Resilience, mood, and mental health outcomes during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
Resilience, mood, and mental health outcomes during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria

Summary/Abstract: Background: The fundamental challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic may have lasting negative effects on the quality of mental health worldwide. Resilience is considered an important protective factor in reducing the risk of psychopathology in the face of adverse events, such as the ongoing health crisis. The aims of the current study were to: (1) evaluate the predictive utility of resilience in accounting for positive and negative moods, substance use, depression and anxiety; and (2) compare negative and positive moods experienced before the pandemic to emotions reported during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria, when the country still had low prevalence of infections and fatalities. Methods: 179 Bulgarian participants completed the international online Minnesota Global Survey on Stress and Resilience in the Face of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), which included measures of resilience, depression, anxiety, substance use, positive and negative moods experienced both before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Results: Resilience predicted higher levels of positive affect and lower anxiety, depression, and negative mood during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Bulgaria. A significant increase in negative mood and a corresponding decrease in positive mood were found in the time since COVID-19 began spreading compared to before the pandemic.Conclusions: Results suggest that the initial wave of the COVID-19 crisis impacted individuals’ well-being, even in countries with relatively low prevalence of COVID-19 and associated fatalities. In this challenging global setting, resilience may serve as a buffer against negative emotional states and psychological distress. COVID-19; Resilience; Depression; Anxiety; Substance use; Positive and Negative Mood

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