ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives

The COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing protocols designed to impede transmission of the corona virus have severe mental health consequences. This study examine changes in loneliness in the general adult population when the corona-related social distancing protocols were largely discontinued (T2) following a period of strict protocols (T1), predictors and correlates of these changes, and the associations between loneliness and depression and anxiety symptoms.

Design

In an online survey, 10,061 responded at T1. At T2, these respondents were asked to complete the survey again, and 4936 (49.1%) of them responded.

Results

Loneliness decreased from T1 to T2, but only to a minor extent. Using a multilevel approach, younger age was found to be related to more reduction of loneliness from T1 to T2. Higher health anxiety was found to predict less reduction of loneliness across time. Reduction of maladaptive coping strategies and negative metacognitive beliefs from T1 to T2 were both associated with reduction in loneliness. In turn, reductions in loneliness were associated with reductions of depression and anxiety symptoms.

Conclusions

The results suggest that health anxiety, maladaptive coping strategies and negative meta-beliefs are potential targets of intervention to alleviate loneliness.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04444115.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行期间的孤独：从严格到停止的社会疏离协议的变化和变化的预测因素

摘要

背景和目标

COVID-19 大流行和旨在阻止冠状病毒传播的社会疏离协议会产生严重的心理健康后果。本研究检查了在一段时间的严格协议 (T1) 后，与新冠病毒相关的社交距离协议在很大程度上停止 (T2) 后，一般成年人群的孤独感的变化、这些变化的预测因素和相关性，以及孤独感与抑郁症和抑郁症之间的关联。焦虑症状。

设计

在一项在线调查中，有 10,061 人在 T1 做出了回应。在 T2 时，这些受访者被要求再次完成调查，其中 4936 人（49.1%）做出了回应。

结果

孤独感从 T1 下降到 T2，但幅度很小。使用多层次方法，发现年龄越小与从 T1 到 T2 的孤独感减少更多有关。发现更高的健康焦虑可以预测随着时间的推移减少孤独感。从 T1 到 T2 的适应不良应对策略和消极元认知信念的减少都与孤独感的减少有关。反过来，孤独感的减少与抑郁和焦虑症状的减少有关。

结论

结果表明，健康焦虑、适应不良的应对策略和消极的元信念是缓解孤独感的潜在干预目标。

临床试验注册

ClinicalTrials.gov 标识符：NCT04444115。