Profiles In Covid-19: Peritraumatic Stress Symptoms And Their Relation With Death Anxiety, Anxiety Sensitivity, And Emotion Dysregulation

Background The COVID-19 pandemic might be experienced as an ongoing traumatic event and could result in peritraumatic stress symptoms. Evidence implies that individuals' levels of death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and difficulties in emotion regulation may contribute to their peritraumatic stress symptomatology in the aftermath of trauma exposure. Objective The current study aimed to explore these hypotheses in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method An online survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 846 Israeli adults from April 2 to 19 April 2020. COVID-19-related stressors, death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, difficulties in emotion regulation, and peritraumatic stress symptoms were assessed via self-report questionnaires. Results Analyses indicated significant relations between death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and emotion regulation difficulties, on the one hand, and peritraumatic stress symptoms, on the other. Three distinct profiles were identified. Furthermore, profile type - namely having low, medium, and high levels of death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and emotion dysregulation - had a significant effect in explaining peritraumatic stress symptoms. Conclusions Results suggest that during the pandemic, levels of death anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and emotion dysregulation may explain heterogeneity in individuals' trauma-related symptomatology.