Eudaimonic Well-Being of Italian Young Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Predictive and Mediating Roles of Fear of Death and Psychological Inflexibility

Abstract

The literature has widely acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young adults. Despite extensive research, eudaimonic well-being, which focuses on self-knowledge and self-realization, has been scarcely investigated. This cross-sectional study aimed to add knowledge on the eudaimonic well-being of young adults one year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, verifying its potential linkages with fear of death and psychological inflexibility. A total of 317 young Italian adults (18–34 years), recruited through a chain sampling method, completed measures of psychological inflexibility, fear of death, and eudaimonic well-being included in an online survey. The study’s hypotheses were tested with multivariate multiple regression and mediational analyses. Results showed that psychological inflexibility was negatively associated with all the dimensions of well-being, while fear of the death of others was associated with autonomy, environmental mastery, and self-acceptance. Furthermore, in the association between fear of death and well-being, the mediation role of psychological inflexibility was verified. These results contribute to the extant literature on the factors associated with eudaimonic well-being, providing clinical insights into the work with young adults within challenging times.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Use of Antidepressants by Young Adults in the ASL TO4 Regione Piemonte (Italy)

“…Interestingly, in line with previously cited studies on the Italian population [18][19][20][21][22][23], we found no changes in AD use comparable to young adults in other age groups, supporting the hypothesis that this subgroup of individuals had needed medication to treat their psychological distress during the lockdown periods and/or after the reopening phase. This evidence supports the association between younger age and lower levels of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. We can also speculate that the increase in the use of ADs by young adults in the ASL TO4 Regione Piemonte may be related to prescriptions for the treatment of post-COVID-19 depression.…”

“…In this respect, the association between younger age and lower levels of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic has been documented. In particular, young adults have been found to experience high rates of loneliness, anxious and depressive symptoms, stress, and sleep disturbances [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. Whether these changes were associated with a parallel change in AD consumption needs to be better understood.…”

Death Anxiety of Students and Teachers of High Schools in the Region of Thessaly, Greece

“…According to the findings of research carried out by (Conte et al, 1982) it was initially found that there was a little systematic relationship between age, sex, education, religiosity and death anxiety. Lester (Calvo et al, 2023;Dursun et al, 2022) observed that as more well organised were the studies, the smaller was the relationship that was found between demographic characteristics and the fear of death. From the other hand, the scientist considered that personality and life experiences were the most determining parameters about the fear of death.…”