Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic in people with no diagnosis of mental illness, as well as in people who were diagnosed with depression or anxiety. Moreover, this study aimed to investigate the interplay between PTSD symptoms and self-assessed mental health associated with well-being. The 210 participants were divided into 3 groups: mentally healthy, participants with diagnosed depression, and participants with anxiety disorders. To evaluate the subjective well-being of the participants, the Polish adaptation of the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC–SF) was applied. The Impact Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used to measure the severity of PTSD symptoms. At least a moderate worsening of PTSD symptoms was observed in participants of all groups. The results were as follows: healthy participants M = 37.35 (SD = 18.46); participants with depression M = 36.05 (SD = 18.02); participants with anxiety M = 44.52 (SD = 18.08). The participants diagnosed with depression showed the lowest level of mental well-being M = 41.58 (SD = 15.02). Conclusion: People diagnosed with depression had both the lowest level of well-being and the lowest severity of symptoms specific to PTSD. In all three groups, lower emotional well-being was linked to greater PTSD symptoms.
Highlights
Definitions of mental health have changed throughout the years
The aim of this study was to investigate the severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic in people with no diagnosis of mental illness, as well as in people who were diagnosed with depression or anxiety
This study aimed to examine the interplay between PTSD symptoms and self-assessed mental health related to well-being
Summary
Definitions of mental health have changed throughout the years. For a long time, mental health was understood as a lack of psychopathology. People who experience psychopathological symptoms significantly more frequently declare lower well-being, which adds up to fewer positive emotions, lower satisfaction with life, poorer functioning, and diminished social life [4,5,6]. This does not explain their interrelations and the direction of this dependence. People suffering from mental illness can declare that their mental health is relatively good; the absence of psychopathology is neither required nor sufficient for an individual to positively assess their own life as productive and satisfying [7,8,9]
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