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Global Mental Health

The impact of intolerance of uncertainty and psychological flexibility on distress in individuals with long COVID: Comparison between US and Thailand

(PS9-53) The Impact of Intolerance of Uncertainty and Psychological Flexibility on Distress in Individuals with Long COVID: Comparison Between US and Thailand

Saturday, November 16, 2024
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM EST
Location: Franklin Hall, Level 4, Marriott Downtown
Abstract Text: After the COVID-19 pandemic, the psychological impact of long COVID remains significant. Previous studies discussed the role of intolerance of uncertainty and psychological flexibility on individuals' mental health status. Aranda et al. (2021) highlight the lasting effects of COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress, which may contribute to prolonged mental distress. Celik et al. (2021) and Chong et al. (2021) further explore the complex relationship between psychological factors and illness perceptions, suggesting that psychological flexibility may serve as a buffer against the mental health challenges posed by COVID-19. However, there is a lack of research examining how various psychological predictors affect distress levels in individuals with long COVID across different cultural contexts around the world. Thus, hierarchical regression models were utilized to predict distress by incorporating demographics (i.e., age, gender, and nationality), intolerance of uncertainty (assessed by Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, short for IUS), and psychological flexibility (assessed by Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory). The analyses revealed that with the inclusion of added predictors, there was a notable rise in the distress levels, accounting for an 18.8% increase in the explained variance (R²= .188, p< .001). Specifically, the regression coefficients indicated that identifying as male (b = -.117, p = .009) and having a U.S. nationality (b = .12, p= .017) were predictors of greater distress. Moreover, elevated levels of inhibitory anxiety (b = -.312, p < .001) and psychological inflexibility (b = -.197, p < .001) were significantly correlated with an increase in distress levels. Although statistically significant relationships are not observed in the country differences for these predictors, we conducted separate follow-up examinations within U.S. and Thailand samples. For the U.S. sample, gender (b = -.15, p = .017), inhibitory anxiety as outlined by IUS (b = -.48, p < .001), and psychological inflexibility (b = -.15, p = .05) were significantly related to distress levels. Within the Thailand sample, gender (b = -.11, p = .06), IUS inhibitory component (b = -.27, p < .001), and psychological inflexibility (b = -.22, p < .001) also showed notable associations with distress. Overall, these findings indicated the relevance of demographic characteristics, intolerance to uncertainty (particularly the inhibitory dimension of anxiety), and psychological inflexibility as significant predictors of distress. Furthermore, the analysis hints at potential cross-cultural variations in how these predictors correlate with distress, which worth further research exploration.