Predicting Perceived Stress Related to the Covid-19 Outbreak through Stable Psychological Traits and Machine Learning Models

Abstract

The global SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and subsequent lockdown had a significant impact on people’s daily lives, with strong implications for stress levels due to the threat of contagion and restrictions to freedom. Given the link between high stress levels and adverse physical and mental consequences, the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly a global public health issue. In the present study, we assessed the effect of the pandemic on stress levels in N = 2053 Italian adults, and characterized more vulnerable individuals on the basis of sociodemographic features and stable psychological traits. A set of 18 psycho-social variables, generalized regressions, and predictive machine learning approaches were leveraged. We identified higher levels of perceived stress in the study sample relative to Italian normative values. Higher levels of distress were found in women, participants with lower income, and participants living with others. Higher rates of emotional stability and self-control, as well as a positive coping style and internal locus of control, emerged as protective factors. Predictive learning models identified participants with high perceived stress, with a sensitivity greater than 76%. The results suggest a characterization of people who are more vulnerable to experiencing high levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. This characterization may contribute to early and targeted intervention strategies.

A 2-Month Follow-Up Study of Psychological Distress among Italian People during the COVID-19 Lockdown

“…This result is consistent with the findings of Planchuelo-Gómez et al [6], who observed an increase of 2.75 points on the Stress subscale, with an average score of 6.51 on the first survey and 9.26 on the second. Similar to depression levels, stress levels were associated with negative affect and detachment, in line with the results reported in our previous study and the existing literature [32]. Lastly, our findings indicated that, within our sample (which ranged in age from 18-70 years), young age was associated with increased stress.…”

Clinical Factors Associated with Atrial Fibrillation Detection on Single-Time Point Screening Using a Hand-Held Single-Lead ECG Device

“…As a consequence of the disruptive effects of COVID-19 pandemic, screening for AF may become even more important in the next future. Indeed, COVID-19 caused a polarization of care on the various manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and on its management [39][40][41] that coupled with the fear and psychological distress diffused within the population [42][43][44][45] led to a marked reduction in access to Emergency Departments for acute cardiovascular conditions, including new-onset AF [46][47][48][49][50]. Some data from large datasets indicate that the risk of undiagnosed AF during COVID-19 lockdown is associated with an increased occurrence of stroke, related to lack of anticoagulation in patients at risk [48], thus making of great clinical value any initiatives of opportunistic screening for detecting unknown and previously undetected AF.…”

The Utilization of Protective Face Masks among Polish Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic: Do We Pass the Exam?

“…Future studies on the topic should focus on a more objective assessment performed by external observers for a longer period of time. As older age seems to be associated with lower perceived stress during COVID-19 outbreak among the general public [ 34 , 35 ], it would be interesting to determine whether these factors affect the compliance with safety regulations among HCW in the future. Another disadvantage of our study stems from the chosen methodology which does not enable us to estimate the true value of the response rate.…”