Document Type : Research Article

Author

Associate Professor of Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Due to the emergence of Covid 19 disease and according to the stable psychological reactions caused by the outbreak of this virus and the importance of anxiety and fear of this virus on the psychological well-being of students, The study aimed to investigate the relationship between fear of Covid 19 and psychological well-being by mediating the role of psychological Hardiness and social support in undergraduate students. The virus challenged the quality of life of people around the world and changed interpersonal issues and self-acceptance questions, the meaning of life, and relationships with others.  The disease is prevalent in Iran, as in other countries, and has rapidly endangered the physical and mental health of people, as the prevalence of this disease has raised concerns about the possibility of death from viral infections and has led to psychological stress. Research shows that people with coronavirus anxiety suffer from a wide range of psychological problems, and having the infection is a psychological risk factor, to the point that, among people in the United States, China, and more recently India, people suffer from anxiety. The disease led to suicide. Since to reduce the fear of Quid 19, one must first identify the effective factors and identify the share of each of them and use them, the present study seeks to answer the question of whether reducing the fear of Quid 19 increases welfare psychologically affected? Also, can Psychological well-being and social support play a mediating role in these two variables? As a result, the present study was conducted to investigate this model in students.
Method
This study was a descriptive correlational study. The study's statistical population was all undergraduate students studying at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz from 1300 to 1400, from which 360 students were selected by a multi-stage sampling method. In this study, tools of fear of Covid 19, a short psychological well-being questionnaire, psychological hardiness of Ahvaz University, and social support were used to collect data. Findings confirmed the suitability of reliability and validity of the instruments. The direct relationships of the collected data were analyzed using SPSS 23 and AMOS 23 software and the indirect and mediated relationships were analyzed using Bootstrap.
 
Results
The results showed that there was a significant negative relationship between fear of Covid and psychological Hardiness, social sup, port and psychological well-being (p˂0.01). The results also showed that psychological Hardiness and social support play a mediating role.
 
Discussion
Considering the inverse relationship between fear of Covid 19 and social support and psychological hardiness, it seems that the existence of supportive measures by family and others during the coronavirus epidemic is necessary. It is also possible to reduce the fear of Covid and increase the psychological well-being of individuals by increasing the characterstic of psychological hardiness. It is suggested that other variables that can be effective as a shield against severe stress should also be considered.
 

Keywords

Abdolazimi, M., & Niknam, M. (2019). The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on social support perception and body dissatisfaction in the elderly. Aging Psychology, 5(1), 13-25. [Persian]
Amirfakhraei, A., Masoumifard, M., Esmaeilishad, B., DashtBozorgi, Z., & Darvish Baseri, L. (2020). Prediction of coronavirus anxiety based on a health concern, psychological hardiness, and positive meta-emotion in diabetic patients. Journal of Diabetes Nursing, 8(2), 1072-1083. [Persian]
Asadzadeh, N., Makvandi, B., Askari, P., Pasha, R., & Naderi, F. (2019). The effectiveness of reality therapy on social adjustment, psychological well-being, and self-criticism of generalized anxiety disorder referring to Ahvaz psychological clinics. Journal of Psychological Achievements, 26(2), 159-178. [Persian]
Asgari, M., Ghadami, A., Aminaei, R., & Rezazadeh, R. (2020). Psychological effects of covid 19 and its psychological effects: A systematic review. Educational Psychology, 16(55), 173-206. [Persian]
Bakioğlu, F., Korkmaz, O., & Ercan, H. (2021). Fear of COVID-19 and positivity: Mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty, depression, anxiety, and stress. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(6), 2369-2382.
Bartone, P. T., Hystad, S. W., Eid, J., & Brevik, J. I. (2012). Psychological hardiness and coping style as risk/resilience factors for alcohol abuse. Military Medicine, 177(5), 517-524.
Bartone, P. T., Roland, R. R., Picano, J. J., & Williams, T. J. (2008). Psychological hardiness predicts success in US Army Special Forces candidates. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 16(1), 78-81.
Bruwer, B., Emsley, R., Kidd, M., Lochner, C., & Seedat, S. (2008). Psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of perceived social support in youth. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 49(2), 195-201.
Chadwick, K. A., & Collins, P. A. (2015). Examining the relationship between social support availability, urban center size, and self-perceived mental health of recent immigrants to Canada: A mixed-methods analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 128, 220-230.
Clara, I. P., Cox, B. J., Enns, M. W., Murray, L. T., & Torgrudc, L. J. (2003). Confirmatory factor analysis of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support in clinically distressed and student samples. Journal of Personality Assessment, 81(3), 265-270.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life's domains. Canadian psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 49(1), 14-23.
Derakhtkar, A., & Safikhani, A. (2019). Relationship between social support and coping strategy and frustration tolerance in students of Shiraz University. Rooyesh-e-Ravanshenasi Journal (RRJ)8(10), 125-132.‏
Duan, L., & Zhu, G. (2020). Psychological interventions for people affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(4), 300-302.
Dubey, S., Biswas, P., Ghosh, R., Chatterjee, S., Dubey, M. J., Chatterjee, S., ... & Lavie, C. J. (2020). Psychosocial impact of COVID-19. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 14(5), 779-788.
Ebrahimi Ghavam, S. (1992). Examining the validity of the three concepts of source of control, self-esteem and social support. Master Thesis in Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Islamic Azad University.[Persian]
Eyni, S., Ebadi, M., & Torabi, N. (2020). Developing a model of corona anxiety in students based on optimism and resilience: The mediating role of the perceived social support. Counseling Culture and Psycotherapy, 11(43), 1-32. [Persian]
Friedlander, L. J., Reid, G. J., Shupak, N., & Cribbie, R. (2007). Social support, self-esteem, and stress as predictors of adjustment to university among first-year undergraduates. Journal of College Student Development, 48(3), 259-274.
Hashemi, N., Souri, A., & Ashoori, J. (2016). The relationship between social capital and psychological hardiness with general health of patients with type II diabetes. Journal of Diabetes Nursing, 4(1), 43-53. [Persian]
Heydari, S., & Matins-Lorca, M. (2020). Validity and validity of the Covid-19 virus fear scale. National Conference on Social Health in Crisis, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Ahvaz. [Persian]
Holtmaat, K., Van der Spek, N., Lissenberg-Witte, B. I., Cuijpers, P., & Verdonck-de Leeuw, I. M. (2019). Positive mental health among cancer survivors: Overlap in psychological well-being, personal meaning, and posttraumatic growth. Supportive Care in Cancer, 27(2), 443-450.
Jungmann, S. M., & Witthoft, M. (2020). Health anxiety, cyberchondria, and coping in the current COVID-19 pandemic: Which factors are related to coronavirus anxiety? Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 73, 102239.
Karimi, L., Makvandi, S., Mahdavian, M., & Khalili, R. (2020). Relationship between social support and anxiety caused by covid-19 in pregnant women. The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility, 23(10), 9-17. [Persian]
Khabaz, M., Behjati, Z., & Naseri, M. (2012). The relationship between social support and coping styles with resilience in adolescent boys. Journal of Applied Psychology, 5(4), 108- 123. [Persian]
Kiamarsi, A., Najarian, B., & Mehrabizadeh Honarmand, M. (1998). Build and validate a scale for measuring psychological toughness. Journal of Educational Sciences and Psychology, 5(3-4), 271-285. [Persian]
Kowalski, C. M., & Schermer, J. A. (2019). Hardiness, perseverative cognition, anxiety, and health-related outcomes: A case for and against psychological hardiness. Psychological Reports, 122(6), 2096-2118.
Krok, D., Zarzycka, B., & Telka, E. (2021). Risk of contracting COVID-19, personal resources and subjective well-being among healthcare workers: The mediating role of stress and meaning-making. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(1), 132.
Lathabhavan, R., & Vispute, S. (2021). Examining the mediating effects of stress on fear of COVID-19 and well-being using structural equation modeling. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-9.
Leavy, R. L. (1983). Social support and psychological disorder: A review. Journal of Community Psychology, 11(1), 3-21.
Lee, S. A., Mathis, A. A., Jobe, M. C., & Pappalardo, E. A. (2020). Clinically significant fear and anxiety of COVID-19: A psychometric examination of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale. Psychiatry Research, 290, 113112.
Liu, K., Chen, Y., Wu, D., Lin, R., Wang, Z., & Pan, L. (2020). Effects of progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety and sleep quality in patients with COVID-19. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 39, 101132.
Lu, H., Stratton, C. W., & Tang, Y. W. (2020). Outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, China: The mystery and the miracle. Journal of Medical Virology, 92(4), 401-402.
Mahamid, F. A., Veronese, G., & Bdier, D. (2021). Fear of coronavirus (COVID-19) and mental health outcomes in Palestine: The mediating role of social support. Current Psychology, 1-10.
Mahmud, E., Dauerman, H. L., Welt, F. G., Messenger, J. C., Rao, S. V., Grines, C., ... & Henry, T. D. (2020). Management of acute myocardial infarction during the COVID-19 pandemic: A position statement from the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 76(11), 1375-1384.
Martهnez-Lorca, M., Martínez-Lorca, A., Criado-Álvarez, J. J., & Armesilla, M. D. C. (2020). The fear of COVID-19 scale: Validation in spanish university students. Psychiatry Research, 113350
Marzbani, F., & Bostan, N. (2016). The role of perceived social support in prediction of psychological wellbeing in female teachers. Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health, 18, 537-541. [Persian]
Mertens, G., Gerritsen, L., Duijndam, S., Salemink, E., & Engelhard, I. M. (2020). Fear of the coronavirus (COVID-19): Predictors in an online study conducted in March 2020. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 74, 102258.
Mirzaee Fandokht, O., Ahmadzade, M., & Azizmohamadi, S., Amjadi, M. (2020). The role of social support and perfectionism in nursing and midwifery students' academic engagement. Education Strategies in Medical Sciences, 13(3), 260-266. [Persian]
Nguyen, H., & Nguyen, A. (2020). Covid-19 misinformation and the social (media) amplification of risk: A Vietnamese perspective. Media and Communication, 8(2), 444-447.
Nikcevic, A. V., & Spada, M. M. (2020). The COVID-19 anxiety syndrome scale: Development and psychometric properties. Psychiatry Research, 292, 113322.
Pourakbari, F., Khajevand Khoshli, A., & Asadi, J. (2014). Relationship of psychological hardiness and quality of life with death anxiety in Nurses. Journal of Research Development in Nursing and Midwifery, 11(2), 53-59. [Persian]
Qiu, J., Shen, B., Zhao, M., Wang, Z., Xie, B., & Xu, Y. (2020). A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: Implications and policy recommendations. General Psychiatry, 33(2), e100213.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001). On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 141-166.
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719-727.
Saadattalab, A., & Jafari, M. (2020) Mediator Role of spiritual happiness in the relationship between social capital and social support with resiliency in employees against, Covid -19 diseases epidemic in the period of social distance. Journal of Research in Psychological Health, 14(1), 115-129. [Persian]
Saricali, M., Satici, S. A., Satici, B., Gocet-Tekin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2020). Fear of COVID-19, mindfulness, humor, and hopelessness: A multiple mediation analysis. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-14.
Satici, B., Saricali, M., Satici, S. A., & Griffiths, M. D. (2020). Intolerance of uncertainty and mental wellbeing: Serial mediation by rumination and fear of COVID-19. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-12.
Schimmenti, A., Billieux, J., & Starcevic, V. (2020). The four horsemen of fear: An integrated model of understanding fear experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 17(2), 41.
Sefidi, F., & Farzad, V., (2012). Validation of Reef psychological well-being test in students of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. Scientific Journal of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, 16(1), 65-71. [Persian]
Shams, S. (2021). Predicting coronavirus anxiety based on cognitive emotion regulation strategies, anxiety sensitivity, and psychological hardiness in nurses. Nursing Management, 10(2), 25-36. [Persian]
Skomorovsky, A., & Sudom, K. A. (2011). Psychological well-being of Canadian forces officer candidates: The unique roles of hardiness and personality. Military medicine, 176(4), 389-396.
Tajalli, P., & Ganbaripanah, A. (2010). The relationship between daily hassles and social support on mental health of university students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 5, 99-103.
Tull, M. T., Edmonds, K. A., Scamaldo, K. M., Richmond, J. R., Rose, J. P., & Gratz, K. L. (2020). Psychological outcomes associated with stay-at-home orders and the perceived impact of COVID-19 on daily life. Psychiatry Research, 289, 113098.
Vagni, M., Maiorano, T., Giostra, V., & Pajardi, D. (2020). Hardiness, stress and secondary trauma in Italian healthcare and emergency workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainability, 12(14), 5592.
Vaux, A., Phillips, J., Holly, L., Thomson, B., Williams, D., & Stewart, D. (1986). The social support appraisals (SS-A) scale: Studies of reliability and validity. American Journal of Community Psychology14(2), 195.‏
Verdy, M., Mehrabizadeh Honarmand, M., & Najarian, B. (1999). The Relationship between Perfectionism and Psychological Hardiness with Mental Health and Academic Performance. Journal of Educational Sciences, 6(1), 51-70. [Persian]
Wu, J. T., Leung, K., Bushman, M., Kishore, N., Niehus, R., de Salazar, P. M., ... & Leung, G. M. (2020). Estimating clinical severity of COVID-19 from the transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China. Nature Medicine, 26(4), 506-510.
Zanjani Tabasi, R. (2004). Construction and preliminary standardization of psychological well-being test. Master Thesis in General Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran. [Persian]