Association of sociodemographic characteristics, mental health, and sleep quality with COVID-19 fear in an elderly Brazilian population

Aim: This study determined whether COVID-19 fear is correlated with sociodemographic characteristics, general health, mental health, and sleep quality in an elderly Brazilians. Methods: Elderly people aged ≥ 60 years replied to an online survey containing questions about their sociodemographic characteristics; general health; levels of stress, anxiety, and depression; sleep quality; and COVID fear. Results: Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics (α = 5%). In total, 705 elderly people with mean age of 66 ± 5 years, and most (82.7%) respondents were women, graduated and from southeastern Brazil. COVID-19 fear correlated positively and moderately with sleep quality and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress (all p < 0.001). It was associated with females. Elderly people from northern and northeastern Brazil and diabetics had increased COVID-19 fear (all p < 0.05). Conclusion: The fear of COVID-19 exists among Brazilian female old people, diabetics, increases anxiety and stress symptoms, and worsen sleep quality in elderly people

[Evidence of the validity of a Brazilian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale]. / Evidências de validade de uma versão brasileira da Fear of COVID-19 Scale.

This study sought to analyze the evidence of the validity of a Brazilian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), based on indicators relating to: (1) the internal structure; (2) the internal consistency; (3) the relation with external variables; and (4) the content. The instrument was culturally adapted, focusing on semantic and specifically Brazilian linguistic aspects. The Brazilian version of the FCV-19S was then applied, in a virtual environment, to 211 participants (72.98% female) with an average age of 37.07 years (SD=13.03), together with the Self-Perception Questionnaire on Mental Health in Pandemics and the Sociodemographic and Functional Questionnaire. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed one-dimensionality. The internal consistency indices obtained (Cronbach's alpha =0.921; McDonald's omega =0.926) can be considered high. The correlation between fear and obsessive thinking of the disease, generalized anxiety, generalized stress, phobic-avoidant behavior and bereavement due to the pandemic was found to be statistically significant. Evidence of the validity related to content, derived from a qualitative approach, were satisfactory. The conclusion drawn is that the Brazilian version of the FCV-19S proved to be adequate regarding the evidence of the expected validity.

O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar evidências de validade de uma versão brasileira da Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), com base em indicadores concernentes: (1) à estrutura interna; (2) à consistência interna; (3) à relação com variáveis externas; e (4) ao conteúdo. Procedeu-se a adaptação cultural do instrumento, com foco em aspectos semânticos e linguísticos próprios do Brasil. A seguir, esta versão brasileira da FCV-19S foi aplicada, em um ambiente virtual, em 211 participantes (72,98% do sexo feminino), com idade média de 37,07 anos (DP=13,03), juntamente com o Questionário de Autopercepção de Saúde Mental em Pandemia e o Questionário Sociodemográfico e Funcional. A análise fatorial confirmatória atestou unidimensionalidade. Os índices de consistência interna obtidos (alfa de Cronbach =0,921; ômega de McDonald =0,926) podem ser considerados elevados. Constatou-se correlação estatisticamente significativa entre medo e pensamento obsessivo, ansiedade generalizada, estresse generalizado, comportamento fóbico-evitativo e vivência de luto pela pandemia. As evidências de validade relativas ao conteúdo, oriundas de uma abordagem qualitativa, foram satisfatórias. Conclui-se que esta versão brasileira da FCV-19S mostrou-se adequada quanto às evidências de validade contempladas.

The relationship between social determinants of health and fear of contracting infectious diseases in pregnant women presenting to health centers in Kashan, Iran: a path analysis study.

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy is one of the most critical times in a woman's life that is accompanied by a lot of worry, fear, and stress for the mother, and fear of contracting diseases and losing the children are among the most important of them. The present study investigated the relationship between the social determinants of health and fear of contracting infectious diseases in pregnant women using path analysis. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 330 pregnant Iranian women in Kashan from September 21th, 2021, to May 25th, 2022, using a multi-stage method. Data were collected through demographic and obstetric details, fear of COVID-19, perceived social support, socioeconomic status, and pregnancy-related anxiety questionnaires. The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS-21 and Lisrel-8 software. RESULTS: According to the path analysis results, among the variables that have a causal relationship with fear of contracting infectious diseases through only one path, pregnancy anxiety (B = 0.21) had the highest positive relationship and social support had the highest negative relationship (B=-0.18) in the direct path. Among the variables that have a causal relationship with fear of contracting infectious diseases in both paths, socioeconomic status (B=-0.42) had the highest negative causal relationship with fear of contracting infectious diseases. CONCLUSION: According to the path analysis results, the fear of contracting infectious diseases in pregnant women in Kashan is moderate and prevalent, which indicates the necessity of screening pregnant women for such problems during epidemics. Moreover, to prevent this fear and its adverse consequences, the following strategies are recommended: helping promote mothers' and women's awareness, offering social support through healthcare providers, and taking measures to mitigate pregnancy-related anxiety in high-risk individuals and groups.

Mental Health, Social Connectedness, and Fear During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Perspective from Older Women with HIV.

Older women with HIV (WWH) confront significant biopsychosocial challenges that may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Between May 2020 and April 2021, following a resiliency intervention conducted as part of a randomized parent trial, 24 cisgender WWH (M = 58 years old) completed quantitative assessments and qualitative interviews exploring the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. Qualitative data were analyzed via rapid analysis. Most participants were Black (62.5%) and non-Hispanic or Latina (87.5%). Emergent themes included (1) increased anxiety and depression; (2) a loss of social connectedness; (3) fear of unknown interactions among COVID-19, HIV, and other comorbidities; and (4) the use of largely adaptive strategies to cope with these issues. Findings suggest that older WWH face significant COVID-19-related mental health challenges, compounding existing stressors. As the pandemic persists, it will be important to assess the impact of these stressors on wellbeing, identify effective coping strategies, and provide increased support to mitigate COVID-19-related mental health issues over time. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03071887.

Fear of COVID-19 among patients with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection: A cross-sectional study in Estonian family practices.

BACKGROUND: Fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been associated with significant health effects. OBJECTIVES: To assess COVID-19 fear and investigate factors associated with higher fear among COVID-19 survivors over 6 months after infection. METHODS: Cross-sectional study using multistage sampling (family practices within the highest 5th percentile of numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and random sample of patients within these practices) performed from March 15 to 17 July 2021. Adult patients with a laboratory-confirmed history of COVID-19 were recruited for a self-administered 79-item questionnaire including demographics, self-rated health, physical activity, COVID-19 characteristics, severity and the fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Comorbidity data were extracted from Estonian Health Insurance Fund. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate factors associated with COVID-19 fear. RESULTS: Of 341 participants included, 60% were women, 24.2% were hospitalised due to COVID-19 and 22.2% had long COVID, 143 (42%) participants reported high levels of fear (cut-off FCV-19S >17.8). Higher fear was associated with being female (aOR 2.12, 95% CI 1.14-3.95), age ≥61 years (aOR 3.23, 95% CI 1.28-8.16), two-member-households (aOR 3.70, 95% CI 1.40-9.77) physical inactivity 6 months prior to COVID-19 (aOR 3.53, 95% CI 1.26-9.95), and symptom severity during acute COVID-19. Long COVID was not associated with higher COVID-19 fear (aOR 1.82 95% CI 0.91-3.63). CONCLUSION: Almost half of participants reported COVID-19 fear more than 6 months after infection. Greater fear was associated with sociodemographic factors, physical activity prior to COVID-19 and COVID-19 symptom severity. There is a need to target this population to develop appropriate interventions.

COVID-19-Related Fear and Mental Distress Among Tunisian Primary, Middle and High School Teachers: Prevalence and Predictive Factors.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictive factors of fear of COVID-19 and serious mental distress among teachers in public schools of Southern Tunisia. This was a cross sectional study among a representative sample of 525 teachers. The level of Fear was assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). A high level was defined as an FCV-19S ≥ 22. Kessler 6 (K6) was performed to predict serious mental distress. Serious mental distress was defined as a K6 score ≥ 13. The prevalence rates of high level of fear of COVID-19 and serious mental distress were 32.8% and 63.8%, respectively. Independent factors associated with a high level of fear of COVID-19 were female gender (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.6 [1.1-2.5]), chronic disease (AOR=1.6 [1.1-2.4]), home-living children (AOR=3.3 [1.4-7.8]), and poor material working conditions (AOR=1.5 [1.2-2.1]). The high level of fear of COVID-19 (AOR=3.1 [1.8-5.1]) was independently associated with serious mental distress. Living in a rural area (AOR=0.4 [0.3-0.8]), previous COVID-19 infection (AOR=0.5 [0.4-0.8]) and going to school on foot (AOR=0.3 [0.2-0.51]) were independently associated with a lower prevalence of serious mental distress.

Masking our emotions: Emotion recognition and perceived intensity differ by race and use of medical masks.

Although medical masks have played a key role in decreasing the transmission of communicable disease, they simultaneously reduce the availability of nonverbal cues fundamental to social interaction. In the present study, we determined the collective impact of medical masks on emotional expression recognition and perceived intensity as a function of actor race. Participants completed an emotional expression recognition task involving stimuli with or without medical masks. Across six basic emotional facial expressions, medical masks were associated with significantly more emotional expression recognition errors. Overall, the effects associated with race varied depending on the emotion and appearance of masks. Whereas recognition accuracy was higher for White relative to Black actors for anger and sadness, the opposite pattern was observed for disgust. Medical mask-wearing exacerbated actor-race related recognition differences for anger and surprise, but attenuated these differences for fear. Emotional expression intensity ratings were significantly reduced for all emotions except fear, where masks were associated with increased perceived intensity. Masks further increased already higher intensity ratings for anger in Black versus White actors. In contrast, masks eliminated the tendency to give higher intensity ratings for Black versus White sad and happy facial expressions. Overall, our results suggest that the interaction between actor race and mask wearing status with respect to emotional expression judgements is complex, varying by emotion in both direction and degree. We consider the implications of these results particularly in the context of emotionally charged social contexts, such as in conflict, healthcare, and policing.

Motivators and Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination in Young Adults Living in the USA.

High rates of COVID-19 infection and lower vaccination rates among young adults aged 18 to 26 in the United States prompted this study to examine motivating factors and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination and identify preferences in COVID-19 vaccine education. Three focus group discussions were completed. Transcribed data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three key themes were identified including (1) motivating factors to vaccination, (2) barriers to vaccination, and (3) COVID-19 vaccination educational intervention design recommendations. Motivating factors included five relevant subthemes: civic duty, fear related to the disease process; fear related to emerging variants and breakthroughs; fear regarding the suffering of others; and freedom. Barriers included four subthemes: lack of trust, misinformation, politics, and pressure. Attempts to further educate young adults about the COVID-19 vaccine should consider strategies that target motivating factors and barriers while also making accurate information accessible through social media.

Digital Healthy Diet Literacy and Fear of COVID-19 as Associated with Treatment Adherence and Its Subscales among Hemodialysis Patients: A Multi-Hospital Study.

Treatment adherence (TA) is a critical issue and is under-investigated in hemodialysis patients. A multi-center study was conducted from July 2020 to March 2021 on 972 hemodialysis patients in eight hospitals in Vietnam to explore the factors associated with TA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected, including socio-demographics, an End-Stage Renal Disease Adherence Questionnaire (ESRD-AQ), 12-item short-form health literacy questionnaire (HLS-SF12), 4-item digital healthy diet literacy scale (DDL), 10-item hemodialysis dietary knowledge scale (HDK), 7-item fear of COVID-19 scale (FCoV-19S), and suspected COVID-19 symptoms (S-COVID19-S). Bivariate and multivariate linear regression models were used to explore the associations. Higher DDL scores were associated with higher TA scores (regression coefficient, B, 1.35; 95% confidence interval, 95%CI, 0.59, 2.12; p = 0.001). Higher FCoV-19S scores were associated with lower TA scores (B, -1.78; 95%CI, -3.33, -0.24; p = 0.023). In addition, patients aged 60-85 (B, 24.85; 95%CI, 6.61, 43.11; p = 0.008) with "very or fairly easy" medication payment ability (B, 27.92; 95%CI, 5.89, 44.95; p = 0.013) had higher TA scores. Patients who underwent hemodialysis for ≥5 years had a lower TA score than those who received <5 years of hemodialysis (B, -52.87; 95%CI, -70.46, -35.28; p < 0.001). These findings suggested that DDL and FCoV-19S, among other factors, should be considered in future interventions to improve TA in hemodialysis patients.

Watching with Argus eyes: Characterization of emotional and physiological responding in adults exposed to childhood maltreatment and/or recent adversity.

Exposure to adverse experiences is a well-established major risk factor for affective psychopathology. The vulnerability of deleterious sequelae is assumed in maladaptive processes of the defensive system, particularly in emotional processing. More specifically, childhood maltreatment has been suggested to be associated with the recruitment of specific and distinct defensive response profiles. To date, it remains unclear whether these are specific or generalizable to recent adversity in adulthood. This pre-registered study aimed to investigate the impact of exposure to childhood and recent adversity on emotional processing in 685 healthy adults with the "Affective Startle Modulation" Paradigm (ASM). First, we replicated higher trait anxiety and depression levels in individuals exposed to both types of adversity. Second, we observed increased general skin conductance reactivity in individuals exposed to recent adversity. Third, individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment showed reduced, while individuals exposed to recent adversity showed increased discrimination between pictures of negative and neutral valence, compared with non-exposed individuals in SCR. No association between exposure to adversity and fear potentiated startle was observed. Furthermore, explorative analyses revealed moderate dimensional and categorical agreement between two childhood maltreatment questionnaires and provide insight into potential adversity-type specific effects. Our results support experience-dependent plasticity in sympathetic nervous system reactivity and suggest distinct response profiles in affective modulation in individuals exposed to early versus recent adversity. We emphasize the need to further explore distinct adversity profiles to further our understanding on specific psychophysiological profiles and their potential implication for prevention and intervention.

Fear of COVID-19 disease and vaccination as predictors of vaccination status.

Vaccination rates are still insufficient to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so immunity must be increased among the population in order to reduce the virus' spread and the associated medical and psychosocial effects. Although previous work has identified various factors associated with a low willingness to get vaccinated, the role of emotions such as fear of vaccination (FVAC) or fear of COVID-19 (FCOV), vaccination as a subjective norm (SN), psychological factors like general control beliefs (CB) or psychological resilience, and their interaction have been investigated less intensively. We used data from three cross-sectional waves of the German Panel COSMO (November 2021, N = 1010; February 2022, N = 1026; March 2022, N = 1031) and multiple logistic regression analyses to test whether vaccination rates are moderated by those factors. After controlling for covariates (age, sex, confidence in own intuition, optimism, well-being), we found that CB was no significant predictor of vaccination status. Higher FCOV and higher ratings in SN, however, were associated with an increased likelihood of being vaccinated. In contrast, higher FVAC was associated with a decreased likelihood of being vaccinated. Psychological resilience did not consistently moderate the associations between fear and vaccination status.

Associations between depression, fear of COVID-19 infection and students' self-care measures used during the first wave of the pandemic.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 lockdown resulted in the closure of schools with associated problems. The aim of this study was to determine the associations between depression, fear of contracting COVID-19 infection and the use of self-care measures by college students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that collected data from undergraduate and postgraduate college students 18 years and older from 152 countries between June and December 2020. Study participants were recruited through crowdsourcing using various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, WhatsApp groups and emails to participants in the collaborators' networks. The dependent variables were fear of contracting COVID-19 and depression while the independent variable was students' self-care measures. Multivariable logistic regression models were conducted to assess the associations between the dependent and independent variables. RESULTS: Of the 2840 respondents, 1305 (46.0%) had fears of contracting COVID-19 and 599 (21.1%) reported depression. The most common self-care measures were phone calls with friends/family (60.1%) and video chat (52.8%). Learning a new skill was significantly associated with higher odds of fear of contracting COVID-19 (AOR = 1.669) and lower odds of having depression (AOR = 0.684). Talking to friends/family through video chat (AOR = 0.809) was significantly associated with lower odds of feeling depressed while spending time with pets (AOR = 1.470) and taking breaks from the news/social media (AOR = 1.242) were significantly associated with higher odds of feeling depressed. Students from lower middle-income countries (AOR = 0.330) had significantly lower odds of feeling depressed than students from low-income countries. CONCLUSION: Self-care strategies involving social interactions were associated with less depression. Coping strategies with more cognitive demands may significantly reduce the risk of fear of COVID-19. Special attention needs to be given to students in low-income countries who have higher odds of depression during the pandemic than students from other countries.

Eudaimonic Well-Being of Italian Young Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Predictive and Mediating Roles of Fear of Death and Psychological Inflexibility.

The literature has widely acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young adults. Despite extensive research, eudaimonic well-being, which focuses on self-knowledge and self-realization, has been scarcely investigated. This cross-sectional study aimed to add knowledge on the eudaimonic well-being of young adults one year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, verifying its potential linkages with fear of death and psychological inflexibility. A total of 317 young Italian adults (18-34 years), recruited through a chain sampling method, completed measures of psychological inflexibility, fear of death, and eudaimonic well-being included in an online survey. The study's hypotheses were tested with multivariate multiple regression and mediational analyses. Results showed that psychological inflexibility was negatively associated with all the dimensions of well-being, while fear of the death of others was associated with autonomy, environmental mastery, and self-acceptance. Furthermore, in the association between fear of death and well-being, the mediation role of psychological inflexibility was verified. These results contribute to the extant literature on the factors associated with eudaimonic well-being, providing clinical insights into the work with young adults within challenging times.

The effect of COVID-19 fear on prenatal distress and childbirth preference in primipara.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of COVID-19 fear on prenatal distress and childbirth preference in primipara. METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 206 primipara women in Istanbul between June and December 2021. The data were collected with an information form, "The Fear of COVID-19 Scale" and "The Prenatal Distress Questionnaire." RESULTS: The median of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale was 14.00 (7-31) and the median of the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire was 10.00 (0-21). A statistically significant positive and weak correlation was found between "The Fear of COVID-19 Scale" and "The Prenatal Distress Questionnaire" (r=0.21; p=0.00). Overall, 75.2% of pregnant women preferred normal (vaginal) delivery. There was no statistically significant relationship between "The Fear of COVID-19 Scale" and childbirth preference (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: It was determined that fear of coronavirus increases prenatal distress. Women should be supported to cope with fear of COVID-19 and prenatal distress, both during the preconceptional and antenatal periods.

Experience of ambulance drivers on transfer of suspected or confirmed patients for COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To unveil the experience of ambulance drivers regarding the transfer of suspected or confirmed patients for COVID-19. METHOD: Exploratory study with a qualitative approach conducted in October 2021 with 18 drivers from the Northwestern Mesoregion of the State of Ceará-Brazil. The individual interviews occurred virtually, via Google Meet®, and for data processing the IRAMUTEQ® software was used. RESULTS: Six classes were obtained: Feelings experienced during transfers; Concern about contamination of the work team and family members; Therapeutic itinerary, patients' clinical status and increase in the number of transfers; Disinfection of ambulances between transfers of patients with suspected and/or diagnosed COVID-19; Gowning for patient transfers and Psychospiritual aspects of drivers during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The experience was marked by challenges in adapting to the new routine and procedures during transfers. It was evidenced feelings of fear, insecurity, tension and anguish in the worker's reports.

False Beliefs and Attitude Are Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination.

As of October 2021, Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers donated over 2 million h to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Health Belief Model (HBM) is used to understand the value a person places on preventative behavior against the risk of disease. A mixed method, unmatched, prospective case-control study was conducted regarding volunteers' experience during the pandemic, reasons why these highly trained persons volunteer, what barriers to vaccination they observed, and how they helped others overcome those barriers. The HBM can elucidate the cognitive process to vaccinate. Regression analysis found a person's attitude (which includes beliefs, peer pressure, preconceptions, unwillingness, and other indicators) is a barrier to vaccination. Service hours increased from 20 to 56 h among volunteers who saw attitude as a barrier to vaccination. Superstition and fear accounted for 99.8% of unvaccinated persons (P < 0.001). Fear was a barrier to protective health behavior. The public health system must do better to build trust as an ongoing endeavor, as even the increased service volunteers provided in response to the observed attitudes, was not enough to stem exponential transmission once the pandemic had begun. Policy-makers and the public health authority should take all necessary steps early in the pandemic to ensure the effectiveness of the vaccination program.

Practices regarding the COVID-19 outbreak and life satisfaction: A moderated mediation model of psychological distress and fear of Covid-19.

Increasing attention has been recently paid to the influences of the COVID-19 outbreak on the human psyche due to its potentially detrimental after-effects. However, little is known about the effects of practices introduced to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, such as social isolation and lockdowns, on individuals' psychological problems and well-being, or how a fear of COVID-19 amplifies or reduces these effects. Using a sample of 2680 Vietnamese adults, data were collected between 15 August and 15 November 2021 through an online-based survey. This study adopted a moderated mediation model. Remarkably, the fear of COVID-19 was not only found to significantly exacerbate the adverse effects of psychological distress on life satisfaction, but it also significantly decreased the impact of COVID-19 practices on satisfaction with life. The fear of COVID-19 significantly moderated the mediation effect of psychological distress on the relationship between COVID-19 practices and life satisfaction. This study makes significant and novel contributions to our extant knowledge about the destructive consequences of COVID-19. The findings of our study can benefit policymakers and practitioners and include valuable recommendations on how to avert psychological crises and increase individuals' well-being during or after a pandemic.

Combating COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: A Synthetic Public Segmentation Approach for Predicting Vaccine Acceptance.

OBJECTIVE: Vaccine hesitancy impacts the ability to cope with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) effectively in the United States. It is important for health organizations to increase vaccine acceptance. Addressing this issue, this study aimed to predict citizens' acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine through a synthetic approach of public segmentation including cross-situational and situational variables. Controlling for demographics, we examined institutional trust, negative attitudes toward, and low levels of knowledge about vaccines (ie, lacuna public characteristics), and fear of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Our study provides a useful framework for public segmentation and contributes to risk and health campaigns by identifying significant predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. METHOD: We conducted an online survey on October 10, 2020 (N = 499), and performed hierarchical regression analyses to predict citizens' COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and federal government, vaccine attitude, problem recognition, constraint recognition, involvement recognition, and fear positively predicted COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: This study outlines a useful synthetic public segmentation framework and extends the concept of lacuna public to the pandemic context, helping to predict vaccine acceptance. Importantly, the findings could be useful in designing health campaign messages.

Subtle Cutback Management and Exhaustion: Qualitative Job Insecurity as a Mediator in a Sample of Dutch and Belgian Employees.

As an answer to crises such as COVID-19, organizations implemented more subtle forms of cutback measures such as wage moderation, loan sacrifice and recruitment freezes aimed at maintaining a financially healthy organization. In this study, the association between subtle cutback management and employee exhaustion was studied, and it was investigated whether this potential linkage can be explained by employee perceptions of increased qualitative job insecurity or the fear that valued features of the job will decrease in the near future. This research thereby extends prior research on the consequences of cutback management as well as regarding the antecedents of qualitative job insecurity. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted on a sample of workers (N = 218) active in various organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium. Regression analysis was applied to test hypotheses. Mediation was investigated by means of Hayes PROCESS macro. The results of the study indicate that there is no direct relationship between subtle cutback measures deployed at the workplace and employee exhaustion. However, the analyses further reveal that subtle cutback management is positively related to the experience of qualitative job insecurity in workers and that enhanced qualitative job insecurity is positively related to employee exhaustion. Qualitative job insecurity fully mediates the relationship between subtle cutback management and employee exhaustion.