Andrea Guazzini

With the growing prevalence of online social interactions, it is crucial to understand how the social dimension affects well-being. This study investigates the relationship between the Need for Online Social Feedback (NfOSF) and individuals’ well-being, considering the moderating role of perceived online reputation. A total of 1398 participants, predominantly female, aged 14 to 61, completed an online questionnaire. The results revealed an M-shaped pattern, indicating that both dissatisfaction and excessive satisfaction with online reputation were associated with lower well-being. For those dissatisfied with their reputation, a high desire for social feedback correlated with reduced well-being, as validation from the social environment, was lacking. Similarly, individuals with fully satisfying reputations experienced frustration in their pursuit of online social feedback. In this case, the “Fame” dimension of the NfOSF scale exhibited a negative association with well-being, highlighting the impact of grandiose expectations. The findings underscore the subjective nature of this relationship, emphasizing the role of individual characteristics and social context.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on the psychological and psychopathological status of the population and health care workers in terms of insomnia, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The primary aim of this study was to describe and evaluate the impact of the pandemic on insomnia levels of a cohort of Italian nurses, particularly those involved in the care of COVID-19 patients. The secondary aim was to identify the interaction between insomnia and hardiness, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Materials and Methods: A descriptive–exploratory study was conducted using an online survey during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March to July 2020). The questionnaire consisted of multiple-choice, open-ended, closed, and semi-closed questions. The psychometric tools administered were the Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS-15), the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Results: a cohort of 1167 nurses fully completed the questionnaire (86.2% of total respondents). The insomnia scale survey showed an increase in post-pandemic scores compared to those before the pandemic, implying that insomnia levels increased after the first pandemic wave. Insomnia scores were directly correlated with anxiety levels (r = 0.571; p ≤ 0.05) and inversely correlated with hardiness levels (r = −0.324; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed the following protective factors: not having worked in COVID-19 wards, high levels of hardiness (commitment), and the presence of high pre-pandemic insomnia disorder. The main risk factor for insomnia reported in the analysis was a high anxiety score. Discussion and Conclusion: Anxiety represented the main risk factor for insomnia severity in our sample, while hardiness was confirmed as a protective factor. Thus, it is necessary to design further studies to identify additional risk factors for poor sleep quality and to develop educational courses and strategies aimed at enhancing rest and sleep quality, especially for frontline nurses.