Perceived changes of specific attitudes, perceptions and behaviors during the Corona pandemic and their relation to wellbeing

Abstract

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, most people had to cope with the restrictions of the lockdown, leaving them to their fears, insecurity and isolation. On the other hand, due to the unexpected ‘extra time’ there was room for new experiences and for personal reflections on what is essential in life, to perceive nature and relations more consciously etc. We, therefore, intended to analyze perceived changes of attitudes and behaviors during the time of lockdown, and whether these perceptions would contribute to personal wellbeing during the pandemic. Methods An anonym cross-sectional online survey was performed for data collection, using standardized questionnaires, i.e., the WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5), Brief Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale (BMLSS), Awe/Gratitude scale (GrAw-7), and the newly developed Perceived Changes Questionnaire (PCQ). Results Within the number of respondents (n = 1277), women were predominating (67.5%). Participants’ mean age was 50.9 ± 14.9 years. Exploratory factor analyses showed that the 24-item Perceived Changes Questionnaire differentiated five factors that would account for 61% of variance: (1) Nature/Silence/Contemplation (Cronbach’s alpha = .87), (2) Spirituality (Cronbach’s alpha = .83), (3) Relationships (Cronbach’s alpha = .80), (4) Reflection on life (Cronbach’s alpha = .74), (5) Digital media usage (Cronbach’s alpha = .74). Strongest changes were observed for Relationships and Nature/Silence/Contemplation. Perceived changes were stronger among older persons, among persons with higher wellbeing, and among those who relied on their faith as a resource. These changes were predicted best by a person’s perception of wondering awe in distinct situations with subsequent feelings of gratitude. Stepwise regression analyzes revealed that participants’ wellbeing was explained best by low perceived burden and high life satisfaction (R2 = .46). Awe/gratitude, perceived changes in terms of Nature/Silence/Contemplation and low Reflections of live are further variables that would predict a person’s wellbeing among the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions During the Corona pandemic, people tried to find ways to adapt to the outcomes of the restrictions. The perceived changes of attitudes and behaviors can be interpreted in terms of a reappraisal strategy. These can be measured with the extended version of the PCQ which was found to have good quality indices and a plausible factor structure. The reported changes contribute to persons’ wellbeing only to some extend, indicating that they represent an independent quality of relevance in peoples’ life.

Tumor patients’ fears and worries and perceived changes of specific attitudes, perceptions and behaviors due to the COVID-19 pandemic are still relevant

“…In fact, the second lockdown followed in December 2020. However, also (non-tumor) persons recruited in June 2020 were “irritated by statements about danger and course of the infection in public media”, but to a lower extend (44%) (Büssing et al 2020b ). In contrast, Musche et al ( 2020 ) reported that tumor patients had no higher distress scores or anxiety compared to healthy persons, while tumor patients had more adherence safety behavior (indicating that they are more aware of their risks) and more dysfunctional safety behaviors (indicating that they nevertheless are afraid of the unpredictable pandemic outcomes).…”

“…For that purpose, training to mindful awareness might be helpful to facilitate wondering awe and subsequent feelings of gratefulness—despite the restrictions. As discussed, awe/gratitude are among the best predictors of perceived changes due to the pandemic and contribute to a person’s wellbeing (Büssing et al 2020b ). Others reported that such feelings of awe are related to a sense of connection and belonging (Prade and Saroglou 2016 ), which can be seen as a stabilizing resource, too.…”

“…During the first lockdown in Germany March 2020, several used the time of social distance to become more aware of their relations, of nature as an opportunity to relax and to distance from negative thoughts and emotions, and to connect with others via digital media (Büssing et al 2020b ). This can be seen as a matter of reappraisal coping.…”

“…This can be seen as a matter of reappraisal coping. During the pandemic, a larger survey among German participants revealed their wellbeing was predicted by low perceived burden due to the pandemic and by multidimensional life satisfaction, with further impact of the ability to stop in ‘wondering awe’ in specific situations (as a matter of mindful awareness and perceptive spirituality), by awareness of Nature/Silence/Contemplation and by low worrying reflections of live as predictors (Büssing et al 2020b ). Similarly, tumor patients’ perceptions and attitudes were shaped by their fear about an unclear course of the pandemic, the unclear personal risk to be infected, and by experiences of loneliness due to social distancing (Büssing et al 2020a ).…”

Awe/Gratitude as an Experiential Aspect of Spirituality and Its Association to Perceived Positive Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Tumor patients, for example, perceived nature and silence and also their relationships more intensely, some had a stronger interest in spiritual issues, while others perceived loneliness and ruminated worrying reflections (2). In a survey among a more general population from Germany, these perceived changes were operationalized and measured in terms of (1) Nature/Silence/Contemplation, (2) Spirituality, (3) Relationships, (4) Reflection on life, and (5) Digital media use (8). Strongest changes were observed for Relationships and Nature/Silence/Contemplation.…”