The Relationship Between Mental Toughness, Job Loss, and Mental Health Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Concerns toward public well-being and mental health are increasing considering the COVID-19 pandemic's global societal and individual impact. The present study builds on the current body of COVID-19 literature by examining the role of mental toughness (MT) in predicting negative affective state...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.607246/full |
| _version_ | 1818451413622063104 |
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| author | Dara Mojtahedi Neil Dagnall Andrew Denovan Peter Clough Sophie Hull Derry Canning Caroline Lilley Kostas A. Papageorgiou |
| author_facet | Dara Mojtahedi Neil Dagnall Andrew Denovan Peter Clough Sophie Hull Derry Canning Caroline Lilley Kostas A. Papageorgiou |
| author_sort | Dara Mojtahedi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Concerns toward public well-being and mental health are increasing considering the COVID-19 pandemic's global societal and individual impact. The present study builds on the current body of COVID-19 literature by examining the role of mental toughness (MT) in predicting negative affective states (depression, anxiety and stress) during the pandemic. The study also examined the effects of changes in employment on mental health and MT. Participants (N = 723) completed a battery of questionnaires including the Mental Toughness Questionnaire 48-item, The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – 21 items. Participants reported relatively higher levels of depression, stress and anxiety in comparison to pre-COVID-19 samples from previous research, with respondents who had lost their jobs during the pandemic reporting higher levels of negative affective states. Despite this, mentally tough individuals appeared to report lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Moreover, moderation analyses identified some interaction between MT and employment status when predicting depression, anxiety and stress. Our findings suggest that MT may have some utility in reducing the adverse mental health effects of the pandemic on individuals, however, further longitudinal research is needed to support these implications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T21:06:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0c27f0aaca574e06b480f4df936b9802 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T21:06:48Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-0c27f0aaca574e06b480f4df936b98022022-12-21T22:47:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402021-02-011110.3389/fpsyt.2020.607246607246The Relationship Between Mental Toughness, Job Loss, and Mental Health Issues During the COVID-19 PandemicDara Mojtahedi0Neil Dagnall1Andrew Denovan2Peter Clough3Sophie Hull4Derry Canning5Caroline Lilley6Kostas A. Papageorgiou7Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognition and Neuroscience, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United KingdomFaculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United KingdomFaculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United KingdomDepartment of Psychology, Centre for Cognition and Neuroscience, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United KingdomDepartment of Psychology, Centre for Cognition and Neuroscience, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United KingdomDepartment of Psychology, Centre for Cognition and Neuroscience, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United KingdomDepartment of Psychology, Centre for Cognition and Neuroscience, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United KingdomSchool of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United KingdomConcerns toward public well-being and mental health are increasing considering the COVID-19 pandemic's global societal and individual impact. The present study builds on the current body of COVID-19 literature by examining the role of mental toughness (MT) in predicting negative affective states (depression, anxiety and stress) during the pandemic. The study also examined the effects of changes in employment on mental health and MT. Participants (N = 723) completed a battery of questionnaires including the Mental Toughness Questionnaire 48-item, The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – 21 items. Participants reported relatively higher levels of depression, stress and anxiety in comparison to pre-COVID-19 samples from previous research, with respondents who had lost their jobs during the pandemic reporting higher levels of negative affective states. Despite this, mentally tough individuals appeared to report lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Moreover, moderation analyses identified some interaction between MT and employment status when predicting depression, anxiety and stress. Our findings suggest that MT may have some utility in reducing the adverse mental health effects of the pandemic on individuals, however, further longitudinal research is needed to support these implications.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.607246/fullCOVID-19mental healthmental toughnessunemployment (effects of)anxietydepression |
| spellingShingle | Dara Mojtahedi Neil Dagnall Andrew Denovan Peter Clough Sophie Hull Derry Canning Caroline Lilley Kostas A. Papageorgiou The Relationship Between Mental Toughness, Job Loss, and Mental Health Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic Frontiers in Psychiatry COVID-19 mental health mental toughness unemployment (effects of) anxiety depression |
| title | The Relationship Between Mental Toughness, Job Loss, and Mental Health Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | The Relationship Between Mental Toughness, Job Loss, and Mental Health Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | The Relationship Between Mental Toughness, Job Loss, and Mental Health Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Relationship Between Mental Toughness, Job Loss, and Mental Health Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | The Relationship Between Mental Toughness, Job Loss, and Mental Health Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | relationship between mental toughness job loss and mental health issues during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | COVID-19 mental health mental toughness unemployment (effects of) anxiety depression |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.607246/full |
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