Seeking control during uncontrollable times: Control abilities and religiosity predict stress during COVID-19

Author

Shi Ann Shuna KHOO, Singapore Management UniversityFollow
Wei Xing TOH, Singapore Management UniversityFollow
Hwajin YANG, Singapore Management UniversityFollow

Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

2-2021

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgent need to understand the protective factors that can buffer individuals against psychological distress. We employed a latent-variable approach to examine how control-related factors such as religiosity, self-control, cognitive control, and health locus of control can act as resilience resources during stressful periods. We found that cognitive control emerged as a protective factor against COVID-19-related stress, whereas religiosity predicted a heightened level of stress. These results provide novel insights into control factors that can safeguard individuals' psychological well-being during crises such as a pandemic.

Keywords

Cognitive control, COVID-19, stress, Health locus of control, Religiosity, Self-control

Discipline

Personality and Social Contexts | Public Health | Social Psychology

Research Areas

Psychology

Publication

Personality and Individual Differences

Volume

175

First Page

1

Last Page

4

ISSN

0191-8869

Identifier

110675

Publisher

Elsevier: 24 months

Citation

KHOO, Shi Ann Shuna, TOH, Wei Xing, & YANG, Hwajin.(2021). Seeking control during uncontrollable times: Control abilities and religiosity predict stress during COVID-19. Personality and Individual Differences, 175, 1-4.

Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3599

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110675