A Comparative Study on the Level of Psychological Well-Being of Young Adults Before and After the COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

This study examined the impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on the Psychological Well-being of young adults residing in Ahmedabad, India. This study was made on a cohort of 60 young adults, who were randomly selected from the age group of 20-30 years for this before-after research design. The sample was further evenly subdivided into 30 males and 30 females. A 50-items Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS), constructed by Dr. Devendra Singh Sisodia and Ms. Pooja Chaudhary was utilized as a tool in this study. The PWBS scale had five areas, which were Satisfaction, Efficiency, Sociability, Mental Health and Interpersonal Relationship. So, the primary objective of the present study was to assess the Psychological Well-being of young adults in a one-year long Longitudinal study (February 2020-February 2021). Remarkably, the study uncovered no statistically significant difference in the mean scores of psychological well-being before and after the lockdown. This intriguing finding implies that the factors such as psychological resilience, healthy coping mechanisms and the robust social support of individuals may have played a role in sustaining the well-being of individuals during the challenging period of lockdown. Furthermore, the absence of daily demands during the lockdown crisis could have contributed to the maintenance of psychological well-being among the sampled young adults. This study sheds light on the adaptability and coping mechanisms employed by young adults in the face of unprecedented challenges, offering valuable insights for future research and mental health interventions.