Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an ongoing stressor that may have detrimental effects on mental health. Theoretical and empirical literature implies that individuals who are characterized by catastrophic appraisals of somatic cues, a tendency known as anxiety sensitivity, as well as by older subjective age, might be particularly vulnerable to depression and anxiety during the pandemic. Furthermore, subjective age might moderate the relations between anxiety sensitivity with depression and anxiety symptoms. Yet, research to date has not explored the contribution of both anxiety sensitivity and subjective age in explaining distress following stress in general, nor in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Method Filling this gap, a convenience sample of 828 participants (M age = 43.98, SD = 14.06) filled questionnaires measuring background variables, COVID-19–related stressors, anxiety sensitivity, subjective age, and anxiety and depression symptoms during the pandemic. Results Positive associations were found between anxiety sensitivity and subjective age, on the one hand, and anxiety and depression symptoms, on the other. Furthermore, subjective age moderated the relations between anxiety sensitivity with depression and anxiety symptoms. Although higher levels of anxiety sensitivity were related to depression and anxiety during the pandemic, these relations were significantly stronger among participants with an older subjective age. Discussion The findings are consistent with theories that view subjective age as an intraindividual construct involved in modulating important mental health outcomes in the context of coping with stress.

中文翻译：

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感觉变老的代价：主观年龄缓和了 COVID-19 流行期间焦虑敏感性与焦虑和抑郁症状之间的关联

目标 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 大流行是一种持续的压力源，可能对心理健康产生不利影响。理论和实证文献表明，以对躯体线索的灾难性评估、被称为焦虑敏感性的趋势以及主观年龄较大为特征的个体，在大流行期间可能特别容易受到抑郁和焦虑的影响。此外，主观年龄可能会调节焦虑敏感性与抑郁和焦虑症状之间的关系。然而，迄今为止的研究并没有探讨焦虑敏感性和主观年龄在解释压力后的痛苦方面的贡献，也没有考虑到当前的 COVID-19 大流行。方法填补这一空白，828 名参与者的便利样本（M 年龄 = 43.98，SD = 14. 06) 填写了测量背景变量、COVID-19 相关压力源、焦虑敏感性、主观年龄以及大流行期间的焦虑和抑郁症状的问卷。结果 一方面，焦虑敏感性与主观年龄之间存在正相关，另一方面，焦虑和抑郁症状之间存在正相关。此外，主观年龄调节了焦虑敏感性与抑郁和焦虑症状之间的关系。尽管较高水平的焦虑敏感性与大流行期间的抑郁和焦虑有关，但这些关系在主观年龄较大的参与者中明显更强。讨论 这些发现与将主观年龄视为在应对压力的背景下调节重要的心理健康结果的个体内部结构的理论是一致的。