MOUNTING RESTLESSNESS: CHANGES IN ATTITUDES TO THE COVID-19 THREAT

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many scientific papers have described the medical aspects and treatment of the virus infection and its symptoms. There are also many studies on how pandemics of this magnitude affect psychological wellbeing. Despite the spread of COVID-19, it has remained a rather abstract threat for many people in Poland. They have often expressed disbelief and negative attitudes toward social restrictions. The study aimed to investigate changes in attitudes to the COVID-19 threat in young people and the psychological repercussions of social isolation. The present study examined the changes in young people's attitudes, ones not directly affected by COVID19, over a period of a month. It comprised 41 individuals aged 21 to 60. The partic- ipants were asked to fill out a specially designed Internet questionnaire. This consisted of 5 open questions concerning their attitudes, values, feelings, reactions, and vision of the future. They were also encouraged to give their own remarks. At first, 46.6% of participants reported a feeling of discomfort, while 48.4% treated the situation as an opportunity to temporarily slow down the pace of life. However, negative moods and deterioration of mental state arose over time, and 58.7% of respondents reported discomfort in the second study. It shows that counter-arguing against information that causes discomfort and fear does not work for long. Moreover, the majority of them believed that the epidemic would result in the deterioration of their psychological wellbeing. The study revealed that psychological restlessness was almost imperceptible at first, and many participants reported a feeling of relief. Nevertheless, deterioration of mental state arose gradually, often leading to a lack of motivation, feelings of loneliness, helplessness, and, consequently, aggressive behaviors. The neuropsychological and biological aspects of long-term stress are also discussed.