Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33582428›Full record

ArticleJournal of affective disorders2021

Psychological distress associated with the COVID-19 lockdown: A two-wave network analysis.

Maria Di Blasi, Salvatore Gullo, Elisa Mancinelli, Maria Francesca Freda, Giovanna Esposito, Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo, Gloria Lagetto, Cecilia Giordano, Claudia Mazzeschi, Chiara Pazzagli and 2 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of affective disorders, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
65citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
22.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

65 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 142 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Anxiety Linked to COVID-19: A Systematic Review Comparing Anxiety Rates in Different Populations.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
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  10. Entrepreneurship Under Fire: Psychological Distress During Armed Conflict from a Public Health Perspective.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
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5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Maria Di BlasiDepartment of Psychology, Educational Sciences and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy. Electronic address: maria.diblasi@unipa.it.
Salvatore GulloDepartment of Psychology, Educational Sciences and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
Elisa MancinelliDepartment of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, 35132 Padova, Italy.
Maria Francesca FredaDepartment of Humanities, University of Napoli Federico II, 80133 Napoli, Italy.
Giovanna EspositoDepartment of Humanities, University of Napoli Federico II, 80133 Napoli, Italy.
Omar Carlo Gioacchino GeloDepartment of History, Society and Human Studies, Studium 2000- University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy; Faculty of Psychotherapy Science, Sigmund Freud University Vienna, 1020, Vienna, Austria.
Gloria LagettoDepartment of History, Society and Human Studies, Studium 2000- University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
Cecilia GiordanoDepartment of Psychology, Educational Sciences and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
Claudia MazzeschiDepartment of Philosophy, Social & Human Sciences and Education, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy.
Chiara PazzagliDepartment of Philosophy, Social & Human Sciences and Education, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy.
Silvia SalcuniDepartment of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, 35132 Padova, Italy.
Gianluca Lo CocoDepartment of Psychology, Educational Sciences and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
University of Palermo · ITUniversity of Naples Federico II · ITUniversity of Padua · ITUniversity of Perugia · ITSigmund Freud Privatuniversität Wien · ATUniversity of Salento · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough preliminary research has evidenced negative psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among the general population, little research has been carried out examining the interplay among the broader dimensions and correlates of individual distress. Via network analysis, the current study investigated the pathways that underlie some components of psychological distress and their changes over time (during and post COVID-19-related lockdown).

methods1,129 adult participants (79.1% women) completed a two-wave online survey during and after the lockdown, and reported on variables such as depression, anxiety, stress, fear of COVID, intolerance of uncertainty, emotion regulation and social support. The networks were estimated via Gaussian Graphical Models and their temporal changes were compared through the centrality measures.

resultsDepression, stress, anxiety and fear of COVID formed a spatially contiguous pattern, which remained unchanged in both the two waves. After the lockdown, the fear of COVID node reduced its strength in the network, whereas inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty and emotion suppression were associated with depression. Emotion regulation was connected to depression, but not to stress and anxiety during both waves. Perceived emotional support had few connections to the other nodes. LIMITATIONS: Only 32.7% of participants provided complete responses for both waves.

conclusionThe COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant psychosocial impact on adults. In the context of the network approach, depressive symptoms had the highest strength and their associations to other dimensions of individual distress may be key factors in understanding the influence of exposure to the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health.

Indexed as

COVID-19Psychological DistressAdultAnxietyCommunicable Disease ControlDepressionFemaleHumansMalePandemicsSARS-CoV-2Stress, PsychologicalCOVID-19DepressionEmotion regulationFear of COVID: Intolerance of uncertaintyNetwork analysis

Identifiers

PMID33582428
PMCPMC8771473
OpenAlexW3127594419

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.