Effects of fear of COVID-19 on perceived stress: the mediating roles of perceived social support and Neuroticism

Abstract

Fear of COVID-19 leads to stress and may result in various kinds of mental health problems. Many factors are associated with an individual's perception of stress including neuroticism and perceived social support. This study aimed to examine the role of neuroticism and perceived social support as mediators of fear of COVID-19 on perceived stress during the early stage of the pandemic in Thailand. A secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional survey was conducted. Data from the HOME-COVID-19 survey study during Wave I (April 21-May 4, 2020) were used for the analysis. Participants were general populations, non-health professional, 2 18 years. Mental health outcomes were assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 and Impact on Quality of Life Scale for Fear of COVID-19, the Neuroticism inventory, the Thai Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Thai Perceived Stress Scale- 10. A parallel mediation model within a structural equation modeling framework with 5000 bootstrapping sampling iterations was used to test the mediating effect. We included 3,299 participants in this study. The average fear of COVID-19 score was 20.84±7.07, perceived stress score 17.61± 5.76, neuroticism score 36.27±9.57, and perceived social support score 59.01±13.48. Fear of COVID-19 had direct effect on perceived stress (B =0.100, 95% CI = 0.080-0.121, p < 0.001). Neuroticism mediated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress (B = 0.018, 95% CI = 0.000-0.036). Only perceived social support from friend was a significant mediator of the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress (B= 0.016, 95% CI = 0.006-0.025). However, overall perceived social support was not a significant mediator of fear of COVID-19 on perceived stress. Neuroticism and perceived social support from friend are critical factors in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress. Longitudinal study is encouraged to investigate the causal effect of neuroticism and perceived social support on perceived stress.