The Protective Role of Authenticity During the Novel Coronavirus (2019) Pandemic Among those with Chronic Pain and/or PTSD

The novel coronavirus (2019; CV-19) has claimed the lives of nearly 190,000 individuals in the U.S. (World Health Organization, 2020). Along with this catastrophic loss of life, suicidality, anxiety, and depression have been linked to the pandemic in the general population (Czeisler et al., 2020), highlighting the pandemic’s psychological toll. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of research that focuses on resiliency and protective factors during the CV-19 pandemic. One potential protective factor is having the ability to live an authentic life, or a life that is consistent with how one views themselves (Wood, Linley, Maltby, Baliousis, & Joseph, 2008). Although individuals with physical or psychological pre-existing conditions may be particularly impacted by the pandemic (Pfefferbaum & North, 2020), little empirical research has been published focused specifically on these populations. Moreover, no research has examined how authenticity may protect individuals with pre-existing conditions from the threat and impact of the CV-19 pandemic. The present work aims to highlight the protective role of authenticity among individuals with chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder, populations who may be particularly affected by the pandemic.