Early life adversity, dispositional mindfulness, and longitudinal stress experience during the COVID-19 pandemic

Experiencing severe or prolonged stressors in early life is associated with increased risk for mental and physical disorders in adulthood. Further, individuals who experienced early life stress (ELS) may use dysfunctional coping strategies like stress-related eating, in contrast to more beneficial stress buffering mechanisms e.g. based on mindfulness. Whether these mechanisms contribute to increased levels of perceived stress and symptoms of mental disorders in individuals with ELS in times of crisis is yet unclear. As part of a larger project, we assessed changes in perceived stress and psychopathological symptoms in a sample of N=102 participants (81% female; meanage=23.49, SDage= 7.11, range 18–62) from October/December 2019 (prior to the Covid-19 pandemic) to April/June 2020 (after the German government introduced Covid-19 related restrictions). Additionally, we assessed ELS and dispositional mindfulness.Perceived stress and depression significantly increased while anxiety levels decreased. No significant change was observed for somatization. ELS and dispositional mindfulness were not associated with change scores, but with perceived stress and psychopathological symptoms at both assessments. The increase in perceived stress during the pandemic in a majority of participants demonstrates the impact of the pandemic in the general population.