How COVID-19 Fear Affects Psychological Distress and Psychological Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital

Purpose: To explore the effect of COVID-19 fear on Psychological distress (PsyD) and psychological well-being (PsyW) with the mediating role of Psychological capital (PsyC) through the lens of conservation of resource theory (COR) in frontline employees of health sector. Design/methodology/approach: Using an online survey questionnaire, a cross sectional data was collected from the target population of health care frontline workers in Pakistan, and 310 effective questionnaires were utilised for analysis in SPSS-22 and Smart.PLS-3 to verify the hypothesis. Findings: Fear of CoviD-19 has a positive effect on psychological distress and negatively affects psychological well-being. Whereas CoviD-19 negatively affects psychological capital. Additionally, PsyC decreases PsyD and increases psychological well-being. Lastly, PsyC work as a competitive partial mediator for both PsyD and psychological well-being. Research limitations: One of the vital limitations was the solo online data gathering mechanism due to the lockdown situation. Practical implications: In times of pandemic crises, paying attention to the PsyC of health care frontline workers can increase their engagement and motivation towards learning activities. It provides guidelines for health institutions to shape strategies according to the needs of their employees. Originality/value: This study provides additional support for the assumptions derived from the COR theory but it also provided a more in-depth examination of the meaningful nexus between COVID-19 fear and PsyD and PsyW, with PsyC acting as a mediator.