Major life events, well-being comparisons, and mental health outcomes: A four-wave longitudinal study

The experience and appraisal of major life events (MLE) can impact mental health. MLE may disrupt one's world view and self-perception, necessitating psychological adaptation. Consequently, individuals may experience an intensified need to compare their current well-being with different standards. We hypothesized that the relationship between MLE, their appraisal, and mental health is mediated by aversive well-being comparisons. Specifically, frequent comparisons were expected to heighten perceived discrepancies between the target and standard, amplify negative affective impact, and consequently contribute to poorer mental health. Using a convenience sample from online panel provider prolific, we conducted a four-wave longitudinal study over nine months (N_T1 = 376, 81 % retention rate at T4; mean ages 33.29-34.74 years, around 61 % males across waves) to examine the relationship between MLE experienced in the past three months, appraisals of these events, aversive well-being comparisons, and mental health (anxiety, depressive, posttraumatic stress, and somatic symptoms, & loneliness). t-Tests revealed that experiencing (vs. not experiencing) MLE itself was not associated with comparative behavior. However, specific appraisals of MLE (i.e., challenge, impact, & valence) were associated with well-being comparisons and mental health. Comparison frequency emerged as mediator between MLE appraisals assessed three months earlier and mental health at study completion (MLE perceived as challenge at T1 → comparison frequency at T2 → mental health at T4; 0.23 [CI: 0.08; 0.38]), after adjusting for prior mental health, as well as concurrent worry and avoidance. Effects were less consistent when adjusting for rumination. Overall, comparative behavior appears important for mental health following MLE.