Rossi Alessandro, Panzeri Anna, Pietrabissa Giada, Manzoni Gian Mauro, Castelnuovo Gianluca, Mannarini Stefania
Section of Applied Psychology, Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education, and Applied Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Interdepartmental Center for Family Research, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Front Psychol. 2020 Nov 10;11:2177. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02177. eCollection 2020.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) disease has spread worldwide, generating intense fear of infection and death that may lead to enduring anxiety. At the same time, quarantine and physical isolation can intensify feelings of dispositional loneliness that, by focusing on thoughts of disconnection from others, can trigger intense anxiety. Anxiety, generated by both fear of COVID-19 and dispositional loneliness, can activate negative expectations and thoughts of death, potentially generating alarming depressive symptoms. However, the suggests that self-esteem acts as a shield (buffer) against mental health threats - fear and loneliness - thus hampering anxiety and depressive symptoms.
This study aims to test the process - triggered by COVID-19 fear and loneliness - in which self-esteem should buffer the path leading to anxiety symptoms, then to depression.
An observational research design with structural equation models was used. A sample of 1200 participants enrolled from the general population answered an online survey comprising: the fear of COVID-19 scale, the UCLA loneliness scale, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and the anxiety and depression scales of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised.
Structural equation models showed the link between anxiety symptoms () with both the fear of COVID-19 and dispositional loneliness (), as well as its association with consequent depressive symptomatology (). In line with the anxiety-buffer hypothesis, self-esteem mediated the relationship between the predictors and their adverse psychological consequences.
Self-esteem represents a protective factor from the antecedents of depression. Targeted psychological interventions should be implemented to minimize the psychological burden of the disease whilst promoting adaptation and positive psychological health outcomes.
冠状病毒病（COVID-19）已在全球蔓延，引发了对感染和死亡的强烈恐惧，这可能导致持久的焦虑。与此同时，隔离和身体上的孤立会加剧性格上的孤独感，这种孤独感通过关注与他人隔绝的想法，可能引发强烈的焦虑。由对COVID-19的恐惧和性格上的孤独感所产生的焦虑，会激活消极的期望和对死亡的想法，有可能产生令人担忧的抑郁症状。然而，研究表明自尊起到了抵御心理健康威胁——恐惧和孤独——的盾牌（缓冲）作用，从而抑制焦虑和抑郁症状。
本研究旨在检验由对COVID-19的恐惧和孤独引发的过程，在这个过程中自尊应缓冲通往焦虑症状进而导致抑郁的路径。
采用带有结构方程模型的观察性研究设计。从普通人群中招募的1200名参与者的样本回答了一项在线调查，该调查包括：COVID-19恐惧量表、加州大学洛杉矶分校孤独量表、罗森伯格自尊量表以及症状自评量表90修订版中的焦虑和抑郁量表。
结构方程模型显示了焦虑症状（）与对COVID-19的恐惧和性格上的孤独感（）之间的联系，以及它与随之而来的抑郁症状（）的关联。与焦虑缓冲假设一致，自尊介导了预测因素与其不良心理后果之间的关系。
自尊是抑郁先兆的一个保护因素。应实施有针对性的心理干预，以尽量减少疾病的心理负担，同时促进适应和积极的心理健康结果。
