The Relationships between Character Strengths and Subjective Wellbeing: Evidence from Greece under Lockdown during COVID-19 Pandemic

Individual Differences on Wellbeing Indices during the COVID-19 Quarantine in Greece: A National Study

The impact of COVID-19 and the associated lockdown measures on people's physical and mental wellbeing, as well as their daily lives and functioning, has been extensively studied. This study takes the approach of investigating the consequences of COVID-19 on a national scale, considering sociodemographic factors. The main objective is to make a contribution to ongoing research by specifically examining how age, gender, and marital status influence the overall impact of COVID-19 and wellbeing indicators during the second lockdown period that was implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Greek population. The study involved a sample of 16,906 individuals of all age groups in Greece who completed an online questionnaire encompassing measurements related to personal wellbeing, the presence and search for meaning in life, positive relationships, as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Additionally, to gauge the levels of the perceived COVID-19-related impact, a valid and reliable scale was developed. The results reveal that a higher perception of COVID-19 consequences is positively associated with psychological symptoms and the search for meaning in life, while being negatively correlated with personal wellbeing and the sense of meaning in life. In terms of individual differences, the findings indicate that unmarried individuals, young adults, and females tend to report higher levels of psychological symptoms, a greater search for meaning in life, and a heightened perception of COVID-19-related impact. These findings are analyzed in depth, and suggestions for potential directions for future research are put forth.

The Role of Gratitude in a Positive Psychology Group Intervention Program Implemented for Undergraduate Engineering Students

Over the past decades, research on positive psychology for building strengths has proliferated. The present study aimed to explore the effect of gratitude in a 5-week positive psychology group program for undergraduate engineering students which included an intermediary 2-week gratitude intervention. In a mixed-design, 69 students from three engineering departments of the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE), assigned to the intervention (N = 34) and the control group (N = 35), with an average age of 21.52 years (SD = 4.63), were administered the Gratitude Questionnaire-six item form (GQ-6), the Modified Differential Emotions Scale (mDES), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), and the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R). The condition experimental vs. control group was designated as the between-subjects factor, and time, that is, baseline vs. post intervention, was set as the within-subjects factor. Students who received the intervention reported significantly higher levels of gratitude. The increase in gratitude was due to the positive psychology group program. In addition, gratitude showed a significant effect on happiness and optimism, but failed to attain a significant impact on positive and negative emotions and resilience. Further research is needed to elucidate the effectiveness of positive psychology programs for undergraduate engineering students and the intervening cognitive processes.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic upon Chinese Positive Traits

Will Chinese people change in terms of their character strengths when disasters strike? As far as the most recent COVID-19 pandemic is concerned, we provide an explorative answer from the impacts of positive traits included in the Values in Action Classification of Strengths upon Chinese people. We conducted a large-scale online survey from 1 January 2019 to 13 February 2020, with 12,878 respondents nationwide, covering all the administrative regions in China and all age intervals. The changes in the 24 character strengths before and during the pandemic were compared. Results revealed a significant increase in teamwork triggered by the pandemic among Chinese people. Fine-grained differences in demographic variables were also examined. Results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly boosted teamwork for both males and females. Concerning age differences, only younger adults (18-25-year-old) showed a significant increase in teamwork. Besides this, it was also discovered that females always performed a higher teamwork tendency than males, and the elderly higher than the younger, regardless of the pandemic.

Stress, Anxiety and Depression Prevalence among Greek University Students during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Two-Year Survey

Background: The negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic on college students’ mental health is well-demonstrated. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the pandemic on the students of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Northern Greece), in terms of stress, anxiety, and depression, and to analyze the probable correlation of various social and phycological factors. Methods: The survey was conducted in the form of a questionnaire, which was first distributed in November 2020 and then re-launched in November 2021. The evaluation was carried out through the DASS21 screening tool. Associations regarding participants’ characteristics and the three variables (stress, anxiety, and depression) were investigated with Pearson’s chi-squared (Χ2) test. Results: The first-year results (November 2020) revealed severe prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression (37.4%, 27.2% and 47% respectively). The second-year results (November 2021) revealed a significant augmentation in all three variables, mainly for the extreme severe scales (47.3%, 41.1% and 55% respectively). Participants who were receiving psychiatric treatment exhibited higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, especially during the second year of the pandemic (p-Value < 0.00001). Female students’ mental health was at higher risk, as elevated prevalence of negative symptoms was observed (p-Value < 0.00001). Conclusions: The community of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki has been greatly affected during the last 2 years. The inherent risks of the confinement measures on students’ well-being and mental health are undeniable. Recurrent annual psychological evaluation in universities and colleges is strongly advised.