IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 4820: Self-Control Moderates the Association between Perceived Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Mental Health Problems among the Chinese Public

IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 4820: Self-Control Moderates the Association between Perceived Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Mental Health Problems among the Chinese Public International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph17134820 Authors: Li Yang Dou Cheung Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused thousands of deaths in China. Prior research suggests that individuals’ perceived severity of COVID-19 is related to a range of negative emotional and behavioral reactions among the Chinese public. However, scant research has examined the underlying mechanisms. Drawing upon the risk-resilience model, this study proposes that self-control, as a resilient factor, would potentially moderate the association between perceived severity of COVID-19 and mental health problems. Data from a national survey was used to examine this idea. Participants were 4607 citizens from 31 regions in China (Mage = 23.71 years, 72.5% female) who completed a national survey at the beginning of February 2020. Results of hierarchical regression showed that after controlling for a number of demographic variables, perceived severity of COVID-19 and self-control were positively and negatively related to mental health problems, respectively. More importantly, self-control moderated the “perceived severity of COVID-19–mental health problems” association, with this link attenuating as the...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research