Thinking about My Existence during COVID-19, I Feel Anxiety and Awe—The Mediating Role of Existential Anxiety and Life Satisfaction on the Relationship between PTSD Symptoms and Post-Traumatic Growth

Abstract

Background: The global outbreak of COVID-19set new challenges and threats for every human being. In the psychological field it is similar to deep existential crises or a traumatic experience that may lead to the appearance or exacerbation of a serious mental disorder and loss of life meaning and satisfaction. Courtney et al. (2020) discussed deadly pandemic COVID-19 in the light of TMT theory and named it as global contagion of mortality that personally affected every human being. Such unique conditions activate existential fears as people start to be aware of their own mortality. Objective: The main aim of this study was to test the mediating effect of existential anxiety, activated by COVID-19 and life satisfaction (SWLS) on the relationship between PTSD symptoms and post-traumatic growth (PTG). We also examined the moderated mediating effect of severity of trauma symptoms on life satisfaction and existential anxiety and its associations with PTG. Method: We conducted an online survey during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Poland. The participants completed existential anxiety scale (SNE), life satisfaction scale (SWLS), IES-R scale for measuring the level of PTSD symptoms and post-traumatic growth inventory (PTGI). Results: The effect of PTSD on PTG was found to be mediated by existential anxiety and life satisfaction. We also confirmed two indirect effects: (1) the indirect effect of PTSD on PTG via existential anxiety and life satisfaction tested simultaneously; (2) the indirect effect of life satisfaction on PTG through severity of trauma symptoms. An intermediate or high level of PTSD level was related to less PTG when low and full PTSD stress symptoms strengthened PTG experiences. Conclusions: A therapeutic intervention for individuals after traumatic experience should attempt to include fundamental existential questions and meaning of life as well as the severity of PTSD symptoms. The severity of traumatic sensations may affect the relationship between life satisfaction and post-traumatic growth.

Mental Health Outcomes of the COVID-19 Pandemic and a Collapsing Economy: Perspectives from a Developing Country

“…An explanation for this increase in mental health issues is the excess use of social media and exposure to COVID-19 related information and misinformation ( Gao et al, 2020 ). Indeed, COVID-19 might be considered similar to deep existential crises or a traumatic experience that may lead to the appearance or exacerbation of a severe mental disorder and loss of life meaning and satisfaction ( Tomaszek and Muchacka-Cymerman, 2020 )…”

Changes in mental health and help-seeking among young Australian adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study

“…Indeed, the self-help behaviours with the highest endorsement in this sample, seeking social support (82.9%) and getting regular exercise (69.2%) have both been associated with lower incidence of depression and anxiety symptoms during COVID-19 in other young adult samples (Liu et al, 2020 ; Zhang, Zhang, Ma, & Di, 2020 ). Further, emerging research has demonstrated incidences of post-traumatic growth attributed to the pandemic, in which some individuals display improvements in psychological functioning after facing adversity (Chi et al, 2020 ; Tomaszek & Muchacka-Cymerman, 2020 ). While we were not able to make causal inferences as to factors explaining changes in depression and anxiety symptomatology in this study, further research examining protective and risk factors for coping in young people will help inform intervention targets as the pandemic unfolds.…”

Correlates of Psychological Distress Among Pakistani Adults During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Parallel and Serial Mediation Analyses

“…The extant literature emphasizes that satisfaction and meaning in life are associated with reduced psychological distress related to COVID-19 and increased emotional well-being (Schnell and Krampe, 2020 ; Tomaszek and Muchacka-Cymerman, 2020 ). Subsequently, in the present study, satisfaction with life and search for meaning in life were found to be significantly and positively correlated with each other.…”

“…These thoughts, followed by stressful events in life can make life appear insignificant and not worth living, and may contribute to severe depression, and persistent thoughts about death (Bergman and Bodner, 2018 ). Another recent study by Tomaszek and Muchacka-Cymerman ( 2020 ) highlighted the mediating role of satisfaction with life on PTSD symptoms and post-traumatic growth triggered by the COVID-19. Their study found that traumatic events such as the pandemic adversely affected post-traumatic growth.…”