Worries about the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic regulation of emotions in the general population: A network analysis study

Background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health has been widely reported. Yet, little remains known about the psychological mechanisms associated with changes in mental well-being during the currently ongoing pandemic. Methods: Here, we use a network analysis to unravel complex rela...

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Main Authors: Stella D. Voulgaropoulou, Wolfgang Viechtbauer, Sjacko Sobczak, Thérèse van Amelsvoort, Dennis Hernaus
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-12-01
Series:Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915323001567
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author Stella D. Voulgaropoulou
Wolfgang Viechtbauer
Sjacko Sobczak
Thérèse van Amelsvoort
Dennis Hernaus
author_facet Stella D. Voulgaropoulou
Wolfgang Viechtbauer
Sjacko Sobczak
Thérèse van Amelsvoort
Dennis Hernaus
author_sort Stella D. Voulgaropoulou
collection DOAJ
description Background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health has been widely reported. Yet, little remains known about the psychological mechanisms associated with changes in mental well-being during the currently ongoing pandemic. Methods: Here, we use a network analysis to unravel complex relationships between COVID-19 related stressors and emotional states during the initial phase of the COVID-19 (April 2020). Adults living in the Netherlands and Belgium (N = 1145, age 16 and older) (repeatedly) completed an online survey (approximate survey completion rate = 66.2%) about COVID-19 (over a 5-day maximum sampling period). Results: Partial correlations and contemporaneous networks illustrated that worries about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic were primarily associated with distress and mood ratings, which were subsequently associated with other indicators of well-being. Temporal network analysis revealed that COVID-19 worries were selectively associated with the reciprocal interplay between high distress and low positive mood (https://osf.io/vtdkr/). Limitations: Short-term temporal intervals were evaluated. A small percentage of participants completed the survey repeatedly (35.63% of the total sample), yielding to a relatively small sample size for repeated measures online research. The sample was self-selected. Conclusion: These results may point to potential mechanisms by which initial worries about the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted psychological well-being.
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spelling doaj.art-b48af27a6dbc44f09f12152a73a19c7d2023-11-22T04:48:55ZengElsevierJournal of Affective Disorders Reports2666-91532023-12-0114100618Worries about the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic regulation of emotions in the general population: A network analysis studyStella D. Voulgaropoulou0Wolfgang Viechtbauer1Sjacko Sobczak2Thérèse van Amelsvoort3Dennis Hernaus4Department of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6, 6211 LK Maastricht, The Netherlands; Corresponding author at: Stella Voulgaropoulou, Department of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6, 6211 LK Maastricht, The Netherlands.Department of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6, 6211 LK Maastricht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6, 6211 LK Maastricht, The Netherlands; Mondriaan Mental Health Center, Vijverdalseweg 1, 6226 NB Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6, 6211 LK Maastricht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6, 6211 LK Maastricht, The NetherlandsBackground: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health has been widely reported. Yet, little remains known about the psychological mechanisms associated with changes in mental well-being during the currently ongoing pandemic. Methods: Here, we use a network analysis to unravel complex relationships between COVID-19 related stressors and emotional states during the initial phase of the COVID-19 (April 2020). Adults living in the Netherlands and Belgium (N = 1145, age 16 and older) (repeatedly) completed an online survey (approximate survey completion rate = 66.2%) about COVID-19 (over a 5-day maximum sampling period). Results: Partial correlations and contemporaneous networks illustrated that worries about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic were primarily associated with distress and mood ratings, which were subsequently associated with other indicators of well-being. Temporal network analysis revealed that COVID-19 worries were selectively associated with the reciprocal interplay between high distress and low positive mood (https://osf.io/vtdkr/). Limitations: Short-term temporal intervals were evaluated. A small percentage of participants completed the survey repeatedly (35.63% of the total sample), yielding to a relatively small sample size for repeated measures online research. The sample was self-selected. Conclusion: These results may point to potential mechanisms by which initial worries about the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted psychological well-being.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915323001567COVID-19DistressMoodEmotional statesNetwork analyses
spellingShingle Stella D. Voulgaropoulou
Wolfgang Viechtbauer
Sjacko Sobczak
Thérèse van Amelsvoort
Dennis Hernaus
Worries about the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic regulation of emotions in the general population: A network analysis study
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
COVID-19
Distress
Mood
Emotional states
Network analyses
title Worries about the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic regulation of emotions in the general population: A network analysis study
title_full Worries about the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic regulation of emotions in the general population: A network analysis study
title_fullStr Worries about the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic regulation of emotions in the general population: A network analysis study
title_full_unstemmed Worries about the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic regulation of emotions in the general population: A network analysis study
title_short Worries about the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic regulation of emotions in the general population: A network analysis study
title_sort worries about the covid 19 pandemic and the dynamic regulation of emotions in the general population a network analysis study
topic COVID-19
Distress
Mood
Emotional states
Network analyses
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915323001567
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