessment tool (GAD-7) had a mean score of 9.1, ranging from 0 to 21. A binary logistic regression was used to predict the relationship between depression and anxiety and various factors. We found that the companions with medical specialties were substantially less likely to develop anxiety than other companions [AOR = 0.459; 95%CI (0.23-0.9)], in addition females were substantially higher likely to develop depression than males [AOR = 1.322; 95%CI (0.992-1.762)]. 45.4% of companions had moderate to severe anxiety, in additon 50.8% of companions had moderate to severe depression. Our research reveals that moderate to severe anxiety and sadness are present in roughly half of the COVID19 patients' companions. Females, people with children, and hard workers were more inclined to feel anxious than others, and those who are not in the medical field were more likely to suffer from depression than others, thus it is critical to assist these groups during the present outbreaks (Omicron and Monkeybox).

Covid-19 pandemic: Psychosocial effect among physical and health education staff in Kogi State Nigeria

Fear and anxiety have always been a negative affect in performance and job settings, especially when there are external pressures. The Corona virus-19, took the world by surprise just when everybody was enthusiastic about the long-expected year 2020. Movements were restricted, offices, businesses, and public places shut down with imposed curfews allowing only “essential workers” do their jobs. These, invariably affected the way work and associations would later become even after the lockdown. The study aimed to know whether the psychosocial effect of COVID-19 (fear and anxiety) affect physical and health education staff of Kogi State Nigeria. Descriptive survey method was adopted for the research. 200 respondents (male & female) that included physical and health education staff (350) from all higher institutions in Kogi state were part of the study. The average age of respondents was 48.5years. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) (α =.74) and the Corona Virus Anxiety Scale (α =.82) was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts, means and percentages were used to analyze data. It is concluded that physical and health education staff in Kogi State do not experience anxiety and fear due to COVID-19. A limitation encountered was most respondents feared been stigmatized with COVID as was the case at the time. It is significant in the sense that employees are greatly influenced by the views of their employer. Further research should be on the attitude of physical and health educators in Kogi State Nigeria to work during COVID-19 pandemic.

Investigation of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms and Associated Factors in Children with Cerebral Palsy in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Parents' Perceived Social Support, Depression and Corona Anxiety

Objective: There is little research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children with cerebral palsy (CP). The primary aim of this study is to determine the level of anxiety and depression in children with CP during the COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary aim is to examine the relationship between perceived social support, depression and COVID-19 anxiety levels of parents of children with CP and anxiety and depression symptoms in children with CP. Material and Methods: Data were gathered by snowball sampling method using an online survey. Depression and anxiety levels of children with CP were evaluated via Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Parent (RCADS-P). Depression, corona anxiety, and perceived social support levels of parents of children with CP were evaluated with Beck Depression Scale for Primary Care, Corona Anxiety Scale (CAS), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, respectively. The Pearson correlation test was employed to assess whether or not there was an interconnection amongst continuous variables and different independent samples under consideration. Total Anxiety Scale, Major Depressive Disorder and Total Internalizing Scale sub-dimension scores of the RCADS-P were evaluated as dependent variables according to the groups in the multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The sample covered 102 children (61, %59.8 boys) with CP and their parents (67, %65.8 mothers). Predictors of the anxiety symptoms of children with CP, in order of importance, were the parents’ corona anxiety total score (β=0.324, p=0.003) and the parents’ depression total score (β=0.266, p=0.025). Only the parent’ CAS total score predicted the depressive symptoms of children with CP (β=0.365, p=0.001). Conclusion: Coronavirus anxiety of the parents was found to be the strongest predictor of anxiety and depression symptoms in children with CP. These results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the mental health needs of both children with CP and their parents.

Individual Characteristics and Pain Sensitivity during Pregnancy-A Cross-Sectional Study in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women.

The aim of the study was to describe the characteristics and factors related to pain perception in pregnant women, such as optimism, personality traits, and fear of developing COVID-19 consequences. Sixty-six pregnant women aged 23 to 42 years participated in the study, and the comparison group consisted of n = 59 non-pregnant female students aged 19 to 23 years. Pressure pain threshold and pain tolerance were measured with an algometer. To assess psychological characteristics, the Life-Orientation Test-Revised was used to assess optimism, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used to assess COVID-19 anxiety, and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory was applied to assess personality traits in a five-factor model. The main results of the study showed that pain tolerance was significantly lower in both dominant and non-dominant hand pregnant women than in the comparison group. The studied pregnant women had higher scores for conscientiousness, fear of COVID-19, and optimism compared with the non-pregnant women. Regression analysis showed that the variability in pain perception among pregnant women could not be explained by individual differences in personality traits, optimism, and fear of COVID-19.

Trauma-Informed Supervision and Related Predictors of Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Prelicensed Counsellors During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In the current study, we examined individual factors, organizational factors, COVID-19 anxiety, and trauma-informed supervision as predictors of prelicensed counsellor burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS). In a sample of 282 prelicensed counsellors, we conducted two hierarchical regression analyses for counsellor burnout and STS. The variables of interest accounted for 38% of the variance in counsellor burnout and 32% of the variance in counsellor STS. In the model of counsellor burnout, statistically significant variables included age, caseload, setting, COVID-19 anxiety, and trauma-informed supervision. For STS, statistically significant predictor variables were age, caseload, COVID-19 anxiety, and trauma-informed supervision. Implications of the findings for prelicensed counsellors, supervisors, and counselling researchers are discussed.

Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, emotional impairments, and fear in COVID-19 surviving patients

Introduction: Among the different psychological sequelae of post-COVID syndrome are symptoms related to emotional impairment, mostly depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Objective: To describe and compare the prevalence and severity of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and fear of COVID-19 in survivors 3 months after discharge from the hospital.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted, a total of 227 survivors of COVID-19 participated; they were assessed 3 months after being discharged from the hospital. A psychological evaluation focused on anxiety, depression, PTSD, and fear was conducted. Statistical analysis through the t-test for independent samples was performed.Results: Of the patients, 64.5% were men, 60.9% required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) during hospitalization, and the average age was about 48.23 ± 14.33 years. Also, 40% showed symptoms associated with PTSD, 38.4% exhibited anxiety, 36.6% depression, and 36.12% exhibited fear of COVID-19. There were statistically significant differences between men and women, in PTSD (t = -3.414, df = 224, p = 0.001, x̅m = 5.10, x̅w = 6.32), depression (t = -4.680, df = 225, p = 0.000, x̅m = 3.64, x̅w = 7.18), anxiety (t = -3.427, df = 152.53, p = 0.001, x̅m = 3.78, x̅w = 6.20), and fear of COVID-19 (t = -3.400, df = 224, p = 0.001, x̅m = 11.88, x̅w = 15.19). Furthermore, there were also statistically significant differences between the type of treatment during hospitalization (IMV vs. without IMV), in PTSD (t = 2.482, df = 223, p = 0.014, x̅IMV = 5.21, x̅WIMV = 6.08) and anxiety (t = -2.006, df = 223, p = 0.046, x̅IMV = 4.05, x̅WIMV = 5.44).Conclusion: Survivors of COVID-19 experience a high prevalence of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and fear, even 3 months after discharge from the hospital. Females and patients who did not require IMV during hospitalization are the most affected population, presenting more severe symptoms of these psychological alterations. More research is required to know and observe the long-term evolution of these psychological alterations in this population.

Longitudinal trajectories of coronavirus anxiety and health behavior use before and after the U.S. 2020 presidential election: The effects of political orientation

Although heightened anxiety and health behavior use (i.e., masking, hand washing) may be viewed as an adaptive response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it is unclear how the politicization of the pandemic has influenced the trajectory of such responses. Accordingly, the present study examined differences between those that identify as more conservative or liberal in the trajectory of anxiety and health behaviors during the pandemic. This study also examines shifts in this trajectory before and after the presidential election. As part of a larger study, participants (N = 374) completed a symptom survey starting on May 27, 2020 every 2 weeks for a total of 15 timepoints over 30 weeks. The findings showed that more conservative participants reported lower levels of COVID-19 anxiety and less health behavior use compared to more liberal participants. In fact, anxiety levels increased slightly for more liberal participants and decreased slightly for more conservative participants during the pre-election time frame. Health behavior use also decreased more rapidly for conservative participants than for liberal participants during the pre-election time frame. However, COVID-19 anxiety and health behavior use rose sharply and similarly for both liberal and conservative individuals after the election. Importantly, these patterns were independent of state level variability in COVID-19 positivity and death rates. Subsequent analysis also revealed significant relations between COVID-19 anxiety and health behavior use that was slightly stronger among conservatives. Implications of these findings for navigating the influence of political ideology on anxiety-related responses during a public health emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.

The Relationship Between COVID-19 Anxiety and Preoperative Anxiety During the Pandemic

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety levels and preoperative anxiety in patients who will undergo elective surgery during the pandemic period. DesignThis study was an analytical cross-sectional study. MethodsThe study was carried out with 228 patients between May and December 2021 in the surgical clinics of a training and research hospital. The data were collected using patient information form, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) and Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS). FindingsThe patients' APAIS total score level was 15.86 ± 6.44, and the CAS score was 6.63 ± 3.61. A positive, moderate and statistically significant relationship was found between the CAS score and the APAIS total score (r = 0.547; P = .000) and, the CAS score and anxiety due to anesthesia surgery (r = 0.545; P = .000) and information (r = 0.501; P = .000) subdimensions. ConclusionsThe results of this study showed that the preoperative anxiety level increased in individuals with increased coronavirus anxiety levels.

Hypertension, Anxiety and Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Cardiovascular Disease and COVID-19: Mediation by Dietary Salt.

This perspective paper used a grounded theory method to synthesize evidence proposing that sodium toxicity from excessive dietary salt intake is a potential common pathophysiological mechanism that mediates the association of hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and anxiety with cardiovascular disease and COVID-19. Increased anxiety in these conditions may be linked to a high-salt diet through stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, which increases blood pressure while releasing catecholamines, causing a “fight or flight” response. A rostral shift of fluid overload from the lower to the upper body occurs in obstructive sleep apnea associated with COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease, and may be related to sodium and fluid retention triggered by hypertonic dehydration. Chronic activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system responds to salt-induced dehydration by increasing reabsorption of sodium and fluid, potentially exacerbating fluid overload. Anxiety may also be related to angiotensin II that stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to release catecholamines. More research is needed to investigate these proposed interrelated mechanisms mediated by dietary salt. Furthermore, dietary interventions should use a whole-food plant-based diet that eliminates foods processed with salt to test the effect of very low sodium intake levels on hypertension, anxiety, and obstructive sleep apnea in cardiovascular disease and COVID-19.

The Effect of Risk and Protective Factors on Primary School Students' COVID-19 Anxiety: Back to School After the Pandemic.

This study aimed to analyze the risk and protective factors affecting the COVID-19 anxiety of primary school students after the reopening. It was investigated how primary school students’ parents’ vaccination, and COVID-19 cases seen at school, knowledge and awareness directly or indirectly explained their individual and social COVID-19 anxiety. The data were obtained from 227 primary school students living in different regions of Turkey. Pandemic Awareness Scale, Pandemic Anxiety Scale, Pandemic Information Test and Information Form were used to obtain the data. The data were analyzed by path analysis. According to the results, the case seen at school, knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 directly and significantly predicted primary school students’ individual and social COVID-19 anxiety. Vaccination of parents, on the other hand, directly significantly predicted social COVID-19 anxiety of primary school students, but did not significantly predict individual COVID-19 anxiety. In addition, in this effect, awareness of COVID-19 mediates the knowledge of COVID-19, and cases seen at school mediate the vaccination of parents. The obtained model showed a good fit. According to the results, primary school students’ knowledge and awareness about COVID-19 and parents’ vaccination reduced their anxieties, and COVID-19 cases seen at school increased their anxiety.

The ABC-X's of Stress among U.S. Emerging Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Relationship Quality, Financial Distress, and Mental Health.

Many emerging adults have experienced increased financial distress and mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, and isolation may have amplified the importance of close relationships (especially as parents’ influence diminishes during this developmental stage). Using the ABC-X Model to frame our model, we tested whether financial distress (C) mediates the associations between COVID-19 impact (A) and anxiety and depressive symptoms (X), and whether or not romantic relationship quality (B) moderates these indirect associations. Our sample comprised of 1950 U.S. emerging adults in a romantic relationship. Mediation and first-stage moderated mediation were tested using structural equation modeling. Financial distress partially mediated the association between COVID-19 impact and anxiety symptoms and fully mediated the association between COVID-19 impact and depressive symptoms. Strong evidence of moderated mediation was found but in the opposite direction expected: the indirect associations of COVID-19 impact with anxiety and depressive symptoms (through financial distress) were stronger for those in high-quality romantic relationships. The findings may inform policy and practice aimed at optimizing the mental health of emerging adults, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: specifically, alleviating financial distress may improve the mental health of emerging adults, while focusing on the quality of their romantic relationships may not.