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

Xu Wang, Rui Luo, Pengyue Guo, Menglin Shang, Jing Zheng, Yuqi Cai, Phoenix K. H. Mo, Joseph T. F. Lau, Dexing Zhang, Jinghua Li () and Jing Gu ()
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Xu Wang: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
Rui Luo: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou 510080, China
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
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
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
Jing Gu: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou 510080, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-14

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.

Keywords: positive affect; perceived stress; mental health; healthcare workers; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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