TY - JOUR
T1 - Maladaptive Daydreaming in an Adult
Italian Population During the
COVID-19 Lockdown
AU - Saita, Emanuela
AU - Castelnuovo, Gianluca
AU - Cattivelli, Roberto
AU - Musetti, Alessandro
AU - Franceschini, Christian
AU - Pingani, Luca
AU - Freda, Maria Francesca
AU - Vegni, Elena
AU - Zenesini, Corrado
AU - Quattropani, Maria Catena
AU - Lenzo, Vittorio
AU - Margherita, Giorgia
AU - Lemmo, Daniela
AU - Corsano, Paola
AU - Borghi, Lidia
AU - Plazzi, Giuseppe
AU - Somer, Eli
AU - Schimmenti, Adriano
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - During the COVID-19 outbreak, individuals with or without mental disorders may resort
to dysfunctional psychological strategies that could trigger or heighten their emotional
distress. The current study aims to explore the links between maladaptive daydreaming
(MD, i.e., a compulsive fantasy activity associated with distress and psychological
impairment), psychological symptoms of depression, anxiety, and negative stress, and
COVID-19-related variables, such as changes in face-to-face and online relationships,
during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. A total of 6,277 Italian adults completed an
online survey, including socio-demographic variables, COVID-19 related information,
the 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16), and Depression, Anxiety, and
Stress Scales-21 Items (DASS-21). Based on an empirically derived cut-off score, 1,082
participants (17.2%) were identified as probable maladaptive daydreamers (MDers). A
binary logistic regression revealed that compared to controls, probable MDers reported
that during the COVID-19 lockdown they experienced higher levels of anxiety and
depression, decreased online social relationships, and, surprisingly, stable or increased
face-to-face social relationships. Given the peculiar characteristics of the pandemic
context, these findings suggest that the exposure to the risk of contagion had probably
exacerbated the tendency of probable MDers to lock themselves inside their mental
fantasy worlds, which in turn may have contributed to further estrangement from online
social relationships and support, thus worsening their emotional distress.
AB - During the COVID-19 outbreak, individuals with or without mental disorders may resort
to dysfunctional psychological strategies that could trigger or heighten their emotional
distress. The current study aims to explore the links between maladaptive daydreaming
(MD, i.e., a compulsive fantasy activity associated with distress and psychological
impairment), psychological symptoms of depression, anxiety, and negative stress, and
COVID-19-related variables, such as changes in face-to-face and online relationships,
during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. A total of 6,277 Italian adults completed an
online survey, including socio-demographic variables, COVID-19 related information,
the 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16), and Depression, Anxiety, and
Stress Scales-21 Items (DASS-21). Based on an empirically derived cut-off score, 1,082
participants (17.2%) were identified as probable maladaptive daydreamers (MDers). A
binary logistic regression revealed that compared to controls, probable MDers reported
that during the COVID-19 lockdown they experienced higher levels of anxiety and
depression, decreased online social relationships, and, surprisingly, stable or increased
face-to-face social relationships. Given the peculiar characteristics of the pandemic
context, these findings suggest that the exposure to the risk of contagion had probably
exacerbated the tendency of probable MDers to lock themselves inside their mental
fantasy worlds, which in turn may have contributed to further estrangement from online
social relationships and support, thus worsening their emotional distress.
KW - COVID-19
KW - daydreaming
KW - COVID-19
KW - daydreaming
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/173786
M3 - Article
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
SN - 1664-1078
ER -