Lindsay Dickey1, Michael West2, Samantha Pegg1, Haley Green3, Autumn Kujawa4. 1. Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. 2. Department of Psychiatry, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania. 3. Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada. 4. Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. Electronic address: autumn.kujawa@vanderbilt.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Exposure to stressful events related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has been associated with increases in the prevalence of depression and anxiety, raising questions about vulnerabilities that make some individuals more susceptible to internalizing symptoms following stress exposure. METHODS: This prospective study examined the effects of neurophysiological reactivity to positive and threatening interpersonal stimuli, indexed by the late positive potential (LPP) event-related potential, in conjunction with exposure to interpersonal pandemic-related stressors in the prediction of internalizing symptom changes from before to during the pandemic. Emerging adults (n= 75) initially completed measures of internalizing symptoms and an interpersonal emotional images task while an electroencephalogram was recorded pre-pandemic and were recontacted during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020 to complete measures of exposure to pandemic-related stressful events and current internalizing symptoms. RESULTS: Results indicated that emerging adults experienced numerous stressful events associated with the pandemic, as well as overall increases in symptoms of depression and traumatic intrusions during the pandemic. Furthermore, significant interactions between LPP reactivity to positive and threatening interpersonal stimuli and interpersonal stress exposure emerged in the prediction of internalizing symptoms, controlling for baseline symptoms. Under high exposure to interpersonal stressors, reduced positive LPPs predicted increases in depressive symptoms while enhanced threatening LPPs predicted increases in traumatic intrusions. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on emerging adults, and the role of individual differences in neurophysiological reactivity to emotional stimuli in vulnerability for depression and traumatic intrusions following stress exposure.
BACKGROUND: Exposure to stressful events related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has been associated with increases in the prevalence of depression and anxiety, raising questions about vulnerabilities that make some individuals more susceptible to internalizing symptoms following stress exposure. METHODS: This prospective study examined the effects of neurophysiological reactivity to positive and threatening interpersonal stimuli, indexed by the late positive potential (LPP) event-related potential, in conjunction with exposure to interpersonal pandemic-related stressors in the prediction of internalizing symptom changes from before to during the pandemic. Emerging adults (n= 75) initially completed measures of internalizing symptoms and an interpersonal emotional images task while an electroencephalogram was recorded pre-pandemic and were recontacted during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020 to complete measures of exposure to pandemic-related stressful events and current internalizing symptoms. RESULTS: Results indicated that emerging adults experienced numerous stressful events associated with the pandemic, as well as overall increases in symptoms of depression and traumatic intrusions during the pandemic. Furthermore, significant interactions between LPP reactivity to positive and threatening interpersonal stimuli and interpersonal stress exposure emerged in the prediction of internalizing symptoms, controlling for baseline symptoms. Under high exposure to interpersonal stressors, reduced positive LPPs predicted increases in depressive symptoms while enhanced threatening LPPs predicted increases in traumatic intrusions. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on emerging adults, and the role of individual differences in neurophysiological reactivity to emotional stimuli in vulnerability for depression and traumatic intrusions following stress exposure.
Authors: Katie A McLaughlin; Daniel S Busso; Andrea Duys; Jennifer Greif Green; Sonia Alves; Marcus Way; Margaret A Sheridan Journal: Depress Anxiety Date: 2014-07-03 Impact factor: 6.505
Authors: Lisa Venanzi; Lindsay Dickey; Haley Green; Samantha Pegg; Margaret M Benningfield; Alexandra H Bettis; Jennifer Urbano Blackford; Autumn Kujawa Journal: Stress Health Date: 2022-01-10 Impact factor: 3.454