IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i20p13600-d948150.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Positive Affect Moderates the Influence of Perceived Stress on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Xu Wang

    (School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Rui Luo

    (School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Pengyue Guo

    (School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou 510080, China)

  • Menglin Shang

    (School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou 510080, China)

  • Jing Zheng

    (Shenzhen Health Development Research and Data Management Center, Shenzhen 518028, China)

  • Yuqi Cai

    (School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou 510080, China)

  • Phoenix K. H. Mo

    (Division of Behavioral Health and Health Promotion, The School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
    The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518172, China)

  • Joseph T. F. Lau

    (Division of Behavioral Health and Health Promotion, The School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
    The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518172, China
    Centre for Medical Anthropology and Behavioral Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China)

  • Dexing Zhang

    (JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)

  • Jinghua Li

    (School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
    Sun Yat-sen University Global Health Institute, School of Public Health, Institute of State Governance, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China)

  • Jing Gu

    (School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
    Sun Yat-sen University Global Health Institute, School of Public Health, Institute of State Governance, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
    Center for Health Information Research, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China)

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a profound psychological impact on healthcare workers. However, the role of positive affect in moderating the effect of perceived stress on the psychological states of healthcare workers remains unknown. This study aimed to analyze the moderating effect of positive affect on the association between stress and the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study evaluated the relationships between perceived stress (the Perceived Stress Scale), positive affect (the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), depression (the Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and anxiety (the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale) during the COVID-19 pandemic in 644 Chinese healthcare workers who completed online self-reports. The results revealed a significant negative association between positive affect and psychological problems, including stress, depression, and anxiety. At the total group level, multiple regression analysis showed that positive affect alleviated the influence of perceived stress on depression, but no significant moderating effect was found for anxiety. In the subgroups divided by perceived stress, the moderating effect of positive affect on depression was only significant in healthcare workers with a high level of perceived stress. These results suggested that positive affect played a moderative role in alleviating the effect of stress on depression among healthcare workers, particularly those with a high level of stress, thus emphasizing the importance of positive affect as an intervention strategy for promoting the mental health of healthcare workers in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Xu Wang & Rui Luo & Pengyue Guo & Menglin Shang & Jing Zheng & Yuqi Cai & Phoenix K. H. Mo & Joseph T. F. Lau & Dexing Zhang & Jinghua Li & Jing Gu, 2022. "Positive Affect Moderates the Influence of Perceived Stress on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:20:p:13600-:d:948150
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13600/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13600/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anthony D. Ong & Cindy S. Bergeman, 2004. "The Complexity of Emotions in Later Life," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 59(3), pages 117-122.
    2. Jang, Soong-Nang & Kawachi, Ichiro & Chang, Jiyeun & Boo, Kachung & Shin, Hyun-Gu & Lee, Hyejung & Cho, Sung-il, 2009. "Marital status, gender, and depression: Analysis of the baseline survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 1608-1615, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kate Birnie & Rachel Cooper & Richard M Martin & Diana Kuh & Avan Aihie Sayer & Beatriz E Alvarado & Antony Bayer & Kaare Christensen & Sung-il Cho & Cyrus Cooper & Janie Corley & Leone Craig & Ian J , 2011. "Childhood Socioeconomic Position and Objectively Measured Physical Capability Levels in Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(1), pages 1-13, January.
    2. Jun Zhang & Yuang He & Jing Zhang, 2022. "Energy Poverty and Depression in Rural China: Evidence from the Quantile Regression Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-21, January.
    3. Edwin S. Wong, 2013. "Gender preference and transfers from parents to children: an inter-regional comparison," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(1), pages 61-80, January.
    4. Inhwan Lee & Shinuk Kim & Hyunsik Kang, 2019. "Lifestyle Risk Factors and All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: Data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-11, August.
    5. Lindsey E McKenzie & Ram N Polur & Cholrelia Wesley & Jessica D Allen & Robert E McKeown & Jian Zhang, 2013. "Social contacts and depression in middle and advanced adulthood: Findings from a US national survey, 2005–2008," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 59(7), pages 627-635, November.
    6. Dirk Bethmann & Robert Rudolf, 2018. "Happily ever after? Intrahousehold bargaining and the distribution of utility within marriage," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 347-376, June.
    7. Norton, E.C., 2016. "Health and Long-Term Care," Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, in: Piggott, John & Woodland, Alan (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 951-989, Elsevier.
    8. Raul Berrios & Peter Totterdell & Stephen Kellett, 2018. "When Feeling Mixed Can Be Meaningful: The Relation Between Mixed Emotions and Eudaimonic Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 841-861, March.
    9. Solveig Glestad Christiansen & Øystein Kravdal, 2023. "Union Status and Disability Pension," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 39(1), pages 1-19, December.
    10. Molly A. Mather & Rebecca E. Ready, 2021. "Greater negative affect and mixed emotions during spontaneous reactions to sad films in older than younger adults," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 29-43, March.
    11. Katherine L. Forthman & Janna M. Colaizzi & Hung-wen Yeh & Rayus Kuplicki & Martin P. Paulus, 2021. "Latent Variables Quantifying Neighborhood Characteristics and Their Associations with Poor Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-19, January.
    12. Gyeong-Suk Jeon & Kyungwon Choi & Sung-Il Cho, 2017. "Impact of Living Alone on Depressive Symptoms in Older Korean Widows," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-11, October.
    13. Zhang, Jun & Yen, Steven T., 2013. "Depressive Symptoms and Endogenous Physical Activity: An Ordered Probability Approach," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150133, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    14. Haruhiko Imamura & Hideki Nakamura & Yuji Nishiwaki, 2018. "Relationship between the Well-Being of Elderly Men and Cohabiting with Women Who Have Had Experience as a Health Promotion Volunteer in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-12, December.
    15. Todd B Kashdan & C Nathan DeWall & Carrie L Masten & Richard S Pond Jr & Caitlin Powell & David Combs & David R Schurtz & Antonina S Farmer, 2014. "Who Is Most Vulnerable to Social Rejection? The Toxic Combination of Low Self-Esteem and Lack of Negative Emotion Differentiation on Neural Responses to Rejection," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-8, March.
    16. Jeong Hwa Ho, 2015. "The problem group? Psychological wellbeing of unmarried people living alone in the Republic of Korea," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(47), pages 1299-1328.
    17. Huyen Thi Thanh Vu & Valentina Lin & Thang Pham & Tuan Le Pham & Anh Trung Nguyen & Hung Trong Nguyen & Thanh Xuan Nguyen & Tam Ngoc Nguyen & Huong Thu Thi Nguyen & Thu Thi Hoai Nguyen & Long Hoang Ng, 2019. "Determining Risk for Depression among Older People Residing in Vietnamese Rural Settings," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-10, July.
    18. Xue Yang & Rui She & Mason MC Lau & Joseph TF Lau, 2020. "Anticipated socio-political developments and related personal responses as structural determinants of mental health problems: A population-based study," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 66(1), pages 58-66, February.
    19. Sung-Ha Lee & Jiyoun Lee & Incheol Choi, 2020. "Life Satisfaction in Later Life: The Interplay of Marital Condition and Income among Elderly Koreans," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-8, April.
    20. Juyeong Kim & Eun-Cheol Park, 2021. "The Impact of Work Hours on Depressive Symptoms among Koreans Aged 45 and Over," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-12, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:20:p:13600-:d:948150. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.