tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Brain Behav
. 2023 Nov 21:e3314.
doi: 10.1002/brb3.3314. Online ahead of print. Acute stress symptoms in general population during the first wave of COVID lockdown in Italy: Results from the COMET trial
Claudia Carmassi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gaia Sampogna[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Matteo Di Vincenzo[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Salvatore Cipolla[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Claudia Toni[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Umberto Albert[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Giuseppe Carrà[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Francesca Cirulli[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Bernardo Dell'Osso[SUP] 6 7 [/SUP], Sara Fantasia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maria Giulia Nanni[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Virginia Pedrinelli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maurizio Pompili[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Gabriele Sani[SUP] 10 11 [/SUP], Alfonso Tortorella[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Umberto Volpe[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Andrea Fiorillo[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented traumatic event that has severely impacted social, economic, and health well-being worldwide. The COvid Mental hEalth Trial was specifically designed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures on the mental health of the Italian general population in terms of COVID-19-related acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms.
Methods: The present cross-sectional study is based on an online survey carried out in the period March-May 2020. Italian general adult population was invited to compile an anonymous survey, which included the severity of acute stress symptoms scale/National Stressful Events Survey Short Scale to investigate the occurrence and severity of ASD symptoms.
Results: The final sample consisted of 20,720 participants. During the lockdown, subjects with pre-existing mental health problems reported a statistically significant higher risk of acute post-traumatic symptoms compared to the general population (B: 2.57; 95% CI:2.04-3.09; p < .0001) and health care professionals (B: .37; 95% CI: .02-0.72; p < .05). According to multivariate regression models, the levels of acute post-traumatic symptoms (p < .0001) were higher in younger and female respondents. Social isolation and sleep disorder/insomnia represented positive predictors of acute stress (B = 3.32, 95% CI = 3.08-3.57).
Conclusions: Concerns about the risk of infection as well as social isolation caused a higher incidence of acute post-traumatic stress symptoms that may predict the subsequent development of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in the long term.
Keywords: ASD; COVID-19; PTSD; acute stress; acute stress symptoms; lockdown; post-traumatic stress symptoms.
. 2023 Nov 21:e3314.
doi: 10.1002/brb3.3314. Online ahead of print. Acute stress symptoms in general population during the first wave of COVID lockdown in Italy: Results from the COMET trial
Claudia Carmassi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gaia Sampogna[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Matteo Di Vincenzo[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Salvatore Cipolla[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Claudia Toni[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Umberto Albert[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Giuseppe Carrà[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Francesca Cirulli[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Bernardo Dell'Osso[SUP] 6 7 [/SUP], Sara Fantasia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maria Giulia Nanni[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Virginia Pedrinelli[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maurizio Pompili[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Gabriele Sani[SUP] 10 11 [/SUP], Alfonso Tortorella[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Umberto Volpe[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Andrea Fiorillo[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 37990771
- DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3314
Background: The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented traumatic event that has severely impacted social, economic, and health well-being worldwide. The COvid Mental hEalth Trial was specifically designed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures on the mental health of the Italian general population in terms of COVID-19-related acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms.
Methods: The present cross-sectional study is based on an online survey carried out in the period March-May 2020. Italian general adult population was invited to compile an anonymous survey, which included the severity of acute stress symptoms scale/National Stressful Events Survey Short Scale to investigate the occurrence and severity of ASD symptoms.
Results: The final sample consisted of 20,720 participants. During the lockdown, subjects with pre-existing mental health problems reported a statistically significant higher risk of acute post-traumatic symptoms compared to the general population (B: 2.57; 95% CI:2.04-3.09; p < .0001) and health care professionals (B: .37; 95% CI: .02-0.72; p < .05). According to multivariate regression models, the levels of acute post-traumatic symptoms (p < .0001) were higher in younger and female respondents. Social isolation and sleep disorder/insomnia represented positive predictors of acute stress (B = 3.32, 95% CI = 3.08-3.57).
Conclusions: Concerns about the risk of infection as well as social isolation caused a higher incidence of acute post-traumatic stress symptoms that may predict the subsequent development of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in the long term.
Keywords: ASD; COVID-19; PTSD; acute stress; acute stress symptoms; lockdown; post-traumatic stress symptoms.