Cognitive fitness and mental health outcomes following COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia

TL;DR

This study explores how psychological traits like resilience and a new measure called CGA influenced mental health during and after Australia's COVID-19 lockdowns.

Contribution

The paper introduces and validates the new COVID-19 Character Growth Awareness (CGA) scale as a predictor of mental well-being recovery.

Findings

Impulsivity, resilience, and CGA predicted 6% of variance in post-lockdown mental well-being.

CGA alone predicted 3% of variance in mental well-being recovery.

Intolerance of uncertainty was linked to higher distress and anxiety, while CGA was linked to lower distress.

Abstract

The uncertainty, stress and prolonged social isolation caused by pandemics significantly affect mental health. This paper presents two cross-sectional studies examining key psychological variables associated with mental well-being, distress, and anxiety following COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia, utilizing the Cognitive Fitness Framework (CF2). We also report the development and validation of the COVID-19 Character Growth Awareness (CGA) scale. In Study 1 (N = 417), impulsivity/lack of self-control, resilience/adaptability and COVID-19 CGA predicted 6% of variance in post-lockdown mental well-being beyond all other variables. From the same block of variables, only CGA predicted a significant amount of variance (3%) in mental well-being recovery. In Study 2 (N = 1898), intolerance of uncertainty correlated positively with psychological distress and anxiety, while CGA correlated negatively while controlling for other covariates. These results highlight the importance of psychological strengths and vulnerabilities in enabling adaptation and recovery following public health crises. The COVID-19 CGA emerged as one of those strengths. The results also help unify the theory of resilience as a trait, process, and outcome. Understanding what assists the maintenance and recovery of mental health amid the challenges and isolation of pandemics can help develop strategies to mitigate the impacts of future crises that present similar challenges.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-29205-w.

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