Predictive power of cognitive fusion on psychological impact during social isolation

Abstract

Social isolation, as required by the Covid-19 pandemic, although essential, may introduce additional stressors into daily life. In response to these stressors, which can trigger psychopathology, psychological flexibility has been identified as a protective factor. Therefore, the present study evaluated psychological flexibility, stress, depression, anxiety, and the im­pact of the event in a convenience sample of 334 Brazilians. The following instruments were used: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ-II), the Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ), the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ-7), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Women comprised 73.05% of the sample, and 81.74% did not report a psychological diagnosis. Participants with a psychological diagnosis and women exhibited higher levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and psychological impact. Positive correlations were found between CFQ-7 and stress, anxiety, depression, and psychological impact, as well as between AAQ-II and stress, depression, anxiety, and psychological impact. Regression analysis indicated that cognitive fusion and worry accounted for 39% of the psychological impact, with cognitive fu­sion being the strongest predictor, showing a regression coefficient of 0.93.