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- Understanding differential stress and mental health reactions to COVID-19 related eventsPublication . Sebastião, Rita; Neto, David Dias; Costa, VascoThe effects of the pandemic on mental health can be studied through different variables, such as the number of COVID-19 stressors, the stressor types, and the stress responses. Understanding the sources of mental strain is crucial for developing effective interventions. The present study analyzed the relationship between these COVID-19-related variables and positive and negative mental health. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 666 individuals from the Portuguese general population, mostly females (65.5%) between 16–93 years old. They completed self-report measures regarding the number of COVID-19 stressors, the stressor types, the stress responses (IES-R), and positive (MHC-SF) and negative mental health (BSI-18). The results demonstrated that a higher number of COVID-19-experienced stressors and more stress responses were related to worse mental health. Regarding stressor types, experiences not related to the COVID-19 infection (e.g., tension at home) presented the largest effects on mental health. The strongest predictor was the stress responses for negative (β = 0.50) and positive mental health (β = −0.17). The predictors explained more about negative mental health than positive. These findings support the idea that individual appraisals play a crucial role in mental health.
- The psychological impact of COVID-19 in the general population: A review and reflection in Portuguese Speaking CountriesPublication . Sebastião, Rita; Costa, Vasco; Neto, David DiasDespite being a global condition, the COVID-19 pandemic, has differential impacts, expressed in different number of cases, deaths, information, political and cultural issues. We review and summarized the literature related to the pandemic of COVID-19 in Portuguese speaking countries. The goal of our review was: 1) summarize the research that reported the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic disorder, and other indicators of psychological impact in the general population from Portuguese speaking countries, in specific Portugal and Brazil; 2) focus on the COVID-19 related experiences that can be associated with psychological issues; 3) reflect on risk and protective factors that may be associated with psychological distress; and 4) present some reflections about psychological processes that can explain the association between the pandemic and mental health.
- Stress and mental health: The role of emotional schemas and psychological flexibility in the context of COVID-19Publication . Sebastião, Rita; Neto, David DiasStress has been associated with mental health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, stress responses were identified as an important factor affecting mental health. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. Following a process-based approach, emotional schemas and psychological flexibility seem to be promising processes for understanding these impacts. The present study aims to evaluate the role of two potential processes – emotional schemas and psychological flexibility – in the relationship between stress responses and (positive and negative) mental health. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 583 individuals from the Portuguese population (M age = 44.8, 64.3% females). They completed measures of stress responses, emotional schemas, psychological flexibility, positive and negative mental health. The results demonstrated that emotional schemas and psychological flexibility significantly mediate the relationship between stress responses and mental health. Our findings highlight the importance of attending to emotional schemas and psychological flexibility within stressful contexts. Furthermore, it stresses the need to develop individualised intervention programs that target emotional schemas and psychological flexibility to promote and protect mental health, ultimately decreasing symptoms and increasing well-being.