No man is an island: Men living alone during COVID-19 report lower need satisfaction and well-being

Based on data from a large-scale social survey in the United Kingdom, the present work examines the influence of household situation and gender on individuals' psychological needs and subjective well-being during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Asked to compare their current state to that before the pandemic, men but not women living alone report a subjective decline in their basic psychological needs for meaningfulness and self-esteem, as well as lower subjective well-being. A mediated moderation analysis indicates that the lower subjective well-being for men living alone is mainly mediated by the decline in the satisfaction of their need for self-esteem. The present findings suggest that social isolation during the pandemic may have affected men and women's psychological needs differently and highlight the special role of need for self-esteem, offering insights for potential well-being interventions in times of crisis.