Preliminary assessment of the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Questionnaire to Assess Affective and Cognitive Empathy (QAACE) in Children.

BACKGROUND: This article reports the Polish adaptation of the Questionnaire to Assess Affective and Cognitive Empathy (QAACE) by Zoll and Enz - a multidimensional self-report questionnaire used to measure empathy in children aged 8-14. The QAACE is based on a two-factor cognitive-emotional model of empathy. It has a number of international adaptations and offers a convenient Polish-language tool for use with young children and adolescents. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: The sample consisted of 677 children aged 8-13. The survey was conducted on school premises, during classes, by an appropriately prepared researcher. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fitting measurement model representing the original underlying factor structure of the QAACE among Polish children. The reliability of the questionnaire as measured by Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω was good. The reliability of the scale as assessed by the test-retest method (after four weeks) was .80. We assessed the validity of the tool by analyzing the correlation of empathy with love and sadism. General empathy, as well as cognitive and affective empathy, is positively related to love. The hypothesis that sadism is significantly related to empathy was also partially confirmed. General empathy and affective empathy are negatively correlated with sadism, while there was no relationship between sadism and cognitive empathy. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire is the first widely available tool of this type to examine empathy and its components appropriate for children and adolescents in Poland. The questionnaire can be a useful screening test for detecting children's level of empathy.

Beyond HIV shame: the role of self-forgiveness and acceptance in living with HIV.

Research is developing regarding the beneficial association of spirituality with numerous health outcomes in people living with HIV (PLWH); however, little attention has been paid to the association of these variables with forgiveness and acceptance of HIV status. This cross-sectional study used a sample of 648 PLWH from the United States aged 18-61 to test the mediating effects of forgiveness and acceptance of HIV status on the relationship of spirituality and life satisfaction. As expected, self-forgiveness and acceptance straightforwardly and serially explained the links between spirituality and life satisfaction, while forgiveness of others was not a significant mediator for this relationship. The data obtained suggest that spirituality and self-forgiveness are two important targets for future experimental research, and therapeutic interventions on these variables may have a synergistic effect of increasing acceptance and improving well-being in PLWH.

The mediating effects of anxiety on the relationships between persistent thinking and life satisfaction: A two-wave longitudinal study in patients with anxiety disorders.

OBJECTIVE: According to cognitive theories, anxiety disorders may result from distorted beliefs, sensations, feelings, and decisions, leading to an overestimation of the danger presented by various stimuli. METHODS: In this two-wave longitudinal study of 435 German patients with anxiety disorders, we assessed the association of negative persistent thinking, anxiety, and life satisfaction. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: Structural equation modeling results suggest that persistent thinking may initiate the occurrence of anxiety, which in turn influences a decrease in life satisfaction. The convergence of the evidence from this longitudinal study with earlier results of evidence-based trials fortifies the case supporting the need to identify and reduce cognitive distortions in therapeutic interventions to improve health in people with anxiety disorders.

The Relationship Between Forgiveness and Health Outcomes Among People Living with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Study in France.

Research to date has shown that HIV infection is a highly stressful experience for individuals, and one of the key adaptive resources after such painful experiences may be forgiveness. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between dispositional forgiveness (assessed using Mullet's Forgivingness Questionnaire and Toussaint's Forgiveness Scale), perceived stress (single-item measure of stress symptoms), health perception (EuroQol visual analogue version of the scale) and life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale) in people living with HIV (PLWH) in France. Paper surveys were completed by 222 PLWH aged 18-78 (57% male). Multiple regression analysis revealed that sensitivity to circumstances, unconditional forgiveness, self-forgiveness, and forgiveness of others were significant predictors of health and happiness. Mediation analysis showed that these relationships are completely mediated by perceived stress. The present findings suggest that forgiveness and perceived stress may be important variables for healing in PLWH. Interventions designed to improve forgiveness and self-forgiveness may result in improved health and life satisfaction in PLWH.

Exploring the mediating effects of negative and positive religious coping between resilience and mental well-being.

Background: The purpose of the study was to examine more thoroughly the relationship between trait resilience and mental well-being. Although research demonstrates that this relationship is partially mediated by stress-related variables, no study has taken into account the mediating role of religious coping. We examined the mediating role of both variants of religious coping, positive and negative, along with specific strategies within the scope of religious coping strategies in a group of practicing Catholics. Method: Participants were 317 people aged 19-60 years (M = 24.34; SD = 6.30). The respondents indicated their gender and age, and then completed the RS-14 (trait resilience), RCOPE (religious coping), and WEMWBS (mental well-being) scales. Results: The results displayed a significant relationship between resilience and mental well-being (r = 0.67; p < 0.001). The relationship between resilience and positive religious coping was negligible (r = 0.09; p = 0.74), contrary to the relationship between resilience and negative coping that was significant but weak (r = -0.29; p < 0.001). Although the relationships between overall negative and positive religious coping with mental well-being were irrelevant, we found significant relationships between some strategies and mental well-being. The mediation analysis has demonstrated that the general negative religious coping and the strategies of demonic reappraisal, passive religious deferral, and spiritual discontent have enhanced the positive relationship between resilience and mental well-being. Contrary to expectation, positive strategies did not mediate the relationship between resilience and mental well-being, except religious practices (c ' path totaled ß = 0.66; t = 15.74, p < 0.001). The insignificant mediation effect can stem from the fact that the relationship between positive religious coping and stress is noticeable only in the long term. We controlled age and sex as statistically significant covariates so that the mediation effects obtained were devoid of the influence of those critical variables on the models. Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate the role of religious coping as a mediator in the relationship between resilience and mental well-being.

Positive religious coping acts through perception of nature and silence in its association with well-being and life satisfaction among Polish Catholics.

Previous studies indicate that perceptions of nature and thought-provoking silence can have positive consequences for individual functioning. The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationships between religious coping (assessed with the Brief RCOPE), perceptions of nature and silence (a subscale of the Perception of Change Questionnaire), well-being (the World Health Organization's five-item Well-Being Index) and life satisfaction (the Brief Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale). An online questionnaire was completed between 2021-2022 by 1,010 Polish Catholics ages 18 to 73, 61% of whom were women. Structural equation modeling showed that positive religious coping was positively related to well-being (ß = 0.08, p = 0.011) and life satisfaction (ß = 0.22, p < 0.001). In contrast, negative religious coping was related to reduced well-being (ß = -0.07, p = 0.040) and life satisfaction (ß = -0.25). In addition, more frequent perceptions of nature and reflective times of silence partially mediated the associations of positive religious coping with well-being (ß = 0.04, p = 0.011) and life satisfaction (ß = 0.04, p = 0.008). The data might suggest that interventions that help people develop an ability or awareness for nature as an exceptional encounter and may help to strengthen the ways they can utilize their religiosity as a resource and thus contribute to well-being and life satisfaction among Catholics.

Relationships between Spirituality, Religious Fundamentalism and Environmentalism: The Mediating Role of Right-Wing Authoritarianism.

According to past research, religious attitudes can strongly influence individuals' beliefs and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between spirituality (the Scale of Spirituality; dimensions include religious spirituality, expanding consciousness, searching for meaning, sensitivity to art, doing good, and sensitivity to inner beauty), religious fundamentalism (the Religious Fundamentalism Scale), support for right-wing authoritarianism (the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale), climate concerns (the Environmental Concern Scale), and pro-environmental behavior (the Pro-Environmental Behavior Scale). The cross-sectional study involved 512 Poles aged 18-63 (M = 34.63, SD = 5.96; Mdn = 33), including 51% females. Multiple regression analysis revealed that two dimensions of spirituality (sensitivity to art and doing good) and religious fundamentalism are significant and opposite predictors of climate concern and pro-environmental behavior. Spirituality appeared to foster increased climate concern and caring behavior, while religious fundamentalism negatively predicted the same variables. Mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between religion and environmentalism could be explained in part by differences in support for right-wing authoritarianism (authoritarianism itself was negatively related to environmental outcomes). In addition, analysis of variance revealed that believers (70% of participants in the study were Catholic) showed significantly lower scores regarding climate concerns and pro-environmental behavior than non-believers, yet the inclusion of support for right-wing authoritarianism as a covariate in the equation reduced intergroup differences to statistical insignificance. The data obtained suggest that religious attitudes and socio-political views may play important roles in solving environmental problems.

Polish Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Long- and Short-Form Interfaith Spirituality Scale.

Spirituality is widely believed to play an important role in securing health, and modern health care is increasingly being combined with spiritual care. This state of affairs is generating widespread interest in the construct from practitioners and researchers, resulting in the need to develop accurate and comprehensive measures of spirituality. The purpose of this study was to adapt the Polish version of the Interfaith Spirituality Scale (IFS), which consists of twenty-two statements, as well as its short version, including four statements. The IFS is not limited to any one religious denomination, making it possible to conduct research across diverse communities. The analyses were conducted on a sample of 642 Poles aged 18-68, 48% of whom were women. The Polish version of the scale showed high internal consistency (α = 0.96 for the IFS and α = 0.81 for the short version). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the structure of the IFS consists of a unitary second-order factor with four first-order factors (direct connection with the creator, asceticism, meditation, and divine love). On the other hand, the structure of the short version is unifactorial. There were positive correlations of the IFS with another measure of spirituality, post-traumatic growth severity, mental well-being, and ecological behaviour, as well as negative correlations with post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity and depressiveness; these confirmed the high validity of the tool. The results suggest that the IFS may be useful in the study of spirituality on Polish soil.

Resilience and Regulation of Emotions in Adolescents: Serial Mediation Analysis through Self-Esteem and the Perceived Social Support.

The aim of this study was to test a model that takes into account self-esteem and perceived social support as potential mediators of the relationship between resilience and emotional regulation. The study involved 251 adolescents aged between 14 and 19 years (M = 16.85). The study procedure consisted of completing paper-and-pencil questionnaires to measure resilience, self-esteem, and answer questions about perceived social support and emotional regulation. Bootstrap sampling analysis showed statistically significant serial mediation (B = 0.030; p < 0.001). As a result of the analysis, a positive direct relationship between resilience and emotional regulation was observed (B = 0.061; p < 0.001). Our results suggest that self-esteem and perception of social support may mediate the relationship between resilience and emotional regulation. The findings have an applicable value. They can be used to develop preventive and educational programs, as well as therapeutic interventions. The obtained results show that interventions aimed at resilience can improve self-assessment and perceived social support and thus favor the high level of emotional regulation skills in the adolescent group.

Development and Psychometric Properties of the Health Belief Scales toward COVID-19 Vaccine: A Cross-Sectional Study in North-Eastern Poland.

In the study, we evaluated the psychometric properties of the Health Belief Scales Toward COVID-19 Vaccine, including the structure, reliability and validity of the scale. Psychometric properties were assessed on a general sample of 472 Polish participants aged between 19 and 69 years (M = 25.43). The procedure consisted of completing the Health Belief Scales Toward COVID-19 Vaccine, the World Health Organization's 5-item Well-being Index (WHO-5) and demographic questions. The presented research results obtained using the measure indicate that it can be considered to be a reliable and valid research tool. A four-factor solution demonstrated a good fit to the data: χ2/df = 3.90, RMSEA = 0.079, AGFI = 0.913, GFI = 0.951, CFI = 0.960, TLI = 0.941. The reliability measures for the overall index of the Health Belief Scales Toward COVID-19 Vaccine were: Cronbach's α = 0.88 and McDonald's ω = 0.87. The Health Belief Scales Toward COVID-19 Vaccine total score correlated negatively and weakly with the WHO-5 score. The Health Belief Scales Toward COVID-19 Vaccine proved to be a valid and a reliable tool to assess attitudes towards vaccination in four dimensions consistent with the HBM.

Spiritual Needs, Religious Coping and Mental Wellbeing: A Cross-Sectional Study among Migrants and Refugees in Germany.

It has been widely proven that resettlement is associated with negative psychological effects (e.g., increased depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder) among refugees. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the psychosocial functioning of migrants. This study assessed associations between negative dysfunctional appraisal (perceiving experiences as stressful), spiritual needs, religious coping and wellbeing. Data from paper-and-pencil questionnaires were collected from 744 refugees (69.8% male) aged 18-67 years (M = 27.99) with diverse backgrounds (including from Mashreq countries) who were resettled in Germany. Bootstrapping mediation analysis revealed that the relationship of dysfunctional appraisal and wellbeing among refugees is mediated by spiritual needs (i.e., existential and religious needs). Additionally, negative religious coping mediates the relationship between spiritual needs and wellbeing. The data obtained suggest the need for practitioners to focus on psychological interventions that strengthen spiritual needs in order to improve mental health among refugees.

Loss of Faith and Decrease in Trust in a Higher Source During COVID-19 in Germany.

Many people relied on their faith as one resource in order to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Germany, between the eighteen months from June 2020 to November 2021, different participants at different times were assessed during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The total sample of this continuous cross-sectional survey consisted of 4,693 participants. Analyses revealed that with the 2nd wave of the infection and its 2nd lockdown, trust in a Higher Source, along with praying and meditation decreased. Also, the sharp increase in corona-related stressors was associated with a decline of wellbeing and a continuing loss of faith. These developments were observed in both Catholics and Protestants, and in both younger and older persons. In addition, the long phases of insecurity and social isolation lacking the significant support usually given by religious communities may have likewise challenged the religious-coping capacities of religious/spiritual people themselves.

Pandemic grief in Poland: adaptation of a measure and its relationship with social support and resilience.

Millions of people are mourning the death of a loved to COVID-19. According to previous studies, the circumstances of coronavirus disease-related deaths may lead to dysfunctional grief. The purpose of this study was to introduce the Polish adaptation of the Pandemic Grief Scale (PGS) as well as to assess the relationship between dysfunctional grief due to a COVID-19 death, resilience and perceived social support. The adaptation was carried out on a general population sample of 286 individuals aged 18-54 years, with the evaluation being performed on a group comprising 214 people aged 18-78 years, who lost a loved one during the pandemic. The Polish version of PGS revealed a single-factor structure with strong internal consistency (α = 0.89). The PGS scores were associated with measures of complicated grief (Inventory of Complicated Grief), depression (Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale) and lower resilience (Resilience Scale 14), which confirmed the scale's convergent validity. No relation between PGS scores and health behaviors (Inventory of Health Behaviors) was observed, which confirmed the scale's discriminant validity. The results of the bootstrapping technique revealed that resilience mediates the relationship between perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) and dysfunctional grief (total mediation). The results of this study suggest the need for practitioners to focus on resilience-enhancing interventions and perceived social support in order to improve mental health in people who lost their loved ones during the new coronavirus pandemic.

Religious Coping and Life Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Polish Catholics. The Mediating Effect of Coronavirus Anxiety.

Recent data have indicated that people may have experienced fear during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to deepen our understanding of the relationship between religious coping and life satisfaction by analysing the indirect effects of fear of COVID-19. METHODS: This study included 365 people (75% women) aged 18-78 years. The procedure consisted of completing questionnaires to measure religious coping, COVID-19 anxiety, satisfaction with life, and satisfaction with social support. RESULTS: Structural equation modelling showed that positive religious coping was related to greater life satisfaction and greater satisfaction with social support during the pandemic. Moreover, fear of COVID-19 mediated the relationship between negative religious coping and life satisfaction and social support satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest a need for practitioners to focus on interventions that enhance positive religious coping to improve life satisfaction during the spread of infectious diseases.

Resilience and Mental Health in the Polish Population during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Mediation Analysis.

The aim of this paper was to assess the state of resilience and well-being in the Polish population during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also assessed the relationship between resilience and mental health. Finally, we tested the mediating role of COVID-19 anxiety, persistent thinking, and the stress burden in the relationship between mental health and resilience. This research perspective can provide important insights into how individuals can become mentally stronger during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study included 1758 people (73% women) aged 18-80 years. The procedure consisted of completing a questionnaire measuring well-being, COVID-19 anxiety, obsession with COVID-19, stress over COVID-19, and resilience. RESULTS: Bootstrap sampling analysis showed significant partial mediators for the relationship between resilience and well-being. Important mediators were coronavirus anxiety, persistent thinking, and perceived stress. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study clearly indicate that resilience as a protective factor is associated with reduced anxiety about COVID-19, perceived stress burden, obsessive thoughts about the pandemic, and increased well-being of individuals. Resilience plays an important role in minimizing negative and enhancing positive health indicators in the face of challenging life events.

Effects of hemoencephalographic biofeedback with virtual reality on selected aspects of attention in children with ADHD.

For children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a reduction of inattention by biofeedback has been shown in several studies. As evidenced by previous reports, biofeedback (BFB) with virtual reality (VR) allows for controlling distractors, providing an environment that captures participants' attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of hemoencephalographic (HEG) BFB with VR in treating deficits in vigilance (assessed using the short form of the Mackworth Clock Task), visual search (the Visual Search Task), and divided attention (Multitasking Test) among children with ADHD. Data subjected to analysis were collected from 87 participants aged 9-15 years. Children were assigned to one of three groups (standard 2D BFB in the lab, VR BFB with a limited visual scene, VR BFB with a complex visual scene) and were subjected to ten HEG BFB sessions. Children in the VR BFB groups exhibited a bigger regional cerebral blood oxygenation slope during BFB and better performance in cognitive tests following the experiment compared to children in the 2D BFB group. The data obtained suggest that HEG BFB with VR may have a more beneficial effect in treating attention deficits compared to standard 2D HEG BFB. We believe that the strong effects of HEG BFB with VR stem from the increased commitment and motivation in individuals, rather than from manipulation with regard to visual scene complexity.

Dynamics of Perceived Positive Changes and Indicators of Well-Being Within Different Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, people reported about fears, depressive states, and phases of loneliness. However, there have also been positively experienced changes in terms of awareness of nature, reflection of life, more intensive relationships, meaningful digital media usage to connect with others, and interest in spirituality. We were interested in the dynamics of these indicators directly after the first lockdown, the summer months and during the second wave of the pandemic with its second lockdown, and how they relate to the perceived restrictions, fears, and worries. Method: Survey with standardized questionnaires, i.e., Perceived Changes Questionnaire, WHO-Five Well-being Index, Brief Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale, Awe/Gratitude scale. Participants were categorized as cohort 1 (June 2020; n = 1,333), cohort 2 (July to September 2020, n = 823), and cohort three (October 2020 to January 2021, n = 625). Results: Participants perceived changes in specific attitudes and behaviors, which have impacted their well-being and life satisfaction. Compared to their experiences directly after the first wave of the pandemic (cohort 1), well-being (Hedge's g = 0.83) and life satisfaction (g = 0.63) decreased during the second wave (cohort 3) and participants' stressors increased (g = -0.94). At the same time, positive perceptions such as Nature/Silence/Contemplation (g = 0.67), Spirituality (g = 0.62), Relationships (g = 0.55), and Digital media usage declined (g = 0.31), but not Reflections on life (g = -0.03). In cohort 3, the proportion of persons relying on their faith as a strong hold was declining also in nominally religious persons. Awe/Gratitude was among the best predictors of perceived positive changes, indicating a resource which is nevertheless declining during the second wave of the pandemic (g = 0.60). Conclusions: Several perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors have changed, particularly during the second wave of the pandemic, which had a strong influence on psychological health. Although Awe/Gratitude was confirmed as the best predictor of perceived positive changes, this resource may not buffer against the negative outcomes of the pandemic but helps to recognize the still positive aspects in life. There is a need for new and not yet defined public health communities that could focus on persons which are affected in their physical, mental, social, and spiritual health and well-being due to the pandemic.

The Polish Version of the Resilience Scale 25: Adaptation and Preliminary Psychometric Evaluation.

Background: The aim of the presented series of studies was to test the factor structure and assess the psychometric properties of the Resilience Scale 25 in the Polish population. It was developed and tested during the course of four independent studies analysing various aspects of the validation of the RS 25 questionnaire's Polish version. Method: Study 1 concerned the procedure for developing the Polish language version. Study 2 (N = 2716) consisted of reliability tests and a confirmatory factor analysis. In Studies 3 (N = 733) and 4 (N = 431), the validity was assessed by examining the relationship between resilience and the assessment of ego-resiliency, the risk of depression, styles of coping with stress, perceived stress, and satisfaction with life. Results: The presented research results obtained using the measure indicate that it can be considered to be a reliable and valid research tool. A five-factor solution showed a good fit to the data: χ2/df = 12.85; RMSEA = 0.066 (low = 0.064; high = 0.068; 90% CI); GFI = 0.90; AGFI = 0.90. An assessment of the internal consistency was carried out on the basis of Cronbach's alpha. The values achieved were satisfactory and indicate acceptable internal reliability of the questionnaire (0.89) and of the five dimensions: (1) purpose (0.65); (2) equanimity (0.65); (3) self-reliance (0.75); (4) perseverance (0.72); and (5) existential aloneness (0.66). In accordance with the predictions and earlier studies, resilience was correlated positively with ego-resiliency, a task-oriented style of coping with stress, and life satisfaction and negatively with perceived stress, the risk of depression, and an emotion-oriented coping style. Conclusion: The Polish version of the RS 25 allows the assessment of the intensity of resilience as a general indicator and its five constituting dimensions. Such a measurement seems to be important from the perspective of assessing the role of an individual's resources in clinical psychology, health psychology, and psychotherapy.

Awe/Gratitude as an Experiential Aspect of Spirituality and Its Association to Perceived Positive Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of almost all people worldwide, many people observed also positive changes in their attitudes and behaviors. This can be seen in the context of posttraumatic growth. These perceived changes refer to five main categories: Nature/Silence/Contemplation, Spirituality, Relationships, Reflection on life, and Digital media usage. A previous study with persons recruited in June 2020 directly after the lockdown in Germany showed that the best predictors of these perceived changes related to the Corona pandemic were the ability to mindfully stop and pause in distinct situations, to be "spellbound at the moment" and to become "quiet and devout," indicating moments of wondering awe, with subsequent feelings of gratitude. Now, we intended to analyze (1) by whom and how strongly awe/gratitude was experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) how these feelings relate to perceived changes and experienced burden, and (3) whether or not feelings of awe/gratitude contribute to participants' well-being or may buffer perceived burden in terms of a resilience factor. Methods: Online survey with standardized questionnaires [i.e., WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO5), Life satisfaction (BMLSS), Awe/Gratitude scale (GrAw-7), and Perceived Changes Questionnaire (PCQ)] among 2,573 participants (68% women; mean age 48.7 ± 14.2 years, 74% with a Christian affiliation) from Germany recruited between June and November 2020. Results: Awe/Gratitude scored significantly higher particularly among women (Cohen's d = 0.40), older persons (d = 0.88), persons who rely on their faith as a "stronghold in difficult times" (d = 0.99), those with higher well-being (d = 0.70), and lower perceptions of loneliness (d = 0.49). With respect to perceived changes during the pandemic, more intense feelings of Awe/Gratitude were particularly related to Nature/Silence/Contemplation (r = 0.41), Spirituality (r = 0.41), and Relationships (r = 0.33). Regression analyses revealed that the best predictors of Awe/Gratitude (R 2 = 0.40) were the frequency of meditation, female gender, life satisfaction and well-being, faith as a stronghold, and perceived burden and also life reflection, while Nature/Silence/Contemplation and Relationships had a further, but weaker, impact on Awe/Gratitude as a dependent variable. Awe/Gratitude was moderately associated with well-being (r = 0.32) and would predict 9% of participants' well-being variance. The best predictors of participants' well-being were multidimensional life satisfaction and low perceived burden (related to the pandemic), and further Awe/Gratitude and Nature/Silence/Contemplation; these would explain 47% of variance in well-being scores. However, Awe/Gratitude cannot be regarded as a buffer of the negative aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is only marginally (though negatively) related to perceived burden (r = -0.15). Mediation analysis showed that Awe/Gratitude mediates 42% of the link between well-being as a predictor on Nature/Silence/Contemplation as an outcome and has a direct effect of ß = 0.15 (p < 0.001) and an indirect effect of ß = 0.11 (p < 0.001). Further, Awe/Gratitude mediates 38% (p < 0.001) of the link between Nature/Silence/Contemplation as a predictor on well-being as the outcome; the direct effect is ß = 0.18 (p < 0.001), and the indirect effect is ß = 0.11 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The general ability to experience Awe/Gratitude particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic may sensitize to perceive the world around (including nature and concrete persons) more intensely, probably in terms of, or similar to, posttraumatic growth. As this awareness toward specific moments and situations that deeply "touch" a person was higher in persons with more intense meditation or prayer practice, one may assume that these practices may facilitate these perceptions in terms of a training. However, the experience of Awe/Gratitude does not necessarily buffer against adverse events in life and cannot prevent perceived burden due to the corona pandemic, but it facilitates to, nevertheless, perceive positive aspects of life even within difficult times. As Awe/Gratitude is further mediating the effects of Nature/Silence/Contemplation on well-being, intervention programs could help to train these perceptions, as these self-transcendent feelings are also related to prosocial behaviors with respectful treatment of others and commitment to persons in needs, and well-being.