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Category: Project

Description: Why this research is needed now The COVID-19 outbreak is asking individuals to cope with a widespread, fast-moving and invisible enemy. Ironically, the only safe response to the outbreak is human beings’ most toxic behaviour, isolation. Isolation is often associated with loneliness and typically conducive to a deterioration of physical and psychological health. The aims of this project are (1) to measure people’s wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak, over time, and (2) to assess how emotion regulation moderates their physical and psychological response to the pandemic. Methods Participants Individuals aged 16 and over will be recruited from the community in Italy through social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and Institutional circular emails sent out to staff and students (e.g. emails to students and staff at the University of Padova). Measures Participants will be asked to complete an online survey on Qualtrics. They will complete a survey at baseline, and a super brief survey over time (three times a week, for three weeks). The baseline survey will include demographic questions (age, gender, years of education, current employment status), psychiatric and physical health-related questions (previous or current history of mental health disorders and/or chronic physical illnesses) and the 10-item Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ; John and Gross, 2003). Participants will also complete the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), online, at baseline and end of three weeks. The super brief survey will include questions related to self-isolation as a result of COVID-19, time spent outside and motivations for going outside, time spent listening/reading COVID-19-related news/updates, frequency of social contacts, feelings of loneliness, sadness, fear and anger, time spent in enjoyable activities, difficulties with sleeping and eating patterns, consumption of alcohol and drugs. Outcomes It is expected that people with a tendency to reappraise difficult and painful thoughts (vs. suppress or regulate those using risky behaviours) will be better at managing emotional distress; i.e. they will feel less lonely, will have less disrupted sleep and eating patterns, and will not have a tendency to use alcohol and drugs to self-medicate. Positive associations between tendency to use reappraisal as emotion regulation strategy and (1) time spent in enjoyable activities and (2) frequency of social contact are also expected. Implications This study will highlight the moderating role of a modifiable psychological process, i.e. emotion regulation, on the behavioural and emotional responses to a pandemic. Self-directed emotion regulation trainings might increase individuals’ resilience to uncontrollable and stressful events, such as the COVID-19 outbreak.