Page 25 - JCBP-2-2

Journal of Clinical and
Basic Psychosomatics Life values in representative general population

aspect of biopsychosocial understanding in psychosomatic and restrictions on daily life, anxiety and worries, mood
medicine, counseling, and other healthcare settings. This problems, loneliness, 7-10 and embitterment reactions
11
knowledge allows health professionals to personalize were observable. Embitterment is narrowly associated
treatment according to individual values. Several with injured basic values and beliefs. The pandemic was
12
important basic life values that have been described undoubtedly a challenge for societal cohesion, individual
empirically include power and achievement, tolerance and life, and work adaptation, accompanied by swift and
universalism, new experiences and hedonism, and social sometimes poorly reasoned changes in rules. Thus, the
harmony, tradition, and conformity. The acceptance question arises as to whether this pandemic episode
1,2
of these values varies among individuals. Life values are might have impacted the basic life values of the general
important in psychosomatic treatment and diagnostics as population, that is, whether the level or profile of basic life
they shape patients’ behavior across various life contexts; values changed from before to after the pandemic.
for example, a patient who trusts the values of tradition is
likely to adhere to established medical routines (treatment As previous research has shown, basic life values are
and medication adherence), follow medical advice, or prefer assumed to be stable over a lifetime and are predictive of
3,13,14
in-person medical consultations over virtual counseling. various attitudes, preferences, and behaviors. However,
5,15-17
Conversely, a diabetes patient with high values of hedonism they can vary under certain situational influences.
might seek short-term well-being, leading to difficulties in On a societal level, values may change over decades and
4,18
adhering to dietary restrictions such as avoiding desserts. generations due to societal and technical developments.
Moreover, life values can be subject to psychological injury, This study aimed to investigate whether basic life values
specifically in the form of post-traumatic stress, as a result in different age groups differ before and after a global
of critical events during times of crisis. Understanding a health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, large
patient’s life values is essential for the treatment of event- representative cohorts from the German general population
related disorders. Moreover, values may also impact were surveyed about their basic life values in 2018 and
patients’ health beliefs, for example, whether they believe 2022. From a psychosomatic perspective, these data are
that a health problem can be managed through personal useful for understanding the distribution of life values
behavioral change or environmental change. among the general population. Life values contribute to the
Basic life values are acquired during youth, between the lifestyle, health, and crisis-coping behaviors of individuals.
ages of five and 15, as individuals grow and develop. These For research purposes, representative data were relevant
life values develop through observational learning from role for comparative purposes. This study seeks to address two
models and education, and they remain stable over their main research questions: (i) To investigate whether there
lifetime. It has also been argued that life values are not only are differences in the levels of agreement between different
established by individual learning in cultural and historical life values before and after a pandemic in representative
contexts but also partly due to genetic disposition. Even if population samples and (ii) to examine whether there are
3
the life value (i.e., the cognitive idea) of “I have to care for differences in the life values of the different age groups.
my nearest family members” is not genetically encoded, it
might be possible that dispositions such as temperament, 2. Methods
hormones, and personality influence the formation of Two independent large cohorts of the general population
an individual’s life values. Finally, the importance placed were investigated using representative surveys conducted
on different life values may vary across cultures and age in 2018 and 2022. Each measurement time point involved
groups as individuals grow up in different environmental, a sample size of 2500 individuals, with a proportionally
4,5
historical, and social contexts. representative distribution of age groups and social
Life values serve as a guide for behaviors and responses groups. The inclusion criterion was residence in a German
to specific challenges. While a central life value may be the household and the ability to participate in a German-
asset of an individual, it can also become a vulnerability, language interview. A total of 6000 households were
especially when this central value is threatened by contacted for each time point (2018 and 2022), resulting
perceived injustices during critical events. Thus, life values in a participation rate of 41%. Non-participation reasons
6
can be affected by stressful external events. For example, included: (i) inability to reach anyone in the household
an individual who strongly values conformity and stability (19%); (ii) unwillingness to participate (47%); (iii) illness
may feel discomfort, bitterness, or be unjustly treated if (1%); and (iv) being on vacation (1%). After removing
others do not follow norms or if norms are set out of order 26 cases with missing data, the final data analysis was based
or change frequently. Studies demonstrated that during on N = 2412 (cohort 2018) and N = 2499 (cohort 2022)
the pandemic, as a reaction to episodes of lockdowns cases with complete data.

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.2192