Subjective executive functioning and skill learning during the COVID-19 pandemic associated with perceived loneliness, depressive symptoms, and well-being

The present study investigated whether higher subjective executive functioning and learning new skills related to better mental health across adulthood during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (n = 133) were recruited from Southern California, USA across two different timepoints. A subset of participants over the age of 58 years old, who previously participated in a skill learning intervention (n = 52) that increased objective executive functioning, also were included in the present study. Worse subjective executive functioning (EF) during the COVID-19 pandemic predicted worse mental health across adulthood. In addition, learning new skills may have helped adults adapt better to changes during the pandemic to increase mental health. These findings highlight the importance of cognitive abilities and learning new skills on mental health.  Our findings provide a more nuanced view of the benefits and costs of adaptation via skill learning on adult mental health during the COVID-19 pa..., , # Subjective executive functioning and skill learning during the COVID-19 pandemic associated with perceived loneliness, depressive symptoms, and well-being

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.69p8cz9ff](10.5061/dryad.69p8cz9ff)

## Description of the data and file structure

De-identified data collected across timepoints for mental health outcomes, subjective executive functioning, and intervention status. Empty cells represent data were not available/applicable.

### Files and variables

#### File: Data.xlsx

* PID: **Anonymize**d participant ID

- Wave: Wave of data collection (timepoint)

* INT: Intervention 0 = non intervention, 1= intervention group

- Age_Range: participant's age at the time of data collection

* Emotional_closeness Of the people living in your household, how emotionally close do you feel to them?

- LEARN_BEHAV: How many hours a week, on average, do you spend on engaging in new behaviors in general?

* NEWSKILL_tolerable: ‘How tolerable do you think learning a new skil..., All participants have provided informed consent and to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of the participants, all data collected have been de-identified. This was accomplished by randomly assigning unique identification numbers to each data point.