COVID‐19 lockdown distress, but not the infection concerns, shape psychological functioning during the pandemic: The mediating role of basic psychological needs

Avsec, Andreja; Zager Kocjan, Gaja; Kavčič, Tina

This study examined the effect of COVID‐19 lockdown and infection concerns on positive and negative aspects of psychological functioning during the first weeks of the new coronavirus pandemic, and the mediating role of basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration. Slovene adults (N = 425; 79% female) filled in questionnaires measuring COVID‐19‐related stressors, satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs, well‐being, and ill‐being. Results of the path analysis with Bootstrap estimation procedure revealed that the perceived severity of the COVID‐19 lockdown circumstances predicted diminished psychological functioning of participants both directly and via decreased needs satisfaction and increased needs frustration. Conversely, the infection concerns had a much weaker and direct only effect on the increased ill‐being, but no effect on well‐being. These findings indicate that lockdown circumstances, but not the possibility of COVID‐19 infection, predominantly shape individuals’ ability to satisfy their basic needs and subsequently their psychological functioning during the pandemic. The study suggests that public health responses should address not only risk of infection but also people’s psychological needs.