One wave or another in the pandemic: psychological well-being during the third COVID-19 wave

Michela Marchetti; Daniele Gatti; Lucio Inguscio; Giuliana Mazzoni

doi:10.5114/hpr.2022.113383

One wave or another in the pandemic: psychological well-being during the third COVID-19 wave

Health Psychol Rep. 2022 Feb 15;10(1):13-19. doi: 10.5114/hpr.2022.113383. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Michela Marchetti¹, Daniele Gatti², Lucio Inguscio¹, Giuliana Mazzoni¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, La Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
² Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.

Abstract

Background: After a year from the emergence of COVID-19 in February 2020, between March and May 2021 Italy faced its third wave of infections. Previous studies have shown that in the first phases of the pandemic certain factors had a protective effect against distress. However, little is known regarding the role of possible protective variables after prolonged pandemic situations.

Participants and procedure: 454 Italian adults were asked questions regarding the intensity of mental states and emotions experienced, the perceived usefulness of lockdown, the feeling of living a normal life, and the coping strategies implemented to face the pandemic.

Results: Our findings indicate that the presence of acceptance attitudes toward restrictive measures and the implementation of recreational activities helped participants face a prolonged pandemic with positive emotions.

Conclusions: These results extend previous findings about the impact of several behavioral variables on individuals' mental states and emotions experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

Keywords: COVID-19; emotions; lockdown; psychological well-being.