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Self-Control Moderates the Association Between Perceived Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Mental Health Problems Among the Chinese Public

Author

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  • Jian-Bin Li

    (Department of Early Childhood Education, Center for Child and Family Science, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)

  • An Yang

    (Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou 510006, China)

  • Kai Dou

    (Department of Psychology and Research Center of Adolescent Psychology and Behavior, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China)

  • Rebecca Y. M. Cheung

    (Department of Early Childhood Education, Center for Child and Family Science, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)

Abstract

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 (M age = 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 levels of self-control increased. These findings suggest that compared to those with high self-control, individuals with low self-control are more vulnerable and are more in need of psychological aids to maintain mental health in the encounter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Practically, enhancing individuals’ self-control ability might be a promising way to improve individuals’ mental health during the early period of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Suggested Citation

  • Jian-Bin Li & An Yang & Kai Dou & Rebecca Y. M. Cheung, 2020. "Self-Control Moderates the Association Between Perceived Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Mental Health Problems Among the Chinese Public," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-10, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:13:p:4820-:d:380371
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Janet Z. Yang & Haoran Chu, 2018. "Who is afraid of the Ebola outbreak? The influence of discrete emotions on risk perception," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(7), pages 834-853, July.
    3. Julio Torales & Marcelo O’Higgins & João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia & Antonio Ventriglio, 2020. "The outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus and its impact on global mental health," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 66(4), pages 317-320, June.
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    3. David Tomé-Lourido & Dolores Ponte & María José Sampedro & Constantino Arce, 2023. "Pandemic Impacts on Athlete Competitive Anxiety and Its Relationship with Sex, Competitive Level and Emotional Self-Control: A Cohort Study before and after COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-12, June.
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    9. Christoph Lindner & Ibolya Kotta & Eszter Eniko Marschalko & Kinga Szabo & Kinga Kalcza-Janosi & Jan Retelsdorf, 2022. "Increased Risk Perception, Distress Intolerance and Health Anxiety in Stricter Lockdowns: Self-Control as a Key Protective Factor in Early Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-22, April.
    10. Yi-Hui Christine Huang & Jie Sun & Ruoheng Liu & Jennifer Lau & Qinxian Cai, 2022. "Country/Region Level Pandemic Severity Moderates the Relationships among Risk Experience, Perceived Life Satisfaction, and Psychological Distress in COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-13, December.

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