Anxiety and Depression during the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Coping Strategies

Alessandro Miola, Stefano Caiolo, Giancarlo Pontoni, Erica Pozzan, Chiara Moriglia, Filippo Simionato, Sergio Garofalo, Giulia Perini and Fabio Sambataro ()
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Alessandro Miola: Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35127 Padua, Italy
Stefano Caiolo: Medicine Faculty, University of Padova, 35127 Padua, Italy
Giancarlo Pontoni: Psychiatry Section, Psychophysiological Selection Office, Italian Army National Recruitment and Selection Center, 06034 Foligno, Italy
Erica Pozzan: Medicine Faculty, University of Padova, 35127 Padua, Italy
Chiara Moriglia: Psyops Development Center, 28th (APICE) Regiment “Pavia”, 61121 Pesaro, Italy
Filippo Simionato: Medicine Faculty, University of Padova, 35127 Padua, Italy
Sergio Garofalo: Psychiatry Section, Military Department of Forensic Medicine, 35137 Padua, Italy
Giulia Perini: Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35127 Padua, Italy
Fabio Sambataro: Department of Neuroscience (DNS), Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35127 Padua, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: Background: Evidence suggests increased anxious-depressive symptoms in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic, also in its second wave. High symptom variability across individuals suggests that risk and protective factors, including coping strategies, can play a mediating role. Methods: General Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Brief-COPE questionnaires were administered to people attending a COVID-19 point-of-care. Univariate and multivariate methods were used to test the association of symptoms with risk and protective factors. Results: A total of 3509 participants (27.5% with moderate-severe anxiety; 12% with depressive symptoms) were recruited. Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, including age, sex, sleep, physical activity, psychiatric treatments, parenthood, employment, and religiosity were associated with affective symptoms. Avoidant (self-distraction, venting, behavioral disengagement) and approach (emotional support, self-blame but not positive reframing and acceptance) coping strategies predicted greater anxiety. Avoidant strategies, including venting, denial, behavioral disengagement, substance use, and self-blame, and the humor strategy were associated with more severe depressive symptoms, while the planning predicted the opposite. Conclusions: Coping strategies, in addition to socio-demographic and life-habit factors, could have contributed to modulating anxious and depressive symptoms during the second-wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, thus advocating for interventions aimed at promoting positive coping strategies to reduce the psychosocial toll of the pandemic.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; affective symptoms; COVID-19 pandemic; coping strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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