The contribution of socio-demographic, health-related and psychological factors to the perception of changes in life following a few waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: As a result of the long-lasting COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced numerous losses in psychological and economic domains. Research covering two years (2020-2021) of the pandemic suggests that at present, the period is also perceived in terms of gains. The factors affecting opinions about the losses and gains include personality traits, intensity of COVID-19 PTSD, age, and others. The study aimed to determine which aspects changed in life after two years of the pandemic, which were assessed as negative or positive, and which factors contributed to these opinions.

Participants and procedure: An online survey was carried out and responses were received from an international sample of 418 adults. The following tools were used: the Ten Item Personality Inventory, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and COVID-19 Sense of Life Changes Questionnaire.

Results: Conscientiousness and emotional stability were those personality traits which increased positive perceptions of the past years of the pandemic. The older age of respondents contributed to a more negative opinion about the changes in life caused by the pandemic.

Conclusions: The personality traits of conscientiousness and emotional stability and younger age may protect against negative perceptions of the two-year period of the pandemic.