The Early 2020 COVID-19 Outbreak in China and Subsequent Flourishing: Medium-Term Effects and Intervening Mechanisms

Abstract

In early 2020, a COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Hubei Province of China. Exploiting the geographic concentration of China’s COVID-19 cases in Hubei (the initial epicenter), we compare Hubei and non-Hubei residents to examine the medium-term effect of exposure to the COVID-19 outbreak on mental well-being. We examine flourishing—a comprehensive assessment of well-being that is not merely the absence of mental illness—and investigate a broad set of psychosocial and economic mediators that may link initial outbreak exposure to subsequent flourishing. We use ordinary least squares regression models to analyze national panel data collected in early 2020 and late 2021 ( N = 3,169). Results show that flourishing scores remain lower for Hubei than non-Hubei residents almost two years following the early 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. Mediation analysis reveals that Hubei residents’ lower incidences of job promotion and lower sense of control are the two most important mediators accounting for their lower flourishing relative to non-Hubei residents. Combined, this study provides the first evidence of the medium-term psychological vulnerability borne by individuals who lived in the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings on the intervening mechanisms shed light on the policy initiatives needed for post-pandemic mental well-being recovery in China and other countries.

Managing a Household During a Pandemic: Cognitive Labor and Parents’ Psychological Well-being

“…At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. parents—particularly parents of school-aged children—exhibited significant increases in psychological distress (Babore et al 2023; Cai et al 2021; Montazer et al 2022; Racine et al 2021; Zamarro and Prados 2021). There is also evidence of enduring effects; American adults’ mental health was substantially poorer at the end of 2020 than in Spring of 2020 (Thomeer 2023), and evidence of long-term effects for adults in other countries (Qian and Fan 2022) indicates that parents’ psychological well-being may have continued to decline as the pandemic wore on.…”

Cumulative Pandemic Stressors, Psychosocial Resources, and Psychological Distress: Toward a More Comprehensive Test of a Pandemic Stress Process

“…Decades of research have established the noxious impact of stressors on mental health, with a great deal of scholarly attention documenting the impact of chronic stressors, traumatic stressors, and discrimination on health and well-being ( Pearlin and Bierman 2013 ; J. Taylor and Turner 2002 ; Turner and Lloyd 1995 ; Williams 2018 ). The burgeoning study of pandemic stressors and mental health has sparked new interest in the stress process by confirming and extending the general patterns of pre-pandemic research ( Bierman, Upenieks, Glavin, and Schieman 2021 ; Donnelly and Farina 2021 ; Grace 2021 ; Grace and VanHeuvelen 2022 ; Moen 2022 ; Qian and Fan 2022 ; Witteveen and Velthorst 2020 ).…”

“…Although recent research has made significant and timely contributions to our understanding of the mental health consequences of specific pandemic stressors (e.g., bereavement, job conditions, or financial strain) ( Bierman, Upenieks, Glavin, and Schieman 2021 ; Bo et al 2021 ; Brown and Ciciurkaite 2022 ; Craparo et al 2022 ; Donnelly and Farina 2021 ; Fang, Thomsen, and Nayga 2021 ; Grace 2021 ; Grace and VanHeuvelen 2022 ; Han et al 2022 ; Matalon et al 2021 ; Qian and Fan 2022 ; Taquet et al 2021 ; Witteveen and Velthorst 2020 ), little is known about the cumulative toll of experiencing multiple COVID-19 stressors. Over three decades ago, Leonard I. Pearlin (1989 :25) warned that because “stressors typically surface as groups or constellations of stressors,” focusing on particular stressors “may incorrectly assume more similarity in exposure to stressful experience than actually exists.” By this logic, broader assessments of COVID-19 stressors are needed to better estimate the mental health sequelae of pandemic social stress, including the similarly understudied role of coping resources in the moderation of the cumulative stress experience.…”

“…Although recent research has made significant and timely contributions to our understanding of the mental health consequences of specific pandemic stressors (e.g., bereavement, job conditions, or financial strain) (Bierman, Upenieks, Glavin, and Schieman 2021;Bo et al 2021;Brown and Ciciurkaite 2022;Craparo et al 2022;Donnelly and Farina 2021;Fang, Thomsen, and Nayga 2021;Grace 2021;Grace and VanHeuvelen 2022;Han et al 2022;Matalon et al 2021;Qian and Fan 2022;Taquet et al 2021;Witteveen and Velthorst 2020), little is known about the cumulative toll of experiencing multiple COVID-19 stressors. Over three decades ago, Leonard I.…”

“…Taylor and Turner 2002;Turner and Lloyd 1995;Williams 2018). The burgeoning study of pandemic stressors and mental health has sparked new interest in the stress process by confirming and extending the general patterns of pre-pandemic research (Bierman, Upenieks, Glavin, and Schieman 2021;Donnelly and Farina 2021;Grace 2021;Grace and VanHeuvelen 2022;Moen 2022;Qian and Fan 2022;Witteveen and Velthorst 2020).…”