Subjective well-being and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

•Subjective well-being is a relevant protective factor in times of crise global in mental health.•Positive psychology constructs showed a negative correlation with psychological distress, such as anxiety, depression and stress.•Balance lifestyle with leisure and self-compassion, self-efficacy, optimism and self-steem contributed to subjective well-being.•Social support contributed through the pandemic and regulate the psychological distress.•Subjective well-being is important focus of new studies to monitor by longitudinal method and evaluate health interventions about the impacts of the pandemic. Subjective well-being is a relevant protective factor in times of global mental health crises such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The present study investigated the predictors of subjective well-being (positive and negative affects and life satisfaction) in Brazil, with positive constructs (such as cognitive hope, optimism, self-compassion, self-efficacy and self esteem) and psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress). This was a cross-sectional study of 2,422 Brazilian individuals; data was collected using a self-administered online survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple linear regression (MLR) yielded a model that explained 70.9% of the variation in standardized subjective well-being. This construct showed a significant correlation with all positive psychological aspects and a negative correlation with psychological distress. The results indicated that social support in different sociodemographic groups, as well as a balanced lifestyle, with leisure, self-compassion, self-efficacy, optimism and self-steem contributed to subjective well-being throughout the pandemic and regulated psychological distress. Well-being is important focus of new studies that aim to monitor by longitudinal method and evaluate health interventions related to the effects of the pandemic.