Change in mental health symptoms during the COVID‐19 pandemic: The role of appraisals and daily life experiences
Year: 2020
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective When confronted with major threats, people often experience decline in well‐being. The central purpose of this study was to identify mechanisms underlying change of well‐being in times of threat, using the example of the COVID‐19 pandemic, with a focus on appraisals of the pandemic and affective states, stress, as well as mindfulness in daily life. Method We conducted a study across 3.5 weeks, including pretest, posttest, and a diary phase in‐between. We worked with a sample of 460 adults, pre‐ and post‐test information, as well as 7,189 observations from the diary phase. Results Results showed that deterioration in mental health symptoms across the duration of the study was associated with (a) change towards less fortunate appraisals of the pandemic and (b), more negative affect and less mindfulness in daily life. Furthermore, appraisals of the pandemic at pretest predicted experiences in daily life, with more negative appraisals of the pandemic predicting more negative affect and stressor occurrence as well as less mindfulness. Conclusions These findings speak to the dynamic nature of well‐being and appraisals in times of threat, and highlight the role of experiences in daily life in changes in well‐being.
Source: Journal of Personality
DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12592
Authors: Annette Brose, Elisabeth S. Blanke, Florian Schmiedek, Andrea C. Kramer, Andrea Schmidt, Andreas B. Neubauer
Language: English
Topic: COVID-19 and Mental Health
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3085370384