(PS6-A11) Positive Psychological Functioning Variables as Protective Factors of Positive Mental Health and Burden Due to COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a chronic stressor because several waves of infection have had serious repercussions on health, political, social, and economic systems around the world. The current 10-months longitudinal study aimed to identify the protective factors, including sociodemographic variables (i.e., sex, age, income level, and marital status) and positive functioning variables (i.e., meaning in life, gratitude, resilience, and life satisfaction), of positive mental health (PMH) and burden due to COVID-19 in the third wave of infections in Spain. The sample consisted of 164 participants (81.1% women, age: M = 36.95, SD = 14.10). Self-reported questionnaires were administered at the beginning of lockdown (March 2020, Time 1), at the end of lockdown (June 2020, Time 2), and during the third wave (January 2021, Time 3). Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that PMH in the third wave was positively predicted by (1) life satisfaction, resilience, and income level in Time 1, F(2,155) = 32.32, p < .001, accounting for 28.8% of the variance; (2) resilience, gratitude, and life satisfaction in Time 2, F(3,105) = 22.43, p < .001, explaining 38.0% of the variance, and (3) life satisfaction, resilience, gratitude, and sex (i.e., men) in Time 3, F(4,154) = 61.10, p < .001, explaining 61.0% of the variance. Regarding burden due to COVID-19, resilience was the only negative predictor in all three time points [Time 1: F(1,156) = 18.53, p < .001, explaining 10.1% of the variance; Time 2: F(1,104) = 24.56, p < .001, explaining 18.5% of the variance; and Time 3: F(1,154) = 45.87, p < .001, explaining 22.6% of the variance]. Age, marital status, and meaning in life were not significant predictors in any model (p > .05). These findings highlight that positive functioning variables buffered psychological adjustment during the third wave of infections, namely, PMH and burden due to COVID-19. Resilience was the only constant predictor of both indicators. In line with urgent calls for appropriate psychological interventions to help the world population cope better with the current situation, this study suggests that tailored interventions to foster resilience may be crucial in buffering the effects of this prolonged stressor.