Mentale Gesundheit und Lebenszufriedenheit in Österreich während der Pandemie: Eine Längsschnittanalyse unter Berücksichtigung gruppenspezifischer Verläufe und ressourcenbezogener Einflüsse

This article investigates mental health, life satisfaction and their changes in the Austrian population during the Covid-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022. We look at how mental health and life satisfaction differ in various population groups that were affected by the pandemic in specific ways (e.g. Covid risk groups, people living alone, individuals who have lost their job, etc.), how mental health and life satisfaction changed over time and whether there were different trajectories in different social groups. Furthermore, we investigate to what extent mental health and life satisfaction were influenced by social and material resources and to what extent these effects vary between different phases of the pandemic. Finally, we address the question, whether changes in the aforementioned factors have an impact on dynamics of mental health and life satisfaction over time. Statistically significant reductions in life satisfaction and mental health from wave 1 (May 2020) to wave 2 (March/April 2021) and 3 (July 2022) can be observed, with no significant changes between waves 2 and 3. Individuals belonging to a Covid risk group and individuals who lost their jobs in the course of the pandemic stand out due to lower life satisfaction and mental health. Moreover, path analyses demonstrate that material resources exert their influence on mental health and life satisfaction primarily through the subjective perceptions of one's financial situation. Moreover, the actual frequency of contact with other persons plays a significant role only at the third measurement time point, which could be explained by the contact restrictions at time point 2. However, the subjective feeling of social inclusion is associated with better mental health and higher life satisfaction at both time points. Last, it can be confirmed that improvements in the respondents' assessment of their own financial situation and increases in their sense of inclusion are also associated with a significant increase in life satisfaction between waves 2 and 3. The same applies to the dimension of mental health.