Mental Health During Covid-19: Understanding The Role Of Stress And Resilienc

Abstract

Background COVID-19 is one of the most stressful life experiences worldwide in recent times. This has triggered common mental health problems among people. Given the impact and lacunae in existing literature, it is significant to understand the risks as well as protective factors associated with mental health.

Aims The study thus aimed to examine the role of stress and resilience in mental health in the general population during COVID-19.

Methods A total of 397 individuals (192 males and 205 females) ranging from 18-40 years, participated in an online survey. Self-report measures Adult Self-Report Response to Stress Questionnaire (RSQ), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were used to examine the COVID-19 stress, resilience, and mental health, respectively. Pearson product moment correlation analysis was used to assess the associations between stress, resilience and mental health. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the predictors of mental health.

Results Results showed that stress and resilience significantly predicted mental health. This suggests that high stress leads to negative outcomes on mental health, and high resilience helps in coping with mental health issues. Results also showed that gender significantly predicted mental health. Specifically, females being more affected by mental health problems as compared to males.

Conclusion The study suggests that enhancing resilience and minimising stress may improve the mental health conditions of individuals during difficult times. Also, females were found to be more susceptible to mental health issues, therefore, special intervention programs should be designed for them.