Meaning in Life and Self-Control Buffer Stress in Times of Covid-19

Moderating and Mediating Effects With Regard to Mental Distress

Bibliographic Data

ID15527101
AuthorsTatjana Schnell (0000-0002-7991-2242, Universität Innsbruck, corresponding author), Henning Krampe (0000-0003-3553-4064, Freie Universität Berlin)
Year2020
Volume11
Pages582352-582352
Publication date2020-09-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2020.582352
PMID33173525
OpenAlexW3088562649
LanguageEN
Citations received64
References cited49

Also in the present study among German-speaking participants, general mental distress was high. Scores were higher after than during the lockdown, indicating an ongoing destabilization for a significant part of the population. People who saw a meaning in their lives and who were capable of self-control reported substantially less mental distress. Meaningfulness and self-control also served as buffers between COVID-19 stress and general mental distress: When COVID-19 stress was high, the presence of meaningfulness and self-control accounted for lower general mental distress. Moreover, people who suffered strongly from COVID-19 stress were more likely to develop a crisis of meaning which, in turn, was associated with higher general mental distress. This suggests that ongoing anxiety and depression might (also) be based on existential struggles. Again here, self-control buffered the impact of crisis of meaning on general mental health. We conclude from these findings that public health policies can support citizens in coping with large-scale crises by enabling experiences of meaningfulness, e.g., through transparent and reliable modes of communicating goals and necessary intermediate steps. Moreover, health professionals are well advised to invite individuals to confront existential questions and struggles, and to encourage them to exercise self-control. The latter can be boosted by keeping higher-order goals salient-which again is inherently linked to an understanding of their meaning

Coping (psychology · Distress · Meaning (existential · Mental distress · Mental health · Psychiatry · Psychological resilience · Psychotherapist · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Clinical Psychology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Mental Health Research Topics · Psychology · Social Psychology