Introduction

During the lockdown caused by COVID-19 in Spain, citizens had to stop performing activities in the usual way, which could have had an impact on mental health. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of participating in meaningful activities on mental health in the Spanish population during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Method

A cross-sectional online survey was developed and administered, where mental health (General Health Questionnaire), resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), participation in meaningful activities (Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey) and socio-demographic data were assessed. A hierarchical-linear-regression was used to identify key correlations.

Results

The participants (N = 311) reported low mental health (M = 16.12/36) and a lower level of resilience (M = 25.48). The results of the regression revealed that 32.6% of the variance of the GHQ was significantly explained by the living space, including an outdoor space, resilience and participation in meaningful activities. The loss of meaningful activities was significantly related to mental health, with a significant contribution when controlling for the other variables (β = -.12).

Conclusion

Although experimental studies are needed to determine causality, this study highlights the relationship between participation in meaningful activities and mental health during the lockdown.