Stability of Psychological Well-being Following a Neurological Event and in the Face of a Global Pandemic

Abstract

This study examined the stability of psychological well-being in people who have experienced a neurological event resulting in focal brain damage. Evidence suggests that psychological well-being is largely stable in healthy adult populations. However, whether such stability exists in neurological patients with acquired brain lesions is an open question. Given the trait-like characteristics of psychological well-being, we hypothesized that psychological well-being would be stable in neurological patients who are in the chronic epoch of recovery (≥3 months after the neurological event). Eighty participants (women = 40; age: M = 56, standard deviation (SD) = 13) completed the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being (PWBS) twice between 2016 and 2020 (Time 1 [T1] and Time 2 [T2]). The Ryff Scales measure various facets of well-being, including autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Approximately half of participants completed their T2 assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating an opportunity to investigate the effects of the pandemic on the stability of psychological well-being in a neurological population that may be particularly vulnerable to reduced well-being in this context. Pearson correlations and within-sample t-tests were conducted to examine the stability of self-reported well-being over time. Test–retest correlations ranged from .71 to .87, and no significant differences in well-being emerged across the two time points. Significant correlations between T1 and T2 were also evident in the subsample of participants who completed their second assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings provide evidence that long-term psychological well-being is remarkably reliable and consistent over time in patients who have experienced a major neurological event, even when an unprecedented global event occurred between measurement epochs. Treatment implications of these findings are discussed.