Carnahan Nicolette D, Carter Michele M, Sbrocco Tracy
Department of Psychology, American University, 4801 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016 USA.
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD USA.
Int J Cogn Ther. 2022;15(1):1-19. doi: 10.1007/s41811-021-00123-9. Epub 2021 Oct 5.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased distress and uncertainty. Understanding the progression of mental health and factors underlying the perpetuation of distress during the pandemic is pivotal in informing interventions and public health messaging. This current study examined longitudinal effects of two cognitive vulnerabilities, looming cognitive style, and intolerance of uncertainty, as well as coping styles on anxiety and depression through online questionnaires at two time points in the pandemic, May 2020 ( = 1520) and August 2020 ( = 545). Depression, but not anxiety, significantly increased across time, which was moderated by coping style. Serial mediation modeling using path analysis demonstrated a significant pathway illustrating increased looming cognitive style in the beginning of the pandemic leads to increased intolerance of uncertainty, avoidant coping, and anxiety later in the pandemic. Results suggest a novel model in conceptualizing anxiety during the pandemic, namely highlighting looming cognitive style as an underlying cognitive vulnerability factor and antecedent of intolerance of uncertainty and illuminating the temporal directionality between looming cognitive style and intolerance of uncertainty. These findings provide important implications regarding intervention and public health messaging with modifiable behavioral and cognitive factors to improve mental health during a pandemic.
新冠疫情导致了更多的痛苦和不确定性。了解疫情期间心理健康的发展过程以及痛苦持续存在的潜在因素，对于指导干预措施和公共卫生信息传递至关重要。本研究通过在疫情期间的两个时间点（2020年5月，n = 1520；2020年8月，n = 545）进行在线问卷调查，考察了两种认知脆弱性（迫近认知风格和对不确定性的不耐受）以及应对方式对焦虑和抑郁的纵向影响。抑郁而非焦虑随时间显著增加，且受应对方式的调节。使用路径分析的系列中介模型显示了一条显著路径，表明疫情初期迫近认知风格的增加会导致疫情后期对不确定性的不耐受增加、回避应对以及焦虑增加。研究结果提出了一个在概念化疫情期间焦虑方面的新模型，即强调迫近认知风格是潜在的认知脆弱因素和对不确定性不耐受的前因，并阐明迫近认知风格与对不确定性不耐受之间的时间方向性。这些发现对于通过可改变的行为和认知因素进行干预和公共卫生信息传递以改善疫情期间的心理健康具有重要意义。
