Late Adulthood, COVID-19-Related Stress Perceptions, Meaning in Life, and Forgiveness as Predictors of Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine multiple direct and indirect pathways of the association between older age and mental health through COVID-19-related stress perceptions, meaning in life, and forgiveness of situations. Participants were 1,382 U.S. adults who were part of the Harvard Digital Lab for the Social Sciences panel who volunteered to complete a 12 min survey in the spring of 2020. The sample had an average age of 56 years, was slightly more male (55%) than female (44%) or other (2%), mostly White (88%), well-educated (70% bachelors degree or more), and middle-income ($60,000–$75,000 annually). Measures included: COVID-19-related stress perceptions (e.g., concerns about infection, job, lack of necessities), presence of and search for meaning in life, forgiveness of situations, psychological distress, hopelessness, and optimism. A latent mental health variable was created that was comprised of psychological distress, hopelessness, and optimism. All hypothesized direct effects were in evidence, and all but one indirect effect were observed. Specifically, older age was related to better mental health through higher presence of meaning and lower search for meaning. Older age was also related to better mental health through a serial indirect pathway from lower COVID-19-related stress perceptions to higher presence of and lower search for meaning and higher forgiveness of situations to mental health. The proposed model was largely supported and confirms existing theory and research on aging, positive psychological processes, and mental health. Findings also offer new insights on the unique potential role of forgiveness of situations and its theoretical relevance to offending situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study offers a beginning for theorists, researchers, and practitioners to consider the connections between aging and mental health and the intricate interconnections between stress appraisal and positive coping resources that may serve to support it.

The Examination of the Mediator Role of Optimism, Self-Compassion, Altruism and Gratitude in the Relationship Between Cognitive Distortions and Forgiveness of Emerging Adults

“…On the other hand, it is known that some personality traits, such as optimism, are effective in individuals having the necessary emotion, thought and relationship style to forgive (McCullough et al, 1998). In fact, studies in the literature reveal that there are moderate positive correlations between the optimism of individuals and their tendency to forgive situations (Ramadhani et al, 2021; Toussaint et al, 2021). In a study conducted by Ramadhani et al (2021) on university students, it was determined that among the behaviours of forgiving oneself, others and situations, forgiveness of situations explained the variance in optimism the most.…”

Common mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong: Age-related differences and implications for dementia risk

“…Although research is still ongoing, these studies seem to suggest that at least a sub-population of older adults is emotionally resilient, potentially owing to their complex experiences and adaptive coping skills/strategies built during their previous lives. Indeed, their resilience has been found to be less influenced by stressful life events ( 66 ) and associated with meaning in life ( 67 ), which may in part explain the better mental health outcomes observed in the older age groups.…”

How Do Late Adults Experience Meaning During the COVID-19 Lockdown? The Role of Intrinsic Goals

“…Further, late adults who are better at creating meaning from their life experiences, are also expected to more easily find meaning in the face of challenging conditions, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, research has found that meaning in life enables individuals to better cope with traumatic events (e.g., cancer) and promotes posttraumatic growth (Park, 2010 ), and studies performed during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that older adults experience a stronger sense of meaning, which related to better mental health (Toussaint et al, 2021 ) or less feelings of covid-related distress (Humphrey & Vari, 2021 ).…”