Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Subjective Life Satisfaction of South Korean Adults: Bayesian Nomogram Approach

Abstract

To understand the changes in the lives of adults living in local communities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to identify subjective life satisfaction and to understand key factors affecting life satisfaction. This study identified the effect on life satisfaction of COVID-19 using epidemiological data representing adults in South Korean communities and developed a model for predicting the factors adversely affecting life satisfaction by applying a Bayesian nomogram. The subjects of this study were 227,808 adults who were 19 years old or older. Life satisfaction was measured in units of 10 points from 0 to 100: a score of 30 or less corresponding to −1 standard deviations was reclassified as dissatisfied, and a score of 40 or more was reclassified as satisfied. The nomogram developed in this study showed that “females who were between 30 and 39 years old, living in urban areas, with fewer meetings and sleeping hours, concerned about infection for themselves and the weak in the family due to the COVID-19 pandemic, concerned about death, with a mean household monthly income of KRW 3–5 million, who were non-smokers, with poor subjective health, and an education level of college graduation or above” would have a 66% chance of life dissatisfaction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study suggest that the government needs not only to provide economic support but also to support education on infectious diseases and customized psychological counseling programs for those at high risk of life dissatisfaction after the COVID-19 pandemic.