Examining American Adult’s Mental Well and Ill-Being During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic Using a Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic is an international health crisis that has caused unprecedented shifts in people’s environments and has threatened people’s wellbeing. The current study uses self-determination theory (SDT: 10) to understand how people were handling the pandemic, which proposes three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) are vital for human growth and thriving. Furthermore, we examined how people’s wellbeing and ill-being changed over the course of the pandemic. Methods: A sample of 193 American adults from around the country reported on their need satisfaction and frustration as well as well and ill-being at three time periods during the pandemic (April 2020, late July/early August 2020, and late January/early February 2021). Results: There was much variability in how people were handling the pandemic, but on average, wellbeing increased, and ill-being decreased over time. Consistent with SDT, the basic needs significantly predicted well and ill-being even during such unprecedented times of disruption. Conclusion: Our results suggest that public health officials should help individuals to focus on autonomy, competence, and relatedness behaviors during times of upheaval.