Article summary of Stress resilience during the coronavirus pandemic by Vinkers et al. - Chapter

What are some common stress responses to the COVID-19 pandemic?

The immense amounts of psychosocial stress that have arisen in the population due to the current COVID-19 pandemic have largely been due to uncertainty regarding the future. Stress is a reasonable, normal, and adaptive response to the pandemic, especially considering that most people have never dealt with anything like it before. Some of the most common stress and stress-related patterns that have been observed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are irritability, anxiety, reduced productivity and concentration, interpersonal conflicts, and insomnia.

What role does resilience play in coping with COVID-19? 

Many factors affect how well an individual can cope with major stressors, including the COVID-19 pandemic. One’s living conditions, access to healthcare, literacy, socio-economic status, and level of uncertainty about the future all contribute to the level of adaptation to the pandemic. Resilience, considered to be the opposite of vulnerability, can be used to cope with stress and stay balanced. The concept of resilience exists not only at the individual level but also at the community level.

How do the stress effects of the virus affect at-risk populations? 

Certain populations are at a higher risk to be affected by the negative results of COVID-19 related restrictions. The virus itself, fears surrounding becoming infected, and virus-related restrictions all can exacerbate mental illness or even trigger it. Those with psychiatric disorders who are already more prone to maladaptive stress responses now have less access to mental health care than usual. Healthcare workers must deal with the fear of getting the virus due to their proximity to COVID-19 patients. Feelings of failure have also been rising among healthcare workers who often face ethical issues surrounding COVID-19 patients and their families. Additionally, elderly people are particularly vulnerable to loneliness due to COVID-19 restrictions, especially because they are more often unable to communicate with smartphones and computers.

What interventions are most effective at increasing resilience? 

People have been shown to be more negatively impacted by stressors that they deem uncontrollable. It is up to the governments of nations to emphasize that COVID-19 is not an uncontrollable threat, but one that can be reduced through specific individual and community actions. The more that people acknowledge that the situation is controllable, the better they will be able to cope with its ensuing stress. Governments should also be clear about the pandemic-related information that they have and communicate it in a way that the general public, not just experts, can understand. Conversely, nationalism and unilateralism in decision-making will most likely only increase the stress-related impact of the pandemic on a given society. 

To promote resilience to the pandemic, governments, organizations, families, and workplaces should encourage social connectedness, self-care, planning everyday activities, exercise, good nutrition, and taking media breaks. Stress monitoring and team support can also help to lower the burden of the pandemic on healthcare workers. Resilience enhancing interventions for low socio-economic status individuals include assuring access to health and economic infrastructures and providing funds for those who are left without work due to the pandemic. Telemedicine approaches are helpful for those in need of regular mental health care. Finally, acquiring data on the psychosocial impact of the virus and the restrictions on COVID-19 patients and their families will provide a way to create interventions on the individual and community level that will increase resilience in the population.