The relationship between psychological distress, meaning in life, and life satisfaction in the COVID-19 pandemic La relación entre la molestia psicológica, el sentido de la vida y la satisfacción con la vida en la pandemia del COVID-19


Kartol A., Söner O., Griffiths M. D.

Anales de Psicologia, vol.39, no.2, pp.197-206, 2023 (SCI-Expanded) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 39 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.6018/analesps.518001
  • Journal Name: Anales de Psicologia
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Fuente Academica Plus, IBZ Online, Periodicals Index Online, Psicodoc, Psycinfo, Directory of Open Access Journals, DIALNET
  • Page Numbers: pp.197-206
  • Keywords: Anxiety, COVID-19 Pandemic, Depression, Life satisfaction, Meaning of life, Psychological distress, Stress
  • Bursa Uludag University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the fear of being infected, losing relatives, and measures taken to prevent contamination (e.g., lock-downs, quarantining, spatial distancing, etc.) have all increased the risk of depression, anxiety and stress. In the present study, the relationship be-tween psychological distress, meaning in life, and life satisfaction was ex-plored among individuals who were infected and not infected with COVID-19 during the pandemic. The present study is the first to examine these variables simultaneously. The sample comprised 687 adult individuals over the age of 18 years (mean=30.51 years). Results indicated that adult individuals with high life satisfaction had lower levels of psychological dis-tress, find life more meaningful, and seek meaning less. Psychological dis-tress was positively related with the search for meaning in life and nega-tively related with the existence of meaning in life. Moreover, depressive symptoms and the existence of meaning in life were significant predictors of life satisfaction.