Attachment style and mental health during the later stages of COVID‐19 pandemic: the mediation role of loneliness and COVID-19 anxiety

Vismara, Laura; Lucarelli, Loredana; Sechi, Cristina

doi:10.1186/s40359-022-00767-y

Cited by 12 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…This could be explained by the fact that people with higher attachment anxiety may tend to be more preoccupied about the pandemic and its related restrictions, which could lead to higher anxiety related to the COVID. In accordance with other research findings, attachment avoidance in our study was negatively correlated with the COVID anxiety (e.g., Moccia et al, 2020 ; Vismara et al, 2022 ). This relationship may be explained by the fact that avoidantly attached individuals, who tend to be self-directed and may exhibit less distress in social isolation, may have perceived the pandemic and restrictions as less stressful (in comparison with anxiously attached individuals).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…On the other hand, even in avoidantly attached people, social distancing and possible long-lasting loneliness related to pandemic restrictions might have an impact on mental health (e.g., Vismara et al, 2022 ). Based on available studies showing associations between attachment and the psychological impact of the pandemic (e.g., Moccia et al, 2020 ; Coulombe and Yates, 2022 ; Vismara et al, 2022 ), we can assume that secure attachment may play a key role in protection before the emergence of mental health disorders in challenging pandemics times. Securely attached people face stressful events relying on both others’ support and their own self-confidence; they have the capacity to mitigate loneliness, which reduces potential anxiety and mental health problems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This relationship may be explained by the fact that avoidantly attached individuals, who tend to be self-directed and may exhibit less distress in social isolation, may have perceived the pandemic and restrictions as less stressful (in comparison with anxiously attached individuals). On the other hand, even in avoidantly attached people, social distancing and possible long-lasting loneliness related to pandemic restrictions might have an impact on mental health (e.g., Vismara et al, 2022 ). Based on available studies showing associations between attachment and the psychological impact of the pandemic (e.g., Moccia et al, 2020 ; Coulombe and Yates, 2022 ; Vismara et al, 2022 ), we can assume that secure attachment may play a key role in protection before the emergence of mental health disorders in challenging pandemics times.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID anxiety and its predictors among Slovak adolescents

et al. 2022

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IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions, mainly social distancing, had an impact on the mental health of various groups, including adolescents.MethodsThe main goal of our study was to explore the impact of gender, age, resilience (measured using the Brief Resilience Scale), attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance (both measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised Scale for adolescents), and mental and general health (measured using items of SF-8 Health Survey) on COVID anxiety (measured using the COVID Anxiety Scale) among a sample of Slovak adolescents (N = 1,786, age 15 to 19, mean age = 16.8, SD = 1.2). The data were collected online between 13 April and 24 May 2021.ResultsFour nested linear regression models were fitted to the data and evaluated. The significant predictors that had a greater effect than our smallest effect size of interest (β = 0.10) were gender (β = −0.26, p < 0.001, where boys had lower scores in COVID anxiety), general and mental health (β = −0.13 and β = −0.14, respectively, both with p < 0.001), resilience (β = −0.12, p < 0.001), and attachment avoidance (β = −0.11, p < 0.001). Similarly, age and attachment anxiety were significant predictors with a lower effect size (β = 0.06, p = 0.003, and β = 0.09, p < 0.001, respectively).DiscussionOur results are in line with previous research findings highlighting the importance of prevention and interventions programs focused mainly on preventing loneliness and social disconnection, fostering secure attachment with parents and peers, and increasing the resilience of adolescents, especially in the stressful time of a pandemic, to promote their mental health.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID anxiety and its predictors among Slovak adolescents

et al. 2022

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“…According to previous studies, previous studies have evidenced that sleeping quality negatively correlates with anxiety level, depression level and stress level [11,12]. Furthermore, the attachment style plays an important role in regulating both mental health and sleeping quality [13,14]. To be specific, subjects with the insecure attachment style are more likely to suffer sleeping problems and have a greater risk of mental illness [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Mental Health and Sleeping Quality in COVID-19: The Moderating Effect of the Attachment Style

Ni¹

2023

EHSS

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During the epidemic, the mental health and sleeping quality of college students were affected to varying degrees, which may influence the quality of life and well-being. This cross-sectional aimed to determine the frequency of psychologically negative states and poor sleeping quality among undergraduate students during the Covid-19 pandemic and explore the correlation between mental health and sleeping quality and the moderating effect of the attachment style. Relevant information was collected with an online questionnaire, which was distributed among 72 undergraduate students at prestigious universities in Shanghai and Nanjing. The mental health status of the subjects was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21), the sleep quality of the students using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire and the attachment style using the Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory (ECR). The study revealed that 70% of the subjects were suffering stress of different levels, two-thirds of them were undergoing varying degrees of depression, and nearly 85% were bearing anxiety after the outbreak of COVID-19. The prevalence of poor sleeping quality among college students was 36.2%. The study concluded that stress, anxiety and depression index were all in direct proportion to the level of sleeping problems. The attachment style may play a more or less role in moderating the direct proportion. The findings could help choose appropriate interventions to try to solve the mental and sleep problems for people with different attachment styles.

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“…During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the feelings of social isolation and loneliness were common, and many persons substituted social media and ‘digital connections’ via technology to mitigate the feeling of being isolated [ 6 , 7 ]. This provided the opportunity to examine to what extent technology can reduce social isolation and loneliness for individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age and Gender Perspectives on Social Media and Technology Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Chidiac

Ross

Marston

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Few studies have examined social media and technology use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Therefore, the main research question and objective of this study was to examine similarities and differences in the influences of mobile technology and social media use on Canadians among different age groups and across gender during the COVID-19 pandemic. From June through October 2021, 204 persons completed a 72-item online survey. Survey questions encompassed COVID-19 pandemic experiences and technology use. Standardized measures including the Psychological Wellbeing measure, eHeals, and the UCLA V3 Loneliness scale were collected to examine the psychological influences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings showed that males under 50 years were most likely to self-isolate compared to the other demographic results of the study. Males reported using technology less than females but were more likely to report using technology to share information regarding COVID-19. Respondents under 50 years were also more likely to use smartphones/mobile phones as their most used mobile technology device, whereas respondents over 50 were more split between smartphones/mobile phones and computers/tablets as their most used device. Males scored higher on the UCLA loneliness scale and lower on the Psychological Wellbeing sub-scores compared to females. Further research should explore additional demographics in relation to broader aspects of digital skills across different age groups.

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Attachment style and mental health during the later stages of COVID‐19 pandemic: the mediation role of loneliness and COVID-19 anxiety

Cited by 12 publications

References 67 publications

COVID anxiety and its predictors among Slovak adolescents

COVID anxiety and its predictors among Slovak adolescents

The Relationship between Mental Health and Sleeping Quality in COVID-19: The Moderating Effect of the Attachment Style

Age and Gender Perspectives on Social Media and Technology Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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