Fears during the Covid-19 pandemics and their influence on physical health: A cross-sectional study on the general population in Spain

Resumen de los autores

Background/objective: This study examines the paths through which Covid-19 can negatively impact health and lead to somatic symptoms. Based on the dual process theory, fears can impair health in two ways: through psychological distress, which is an automatic reaction to fear, and through a more conscious and deliberative rumination process. Method: = 3083 subjects,18 years or older) were obtained from a Survey by the Sociological Research Center (CIS). The dual path model was tested, and a longer sequence was included where the two mediators act sequentially to produce an impact on somatic symptoms. Results: The results showed how Covid-19 fears translate into somatic problems. Beyond the direct relations, and after comparing with other possible alternative models, our findings support a process where rumination mediates between fears and psychological distress, and psychological distress in turn leads to somatic problems. Conclusions: This process reveals a plausible mechanism that explains the somatization of health problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it provides theoretical and practical inputs to better understand the role of fears in health in crisis contexts.

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Cómo citar (APA 7)

Silla, J. M. P., Luque-García, A., Soriano, A., & Martínez‐Tur, V. (2022). Fears during the Covid-19 pandemics and their influence on physical health: A cross-sectional study on the general population in Spain. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100361