The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived stress among Romanian young adults : negative affect and avoidant coping as mediators

Abstract

Background and objectives:Although young adults were considered to face a lower risk of severe coronavirus infection, they were at higher risk for adverse psychosocial effects. The aim of this study was to test the me-diating roles of negative affect and avoidant coping, firstly in the relation-ship between COVID-19 impact and perceived stress, and then in the rela-tionship between perceived coronavirus threat and perceived stress. Design:Cross-sectional design. Methods: We conducted the study on a sample of 669 university students (aged between 18-28), during the critical fourth wave, when the delta variant was the dominant strain. Results: The results indicate significant positive associations between the impact of COVID-19 and perceived stress (r = .485; p<.001), and between perceived corona-virus threat and perceived stress (r= .283; p<.001). Our findings demon-strate that negative affect and avoidant coping serially mediate these rela-tionships (total indirect effect = .3349, 95% CI, [.2858; .3852] / (total indi-rect effect = .2072, 95% CI, [.1515; .2624]). Thus, the impact of COVID-19 (β= .137; 95% CI [.0019; .0045]) and perceived coronavirus threat (β= .069; 95% CI [.0007; .0046]) induce an increase in stress not only directly, but also indirectly, through amplified negative affect, which in turn increases the specific-oriented use of avoidant coping strategies. Conclusions:Our results highlighted some new explanatory relationships between variables that affect mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antecedentes y objetivos: Aunque se consideraba que los jóvenes estaban menos expuestos a contraer una forma severa de la infección, los efectos que ellos más resintieron fueron los psicosociales. El presente artículo se propone comprobar el papel mediador de los afectos negativos y de las estrategias evasivas, primero en la relación entre el impacto de la pandemia COVID-19 y el estrés percibido, y luego entre la amenaza percibida y el estrés. Diseño: Se utilizó un diseño transversal. Métodos: Se empleó una muestra de 669 estudiantes de grado (18 -28 años) durante la cuarta oleada de coronavirus, cuando la variante delta era la dominante. Resultados: Se observaron asociaciones positivas entre el impacto de la pandemia CO-VID-19 y el estrés percibido (r = .485; p<.001), por un lado, y entre la amenaza percibida y el estrés (r= .283; p< .001), por otro lado. Los datos estadísticos demuestran que los afectos negativos y las estrategias evasivas actúan como mediadores seriales (efecto indirecto = .3349, 95% CI, [.2858; .3852] / (efecto indirecto = .2072, 95% CI, [.1515; .2624]). Consecuente-mente, el impacto de la pandemia COVID-19 (β= .137; 95% CI [.0019; .0045])y la amenaza percibida (β= .069; 95% CI [.0007; .0046])aumentan el estrés no sólo de manera directa, sino también indirecta, intensificando los afectos negativos. Esto genera una propensión hacia el uso específico de estrategias evasivas de afrontamiento. Conclusiones: El estudio subraya algunos mecanismos explicativos en cuanto a las relaciones entre variables que afectan la salud mental durante la pandemia COVID-19.