PTSD Symptoms, Comorbid Mental Health, and Health Behaviors during a COVID-19 Lockdown
- 1. Department of Clinical Psychology, Fielding Graduate University, USA
- 2. University of Miami/Miller School of Medicine, USA
Abstract
This study explored the effects of PTSD symptoms on health behaviors of participants (N=260), responding to the COVID-19 Lockdown Activities Survey. The survey included questions like “I was being reminded of a traumatic experience” and “do you have a daily routine during this crisis.” A correlation analysis suggested that trauma symptoms were negatively related to health behaviors and positively correlated with anxiety, depression, and sleep symptoms. An analysis of variance comparing no symptom, mild to moderate symptom, and high-level symptom responders yielded a significant group effect on health behavior scale scores suggesting that health scale scores were higher for the no PTSD symptom group. In a multiple regression analysis, anxiety, depression, and sleep scale scores contributed to a significant amount of the variance in PTSD symptoms scale scores. A factor analysis on the health behaviors scale suggested that self/spiritual care, touch, and exercise items explained the majority of the variance on the health behaviors scale scores. Further, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and sleep symptoms scale scores contributed to significant variance in self/spiritual care and exercise ratings. These results highlight the importance of self/ spiritual care, touch, and exercise for those with high PTSD symptoms scores during pandemics.