Maladaptive Daydreaming in an Adult Italian Population During the COVID-19 Lockdown

During the COVID-19 outbreak, individuals with or without mental disorders may resort\r\nto dysfunctional psychological strategies that could trigger or heighten their emotional\r\ndistress. The current study aims to explore the links between maladaptive daydreaming\r\n(MD, i.e., a compulsive fantasy activity associated with distress and psychological\r\nimpairment), psychological symptoms of depression, anxiety, and negative stress, and\r\nCOVID-19-related variables, such as changes in face-to-face and online relationships,\r\nduring the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. A total of 6,277 Italian adults completed an\r\nonline survey, including socio-demographic variables, COVID-19 related information,\r\nthe 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16), and Depression, Anxiety, and\r\nStress Scales-21 Items (DASS-21). Based on an empirically derived cut-off score, 1,082\r\nparticipants (17.2%) were identified as probable maladaptive daydreamers (MDers). A\r\nbinary logistic regression revealed that compared to controls, probable MDers reported\r\nthat during the COVID-19 lockdown they experienced higher levels of anxiety and\r\ndepression, decreased online social relationships, and, surprisingly, stable or increased\r\nface-to-face social relationships. Given the peculiar characteristics of the pandemic\r\ncontext, these findings suggest that the exposure to the risk of contagion had probably\r\nexacerbated the tendency of probable MDers to lock themselves inside their mental\r\nfantasy worlds, which in turn may have contributed to further estrangement from online\r\nsocial relationships and support, thus worsening their emotional distress.