Negative Life Events Associated with COVID-19 and Psychological Distress: The Role of Sense of Helplessness and Existential Well-Being

Abstract

This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate potential mechanisms that take an active role in the association between COVID-19-related adverse life events and psychological distress. Three hundred seventy-six volunteers (55.6% women and 44.4% men) aged 18 and over from Turkey were recruited (age range = 18-64). The mean age of the participants was 31.1. Questionnaires were administered to examine existential well-being (EWB), COVID-19-associated negative life events (NLEs), sense of helplessness and demographic variables, and psychological distress. The current findings provide evidence that while the EWB acts as a cognitive resilience factor in the relationship between COVID-19-related NLEs and psychological distress, the sense of helplessness functions as a mediating variable. Furthermore, the present study suggests that the indirect relationship between COVID-19-related NLEs and psychological distress through the sense of helplessness is stronger for women. These findings highlight that interventions to strengthen an individual's sense of meaning and purpose can play an important role in combating the negative effects of COVID-19 on psychological health and that helplessness may be an important treatment target, particularly for interventions aimed at women.