Fear of Covid-19 and PTSD: the protective function of problem-solving appraisals in mental health

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dc.contributor.authorPadmanabhanunni, Anita
dc.contributor.authorPretorius, Tyrone Brian
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-22T07:50:11Z
dc.date.available2025-01-22T07:50:11Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractThe COVID-19 pandemic was experienced by many people as a major traumatic event, and it contributed to high levels of fear, anxiety, and PTSD. Negative cognitive appraisals have been consistently implicated in the onset and maintenance of psychological distress, but there is far less research on the protective role of adaptive appraisals in mental health outcomes. The current study aimed to address this gap by investigating the role of problem-solving appraisals in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and PTSD. Participants were students (n = 322) who completed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the Problem-Solving Inventory, the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, and the five-item short version of the trait scale of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. Participants had a mean age of 26 years (±10.2; range 17–63). The results revealed that problem-solving appraisal mediated the effects of fear of COVID-19 on all the dimensions of PTSD. However, moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that the mediation effect was moderated by anxiety. In this regard, the indirect effects of fear of COVID-19 on PTSD were only significant for respondents with low anxiety levels. Our findings suggest that intervention efforts need to focus on identifying and actively targeting maladaptive appraisals of the problem-solving ability as well as addressing anxiety-related symptoms that may impede coping.
dc.identifier.citationPadmanabhanunni, A. and Pretorius, T.B., 2024. Fear of COVID-19 and PTSD: The Protective Function of Problem-Solving Appraisals in Mental Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(2), p.220.
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020220
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10566/19901
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
dc.subjectAnxiety
dc.subjectFear of COVID-19
dc.subjectProblem-solving appraisal
dc.subjectPTSD
dc.subjectStudents
dc.titleFear of Covid-19 and PTSD: the protective function of problem-solving appraisals in mental health
dc.typeArticle

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