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

Background: While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of almost all people worldwide, many people observed also positive changes in their attitudes and behaviors. This can be seen in the context of posttraumatic growth. These perceived changes refer to five main categories: Nature/Silence/Contemplation, Spirituality, Relationships, Reflection on life, and Digital media usage. A previous study with persons recruited in June 2020 directly after the lockdown in Germany showed that the best predictors of these perceived changes related to the Corona pandemic were the ability to mindfully stop and pause in distinct situations, to be “spellbound at the moment” and to become “quiet and devout,” indicating moments of wondering awe, with subsequent feelings of gratitude. Now, we intended to analyze (1) by whom and how strongly awe/gratitude was experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) how these feelings relate to perceived changes and experienced burden, and (3) whether or not feelings of awe/gratitude contribute to participants' well-being or may buffer perceived burden in terms of a resilience factor.Methods: Online survey with standardized questionnaires [i.e., WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO5), Life satisfaction (BMLSS), Awe/Gratitude scale (GrAw-7), and Perceived Changes Questionnaire (PCQ)] among 2,573 participants (68% women; mean age 48.7 ± 14.2 years, 74% with a Christian affiliation) from Germany recruited between June and November 2020.Results: Awe/Gratitude scored significantly higher particularly among women (Cohen's d = 0.40), older persons (d = 0.88), persons who rely on their faith as a “stronghold in difficult times” (d = 0.99), those with higher well-being (d = 0.70), and lower perceptions of loneliness (d = 0.49). With respect to perceived changes during the pandemic, more intense feelings of Awe/Gratitude were particularly related to Nature/Silence/Contemplation (r = 0.41), Spirituality (r = 0.41), and Relationships (r = 0.33). Regression analyses revealed that the best predictors of Awe/Gratitude (R2 = 0.40) were the frequency of meditation, female gender, life satisfaction and well-being, faith as a stronghold, and perceived burden and also life reflection, while Nature/Silence/Contemplation and Relationships had a further, but weaker, impact on Awe/Gratitude as a dependent variable. Awe/Gratitude was moderately associated with well-being (r = 0.32) and would predict 9% of participants' well-being variance. The best predictors of participants' well-being were multidimensional life satisfaction and low perceived burden (related to the pandemic), and further Awe/Gratitude and Nature/Silence/Contemplation; these would explain 47% of variance in well-being scores. However, Awe/Gratitude cannot be regarded as a buffer of the negative aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is only marginally (though negatively) related to perceived burden (r = −0.15). Mediation analysis showed that Awe/Gratitude mediates 42% of the link between well-being as a predictor on Nature/Silence/Contemplation as an outcome and has a direct effect of β = 0.15 (p < 0.001) and an indirect effect of β = 0.11 (p < 0.001). Further, Awe/Gratitude mediates 38% (p < 0.001) of the link between Nature/Silence/Contemplation as a predictor on well-being as the outcome; the direct effect is β = 0.18 (p < 0.001), and the indirect effect is β = 0.11 (p < 0.001).Conclusions: The general ability to experience Awe/Gratitude particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic may sensitize to perceive the world around (including nature and concrete persons) more intensely, probably in terms of, or similar to, posttraumatic growth. As this awareness toward specific moments and situations that deeply “touch” a person was higher in persons with more intense meditation or prayer practice, one may assume that these practices may facilitate these perceptions in terms of a training. However, the experience of Awe/Gratitude does not necessarily buffer against adverse events in life and cannot prevent perceived burden due to the corona pandemic, but it facilitates to, nevertheless, perceive positive aspects of life even within difficult times. As Awe/Gratitude is further mediating the effects of Nature/Silence/Contemplation on well-being, intervention programs could help to train these perceptions, as these self-transcendent feelings are also related to prosocial behaviors with respectful treatment of others and commitment to persons in needs, and well-being.

Download Full-text

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

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes ◽

10.1186/s12955-020-01623-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Arndt Büssing ◽

Daniela Rodrigues Recchia ◽

Rudolf Hein ◽

Thomas Dienberg

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Digital Media ◽

Online Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

Cronbach’S Alpha ◽

Satisfaction Scale ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cronbach's Alpha ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

And Behaviors

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.

Download Full-text

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

10.21203/rs.3.rs-107651/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Arndt Büssing ◽

Daniela Rodrigues Recchia ◽

Rudolf Hein ◽

Thomas Dienberg

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Digital Media ◽

Online Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

Satisfaction Scale ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

Exploratory Factor Analyses ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Personal Reflections

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.Method 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=1,277), 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.

Download Full-text

Individual differences and changes in lifestyle behaviours predict decreased subjective well-being during COVID-19 restrictions in an Australian sample

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdab040 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Emily Brindal ◽

Jillian C Ryan ◽

Naomi Kakoschke ◽

Sinead Golley ◽

Ian T Zajac ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Online Survey ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Health Behaviours ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Australian Sample

Abstract Background Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social distancing practices were introduced to curb infection rates in many countries. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of these restrictions on behaviours and well-being and whether individual differences predict changes in well-being. Methods Australian adults participated in a cross-sectional, online survey during May 2020. The survey captured demographic information; health behaviours; personality traits; life satisfaction and COVID-19-related attitudes, financial concerns, perceived risks and impacts. Results In total, 3745 (86.8% of 4313) participants completed all items. Participants were mostly female (85.7%) and 56.4 years (standard deviation [SD] = 12.6) on average. Over 95.0% of the sample indicated they had been social distancing or isolating. Health behaviours and well-being had generally worsened, with social connections being the most negatively affected. Life satisfaction was significantly lower since restrictions. For changes in life satisfaction, extroversion was a risk factor and openness to experience was a protective factor. Conclusions Overall, well-being was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing particularly in this sample containing mainly older women. In future, it will be crucial to understand why and who may be differentially affected, to encourage behaviours that are protective of well-being.

Download Full-text

Subjective Well-being, Mental Health and Concerns During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From the Global South

Review of European Studies ◽

10.5539/res.v13n2p72 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 72

Author(s):

Lina Martínez ◽

Valeria Trofimoff ◽

Isabella Valencia

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Online Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

Global South ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Current Crisis ◽

Study Results

COVID-19 pandemic is harming many social and economic spheres beyond physical health. The subjective well-being of the population (positive emotions and life satisfaction) and the prevalence of stressors affecting good mental health like worry, depression, and anxiety are increasing worldwide. This analysis presents evidence of subjective well-being and mental health in Colombia, South America, during the current crisis. The data for this analysis comes from an online survey released after one month of quarantine. In total, 941 adults participated in the study. Results show that women are more affected by their well-being and experience more often worry, depression, and anxiety than males. In particular, younger women and from the lower socioeconomic strata. Respondents identify three primary concerns because of the pandemic: i) financial consequences, ii) health (personal and loved one's health), and iii) productivity. Respondents are, on average, more concerned for the health of loved ones than their health. 49% of study participants report having an income reduction as a consequence of the pandemic, but women in all subgroups analyzed are more affected than males. In terms of productivity –working remotely-, educated people, and from 50+ age range, feels more productive working from home. Evidence from this analysis contributes to the broader research of the consequences of COVID-19 on the well-being of the population. Evidence comes from a country in the global South with high population ratings of subjective well-being, happiness, and life satisfaction before the pandemic. 

Download Full-text

Participation in local food projects is associated with better psychological well-being: evidence from the East of England

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdz057 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. e187-e197 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zareen Pervez Bharucha ◽

Netta Weinstein ◽

Dave Watson ◽

Steffen Boehm

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Online Survey ◽

Local Food ◽

Well Being ◽

Ordinary Least Squares ◽

Need Satisfaction ◽

Standardized Measures ◽

Psychological Need ◽

Psychological Need Satisfaction

Abstract Background Studies suggest that local food may contribute to well-being, but do not use standardized measures, or control groups. Methods An online survey compared participants of local food initiatives (n = 302) with members of the general population (n = 157) in terms of scores on standardized measures of well-being and distress. Using hierarchical ordinary least squares regression models, we explored the relationship between participation and well-being via four mediators—nature connectedness, psychological need satisfaction, diet and physical activity. Results Participants scored higher than non-participants on life satisfaction (t(346) = 2.30, P = 0.02, ρr = 0.12) and the WEMWBS scale (t(335) = 2.12, P = 0.04, ρr = 0.10), but differences in psychological distress were insignificant. More actively engaged participants scored higher on positive well-being and longer duration participation was associated with higher life satisfaction and less psychological distress. Finally, we found that participation contributes to psychological need satisfaction, better diet and connection to nature, three known drivers of well-being. Conclusions Well-being may be a co-benefit of local food initiatives beyond the physical and psychological benefits of growing food. Further research is needed to explore the mediators driving these effects, quantify benefits, and track impacts over time and across different social groups.

Download Full-text

Chronic illness-related shame and experiential avoidance mediate the impact of IBD symptomatology on depression

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.297 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 (S1) ◽

pp. S157-S157

Author(s):

I.A. Trindade ◽

C. Ferreira ◽

J. Pinto-Gouveia

Keyword(s):

Chronic Illness ◽

Direct Effect ◽

Indirect Effect ◽

Experiential Avoidance ◽

Goodness Of Fit ◽

Depressive Symptomatology ◽

Well Being ◽

Physical Symptoms ◽

Treatment Programs ◽

The Impact

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is group of chronic diseases that cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, urgent diarrhoea and fatigue, as well as associated complications (e.g., arthritis). Literature has pointed that IBD may cause depressive symptomatology, which seems to aggravate physical symptoms in a cycle of depression and inflammation. This study's aims to examine the mediator roles of chronic illness-related shame and experiential avoidance in the relationship between IBD symptomatology and depression, while controlling for associated medical complications. The sample comprised 161 adult IBD patients (52 males and 109 females), with a mean age of 36.73 (SD = 10.93), that completed validated measures. The hypothesised model was tested through path analyses. Results (see Fig. 1) showed that although IBD symptomatology presented a direct effect of .13 on depression, the majority of its impact was mediated through chronic illness-related shame and experiential avoidance with an indirect effect of 0.22. Indeed, IBD symptomatology seemed to lead to higher chronic illness-related shame, which presented a direct effect on depression of .15 and an indirect effect mediated by experiential avoidance of 0.37. This model presented excellent goodness-of-fit indices. These findings suggest that targeting shame and experiential avoidance in IBD patients would have beneficial outcomes for patients’ well-being. It thus seems that compassion and acceptance-based psychotherapies should be included in treatment programs for IBD.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Download Full-text

Trust and subjective well-being in Serbia during the pandemic: Research results

Socioloski pregled ◽

10.5937/socpreg54-27816 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 560-582

Author(s):

Nina Pavlović ◽

Jasmina Petrović

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Online Survey ◽

Health Assessment ◽

Infectious Agent ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Health ◽

European Social Survey ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Generalized Trust ◽

European Values

The context of a pandemic caused by an infectious agent and the resulting health risk to a large number of people is a new type of risk contemporary humans are not quite familiar with. In addition to forcing citizens to rely on the effects of controlled medical and epidemiological measures, this kind of situation steers citizens towards cooperation and solidarity as well as towards personal capabilities of functioning during a crisis and it requires a certain degree of trust, not only in the institutions but also in other persons. The aim of this paper is to learn to what degree Serbian citizens trust others during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether this level of generalized trust differs among different sociodemographic groups, or more precisely, which groups were affected the most by the absence of generalized trust. The paper also analyzes a set of variables which are either a part of the concept of subjective well-being (feeling of happiness and life satisfaction) or are closely connected to it (the feeling of control over life, subjective health assessment, and assessments of solidarity and honesty of others). The analyzed data were obtained from a sample of 602 adult Serbian citizens who participated in an online survey in May 2020 by completing a questionnaire they received via e-mail and social networks from multiple access points. These data are compared to the newest available data on the given indicators in Serbia before the pandemic, collected within the European Values Study (EVS) in 2017 and the European Social Survey (ESS) in 2018. The results indicate a significant decrease in happiness and continuously low levels of the feeling of control over life and life satisfaction, but also an increase in the assessed honesty and solidarity of others. These findings are in accordance with the results of the previous studies, which revealed different dominant aspects in the analyzed concepts, leading to their different flexibility and (non)resilience to the changes in society.

Download Full-text

Mediators of Differences Between Employed and Unemployed in Life Satisfaction and Emotional Well-being

Journal of Happiness Studies ◽

10.1007/s10902-021-00466-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Filip Fors Connolly ◽

Tommy Gärling

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Time Use ◽

Online Survey ◽

Time Pressure ◽

Negative Mood ◽

Well Being ◽

Financial Satisfaction ◽

The Unemployed ◽

The Relationship

AbstractPrevious research has shown that the unemployed has lower life satisfaction than the employed but that their emotional well-being may not differ. The aim is to investigate the role of mediators with bearings on these differences between the employed and unemployed in emotional well-being compared to life satisfaction. Participants were 3,463 employed and 452 unemployed living in five Western countries. They answered questions in an online survey. The results showed that the employed had both higher life satisfaction and emotional well-being. Mediation analysis replicated previous results in that the relationship between unemployment and life satisfaction was mediated by financial satisfaction. The relationship with emotional well-being was mediated by satisfaction with time use which was higher for the employed than the unemployed. Financial satisfaction was also a mediator of the relationship with emotional well-being, both directly and through satisfaction with time use. Although the unemployed felt lower time pressure than the employed, this factor was not a strong mediator of the relationship with emotional well-being, neither directly nor through satisfaction with time use. A possible explanation for the differences in the results for emotional well-being is that a negative mood is less associated with work than found in previous research.

Download Full-text

The relationship between mental well-being and dysregulated gaming: a specification curve analysis of core and peripheral criteria in five gaming disorder scales

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.201385 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 201385

Author(s):

Nick Ballou ◽

Antonius J. Van Rooij

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Online Survey ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Well Being ◽

Depressive Mood ◽

Curve Analysis ◽

Gaming Disorder ◽

Mental Well Being ◽

The Relationship

Gaming disorder (also known as dysregulated gaming) has received significant research and policy attention based on concerns that certain patterns of play are associated with decreased mental well-being and/or functional impairment. In this study, we use specification curve analysis to examine analytical flexibility and the strength of the relationship between dysregulated gaming and well-being in the form of general mental health, depressive mood and life satisfaction. Dutch and Flemish gamers ( n = 424) completed an online survey containing five unique dysregulated gaming measures (covering nine scale variants) and three well-being measures. We find a consistent negative relationship; across 972 justifiable regression models, the median standardized regression coefficient was −0.39 (min: −0.54, max: −0.19). Data show that the majority of dysregulated gaming operationalizations converge upon highly similar estimates of well-being. However, variance is introduced by the choice of well-being measure; results indicate that dysregulated gaming is more strongly associated with depressive mood than with life satisfaction. Weekly game time accounted for little to no unique variance in well-being in the sample. We argue that research on this topic should compare a broad range of psychosocial well-being outcomes and explore possible simplifications of the DSM-5 gaming disorder criteria. Given somewhat minute differences between dysregulated gaming scales when used in survey-based studies and largely equivalent relationships with mental health indicators, harmonization of measurement should be a priority.

Download Full-text

Correlates of Resilience of Older People in Times of Crisis

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.2676 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 723-723

Author(s):

Isabelle Albert ◽

Martine Hoffmann ◽

Elke Murdock ◽

Josepha Nell ◽

Anna Kornadt

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Older People ◽

Protective Factors ◽

Online Survey ◽

Longitudinal Design ◽

Well Being ◽

Risk And Protective Factors ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Secondary Effects ◽

Age Related

Abstract Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, efforts have been made to shield older adults from exposure to the virus due to an age-related higher risk for severe health outcomes. While a reduction of in-person contacts was necessary in particular during the first months of the pandemic, concerns about the immediate and longer-term secondary effects of these measures on subjective well-being were raised. In the present study, we focused on self-reported resilience of older people in a longitudinal design to examine risk and protective factors in dealing with the restrictions. Data from independently living people aged 60+ in Luxembourg were collected via a telephone/online survey after the first lockdown in June (N = 611) and September/October 2020 (N = 523), just before the second pandemic wave made restrictions necessary again. Overall, results showed an increase in life-satisfaction from T1 to T2, although life-satisfaction was still rated slightly lower than before the crisis. Also, about a fifth of participants indicated at T2 difficulties to recover from the crisis. Participants who reported higher resilience to deal with the Covid-19 crisis at T2 showed higher self-efficacy, agreed more strongly with measures taken by the country and felt better informed about the virus. In contrast, participants who reported more difficulties in dealing with the pandemic, indicated reduced social contacts to family and friends at T2, and also felt lonelier. Results will be discussed applying a life-span developmental and systemic perspective on risk and protective factors in dealing with the secondary impacts of the pandemic.

Download Full-text