University of Twente Student Theses
Investigating life satisfaction before and during the Corona pandemic
Erker, D.D. (2021) Investigating life satisfaction before and during the Corona pandemic.
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| Abstract: | Background The COVID-19 pandemic caused a worldwide extraordinary situation. While a major focus is set on the physical health consequences the virus has, mental health is less regarded. Life satisfaction is an important part of subjective well-being and has been found to be decreasing in 2020. Yet, these studies are mostly relying on cross-sectional study design with a small sample size based on convenient sampling. Aim The study aims to use longitudinal data of a large representative sample to investigate life satisfaction over time with gender, age and corona attitude. Method This study used a longitudinal design with a large sample (n=3759) from the Dutch LISS panel. Used data from these questionnaires encompassed demographic data, the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) and a specifically for 2020 created questionnaire to examine the attitude of participants on corona related regulations. Repeated measures ANOVAs were computed to test for significant effects of different variables and life satisfaction over time. Results It was found that life satisfaction was significantly different over time and increased from 2018 until 2020. Age was also found to have significant differences over time. There was no interacting effect between age group and SWLS scores found, however. Further, more positive corona attitudes were related to more life satisfaction, but again no significant effect could be noticed. Gender was not found to have any significant effect. Conclusions Study findings indicate that life satisfaction is much less influenced by situational factors as the corona pandemic, illustrating that personological variables deserve more attention in future research. Despite the higher risks when contracting COVID-19, older adults appear to be more satisfied with life than younger adults. Elaboration of research in this field could yield practical benefits, such as providing resources to shield from the adverse mental health implications of the pandemic. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/88401 |
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