Understanding Psychological Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic Through ESM Data: The EMOTIONS Project

Abstract

To examine psychological responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted two large experience sampling (ESM) studies (Study 1: N _{ESM participants} = 327 and N _{ESM reports} = 29,512, Study 2: N _{ESM participants} = 2,272 and N _{ESM reports} = 64,810). Each study subsumed two 14-day ESM waves that took place before and during (Study 1) or during and after (Study 2) the first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in Germany. We describe the assessed variables on the trait (e.g., personality) and state (e.g., momentary emotions) level. All data sets and codebooks are shared on osf.io/6kzx3/. The EMOTIONS data are open to collaboration and inclusion in reviews/meta-analyses.

Keywords: COVID-19; coronavirus; emotional states; experience sampling; pandemic reactions.

Figure 1

EMOTIONS Project Timeline Including Terminology and Central COVID-19 Events. Note: This table provides an overview of the entire EMOTIONS project, including both studies (Study 1 and 2) and each study’s waves. S1W1 = Study 1 Wave 1 (all other waves are abbreviated analogously), T1 = time point 1 (initial trait survey of both studies’ respective first wave), T2 = time point 2 (final trait survey of both studies’ respective first wave), T3 = time point 3 (initial trait survey of both studies’ respective second wave), T4 = time point 4 (final trait survey of both studies’ respective second wave), NRW = North Rhine-Westphalia. Date format: DD/MM/YYYY. For study-wave-specific timelines, see each study wave’s respective codebook on osf.io/6kzx3/.

Figure 2

Longitudinal Trajectories of Daily Numbers of ESM Reports and Participants in S1W1. Note: This figure shows how many ESM surveys (blue line) were completed by how many participants (yellow line) per day during the ESM phase of S1W1 (Study 1 Wave 1), that is, from January 14, 2020, until April 17, 2020. ESM report = completed ESM survey. Date format: DD/MM/YYYY. Statistics are based on the respective study wave’s state data set.

Figure 3

Longitudinal Trajectories of Daily Numbers of ESM Reports and Participants in S1W2. Note: This figure shows how many ESM surveys (blue line) were completed by how many participants (yellow line) per day during the ESM phase of S1W2 (Study 1 Wave 2), that is, from March 17, 2020, until April 18, 2020. ESM report = completed ESM survey. Date format: DD/MM/YYYY. Statistics are based on the respective study wave’s state data set.

Figure 4

Longitudinal Trajectories of Daily Numbers of ESM Reports and Participants in S2W1. Note: This figure shows how many ESM surveys (blue line) were completed by how many participants (yellow line) per day during the ESM phase of S2W1 (Study 2 Wave 1), that is, from March 19, 2020, until April 25, 2020. ESM report = completed ESM survey. Date format: DD/MM/YYYY. Statistics are based on the respective study wave’s state data set.

Figure 5

Longitudinal Trajectories of Daily Numbers of ESM Reports and Participants in S2W2. Note: This figure shows how many ESM surveys (blue line) were completed by how many participants (yellow line) per day during the ESM phase of S2W2 (Study 2 Wave 2), that is, from May 14, 2020, until June 14, 2020. ESM report = completed ESM survey. Date format: DD/MM/YYYY. Statistics are based on the respective study wave’s state data set. Please note that no state data was generated beyond June 14, 2020, but that the last possible day to complete the final trait survey was June 16, 2020 (cf. Figure 1 in Section 2.1).