Personal Growth and Well-Being in the Time of COVID: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Analysis

Abstract

The physical distancing measures necessitated by COVID-19 have resulted in a severe withdrawal from the patterns of daily life, necessitating significantly reduced contact with other people. To many, such withdrawal can be a major cause of distress. But, to some, this sort of withdrawal is an integral part of growth, a pathway to a more enriching life. The present study uses a sequential explanatory QUAN-qual design to investigate whether people who felt that their lives had changed for the better after being forced to engage in physical distancing, what factors predicted such well-being, and how they spent their time to generate this sense of well-being. We invited 614 participants who reported closely following physical distancing recommendations to complete a survey exploring this topic. Our analyses, after controlling for all other variables in the regression model, found a greater positive association between presence of meaning in life, coping style, and self-transcendent wisdom and residualized current well-being accounting for retrospective assessments of well-being prior to physical distancing. An extreme-case content analysis of participants' personal projects found that participants with low self-transcendent wisdom reported more survival-oriented projects (e.g., acquiring groceries or engaging in distracting entertainments), while participants reporting high self-transcendent wisdom reported more projects involving deepening interactions with other people, especially family. Our findings suggest a more nuanced pathway from adversity to a deeper sense of well-being by showing the importance of not merely coping with adversity, but truly transcending it.

Torn between two worlds: COVID, it’s your fault

“…NZ immigrants appear to have experienced increased levels of psychological distress similar to that noted by Serafini et al (2021) as a worldwide trend. In line with broader findings ( Chen et al, 2020 , Kim et al, 2021 , Pieh et al, 2021 ) participant responses were generally negative during the lockdown period with emotions indicative of anxiety, loneliness, dislocation, and disruption. These were exacerbated by transnational concerns and renewed questions of belonging and identity.…”

“…Mitra Kalita (2020) agreed, arguing that immigrants display a mindset to “embrace uncertainty” (p. 1) and many have demonstrated resilience in the pre-COVID era. This was confirmed by Kim et al (2021) who noted in their study that those who focussed on deepening relationships with others while in lockdown appeared to have beneficial personal growth outcomes. In an autoethnographic study of her lockdown experience, doctoral student Jiang (2020) described feelings of anxiety, fear, and being overwhelmed, but also articulated a greater understanding of self and her relationship with others.…”

“…1 ), her stress levels were moderated by a sense of deepening these relationships. Kim et al (2021) noted a similar positive outcome in individuals with strong resilience. Martha’s emotional narrative on the 2020–2021 period was unexpected, and her conflicting feelings reinforced her resistance to commit to NZ citizenship which surprised her and raised questions of national identity.…”

“…The Omicron variant began circulating in February 2022, and while infections continue to rise, the results of the drive to ‘slow the spread’ through a national vaccination drive has proved successful, with relatively low levels of hospitalisation and deaths ( Ministry of Health, 2022 ). While all New Zealanders have felt the sociocultural impacts of COVID-19 as described in the literature on social behaviours related to stereotyping, lockdowns and social distancing ( Chiang, 2021 , Greyling et al, 2021 , Kim et al, 2021 , Miconi et al, 2021 , Serafini et al, 2021 ) NZ immigrants have experienced specific challenges.…”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle behaviors in children and adolescents: an international overview

“…Moreover, among the beneficial consequences of the current crisis, home-schooling could have helped children who have experienced bullying or other stressors during school time. Overcoming the trauma linked to the current pandemic could promote personal growth and psychological development which in turn reinforce self-confidence and become a protective factor for coping with future stressors [ 163 ].…”