Special Issue "Environmental Aspects of Mental Health and Medical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic"

Wiktor Potoczny

Andrzej Pomianowski

Mateusz Franciszek Kołek

Sylwia Wrona

and

Konrad Guzowski

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 999; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20020999 - 05 Jan 2023

Viewed by 731

Abstract

People’s opinions on immunization are diverse. Despite the constant improvement of vaccine formulas, the number of people reluctant to immunize is not decreasing. The purpose of our study is to assess the psychological determinants of immunization reluctance in depth. We measured levels of anxiety (death-related and general), fear of COVID-19, self-esteem and resilience among 342 adults. We found that the level of COVID-19 related fear is higher among the vaccinated population, despite general anxiety levels being lower. Surprisingly we didn’t find significant differences in resilience and self-esteem levels. Findings are concurrent with previous research—COVID-19 related fear level is higher among vaccinated people. Resilience and self-esteem are defined as stable, trait-like constructs, and thus may not manifest higher levels in very specific pandemic situations, although they may lower the levels of general anxiety. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Aspects of Mental Health and Medical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic)

Potential Factors Conditioning the Compliance to Mandatory Face Covering in the Public Space Due to SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

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Open AccessArticle

Andrzej Robert Skrzypczak

Emil Andrzej Karpiński

Barbara Superson

Mateusz Franciszek Kołek

and

Gabriela Kania

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 726; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010726 - 30 Dec 2022

Viewed by 731

Abstract

Background: During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we could observe different attitudes towards restrictive bans and orders. Aim: The research aimed to examine the potential psychological factors, such as generalized anxiety, fear of COVID-19 or social approval, related to the approach to mandatory face covering in public spaces. Methods: The web-assisted interviews survey was used among 202 participants, which included socio-demographical data, approach to face covering, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, and The Questionnaire of Social Approval. Result: The data showed a statistically significant correlation between compliance to the rule of face and nose covering vs. anxiety and compliance to the rule of face and nose covering vs. generalized anxiety. The results indicate differences between vaccinated and non-vaccinated people in the anxiety of COVID-19, generalized anxiety, and compliance with the rule of face and nose covering. Conclusions: People vaccinated has a higher level of anxiety and more often compliance with the rule of face covering. It is worth noting that an overly pronounced fear of COVID-19 could be a risk factor for mental health. More research about coping with anxiety in the group of vaccinated people is recommended. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Aspects of Mental Health and Medical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic)

Masquerade of Polish Society—Psychological Determinants of COVID-19 Precautionary Behaviors

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Open AccessArticle

Małgorzata Barbara Płoszaj

Elżbieta Szpakiewicz

Mateusz Franciszek Kołek

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010129 - 22 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1188

Abstract

The risk of contracting COVID-19 was a very specific situation of uncertainty and ambi-guity, and of course, cognitively interesting for psychologists studying the determinants of behaviors of different personality types. In this study, we set our sights on trying to find a correlation between adherence to wearing masks and receiving vaccinations and having certain character traits that we thought might influence preventive behavior or not. We focused on the Dark Triad—psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism—as well as social approval and the need for cognition closure, as these traits have previously been linked to heightened conspiracy mentalities. We recruited 159 subjects in the experiment, including 53 male and 106 female participants over the age of 18 to take part in an online survey investigating personality and COVID-19 information. The results confirmed our hypothesis that age, empathy, the need for social approval and other psychological traits are the factors that differentiates people who wear face masks from those who do not. However, it seems impossible to define one set of features that would predispose people to not wear face masks. In our study, the importance of psychological features differed depending on the category of public places. We discuss possible implications of these findings and provide direction for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Aspects of Mental Health and Medical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic)

Personality, Anxiety, and Stress in Patients with Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome. The Polish Preliminary Study

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Open AccessArticle

Joanna Kossewska

Karolina Bierlit

and

Vladimir Trajkovski

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010093 - 21 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1242

Abstract

Objective: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) syndrome is associated with depression and anxiety. This study aimed to examine for the first time the correlation between personality traits, situational anxiety, and stress in Polish patients with SIBO. Methodology: This study included 26 patients with SIBO aged 20–35 years and 24 non-SIBO patients aged 20–35 years. The following instruments were used: NEO-FFI Personality Inventory, KPS Sense of Stress Questionnaire, and the anxiety-state subscale from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: Compared to the non-SIBO subgroup, SIBO patients expressed specific patterns of personality traits: higher neuroticism, lower extroversion, and a higher state of anxiety and stress. Unlike the non-SIBO subgroup, stress (total emotional tension, external, and intrapsychic) correlated negatively only with extroversion. Conclusions: Personality is the primary regulator of experience and behavior. The specificity captured in the research is a premise for an in-depth study considering various psychological variables to determine cause-effect relationships. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Aspects of Mental Health and Medical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic)

Impact of Personal Experience of COVID-19 Disease on Recreational Anglers’ Attitudes and Behaviors

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Open AccessArticle

Andrzej Robert Skrzypczak

Emil Andrzej Karpiński

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16551; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416551 - 09 Dec 2022

Viewed by 971

Abstract

Background: Anglers are a large social group with access to a “relatively safe” form of recreation, that allows the opportunity to relieve stress. An important question, however, is how they did so, and to what extent their perceived COVID-19 transition status influenced decisions both in life and at the fishing site. Aim: Our study aimed to determine the dynamics of anglers’ attitudes and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of the different statuses of their exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We assumed that the behavior of anglers who have not experienced the disease (were not ill and not sure if ill) will be similar and, on the other hand, different from the behavior of those who have experienced COVID-19. Methods: The web-assisted interviews survey was used among 586 anglers with different COVID-19 disease experience statuses. Their pandemic behavior and activities by four age groups were studied using non-metric multidimensional scaling. Redundancy analysis has been used to identify the relationship between anglers’ life attitudes and socioeconomic and demographic factors, taking into account their preferences and involvement in fishing. Results: We have demonstrated that the behavior of anglers who have not experienced COVID-19 disease and do not present a reckless attitude toward pandemic threats, do not show significant differences from the life attitudes of the group experienced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These two groups comprise more than 70% of anglers. However, the rest show a lack of interest in an aware diagnosis of their health and a low level of acceptance of self-restraint in the area of direct social contact. Conclusions: Unawareness, combined with ignorance, could be a potential factor in the transmission of the virus while fishing. The behaviors of almost 30% of anglers are particularly risky when combined with a strong need to fish in the company of friends and familiar people. Anglers’ social identity should be tapped by fishery managers. Targeted educational campaigns should be aimed at groups around specific fishing spots. The need for self-limitation under the pandemic should be promoted for the benefit of the general public and to maintain the reputation of angling as a safe recreational activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Aspects of Mental Health and Medical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic)

The Influence of COVID-19 on University Students’ Well-Being, Physical Activity, Body Composition, and Strength Endurance

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Open AccessArticle

Andrzej Robert Skrzypczak

Kevin John Finn

Krzysztof Borysławski

Aneta Anna Omelan

Anna Maria Podstawska

and

Andrzej Pomianowski

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15680; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315680 - 25 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 917

Abstract

Background: Very few scientific studies have simultaneously evaluated changes in well-being (WB), physical activity (PA), and strength endurance (SE) based on results from before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess WB, PA, and SE levels, as well as body composition parameters in university students before and during the pandemic. Methods: The study included 30 males and 30 females (mean age: 21.7 ± 2.51 and 21.6 ± 2.34 years, respectively). Well-being using the Self-Perception Questionnaire (POMS), PA from the Polish regular version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), body composition parameters using the InBody 270 analyzer, and SE based on the results of a 12 min test involving a Concept 2PM-5 rowing ergometer were assessed before and during the pandemic. Results: An assessment of university students’ WB revealed a significant increase in variables such as tension, depression, anger, confusion, and a significant decline in vigor (p < 0.05). In both sexes, PA and SE decreased significantly—from 2115.4 to 1822.8 METs-min/week and from 2184.5 to 2035 m, respectively, in males, and from 1793.5 to 1699.8 METs-min/week and from 2021.5 to 1943.8 m, respectively, in females. At the same time, body mass and BMI values increased significantly (p < 0.001) in both females and males. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decrease in WB, PA and SE levels in young females and males, and led to a significant increase in their body mass and BMI. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Aspects of Mental Health and Medical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic)

The Difference in Electromyographic Activity While Wearing a Medical Mask in Women with and without Temporomandibular Disorders

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Open AccessArticle

and

Ingrid Różyło-Kalinowska

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15559; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315559 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 764

Abstract

Wearing a medical mask influences resting activity of the temporalis anterior and masseter muscles in healthy young women. However, no studies link medical mask-wearing with masticatory muscle activity in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). Therefore, this study aims to compare electromyographic patterns while wearing a medical mask between women with and without temporomandibular disorders. Based on the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders, 115 adult women qualified for the study. Participants were divided into the following two groups: diagnosed TMDs (n = 55; mean age: 23.5 ± 2.3 years) and healthy women (n = 60; mean age: 23.7 ± 2.6 years). Examinations of the resting and functional electromyographic activity of the temporalis anterior (TA), superficial masseter (MM), anterior bellies of the digastric muscle (DA), and the middle part of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) were carried out using the BioEMG III™. Both groups showed statistically significant decreases in resting masticatory muscle activity during medical mask examination compared to no mask measurement. The significant differences in no mask measurement between both groups were noted regarding resting masticatory activity, clenching in the intercuspal position, and clenching on dental cotton rollers. During medical mask examination, women with TMDs showed differences in resting masticatory activity and clenching on dental cotton rollers compared to the healthy group. In all analyzed variables, both groups showed similar electromyographic patterns in the maximum mouth opening measurement during medical mask and no mask examination. A medical mask influences the resting bioelectric activity of the masticatory muscles in women with temporomandibular disorders and healthy women. We observed differences and some similarities in resting and functional electromyographic patterns within masticatory and neck muscles in both groups during medical mask and no mask examination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Aspects of Mental Health and Medical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic)

COVID-19 in Memes: The Adaptive Response of Societies to the Pandemic?

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Open AccessArticle

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12969; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912969 - 10 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3538

Abstract

COVID-19 expanded rapidly throughout the world, with enormous health, social, and economic consequences. Mental health is the most affected by extreme negative emotions and stress, but it has been an underestimated part of human life during the pandemic. We hypothesized that people may have responded to the pandemic spontaneously with increased interest in and creation of funny internet memes. Using Google and Google Trends, we revealed that the number of and interest in funny internet memes related to COVID-19 exploded during the spring 2020 lockdown. The interest in coronavirus memes was positively correlated with interest in mortality due to COVID-19 on a global scale, and positively associated with the real number of deaths and cases reported in different countries. We compared content of a random sample of 200 coronavirus memes with a random sample of 200 non-coronavirus memes found on the Internet. The sentiment analysis showed that coronavirus memes had a similar proportion of positive and negative words compared to non-coronavirus memes. However, an internet questionnaire revealed that coronavirus memes gained higher funniness scores than a random sample of non-coronavirus memes. Our results confirm that societies may have turned to humor to cope with the threat of SARS-CoV-2. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Aspects of Mental Health and Medical Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic)