Page 215 - Ana Mlekuž in Igor Ž. Žagar, ur. • Raziskovanje v vzgoji in izobraževanju: Izobraževanje učiteljic in učiteljev za raziskovalno učenje in poučevanje. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut, 2024. Digitalna knjižnica, Dissertationes 48

povzetki ■ summaries
Longitudinal Analysis of COVID-19 Anxiety and Mental
Well-being during Lockdown: The Role of Emotional
Self-efficacy and Mindfulness Practices in Slovenian Adults
- Insights for Post-Pandemic Mental Health and Education
Maša Vidmar, Ana Kozina, Manja Veldin, Tina Pivec, Igor Peras
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer ongoing, the data col-
lected during the pandemic continue to be used in studies, providing val-
uable insights across various domains, including mental health and edu-
cation. The COVID-19 pandemic, along with the restrictions imposed by
governments to prevent the spread of the virus, created a significant health
and economic burden, while also challenging our mental well-being.
In this study, we longitudinally monitored week-to-week changes in mental
well-being and situational anxiety related to COVID-19 (COVID-19 anxie-
ty) during the first three weeks of the initial lockdown in Slovenia, using a
convenience sample of adults (n = 45, 86.7% female). The findings show that
unconditional latent growth curve (LGC) models revealed significant dif-
ferences in the initial levels of both COVID-19 anxiety and mental well-be-
ing among participants. While levels of COVID-19 anxiety significantly
decreased over time, no changes in mental well-being were observed.
In the LGC model with time-invariant covariates, emotional self-effica-
cy predicted the initial levels of COVID-19 anxiety and mental well-being.
Lower levels of emotional self-efficacy were associated with higher initial
levels of COVID-19 anxiety and lower initial levels of mental well-being.
Participants with lower emotional self-efficacy experienced a steeper de-
crease in COVID-19 anxiety, indicating a more stable trajectory for those
with higher emotional self-efficacy. Practicing mindfulness was not associ-
ated with either the initial level (intercept) or the rate of change over time
(slope) of COVID-19 anxiety or mental well-being.
These findings highlight the importance of promoting emotional self-effi-
cacy, potentially as part of nationwide mental health prevention programs,
as well as through the integration of social and emotional competencies in
education.
Keywords: mental well-being, prevention, COVID-19 anxiety, emotional
self-efficacy, mindfulness, COVID-19

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