Social connectedness and resilience post COVID-19 pandemic : Buffering against trauma, stress, and psychosis
Gizdic, Alena (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut)
Baxter, Tatiana (Vanderbilt University (Nashville). Department of Psychology)
Barrantes-Vidal, Neus (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut)
Park, Sohee (Vanderbilt University. Department of Psychology)

Date:	2023
Abstract:	The present study investigated psychosocial predictors of psychosis-risk, depression, anxiety, and stress in Croatia two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the existing transgenerational war trauma and associated psychiatric consequences in Croatian population, a significant pandemic-related deterioration of mental health was expected. Recent studies suggest that after an initial increase in psychiatric disorders during the pandemic in Croatia, depression, stress, and anxiety rapidly declined. These findings highlight the role of social connectedness and resilience in the face of the global pandemic. We examined resilience and psychiatric disorder risk in 377 Croatian adults using an anonymous online mental health survey. Results indicate that there was an exacerbation of all mental ill health variables, including depression, anxiety, stress, and a doubled risk for psychosis outcome post-COVID pandemic. Stress decreased levels of resilience, however, those exposed to previous traumatic experience and greater social connectedness had higher resilience levels. These findings suggest that individual differences in underlying stress sensitization of Croatian population due to past trauma may continue to influence mental health consequences two years after COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to promote the importance of social connectedness and resilience in preventing the development of variety of mental health disorders.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Post COVID-19 ; Social connectedness ; Resilience ; Trauma ; Psychosis ; Mental health
Published in:	Psychiatry Research Communications, Vol. 3 (may 2023) , p. 100126, ISSN 2772-5987

DOI: 10.1016/j.psycom.2023.100126
PMID: 37168290

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