Examining the Mediating Effects of Stress on Fear of COVID-19 and Well-being Using Structural Equation Modeling

COVID-19 PTSD Predicts Positive Effects among Healthcare Professionals in Iran: Investigating the Roles of Self-Efficacy and Resilience in a Follow-Up Study

The Article Abstract is not available.  

Socioeconomic Background and Self-Reported Sleep Quality in Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted sleep quality. However, research regarding older adults' sleep quality during the pandemic has been limited. This study examined the association between socioeconomic background (SEB) and older adults' sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on 7040 adults aged ≥50 were acquired from a COVID-19 sub-study of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). SEB was operationalized using educational attainment, previous financial situation, and concern about the future financial situation. Sociodemographic, mental health, physical health, and health behavior variables were included as covariates. Chi-squared tests and binary logistic regression were used to examine associations between SEB and sleep quality. Lower educational attainment and greater financial hardship and concerns were associated with poor sleep quality. The relationship between educational attainment and sleep quality was explained by the financial variables, while the relationship between previous financial difficulties and sleep quality was explained by physical health and health behavior variables. Greater financial concerns about the future, poor mental health, and poor physical health were independent risk factors for poor sleep quality in older adults during the pandemic. Healthcare professionals and service providers should consider these issues when supporting older patients with sleep problems and in promoting health and wellness.

Fear of COVID-19, death depression and death anxiety: Religious coping as a mediator

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the well-being and mental health of populations worldwide. This study sought to examine whether religious coping mediated the relationship between COVID-19-related fear and death distress. We administered an online survey to 390 adult participants (66.15% females; Mage = 30.85 ± 10.19 years) across Turkey. Participants completed a series of questionnaires measuring the fear they had experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, their levels of religious coping and their levels of death anxiety and depression. Our findings revealed that (a) fear of COVID-19 was associated with positive religious coping, negative religious coping, death anxiety and death distress; (b) negative religious coping was associated with death anxiety and depression and (c) negative religious coping mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and death anxiety and depression. These results highlight the detrimental effect of negative religious coping in increasing the adverse effect of the COVID-19 fear on death depression.

How Fear of External Threats Plays Roles: An Examination of Supervisors' Trait Anger, Abusive Supervision, Subordinate Burnout and CCB

In times of uncertainty, such as during COVID-19, many organizations experience profit decline, and employees develop a fear of external threats, such as organizational layoffs. However, most of the literature focuses on how people's fear influences their well-being. Less is known about how employees' fear of external threats influences their workplace behaviors. The current study proposes that supervisors' fear of external threats stimulates those who are high in trait anger to behave in a more abusive way. Simultaneously, subordinates' fear of external threats would strengthen the positive relationship between abusive supervision and their burnout and compulsory citizenship behaviors (CCB), as fear of external threats constrains their response options to abusive supervision. We tested the hypotheses with a multiwave and multisource survey study (N = 322 dyads) in China, and the results showed that supervisors' fear of external threats strengthened the positive effect of trait anger on abusive supervision. Subordinates' fear of external threats strengthens the positive relationships of abusive supervision with CCB and the mediating effect of abusive supervision in the relationship of supervisors' trait anger with subordinates' CCB. Our study enriches people's understanding of how supervisors' and subordinates' fear of external threats may play roles in workplace behaviors.

Aggressive measures, rising inequalities, and mass formation during the COVID-19 crisis: An overview and proposed way forward

A series of aggressive restrictive measures were adopted around the world in 2020-2022 to attempt to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from spreading. However, it has become increasingly clear the most aggressive (lockdown) response strategies may involve negative side-effects such as a steep increase in poverty, hunger, and inequalities. Several economic, educational, and health repercussions have fallen disproportionately on children, students, young workers, and especially on groups with pre-existing inequalities such as low-income families, ethnic minorities, and women. This has led to a vicious cycle of rising inequalities and health issues. For example, educational and financial security decreased along with rising unemployment and loss of life purpose. Domestic violence surged due to dysfunctional families being forced to spend more time with each other. In the current narrative and scoping review, we describe macro-dynamics that are taking place because of aggressive public health policies and psychological tactics to influence public behavior, such as mass formation and crowd behavior. Coupled with the effect of inequalities, we describe how these factors can interact toward aggravating ripple effects. In light of evidence regarding the health, economic and social costs, that likely far outweigh potential benefits, the authors suggest that, first, where applicable, aggressive lockdown policies should be reversed and their re-adoption in the future should be avoided. If measures are needed, these should be non-disruptive. Second, it is important to assess dispassionately the damage done by aggressive measures and offer ways to alleviate the burden and long-term effects. Third, the structures in place that have led to counterproductive policies should be assessed and ways should be sought to optimize decision-making, such as counteracting groupthink and increasing the level of reflexivity. Finally, a package of scalable positive psychology interventions is suggested to counteract the damage done and improve humanity's prospects.

Research on the Impact of Media Credibility on Risk Perception of COVID-19 and the Sustainable Travel Intention of Chinese Residents Based on an Extended TPB Model in the Post-Pandemic Context

This study is the first to examine the impact of media credibility on the sustainable travel intention of Chinese residents in the post-pandemic context. Specifically, the mechanisms by which media credibility influenced the sustainable travel intentions of Chinese residents through risk perception are studied. This study developed an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model and used a structural equation model (SEM) to analyze the 1219 valid samples received from online questionnaires. The results revealed that media credibility has a negative impact on risk perception of COVID-19 in the post-pandemic context. This suggested that trusted media, messages, and information sources can reduce the risk perception of COVID-19 when individuals contemplate travel. Risk perception negatively affects subjective norms, attitudes, and perceived behavioral control, while these three variables positively influence sustainable travel intention. Significantly, subjective norms have a stronger impact on the sustainable travel intention of Chinese residents than the remaining variables, demonstrating that, in a collective society, an individual’s intention to travel is more susceptible to influence by government sanctions as well as the unsupported opinions of their family and friends. This study makes up for the lack of focus on the media in sustainable tourism research and provides novel insights for future studies.

Fear of COVID-19, psychological distress, well-being and life satisfaction: A comparative study on first and second waves of COVID-19 among college students in India

The aim of the study is to examine the relationship of fear of COVID-19 with well-being and life satisfaction through psychological distress among the college students in India. The study was conducted in two waves of the pandemic-during first and second waves of the COVID-19 among college students. A survey was conducted among 768 and 884 students in first and second waves of COVID-19 respectively for this purpose. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The study found out that the fear of COVID-19 positively related to psychological distress and negatively to well-being and life satisfaction and the effects were stronger in second wave. Also, the psychological distress mediates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 with well-being and life satisfaction, and the relationships were stronger during second wave. Proper coping strategies and mechanisms can be helpful to overcome the difficulties of such situation.

Fear of COVID-19 and Perceived Stress: The Mediating Roles of Neuroticism and Perceived Social Support

Background: Fear of COVID-19 leads to stress and may result in various kinds of mental health problems. Many factors are associated with an individual’s perception of stress, including neuroticism and perceived social support. This study aimed to examine the role of neuroticism and perceived social support as mediators of fear of COVID-19 on perceived stress. Methods: Data from 3299 participants aged ≥18 years from the HOME-COVID-19 survey in 2020 were used for analysis. Measurements used included the Fear of COVID-19 and Impact on Quality of Life Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale-10, the Neuroticism inventory and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support-12. A parallel mediation model within a structural equation modeling framework with 5000 bootstrapping sampling was used to test the mediating effect. Results: Fear of COVID-19 had a direct effect on perceived stress (B  =  0.100, 95% CI = 0.080−0.121, p < 0.001), whereas neuroticism, but not perceived social support, partially mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress (B = 0.018, 95% CI = 0.000−0.036). Among all types of social support, only perceived support from friends was a significant mediator (B = 0.016, 95% CI = 0.006−0.025). Conclusions: Neuroticism and perceived support from friends are critical factors in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress.

COVID-19 and Mental Health Concerns Among Business Owners: a Cross-Sectional Study from India

The study examines the relationship between pandemic-induced financial distress and mental health of entrepreneurs in India. A cross-sectional research design was used, and a survey was conducted among 816 small-scale entrepreneurs of diverse business entities. Structural equation modeling was performed to analyze the data. Both economic hardship and financial threat reported significant positive relationships with depression, anxiety, and stress. Financial wellbeing was found to be negatively related with depression, anxiety, and stress. The study stands among pioneers who have investigated the mental health issues among entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study provides holistic implications by recommending a collective mechanism that involves individuals, governments, and institutions, for helping small business entrepreneurs cope with the situation, avoid trauma, and have a positive mental health. Future studies can focus on longitudinal data collection to provide better accuracy and consistency.

The Impacts of Psychological Distress on Life Satisfaction and Wellbeing of the Indian General Population During the First and Second Waves of COVID-19: A Comparative Study

The current study aims to understand the impact of psychological distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on life satisfaction and wellbeing, in the Indian context. The study also analyses the differences in these effects between the first and second waves of the pandemic. For this purpose, a survey was conducted during the two waves of the pandemic. Eight hundred eighty-four and 925 respondents participated in the first and second waves, respectively. The study showed that depression, anxiety, and stress negatively related to life satisfaction and wellbeing during both waves. The study also showed that the effects were stronger during the second wave compared to the first. Life satisfaction and wellbeing of women were found to be affected to a higher level than those of men, due to psychological distress. The study showed that a combined approach involving coping mechanisms and health care can help manage the psychological issues that arise with crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Psychometric Analysis of Fear of COVID-19 Scale in India

COVID-19 has had a serious negative impact on the mental health of people around the world. The present study analyses the psychometric properties of Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in the Indian context. The study checks the one-factor and two-factor structures of the measure. Data were collected from 992 respondents from India. Structural equation modeling was performed to check the construct validity after checking the factorial validity, reliability, and model fit. Both one-factor and two-factor models had good psychometric properties. FCV-19S had significant relationships with stress and wellbeing. This study can serve as a reference to practitioners and researchers to understand and analyze fear of COVID among individuals and thus to support the mental health wellbeing during the pandemic.