Quality of Life and Job Loss during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mediation by Hopelessness and Moderation by Trait Emotional Intelligence

Federica Andrei, Giacomo Mancini, Francesca Agostini, Maria Stella Epifanio, Marco Andrea Piombo, Martina Riolo, Vittoria Spicuzza, Erica Neri, Rosa Lo Baido, Sabina La Grutta and Elena Trombini
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Federica Andrei: Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Giacomo Mancini: Department of Education Studies “Giovanni Maria Bertin”, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Francesca Agostini: Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Maria Stella Epifanio: Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Marco Andrea Piombo: Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Martina Riolo: Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Vittoria Spicuzza: Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Erica Neri: Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Rosa Lo Baido: Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, 90129 Palermo, Italy
Sabina La Grutta: Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Elena Trombini: Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: This study contributes to the knowledge on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by examining a moderated mediation model in which the impact of job loss over quality of life (QoL) is mediated by hopelessness and moderated by trait emotional intelligence (trait EI). Data were collected from a large nationally representative Italian sample of adult workers ( N = 1610), who completed a series of anonymous online questionnaires. Total, direct and indirect effects were estimated through bootstrapped mediated moderation analyses providing 95% bias corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. After controlling for the effects of gender and age range, job loss was found to be negatively associated with QoL, and hopelessness partially mediated such relationship. These relationships were in turn moderated by trait EI. Our study suggests that trait EI levels act as protective factor for a good QoL, mitigating the impact of both job loss and hopelessness over QoL levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying psychological protective and/or risk factors for a better QoL is crucial for the development of interventions aimed at reducing the emotional impact of the pandemic and of its negative real-life consequences.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; quality of life; trait emotional intelligence; hopelessness; job loss; TEIQue; WHOQOL; BHS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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