Exploring the Role of Assessment Regulatory Mode in COVID-19 Traumatic Stress: Negative Agency as a Mediator

COVID-19 has had a profound impact on global mental health. The pervasive sense of worry, uncertainty, and distress engendered by the crisis has been instrumental in escalating the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and a wide range of psychiatric disorders. The principal objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between assessment regulatory mode, sense of negative agency, and COVID-19 stress traumatic symptoms. The study incorporated a cohort of 297 participants who completed a series of measures evaluating assessment regulatory mode, perception of negative agency, and the extent of COVID-19 stress traumatic symptoms. Corroborating our hypotheses, the empirical data revealed that individuals’ assessment regulatory mode significantly and positively predicted COVID-19 stress symptoms. Additionally, the construct of negative agency was identified as a mediating factor elucidating the relationship between assessment regulatory mode and the symptomatic expressions of COVID-19 related stress. The findings of this research emphasize the critical importance of concurrently examining assessment orientation and negative agency to predict COVID-19-related stress, suggesting strategic interventions targeting these elements may offer considerable benefits.