Psychological Factors Explaining the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Mental Health: The Role of Meaning, Beliefs, and Perceptions of Vulnerability and Mortality

Abstract

This study tested an expanded version of the explanatory model of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health proposed by Milman and colleagues. Participants (N = 680) completed an online survey on demographic variables associated with poor pandemic mental health, COVID-19 stressors, mental health symptoms, and pandemic-related psychological processes we hypothesized as mediating mechanisms explaining the negative mental health effects of the COVID-19 stressors. Results indicated that these psychological processes (core belief violation, meaning made of the pandemic, vulnerability, and mortality perception) explained the severity of mental health symptoms to a far greater extent than COVID-19 stressors and demographics combined. In addition, these psychological processes mediated the impact of COVID-19 stressors on all mental health outcomes. Specifically, COVID-19 stressors were associated with increased core belief violation, decreased meaning making, and more intense perceived vulnerability and mortality. In turn, those whose core beliefs were more violated by the pandemic, who made less meaning of the pandemic, and who perceived a more pronounced vulnerability and mortality experienced a worse mental health condition. This study’s results suggest some possible ways of intervention in pandemic-like events useful for limiting such impact at the individual, group, social and political levels.

Social Environment and Attitudes toward COVID-19 Anti-Contagious Measures: An Explorative Study from Italy

“…The feeling of living in an unreliable context where you can rely only on yourself emerged as an important constraint to the identification with measures and decisions adopted by the government; a constraint that requires innovative and effective efforts at community and political levels. The SPCT, as well as findings of studies based on the Terror Management Theory [ 102 , 103 ], suggest that the more the uncertainty of the scenario, the more sense-makers are likely to restore the stability of their sense-making through their adherence to generalized worldviews [ 104 , 105 ]. Unemployment, worsening of living conditions, lack of resources and poor political investment in sectors felt as crucial (as example health and education) feed uncertainty in the future.…”

Psychological experiences of patients recovering from severe COVID-19 in rehabilitation: A qualitative study

“…It has been found that the physical trauma experienced by severe COVID-19 patients is interrelated with psychological trauma (Kaseda and Levine, 2020; Nagarajan et al, 2022; Tarsitani et al, 2021). People who experience abrupt and fundamental changes to their bodily experience, following an acquired medical condition, may also experience psychological disruption to the foundations of their self-knowledge, self-constitution, and core beliefs (Negri et al, 2023; Segal, 2018).…”

“…This finding is in line with literature on coping with physical and psychological trauma, as in the case of COVID-19. Research has emphasized the role of sense and meaning-making in reducing the risk for trauma – the more one can make sense of a traumatic event, the lesser the negative impact the event has on one’s mental health (Negri et al, 2023; Neimeyer, 2019).…”

First insights into post-pandemic distress in a high secure hospital: correlates among staff and patients

“…The COVID-19 pandemic created a plethora of challenges within the workplace, with a noted impact on the role of psychiatric nurses and expectations of their role in the workplace (Negri et al , 2023; Zhang et al , 2020). Rapid changes to the working conditions of staff in secure health-care settings, such as the mandatory use of personal protective equipment (PPE), physical distancing, halting of visitor access and cessation of group-based activities, were implemented in response to the pandemic (Ardebili et al , 2021; Negri et al , 2023).…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic created a plethora of challenges within the workplace, with a noted impact on the role of psychiatric nurses and expectations of their role in the workplace (Negri et al , 2023; Zhang et al , 2020). Rapid changes to the working conditions of staff in secure health-care settings, such as the mandatory use of personal protective equipment (PPE), physical distancing, halting of visitor access and cessation of group-based activities, were implemented in response to the pandemic (Ardebili et al , 2021; Negri et al , 2023). Additionally, health-care workers based in psychiatric hospitals were managing a fear of infection and transmission, limited availability of PPE, insufficient staffing levels and limited disease specific knowledge to guide transmission control (Swinkles et al , 2022).…”