Evidence of both risk and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences of stress and well-being among minoritized individuals
2 - (Sym 44) Depression but Not Loneliness Predicts PTSS U.S. Latinx / Latin-americans During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Friday, November 18, 2022
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST
Location: Carnegie & Alvin, 5th Floor
Keywords: Ethnicity, Race, Risk / Vulnerability Factors Recommended Readings: Venta, A., Bick, J., & Bechelli, J. (2021). COVID-19 threatens maternal mental health and infant development: possible paths from stress and isolation to adverse outcomes and a call for research and practice. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 52(2), 200-204. Macias Gil, R., Marcelin, J. R., Zuniga-Blanco, B., Marquez, C., Mathew, T., & Piggott, D. A. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic: disparate health impact on the Hispanic/Latinx population in the United States. The Journal of infectious diseases, 222(10), 1592-1595. Fox, R., Power, J. M., Coogan, A. N., Beekman, A. T., van Tilburg, T. G., & Hyland, P. (2021). Posttraumatic stress disorder and loneliness are associated over time: A longitudinal study on PTSD symptoms and loneliness, among older adults. Psychiatry Research, 299, 113846.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, Texas
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, adults and students endorse higher post-Traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) (Salehi et al., 2021) and higher internalizing symptoms including loneliness (Torres et al., 2022). It remains unclear if the higher PTSS is related to the conceptual and diagnostic overlap with depressive symptoms or the higher rates of loneliness endorsed by this population, given the bidirectional relationship between it and PTSS (Fox, 2021). It is hypothesized that after controlling for demographics, protective factors, and depression, loneliness would predict higher PTSS scores in college students. As part of an international study, a total of 1,113 college students were sampled from the U.S. (49.68%,), Mexico (8.8%), Ecuador (23%), Chile (12.4%), and Spain (2.5%). Students completed an online survey in either English (56.3%) or Spanish (43.7 %). The sample had a mean age of 21.45 (5.25) and was mostly female (70%). The survey included demographic items and mental health screeners. A hierarchical regression model was implemented to test the hypothesis. The final model was significant, Adj. R2=.57, F (4,830) = 80.79, p< .01. The demographic block was significant Adj, R2= .09, F(10,834) =10, p< .01; the protective factors block significantly explained an additional 5.6% of the variance, F(2,832)=27.06, p< .01; depression significantly added 38% to the variance, F(1,831),=160, p< .01; loneliness added 3.4% to the variance F(1,830) = 66.07, p< .01. In contrast to the Fox et al. model (2021), loneliness did not predict PTSS after controlling for depression and social support. Findings noted depression, but not loneliness, as a predictor to predict PTSS in U.S. Latinx / Latin Americans. This may be related to the PTSS-depression diagnostic overlap or to the collectivist values of the sample. Clinicians working with Latinx college students should conduct a thorough cultural assessment for diagnostics and CBT treatment planning.