Effects of risk exposure on emotional distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of disruption of life and perceived controllability
BackgroundCOVID-19 affects not only the physical health of individuals but also their mental health and different types of risk exposures are believed to have different effects on individual emotional distress.ObjectiveThis study explores the relationships between risk exposure, disruption of life,...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-04-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1147530/full |
| _version_ | 1797839065580568576 |
|---|---|
| author | Xinyan Xiong Rita Xiaochen Hu Rita Xiaochen Hu Chuanfang Chen Wenyuan Ning |
| author_facet | Xinyan Xiong Rita Xiaochen Hu Rita Xiaochen Hu Chuanfang Chen Wenyuan Ning |
| author_sort | Xinyan Xiong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundCOVID-19 affects not only the physical health of individuals but also their mental health and different types of risk exposures are believed to have different effects on individual emotional distress.ObjectiveThis study explores the relationships between risk exposure, disruption of life, perceived controllability, and emotional distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 outbreak.MethodsThis study is based on an online survey conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 1 to 10 February 2020, with a total of 2,993 Chinese respondents recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Multiple linear regression analysis were used to examine the relationships among risk exposure, disruption of life, perceived controllability, and emotional distress.ResultsThis study found that all types of risk exposures were significantly associated with emotional distress. Individuals with neighborhood infection, family member infection/close contact, and self-infection/close contact had higher levels of emotional distress (B = 0.551, 95% CI: −0.019, 1.121; B = 2.161, 95% CI: 1.067, 3.255; B = 3.240, 95% CI: 2.351, 4.129) than those without exposure. The highest levels of emotional distress occurred among individuals experiencing self-infection/close contact, while the lowest levels of emotional distress occurred among individuals experiencing neighborhood infection and the moderate levels of emotional distress occurred among individuals experiencing family member infection (Beta = 0.137; Beta = 0.073; Beta = 0.036). Notably, the disruption of life aggravated the effect of self-infection/close contact on emotional distress and family member infection/close contact on emotional distress (B = 0.217, 95% CI: 0.036, 0.398; B = 0.205, 95% CI: 0.017, 0.393). More importantly, perceived controllability lowered the strength of the association between self-infection/close contact and emotional distress, as well as family member infection/close contact and emotional distress (B = −0.180, 95% CI: −0.362, 0.002; B = −0.187, 95% CI: −0.404, 0.030).ConclusionThese findings shed light on mental health interventions for people exposed to or infected with COVID-19 near the beginning of the pandemic, particularly those who themselves had COVID or had family members with COVID-19 risk exposure, including being infected/having close contact with an infected person. We call for appropriate measures to screen out individuals or families whose lives were, or remain, more severely affected by COVID-19. We advocate providing individuals with material support and online mindfulness-based interventions to help them cope with the after-effects of COVID-19. It is also essential to enhance the public’s perception of controllability with the help of online psychological intervention strategies, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction programs and mindfulness-oriented meditation training programs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:51:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a6add59a50004e4994de74e52f4714d8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:51:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-a6add59a50004e4994de74e52f4714d82023-04-26T06:29:51ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402023-04-011410.3389/fpsyt.2023.11475301147530Effects of risk exposure on emotional distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of disruption of life and perceived controllabilityXinyan Xiong0Rita Xiaochen Hu1Rita Xiaochen Hu2Chuanfang Chen3Wenyuan Ning4School of Sociology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. ChinaSchool of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesSchool of Sociology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. ChinaSchool of Marxism, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, P. R. ChinaBackgroundCOVID-19 affects not only the physical health of individuals but also their mental health and different types of risk exposures are believed to have different effects on individual emotional distress.ObjectiveThis study explores the relationships between risk exposure, disruption of life, perceived controllability, and emotional distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 outbreak.MethodsThis study is based on an online survey conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 1 to 10 February 2020, with a total of 2,993 Chinese respondents recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Multiple linear regression analysis were used to examine the relationships among risk exposure, disruption of life, perceived controllability, and emotional distress.ResultsThis study found that all types of risk exposures were significantly associated with emotional distress. Individuals with neighborhood infection, family member infection/close contact, and self-infection/close contact had higher levels of emotional distress (B = 0.551, 95% CI: −0.019, 1.121; B = 2.161, 95% CI: 1.067, 3.255; B = 3.240, 95% CI: 2.351, 4.129) than those without exposure. The highest levels of emotional distress occurred among individuals experiencing self-infection/close contact, while the lowest levels of emotional distress occurred among individuals experiencing neighborhood infection and the moderate levels of emotional distress occurred among individuals experiencing family member infection (Beta = 0.137; Beta = 0.073; Beta = 0.036). Notably, the disruption of life aggravated the effect of self-infection/close contact on emotional distress and family member infection/close contact on emotional distress (B = 0.217, 95% CI: 0.036, 0.398; B = 0.205, 95% CI: 0.017, 0.393). More importantly, perceived controllability lowered the strength of the association between self-infection/close contact and emotional distress, as well as family member infection/close contact and emotional distress (B = −0.180, 95% CI: −0.362, 0.002; B = −0.187, 95% CI: −0.404, 0.030).ConclusionThese findings shed light on mental health interventions for people exposed to or infected with COVID-19 near the beginning of the pandemic, particularly those who themselves had COVID or had family members with COVID-19 risk exposure, including being infected/having close contact with an infected person. We call for appropriate measures to screen out individuals or families whose lives were, or remain, more severely affected by COVID-19. We advocate providing individuals with material support and online mindfulness-based interventions to help them cope with the after-effects of COVID-19. It is also essential to enhance the public’s perception of controllability with the help of online psychological intervention strategies, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction programs and mindfulness-oriented meditation training programs.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1147530/fullrisk exposuredisruption of lifeperceived controllabilityemotional distressthe COVID-19 pandemic |
| spellingShingle | Xinyan Xiong Rita Xiaochen Hu Rita Xiaochen Hu Chuanfang Chen Wenyuan Ning Effects of risk exposure on emotional distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of disruption of life and perceived controllability Frontiers in Psychiatry risk exposure disruption of life perceived controllability emotional distress the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title | Effects of risk exposure on emotional distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of disruption of life and perceived controllability |
| title_full | Effects of risk exposure on emotional distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of disruption of life and perceived controllability |
| title_fullStr | Effects of risk exposure on emotional distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of disruption of life and perceived controllability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of risk exposure on emotional distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of disruption of life and perceived controllability |
| title_short | Effects of risk exposure on emotional distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of disruption of life and perceived controllability |
| title_sort | effects of risk exposure on emotional distress among chinese adults during the covid 19 pandemic the moderating role of disruption of life and perceived controllability |
| topic | risk exposure disruption of life perceived controllability emotional distress the COVID-19 pandemic |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1147530/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xinyanxiong effectsofriskexposureonemotionaldistressamongchineseadultsduringthecovid19pandemicthemoderatingroleofdisruptionoflifeandperceivedcontrollability AT ritaxiaochenhu effectsofriskexposureonemotionaldistressamongchineseadultsduringthecovid19pandemicthemoderatingroleofdisruptionoflifeandperceivedcontrollability AT ritaxiaochenhu effectsofriskexposureonemotionaldistressamongchineseadultsduringthecovid19pandemicthemoderatingroleofdisruptionoflifeandperceivedcontrollability AT chuanfangchen effectsofriskexposureonemotionaldistressamongchineseadultsduringthecovid19pandemicthemoderatingroleofdisruptionoflifeandperceivedcontrollability AT wenyuanning effectsofriskexposureonemotionaldistressamongchineseadultsduringthecovid19pandemicthemoderatingroleofdisruptionoflifeandperceivedcontrollability |