COVID-19 and chronic disease patients: Perceived stress, worry, and emotional regulation strategies

Rehabil Psychol. 2021 Nov;66(4):380-385. doi: 10.1037/rep0000409. Epub 2021 Sep 30.

Abstract

Objective: The current study aimed at investigating the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Italian individuals with a preexisting medical condition. Specifically, the study analyzed: (a) if different conditions were associated with different levels of distress, different levels of worry, and different emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression); and (b) if distress levels were associated with levels of worry about COVID-19, emotion regulation strategies, and changes to medical treatment due to the pandemic.

Method: This cross-sectional study involved 124 individuals (79.8% female; mean age = 48.88 years; SD = 14.95) with a diagnosis of chronic disease. The questionnaires, administered during the peak of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy (April-May 2020), comprised the Perceived Stress Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, a COVID-19 worry questionnaire, and a questionnaire designed to collect anamnestic and sociodemographic data.

Results: Higher levels of expressive suppression and worries related to COVID-19, and changes to medical treatment due to the pandemic, were associated with higher perceived stress in patients with a preexisting chronic disease. No differences emerged in the study variables according to the type of chronic disease.

Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of considering expressive suppression, levels of worry about COVID-19, and changes to scheduled medical treatment. Screening procedures based on these factors may be useful for identifying individuals with a preexisting medical condition at higher risk of distress, in order to offer them specific and remotely delivered psychological support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Chronic Disease
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Emotional Regulation*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pandemics
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Stress, Psychological