It appears you don't have support to open PDFs in this web browser. To view this file, Open with your PDF reader
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated countermeasures had an immensely disruptive impact on people’s lives. Due to the lack of systematic pre-pandemic data, however, it is still unclear how individuals’ psychological health has been affected across this incisive event. In this study, we analyze longitudinal data from two healthy samples (N = 307) to provide quasi-longitudinal insight into the full trajectory of psychological burden before (baseline), during the first peak, and at a relative downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our data indicated a medium rise in psychological strain from baseline to the first peak of the pandemic (d = 0.40). Surprisingly, this was overcompensated by a large decrease of perceived burden until downturn (d = − 0.93), resulting in a positive overall effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health (d = 0.44). Accounting for this paradoxical positive effect, our results reveal that the post-pandemic increase in mental health is driven by individuals that were already facing psychological challenges before the pandemic. These findings suggest that coping with acute challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic can stabilize previously impaired mental health through reframing processes.
You have requested "on-the-fly" machine translation of selected content from our databases. This functionality is provided solely for your convenience and is in no way intended to replace human translation. Show full disclaimer
Neither ProQuest nor its licensors make any representations or warranties with respect to the translations. The translations are automatically generated "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" and are not retained in our systems. PROQUEST AND ITS LICENSORS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES FOR AVAILABILITY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, COMPLETENESS, NON-INFRINGMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Your use of the translations is subject to all use restrictions contained in your Electronic Products License Agreement and by using the translation functionality you agree to forgo any and all claims against ProQuest or its licensors for your use of the translation functionality and any output derived there from. Hide full disclaimer
Details
1 Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Department of Psychology I, Würzburg, Germany (GRID:grid.8379.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 1958 8658)
2 University of Würzburg, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Clinical Anxiety Research, Center of Mental Health, Würzburg, Germany (GRID:grid.8379.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 1958 8658)
3 University of Würzburg, Translational Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Center of Mental Health, Würzburg, Germany (GRID:grid.8379.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 1958 8658)
4 University of Münster, Institute for Translational Psychiatry, Münster, Germany (GRID:grid.5949.1) (ISNI:0000 0001 2172 9288)
5 University of Freiburg, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany (GRID:grid.5963.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 0491 7203); Partner Site Berlin/Potsdam, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Berlin, Germany (GRID:grid.5963.9)
6 University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Hamburg, Germany (GRID:grid.13648.38) (ISNI:0000 0001 2180 3484); University of Bielefeld, Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Bielefeld, Germany (GRID:grid.7491.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 0944 9128)
7 Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Berlin, Germany (GRID:grid.7468.d) (ISNI:0000 0001 2248 7639); Partner Site Berlin/Potsdam, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Berlin, Germany (GRID:grid.7468.d)
8 Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany (GRID:grid.7839.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9721); Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Frankfurt, Germany (GRID:grid.510864.e)
9 University of Freiburg, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany (GRID:grid.5963.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 0491 7203)
10 Clinical Center for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatic Medicine, Geriatrics and Neurology, kbo-Inn-Salzach-Klinikum, Wasserburg/Inn, Germany (GRID:grid.500083.e); Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Department of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany (GRID:grid.5252.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 973X)