The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led the authorities to establish compulsory confinement for most of the Spanish population from March to May 2020. Severe isolation combined with the uncertainty and fear associated with the public health crisis can have a psychological impact on the general population. The aim of the current study was to compare possible gender differences in mental health and psychological measures throughout the confinement. One hundred and sixty-four Spanish participants (75% female; M_age = 39.8; SD = 13.5) completed the surveys at the beginning, middle, and end of the forced confinement. The psychological variables were associated with depressive, anxiety, stress, and intrusive/avoidance symptoms, as well as a total score for overall mental health, and a positive/negative affect measure. The results showed that although females had significantly higher scores than males in almost all measures at the beginning of the confinement, the gender differences were quickly vanishing away over time. In fact, intra-group analysis showed that while the female group significantly improved their results on most psychological measures, the male group improved on only one single measure. In summary, the results showed that although the female group started the confinement with higher levels of negative emotions (particularly symptoms of stress and avoidance) than the male group, these differences were significantly reduced in the first few weeks due to the overall improvement in the results of the female group.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychological impact of confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, considering any protective factors, such as the practice of meditation or self-compassion, and their relationship with different lifestyles and circumstances of adults residing in Spain. A cross-sectional study was done using an anonymous online survey in which 412 participants filled out the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-2; the Impact of Events Scale; and the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form, reporting severe symptomatology of posttraumatic stress and mild anxiety and depression. Quality of cohabitation and age were found to be key variables in the psychological impact of confinement. The impact of confinement was more negative for those who reported very poor cohabitation as opposed to very good (F (3, 405) = 30.75, p ≤ 0.001, d = 2.44, r = 0.054) or for those under 35 years of age compared to those over 46 (F (2, 409) = 5.14, p = 0.006, d = 0.36). Practicing meditation was not revealed as a protective factor, but self-compassion was related to better cohabitation during confinement (F (3, 403) = 11.83, p ≤ 0.001, d = 1.05). These results could be relevant in designing psychological interventions to improve coping and mental health in other situations similar to confinement.

There is mounting evidence regarding the psychological benefits of mindfulness. Yet, does mindfulness really help people to cope with the recollection of acute stressors? To address this question, we examined the effects of trait mindfulness and experimentally induced mindfulness in cognitive and emotional responses to the recollection of an acute stressor among 76 female college students. Trait mindfulness was associated with fewer intrusive thoughts 24 hours after the stress induction, but not with affect balance immediately after the induction. Experimentally induced mindfulness showed the opposite pattern: it was associated with better affect balance immediately after the stress induction, but not with intrusive thoughts 24 hours later. These results suggest that even individuals predisposed to mindfulness may find it difficult to use mindfulness to cope effectively with memories of highly stressful events. Furthermore, our results suggest that the effects of brief mindfulness interventions may be too short-lived to really help people cope with such memories. Considered together, these findings highlight the importance of designing mindfulness-based interventions involving not only intensive practice but also specific training to help individuals use mindfulness to cope with acute stressors.

This study assesses the effect of and Minfulness Emotional Intelligence Program (PINEP) intervention on adults who have suffered the loss of a loved one. The intervention lasts twelve sessions, two and a half hours per week. The sample is made up of 17 adults from an age range of between 26 y 71 años (M= 50.59; SD= 14.44). Participants who complete the interventión show greater tolerance to discomfort, developing skill in mindfulness [t(16) =4.17, d= 1.04, p ≤ .001], and a decrease in state anxiety [t(16)= -2.94, d= .72, p= .005], trait anxiety [t(16)= -3.48, d= .78, p ≤ .001] and depression [t(16)= -3.18, d= .66, p= .003]. El presente estudio evalúa el efecto de una intervención adaptada del Programa Inteligencia Emocional Plena (PINEP) en adultos que han sufrido la pérdida de un ser querido. La intervención tiene una duración de doce sesiones, de dos horas y media por semana. La muestra está compuesta por 17 adultos de un rango de edad de entre 26 y 71 años (M = 50.59; SD = 14.44). Los participantes que completaron la intervención, muestran una mayor tolerancia al malestar desarrollando habilidades en mindfulness [t(16) = 4.17, d = 1.04, p ≤ .001] y una disminución en ansiedad estado [t(16) = -2.94, d = .72, p = .005], ansiedad rasgo [t(16) = -3.48, d = .78, p ≤ .001] y depresión [t(16) = -3.18, d = .66, p= .003]