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Investigation of prospective effects of emotion-regulation difficulties and empathic dimensions on depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 outbreak in poland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

M. Gambin ,
M. Woźniak-Prus ,
M. Sękowski ,
P. Holas ,
A. Wnuk ,
T. Oleksy ,
A. Cudo ,
K. Hansen ,
M. Huflejt-Łukasik  and
A. Łyś
...Show all authors
M. Gambin*
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
M. Woźniak-Prus
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychology, The Maria Grzegorzewska University, Warsaw, Poland
M. Sękowski
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychology, The Maria Grzegorzewska University, Warsaw, Poland
P. Holas
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
A. Wnuk
Affiliation:
The Robert Zajonc Institute For Social Studies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
T. Oleksy
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
A. Cudo
Affiliation:
Faculty Of Social Sciences, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
K. Hansen
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
M. Huflejt-Łukasik
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
A. Łyś
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
J. Gorgol
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
K. Kubicka
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
G. Kmita
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
E. Łojek
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic people experience higher levels of negative emotions, as well as face many negative and intense emotions felt by others. Thus, it is important to look for risk and protective factors that allow and help individuals to regulate these negative emotions and adapt to the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives

The main aims of the study were to (i) test how empathic dimensions (perspective taking, empathic concern and personal distress) and emotion regulation abilities were related to intensity of depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown in Poland, as well as to (ii) check if emotion regulation difficulties and personal distress predicted slower decrease in depressive symptoms over the two months in which the number of COVID-19 cases declined in Poland.

Methods

A total of 792 participants took part in the three-wave panel study. The sample was representative of the Polish population in terms of gender, age, and place of residence. Participants completed the following online questionnaires: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form, and Brief version of the Empathic Sensitivity.

Results

Significant positive correlations were found between depressive symptoms and both personal distress and emotion regulation difficulties during the lockdown. Moreover, emotion regulation difficulties were the only significant predictor of slower decrease in depressive symptoms over time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

It seems that interventions focused on improvement of emotion regulation abilities could be particularly beneficial in reducing depressive symptoms during the pandemic and preventing potential negative long-term outcomes.

Keywords

emotion regulationempathydepressive symptomsCOVID-19 pandemic
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S255
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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