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‘With a Little Help from My Friends’: Emotional Intelligence, Social Support, and Distress during the COVID-19 Outbreak

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  • Dorota Kornas-Biela

    (Institute of Pedagogy, The John Paul Catholic University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland)

  • Klaudia Martynowska

    (Institute of Pedagogy, The John Paul Catholic University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland)

  • Leehu Zysberg

    (The Graduate School, Gordon College of Education, Haifa 3465415, Israel)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a global existential social and health challenge, with individuals suffering mentally and psychologically. College and university students are young adults, typically away from their natural support systems; with pandemic-imposed measures such as isolation, they may have been at higher risk of experiencing negative psychological outcomes. The study tested a model in which social support mediated the association between emotional intelligence (EI) and a latent factor representing general mental distress at the height of the COVID-19 crisis in Poland. One hundred and fifty-nine young adults filled in measures of trait EI, psychological and instrumental social support, three distress measures (depression, anxiety, and stress), and demographics. The results supported a model in which psychological social support (but not instrumental social support) mediated the association between trait EI and a factor representing all three distress measures. The results shed light on how individual and social resources work together to help maintain psychological integrity in times of crisis. They add to recent results on the differential effects of psychological-emotional and instrumental social support on distress and well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Dorota Kornas-Biela & Klaudia Martynowska & Leehu Zysberg, 2023. "‘With a Little Help from My Friends’: Emotional Intelligence, Social Support, and Distress during the COVID-19 Outbreak," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-13, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:2515-:d:1052411
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mogesie Necho & Mekonnen Tsehay & Mengesha Birkie & Gebyaw Biset & Erkihun Tadesse, 2021. "Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and psychological distress among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 67(7), pages 892-906, November.
    2. Yeli Wang & Monica Palanichamy Kala & Tazeen H Jafar, 2020. "Factors associated with psychological distress during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the predominantly general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(12), pages 1-27, December.
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