A longitudinal investigation of COVID-19 pandemic experiences and mental health among university students.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have established a link between the COVID-19 pandemic and poor mental health. They further suggest that young adults may be especially vulnerable to worsened mental health during the pandemic, but few studies have investigated which specific aspects of the COVID-19 experience affect psychological well-being over time. To better understand concrete predictors of poor mental health outcomes in this population, we identified several pandemic-related experiences and evaluated their effects on mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, stress, alcohol, and substance use) in a sample of U.S. college students (N = 176). METHODS: Both mental health symptoms and pandemic-related experiences were evaluated at the start of quarantine (March/April 2020, Time 1) and the end of the Spring 2020 semester (May 2020, Time 2). Given the limited literature on specific predictors of mental health during a pandemic, we used elastic net regression, a novel analytic method that helps with variable selection when theoretical background is limited, to narrow our field of possible predictors. RESULTS: While mental health symptoms were elevated at both timepoints, there were no clinically significant changes from Time 1 to Time 2 and few differences between sociodemographic groups. Both disruption due to the pandemic (ß = .25, p = .021) and limited confidence in the federal government's response (ß = -.14, p = .038) were significant predictors of depression symptoms at the end of the semester, even when controlling for baseline depression. Further, predictions that the pandemic would continue to impact daily life further into the future were linked with pandemic stress response symptoms (ß = .15, p = .032) at Time 2, beyond the effects of baseline symptoms. Alcohol (ß = -.22, p = .024) and substance use (ß = -.26, p = .01) were associated with reduced adherence to COVID-19 guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that specific aspects of the pandemic experience may be influencing internalizing symptoms and alcohol/substance use in college students, pointing to potential avenues for targeted support and intervention. PRACTITIONER POINTS: A range of factors may influence university student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students who expect the pandemic will continue to impact daily life further into the future maybe more likely to report stress symptoms. Disruption due to the pandemic and limited confidence in the federal government's response may be associated with depression symptoms. Alcohol and substance use are associated with lower COVID-19 guideline adherence in university students.

A multi-method examination of the link between obsessive-compulsive symptomatology and emotion-related impulsivity.

OBJECTIVES: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition marked by recurrent and distressing thoughts, images, and urges accompanied by repetitive physical or mental rituals. An emerging line of work suggests that emotion may be an important consideration when looking at the role of impulsivity across the spectrum of psychopathology, including OCD. The current study examined the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptomatology (OCS) and impulsive cognitive and behavioural reactions to emotion using a multi-study, multi-method approach. DESIGN: Data were collected cross-sectionally online (Study 1) or via an in-person laboratory visit (Study 2). METHODS: In Study 1, self-report measures of impulsivity and OCS were administered to a large, non-selected community sample (N = 386). Study 2 extended these findings with a young adult sample (N = 107) with clinically elevated OCS using self-report measures, clinical interview, and two behavioural symptom provocation tasks. RESULTS: Emotion-related impulsivity, but not non-emotion-related impulsivity, was associated with greater severity of OCS across symptom domains and across all modes of assessment. Impulsive cognitive responses to emotion were associated with greater obsession severity, while impulsive behavioural reactions to emotion were associated with greater compulsions. Emotion-related impulsivity also acted synergistically with a belief in the importance and control of thoughts, such that this established risk factor for OCD was associated with greater OCS severity only when behavioural reactivity to emotion was also present. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the importance of considering emotional context when studying impulsivity in OCD, and point to the potentially differential relationship between OCS and behavioural versus cognitive impulsive reactions to emotion. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Emotion-related impulsivity (ERI) reflects a tendency to act impulsively in the context of strong emotions. ERI was associated with greater OCS across symptom domains and type of symptom assessment (self-report, interview, or symptom provocation). ERI also interacted with an established OCS risk factor, a belief in the importance and control of thoughts, to predict symptom severity, suggesting that it may be important to evaluate and address ERI alongside unhelpful beliefs in patients with OCS. Given the present study's cross-sectional nature, we cannot draw conclusions about the directionality of the ERI - OCS relationship, and while our study included individuals with clinically elevated OCS, results should be replicated in a fully clinical sample.

Anxiety Sensitivity Differentially Predicts Factors of Interpersonal-Psychological Suicide Risk: A Consideration of Specificity.

Recent studies have identified anxiety sensitivity (AS) as a risk factor for suicidality; however, limited work has been performed to understand this risk within the context of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide (IPTS; Joiner, 2005). The current study examined the relationship between overall AS, each AS subfactor (cognitive, social, and physical), and the three IPTS domains (perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and acquired capability). While each AS subfactor uniquely predicted one IPTS domain, greater overall AS only predicted greater acquired capability, suggesting that assessment of AS at the subfactor level may offer us more information about an individual's interpersonal suicide risk.