Examining the Relationship between Acute Stress and Psychosocial Functioning through the Lens of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Can acute stress lead to improvements in psychosocial functioning? The effects of acute stress on the social environment and the subsequent impact on psychological functioning is an important area of focus that has gained recent attention in the examination of individual responses to acute stress. It has been suggested that the stimulation of positive social behaviors and perceptions following acute stress can have enduring positive effects on psychological functioning (Mancini, 2019). The current study aimed to expand this line of research by examining the longitudinal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on social behavior and psychological functioning. I hypothesized that the acute phase participants, relative to recovery phase participants, would report higher social support, communal orientation, compassion, and gratitude. In addition, I explored whether there were differences in meaning in life and loneliness. The current study utilized a quasi-experimental cohort design to examine these hypotheses. Acute phase participants (N = 146) completed assessments in the Spring of 2020 during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, and a matched comparison recovery cohort (N = 106) completed assessments one year later during the Spring of 2021. Independent samples t-tests revealed that participants had significantly lower negative affect during the acute phase of the pandemic compared to the recovery phase. No difference in positive affect emerged. However, the hypothesized differences between acute and recovery cohorts did not emerge in perceived social support, communal orientation, compassion, or gratitude, though absolute differences indicated the acute phase had higher mean scores on all variables (d = –.01 to d = –.16). In addition, exploratory analyses indicated the acute phase reported higher levels of meaning of life (d = –.40). Findings are discussed in relation to the potential for the analysis to be underpowered; the importance of a null finding of no differences between cohorts, and widespread concerns that the early COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns would have detrimental effects on psychological and social variables.