THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: ASSOCIATIONS OF OPTIMISM AND POSITIVE AFFECT WITH MENTAL & PHYSICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 has led to the emergence of an altered society. Cumulative and individual stressors may lead to a time of crisis for students over time. Considering the detrimental impacts that stress may have, proper attention should be given to various mental and physical health issues. During this pandemic, there has been a high prevalence of anxiety and depression and serious impairments in mental and physical health. Previous studies suggest that certain psychosocial factors, such as optimism and positive affect, serve as valuable resources for mental and physical health during times of stress. However, the associations between optimism and positive affect with mental and physical health outcomes during the pandemic are yet to be investigated. This study aims to investigate these associations. We hypothesized that greater levels of optimism and positive affect would be associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and physical health symptoms during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. 293 university students were recruited to complete an online questionnaire in the spring of 2020. Longitudinal data was collected from participants every two months after, for a total of five assessments. Students self-reported their optimism, positive affect, anxiety, depression, and physical health levels. Multilevel modeling was used to test associations. Results indicated that greater optimism and positive affect were associated with fewer depressive symptoms, lower anxiety, fewer physical health symptoms, and better self-reported physical health (ps < 0.05). When testing optimism and positive affect together, both were associated with depressive symptoms, but only optimism was associated with anxiety (ps < 0.05). When entered together in the model, optimism and positive affect were not significantly associated with physical symptoms or self-reported physical health (ps > 0.05). Results suggest optimism and positive affect may serve as resources during COVID-19, and there are overlaps in their effects on health. Further investigations could create and implement effective health interventions that promote optimism and positive affect.