Abstract
This study was a quantitative secondary data analysis of data from the Contemplative Coping During Covid-19 (CCC) project. Participant responses to demographic questions and mental health measures at two assessment points during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed. Mental health scale data from the baseline and 1-year follow-up assessments were compared using paired t and Wilcoxon signed rank tests to examine change over time. Correlational relationships between mental health variables were also explored. There was a significant decrease in PTSD symptomology from the baseline to the follow-up assessment (p < 0.001), but no significant changes in any other mental health variables. All mental health variables had significant correlational relationships with each other. This study offers insight into the relatively stable longitudinal patterns of mental health during the early COVID-19 pandemic and suggests that PTSD symptoms may be particularly prone to change during public health crises. Implications for social work practice, research, and policy are discussed.