Fear of COVID-19 and Future Orientation: Different Profiles in Dealing With the Pandemic and Associations With Loneliness and Posttraumatic Growth

Clinical Impact Statement The use of a person-oriented approach focusing on the existence of patterns among the individuals, rather than mean and correlations characterizing the variable-oriented research could be worthwhile for a more complex picture of the impact of the pandemic. In this vein, this study points out different ways of reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic resulting from the combination of fear and future orientation. Moreover, the perceived loneliness of individuals should be considered by clinicians because it is associated with dysfunctional profiles of reaction. The profile named "Constructively Preoccupied" characterized by both high fear and high future orientation has greater posttraumatic growth.Objective: This study aimed to examine the profiles of reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic based on the combination of fear and future orientation, as well as their sociodemographic, situational, and relational predictors. We also compared posttraumatic growth between the profiles. Method: A sample of 640 Italian participants completed the Multidimensional Assessment of COVID-19-Related Fears (MAC-RF), the Future Orientation Scale (FOS), the UCLA Loneliness Scale-Version 3, and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Results: Latent profile analysis indicated a 4-class solution as the best-fitting model. The first profile ("Detached") comprised 9.9% of the sample and was characterized by both low fear and future orientation. The second profile ("Hopeful") concerned 49.9% of the sample and it featured low fear and high future orientation. The third profile ("Constructively Preoccupied") involved 35.5% of the sample and was distinguished by high fear and high future orientation. The fourth profile ("Fearful") included 4.6% of the sample and was marked by high fear and low future orientation. Multinomial logistic regressions indicated that the female gender was more likely to be associated with the Constructively Preoccupied profile, while older age was more likely to be associated with the Hopeful one. Higher perceived loneliness was associated with all profiles except the Hopeful. Results of comparisons showed substantial differences in posttraumatic growth between the profiles. The Constructively Preoccupied profile showed the greatest posttraumatic growth. Conclusions: Overall, these results point out the various profile of reaction to the pandemic and that adopting a person-oriented approach could enhance their grasp.