Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the major tragedies for humanity since World War II because of its global threat both to global health and to the socio-economic basis of the entire world. There are investigations about protective and straining factors as well as about coping mechanisms, but little was investigated about changes in attitudes or value-based behaviour. Objective: The aim of this investigation was to assess the impact of lockdown expressing the new threat due to pandemics on life attitudes and on reflecting dimensions about the real finiteness of life. Method: This prospective, naturalistic, and comparative study began in November 2019 with the aim to examine the life attitudes and the pattern of confrontation with the death of young and middle-aged adults in the general population. At the time point of lockdown in Germany (March 23, 2020), participants were in addition assessed about the impact by pandemics on value-based responses. Participants (N = 302, n1 = 116 before, n2 = 186 during lockdown) were compared by means of Life Attitude Profile (LAP-R) and Anticipatory Farewell to Existence Questionnaire (AFEQT). Comparisons were computed by means of bivariate, multivariate and multinomial models. Results: Subsample during lockdown is older, besides no differences in socio-demographic, health and personality profiles. During lockdown, sample shows higher scores in LAP-R for the dimensions “death acceptance” and “goal-seeking”; in AFEQT for “metaphysical rise” and “altruistic preoccupation”. The higher “death acceptance” “charity” “fulfilment of existence” and “self-efficacy”, the less likely a person is to report that a pandemic influences her or his appraisal of value-based questions. Conclusions: These results indicate that lockdown conditions following the COVID pandemic have led to more intensive awareness about the mortal condition and the focus on relevant others. The question that arises is whether pandemics could urge people to reappraise the existential purposes and priorities, and independently of personality traits.
Highlights
As of 1st January 2022, according to the Dashboard of Johns Hopkins University, there have been almost 285 million COVID-19 cases reported worldwide and 5.44 million deaths (1.9% of infected individuals)
The subsample assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic is on average 8 years older, there are more parents, and they display on average higher levels of consciousness (Table 1)
Regarding the Anticipatory Farewell to Existence Questionnaire (AFEQT) dimensions and factors, the subsample assessed during the COVID-19 lockdown displays significantly higher average scores for the factor “metaphysical rise” and for the dimension “altruistic preoccupation,” primarily fed by the factor “bequest” (Table 2)
Summary
As of 1st January 2022, according to the Dashboard of Johns Hopkins University, there have been almost 285 million COVID-19 cases reported worldwide and 5.44 million deaths (1.9% of infected individuals). People who suffered strongly from COVID-19 stress were more likely to develop a crisis of meaning which, in turn, was associated with higher general mental distress. This suggests that ongoing anxiety and depression might () be based on existential struggles” (Schnell & Krampe, 2020). This affinity explains the increased expansion and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 This virus threatens humanity due to a 12-nucleotide mutation (ccu cgg cgg gca) encoding four amino acids that enhance the ability of Furin to cleave and preactivate the S protein (Shang et al, 2020). These 12 biological letters have changed the world and the everyday self-evidence of communitarian human life
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