ABSTRACT

Background and objectives

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused increased psychological distress and decreased quality of life (QoL), but limited research has evaluated cognitive appraisals of COVID-19. This study aimed to examine the role of three stress appraisals of the COVID-19 pandemic – threat appraisal, harm/loss appraisal, and challenge appraisal – and the interaction between these appraisals and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) on psychological distress and QoL.

Design

This was a cross-sectional survey study using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.

Methods

A sample of 327 adults living in the U.S. completed a series of questionnaires investigating IU, appraisal of the pandemic, psychological distress, and QoL in May 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

Controlling for demographic variables, IU and harm/loss appraisal positively related to psychological distress and negatively related to QoL. Challenge appraisals negatively related to distress and positively related to QoL. Moderation analyses revealed that higher levels of IU led to stronger positive relationships between threat appraisal and psychological distress.

Conclusions

Cognitive appraisals of COVID-19 are associated with psychological health, though the relationship between threat appraisal and psychological distress are strongest for those with difficulty tolerating uncertainty. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

中文翻译：

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美国早期 COVID-19 期间压力评估和对不确定性的不容忍与心理健康的关系

摘要

背景和目标

COVID-19 大流行导致心理压力增加和生活质量 (QoL) 下降，但有限的研究评估了 COVID-19 的认知评估。本研究旨在检验 COVID-19 大流行的三种压力评估的作用——威胁评估、伤害/损失评估和挑战评估——以及这些评估与不确定性不容忍 (IU) 对心理困扰和生活质量的相互作用。

设计

这是一项使用亚马逊的 Mechanical Turk 进行的横断面调查研究。

方法

在 2020 年 5 月第一波 COVID-19 大流行期间，居住在美国的 327 名成年人样本完成了一系列问卷调查，调查 IU、大流行评估、心理困扰和 QoL。

结果

控制人口统计变量、IU 和伤害/损失评估与心理困扰呈正相关，与 QoL 呈负相关。挑战评估与痛苦负相关，与 QoL 正相关。适度分析表明，更高水平的 IU 导致威胁评估和心理困扰之间更强的正相关关系。

结论

对 COVID-19 的认知评估与心理健康有关，尽管对于那些难以忍受不确定性的人来说，威胁评估和心理困扰之间的关系最强。讨论了理论和实践意义。