COVID-19 pandemic as a huge stressor of the 21st century

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on the somatic and psychological state of the population worldwide, leading to a wide range of health complications. Most of thestudies on the COVID-19 pandemic have focused on the direct psychological and somatic aspects of thedisease. However, the negative consequences of the indirect aspect of the pandemic (i.e., stay-at-home ordersleading to social isolation) represent a major stressor on psychosomatic health and warrant greater interest.This study examines the COVID-19 pandemic as a significant stressor of the 21st century through the lensof the “allostatic” stress response concept and highlights the stress-related psychosomatic consequencesof the COVID-19 pandemic. A better understanding of the pathomechanisms underlying indirect impacts ofthe pandemic on psychosomatic health can contribute to the implementation of personalized interventionsfor managing stress responses, thereby reducing the pandemic-linked stress burden and preventing stressassociateddisease emergence (Tab. 1, Fig. 1, Ref. 67). Text in PDF www.elis.sk