Dynamics of subjective student wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Because the COVID-19 pandemic has continued for a long time, it has become necessary to explore the dynamics of mental health phenomena during this period. AIM: To identify the dynamics of the emotional component of the subjective wellbeing of the personality of students in the psychological and pedagogical areas at various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 911 students in the psychological and pedagogical areas at the University of Tyumen, Kurgan State University, and Ural Federal University. The research method used was the scale of subjective wellbeing by Perrudet-Badoux as adapted by M.V. Sokolova. Measurements were taken in April 2020, May 2021, October 2021, and January 2022. RESULTS: In April 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, the university students had the lowest indicators of the emotional component of the subjective wellbeing of the individual. A year later, in May 2021, there was an increase in subjective wellbeing, which, however, was not statistically significant. The trend of improvement in subjective wellbeing continued for six months to October 2021, when it became significantly higher than when the pandemic began. At the fourth measurement in January 2022, subjective wellbeing had stabilized, indicating that the students had adapted to the conditions of the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The emotional component of the subjective wellbeing of the personality of students was subject to dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the two years of the pandemic, university students have adapted to the stressful situation of the pandemic as reflected by the improvement and stabilization of the emotional component of subjective wellbeing.