The Role of Family Resilience and Pandemic Burnout on Mental Health: A Two-Wave Study in China

Catherine So-kum Tang (), Tiffany Sok U Siu, Tak Sang Chow and Helen Sin-Hang Kwok
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Catherine So-kum Tang: Department of Counselling and Psychology, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, North Point, Hong Kong SAR, China
Tiffany Sok U Siu: Centre for Interdisciplinary Evidence-based Practice and Research, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, North Point, Hong Kong SAR, China
Tak Sang Chow: Department of Counselling and Psychology, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, North Point, Hong Kong SAR, China
Helen Sin-Hang Kwok: Department of Counselling and Psychology, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, North Point, Hong Kong SAR, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: Family resilience refers to the processes through which a family adapts to and bounces back from adversities. Pandemic burnout refers to feeling emotionally exhausted, cynical, and lack of accomplishment during the pandemic and/or toward various preventive polices and measures. This two-wave, region-wide, longitudinal study included 796 adult participants residing in mainland China. Participants completed online surveys at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic. Time 1 (T1) survey was conducted when the number of new infected cases in China stabilized, while Time 2 (T2) was conducted 5 months later when there was a sudden surge of new infected cases. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the interaction and main effects of pandemic burnout and family resilience at T2 showed significant incremental prediction of depression and anxiety at T2, after controlling for demographic as well as individual and family resilience at T1. These results supported the hypotheses that current family resilience functions as a protective factor, whereas pandemic burnout functions as a risk factor of mental health during successive waves of pandemic outbreaks. In particular, family resilience at T2 mitigated the negative impact of high pandemic burnout on anxiety and depression at T2.

Keywords: family resilience; pandemic burnout; anxiety and depression; longitudinal study; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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