Association between psychological wellbeing and the COVID-19-related outcomes in Europeans aged ≥ 50 years old: The SHARE study

The aim of the present study was to prospectively investigate the associations between psychological wellbeing and COVID-19 outcomes (vaccination, infection, long COVID) based on the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), using the data from Wave 8 and two supplementary COVID-19 surveys (Corona Survey 1 and 2) covering 27 European countries and Israel. Furthermore, we also conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluated the joint effects of wellbeing and vaccination status on the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and long COVID. A total of 29,597 participants were included in this study. Psychological wellbeing was measured using the Control, Autonomy, Self-realization, and Pleasure (CASP)-12 scale. Multivariable logistic regression models were performed to explore these associations, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. Compared with participants in the lowest CASP-12 score group, those in the highest group had significantly higher odds of COVID-19 vaccination (OR 2.68, 95% CI: 2.44-2.96) and a significant 23% reduction in the likelihood of long COVID (OR 0.77, 95% CI: 0.64-0.93). However, we failed to observe a significant association on infection risk (OR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.74-1.02). Protective effects were more pronounced with higher CASP-12 scores. Higher psychological wellbeing was associated with increased COVID-19 vaccination and reduced risks of infection and long COVID among European adults aged 50 y and older. Further high-quality studies were warranted to confirm these findings.