THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOME DETERMINATES OF SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND THE CONCERN OVER A NEW WAVE OF COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: The coronavirus pandemic has affected the whole world as well as various aspects of human life. In addition to the threat to physical health, the possibility of infection, measures introduced to prevent the spread of infection, and fear of possible new waves of the pandemic have greatly affected the subjective well-being of the individual, endangering people's mental health. Objective: Investigate the relationship of some determinants of subjective well-being with concern over a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The study involved 510 respondents, ranging in age from 18 to 75 years. The study included 150 males (29.4%) and 360 females (70.6%). The Flourishing Scale and the Positive and Negative Experience Scale were used in the study, and to evaluate the amount of concern we asked the respondents how much were they concerned about the possibility that the COVID-19 pandemic would have a “new wave” that would be more severe than the previous ones. Results: The statistical analysis found significant differences in the frequency of negative experiences with regard to gender, but not in the frequency of positive experiences and prosperity. People who are extremely worried about the new wave have fewer positive experiences and lower prosperity, or poorer subjective well-being. Conclusion: Negative anticipations of the future surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic greatly undermine the subjective well-being of individuals.