People who contracted COVID-19: the mediating role of shame and guilt in the link between threatening illness perception and mental health measures

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of a range of people, including healthcare workers, the general population, and COVID-19 patients. This study examined the psychological distress, negative affect, and positive affect of people who contracted COVID-19 in Israel, and their relation to threatening illness perception, guilt, and shame.

Design: Cross-sectional design.

Methods: Three hundred and fifty-one participants who had contracted COVID-19 completed self-report questionnaires assessing the study variables.

Results: The results revealed a direct positive link between threatening COVID-19 illness perception and psychological distress and negative affect, and a negative link with positive affect. In addition, shame and guilt were significant mediators; namely, threatening COVID-19 illness perception was linked with negative affect via guilt, and with psychological distress, negative affect, and positive affect via shame.

Conclusions: Illness perception, shame, and guilt may have a significant negative effect on the mental health of people who contracted COVID-19, and should be acknowledged and addressed by professionals.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19 patients
• illness perception
• guilt
• shame
• psychological distress
• negative affect
• positive affect

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the participants who willingly participated in this study.

Informed consent

All participants provided written informed consent.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).