The mediating role of perceived stress caused by earthquakes and COVID-19 pandemic in the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and PTSD symptoms

Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati prediktivnu ulogu anksiozne osjetljivosti iz 2014. godine u razvoju simptoma PTSP-a u kontekstu doživljenog stresa uslijed potresa i pandemije koronavirusa. Istraživanje je provedeno na 197 studenata Filozofskog fakulteta u Zagrebu, a podaci su prikupljeni online anketiranjem. Rezultati su pokazali da 34% sudionika izvještava o visokoj anksioznoj osjetljivosti. Sudionike su najviše uznemirili potresi te promjena načina života uslijed pandemije. Više od polovice osjećalo je fantomske potrese i imalo nametajuće misli nakon potresa, 33% iskazalo je prisutnost simptoma PTSP-a, a 20% zadovoljilo je kriterije za dijagnozu PTSP-a. Obje prediktorske varijable bile su značajno pozitivno povezane s kriterijskom. Sudionici s višim razinama anksiozne osjetljivosti i intenziteta doživljenog stresa, pokazali su i izraženije simptome PTSP-a. Ukupni objašnjeni postotak varijance intenziteta simptoma PTSP-a postavljenim modelom iznosio je skoro 30%, a obje su prediktorske varijable imale značajan pozitivan samostalni doprinos. Utvrđena je i statistička značajnost medijacijskog učinka intenziteta doživljenog stresa na odnos anksiozne osjetljivosti i intenziteta simptoma PTSP-a. Rezultati su bili u skladu s postavljenim hipotezama, a pokazali su da anksiozna osjetljivost može samostalno i posredno preko intenziteta doživljenog stresa predvidjeti intenzitet simptoma PTSP-a. Navedena su i ograničenja i implikacije ovog istraživanja te ponuđene smjernice za buduća istraživanja.The goal of this study was to examine the predictive role of anxiety sensitivity from 2014. in the development of PTSD symptoms in the context of experienced stress related to the earthquakes and the COVID-19 pandemic. The study has been conducted on 197 students of the University of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb and the data was collected by an online survey. According to the results, 34% of participants can be considered highly anxiety-sensitive people. Both earthquakes and the change of lifestyle during the pandemic were rated as most upsetting. More than half experienced phantom earthquakes and imposing thoughts, 33% showed PTSD symptoms and 20% met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Both predictors were significantly positively correlated to the criterion. Participants with higher levels of anxiety sensitivity and intensity of experienced stress, also reported more intense symptoms of PTSD. The total percentage of explained variance in PTSD symptom intensity was almost 30%, while both predictor variables had significant independent contributions. We also confirmed the statistical significance of the mediation effect of the intensity of experienced stress on the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and PTSD symptom intensity. The results were in line with the set hypotheses and they showed that anxiety sensitivity could independently, as well as through the overall intensity of experienced stress, predict the intensity of PTSD symptoms. Potential limitations of the study are mentioned, along with implications and suggestions for future studies