Impact of COVID-19 on psychological wellbeing.

This cross-sectional study aims to record post-traumatic stress (PTS) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) of the general population of China during the first wave of COVID-19 spread. Method: An online survey was distributed in China during February and March 2020 to record the general population's PTS (using the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version, PCL-C) and PTG (using the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, PTGI) due to COVID-19. Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) and a Two-Part Model (TPM) of regression analysis were conducted.

Results

In total, 29,118 Chinese participants completed the survey (54.20% were in their 20s, 68% were males, and 60.30% had a university education). CFA results illustrated that bifactor models described the Chinese psychometric traits of PTS and PTG over the default models. Results of TPM suggested that female, low-educated, and middle-aged individuals were more vulnerable to PTS. Remarkably, mutual and positive correlations between the PTS and the PTG, though small in statistics, were observed through regression analyses.

Conclusions

The current results presented new best-fit structural models, potential predictors, and valuable baseline information on the PTS and the PTG of the Chinese population in the context of COVID-19.