The Impact of Spirituality on Resilience and Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 400-424
Author(s):  
Adeel Ahmed ◽  
Ghulam Jan ◽  
Waseem Barkat ◽  
Riaz Ahmed ◽  
Arshad Mahmood

This study focused on frontline healthcare workers’ engagement level, since they are confronting multiple challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak. It was significant to study how spirituality breeds resilience and engagement in prevailing critical scenarios. The study also investigates the significant role of psychosocial safety climate (PSC). A cross-sectional online survey of 233 healthcare professionals was collected in Pakistan. By using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), this study tests the research hypotheses. The findings suggest that spirituality plays an essential role in effecting resilience and engagement of healthcare workers. The resilience, in fact, mediates the effect of spirituality on work engagement. In addition, PSC proved to be a strong moderator in the relationship of spirituality and resilience. Implications and future recommendations are discussed.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Saleem ◽  
Abou Bakar ◽  
Areeha Khan Durrani ◽  
Zubair Manzoor

Background: Perceived severity of COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) is known to be associated with mental health of people in general and health professionals in particular in Western societies. However, its association with the mental health of students in Pakistan, which is predominantly a Muslim society, remains unclear so far. Moreover, the role of Muslim religiosity for such an association has not yet been investigated. We aimed to examine the association and report findings on the impact of perceived severity on mental health with a sample of students from all five provinces of Pakistan.Methods: We did a cross-sectional online survey from 1,525 Pakistani students in March 2020 using standardized measurement tools. We then determined the prevalence of perceived severity among students and its impact on their mental health. The strength of associations between these variables was estimated using generalized linear models, with appropriate distribution and link functions. Structural equation modeling through SmartPLS (3.0) software was utilized to analyze the results.Findings: The perceived severity of COVID-19 is significantly associated with mental health of Pakistani students, whereas Muslim religiosity is a strong mediator between perceived severity and mental health of Pakistani students.Conclusions: Though the perceived severity of COVID-19 is associated with mental health, this relationship can be better explained by the role of Muslim religiosity. When tested individually, the perceived severity accounted for only 18% variance in mental health that increased up to 57% by the mediating role of Muslim religiosity. This difference clearly indicates the mediating role of Muslim religiosity in the association between perceived severity and mental health for Pakistani students.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6537
Author(s):  
Jian Xue ◽  
Zeeshan Rasool ◽  
Aqsa Gillani ◽  
Ahmad Imran Khan

The current study suggests a different and innovative view by testing a unique combination of variables, which are unproven in a single model for the purpose of increasing the ratio of sustainable projects. The project manager can use the model to look their projects and can compose necessary changes for better outcomes. The study objects to postulate the competence breach of project managers with regard to sustainability, and to deliver direction that how to fulfill the research gap. The given work is centered on the result of project supervisor soft capabilities on project sustainability mediated by innovation. To achieve this aim, deductive approach was adopted. The sample size of the study was 242 respondents, and data were collected from software houses. The collected data were then analyzed by doing the structural equation modeling in PLS-SEM in order to examine the relationships. The outcomes demonstrate positive impact of project manager soft competences on project sustainability and mediating impact of innovation among the relationship of project manager soft competences and project sustainability. Innovation is directly linked to project sustainable development, and was accepted, which aligns with the previous studies. This research reflects the role of project manager soft competences on innovation and project sustainability. The study is unique in its scope and implications as the focus is upon empirical investigation of the project manager soft competences and project sustainability in the context of Pakistan.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 437
Author(s):  
Chandra Situmeang ◽  
Syahrizal Chalil ◽  
Choms G.G.T Sibarani ◽  
Dian Y.T.S Situmorang

Since COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people conduct things, including educational activities, online learning has become a necessity that schools must adopt. This study aims to analyze the relationship of various variables that affect the success of online learning in accounting subjects in vocational high. This study is a quantitative cross-sectional online survey with 308 respondents from 26 schools in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Data analysis was performed through regression analysis with moderating variables. It concluded that the success of online learning process as measured by Learning Satisfaction was influenced by Student Characteristics, Learning Accessibility, and Textbooks, while Multimedia Materials and other Text Materials did not have any effect. It further observed that teacher Support does not affect learning satisfaction but can moderate the relationship between student characteristics and textbook quality. This means that all related parties need to focus on changing students' mindset, improving the quality of textbooks, and increasing accessibility. On the other hand, to increase success, it is necessary to strengthen the role of teachers.


Author(s):  
Paula Cotrin ◽  
Wilana Moura ◽  
Caroline Martins Gambardela-Tkacz ◽  
Fernando Castilho Pelloso ◽  
Lander dos Santos ◽  
...  

Brazil is in a critical situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare workers that are in the front line face challenges with a shortage of personal protective equipment, high risk of contamination, low adherence to the social distancing measures by the population, low coronavirus testing with underestimation of cases, and also financial concerns due to the economic crisis in a developing country. This study compared the impact of COVID-19 pandemic among three categories of healthcare workers in Brazil: physicians, nurses, and dentists, about workload, income, protection, training, feelings, behavior, and level of concern and anxiety. The sample was randomly selected and a Google Forms questionnaire was sent by WhatsApp messenger. The survey comprised questions about jobs, income, workload, PPE, training for COVID-19 patient care, behavior and feelings during the pandemic. The number of jobs reduced for all healthcare workers in Brazil during the pandemic, but significantly more for dentists. The workload and income reduced to all healthcare workers. Most healthcare workers did not receive proper training for treating COVID-19 infected patients. Physicians and nurses were feeling more tired than usual. Most of the healthcare workers in all groups reported difficulties in sleeping during the pandemic. The healthcare workers reported a significant impact of COVID-19 pandemic in their income, workload and anxiety, with differences among physicians, nurses and dentists.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betül Çal ◽  
Mary Lambkin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of stock exchange-related brand equity on intention to invest and the mediating role of perceived risk (PR) in this relationship in a comparative analysis between a developed and a developing market. Design/methodology/approach The study is carried out through an online survey among financially literate adults in two countries, Turkey and Ireland. Structural equation modeling is used to empirically test the relationships between brand equity dimensions and intention to invest, with a mediating role of PR. Findings The results indicate that the brand equity of a stock exchange is a relevant construct that significantly influences intention to invest. Also, the mediating role of PR is found to be strong in a developing market such as Turkey, but weak in a developed market like Ireland. Research limitations/implications One limitation of this paper is its inclusion of individual investors as the unit of analysis while leaving out institutional ones. The second limitation is the difficulty in generalizing the results to overall country populations. Practical implications This paper offers managerial implications regarding the need for emphasizing “stock exchange brand,” besides corporate brands traded, and customizing the management of brand-related influencers in investment decisions according to country context. Originality/value The impact of corporate brands in investment choices has been demonstrated before, but the influence of intermediaries – stock exchanges – through which investments are transacted, has not yet been investigated. This study addresses this gap, and further shows the differing extent of PR in this relationship between a developed and a developing country setting.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 339
Author(s):  
William D. S. Killgore ◽  
Sara A. Cloonan ◽  
Emily C. Taylor ◽  
Natalie S. Dailey

The U.S. vaccine campaign against COVID-19 began in December 2020, but many individuals seem reluctant to get vaccinated. During the first week of the vaccination campaign, we collected data from 1017 individuals with an online survey to identify factors that were associated with willingness to get the vaccine once it is available. Most participants (55.3%) were willing to get the vaccine, although 46.2% also expressed some fear of the vaccine. Political ideology was by far the most consistent predictor of both willingness to be vaccinated and fear of the vaccine, followed by participant sex, education level, income, and race/ethnicity. Our findings suggest that, for the vaccine campaign to be broadly supported and successful, it will be important for frontline healthcare workers to discuss the role of inoculation for COVID-19 in a manner consistent with each individual patient’s political and sociological worldview.


Author(s):  
Andra Cătălina Roșca ◽  
Alexandru Mateizer ◽  
Cristina-Ioana Dan ◽  
Evangelia Demerouti

Emotional exhaustion and other symptoms of burnout are often found among emergency services professions, such as firefighting. Given the social importance of this activity and the high responsibility it requires, prevention and alleviation of burnout symptoms become primary concerns in ensuring the well-being of firefighters. Although work meaning is one of the factors associated with a lower risk of developing burnout, its protective role has not been studied in firefighters. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the buffering role of work meaning in the health-impairment process of the Job Demands-Resources model, targeting the relationship between job demands and related emotional exhaustion. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from a sample consisting of Romanian firefighters (n = 1096). Structural equation modeling indicated a positive link between job demands and exhaustion. In addition, deriving personal meaning from work was associated with lower levels of exhaustion in firefighters. A small but significant interaction effect between work meaning and job demands showed that higher levels of work meaning attenuated the positive relationship between job demands and exhaustion. In conclusion, our findings suggest that work meaning has a buffering effect on the impact of various job demands on job-related exhaustion. Nevertheless, the small effect sizes warrant further research on this topic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sawzan Sadaqa Basyouni ◽  
Mogeda El Sayed El Keshky

During the COVID-19 pandemic, every domain of industry has experienced a severe economic downturn with concomitant stress throughout the economy. Employees working in government and private sectors are experiencing different psychological problems. The current study was conducted to investigate the role of work-related flow in the relationship of job insecurity with financial anxiety in the employees working in private and government sectors of Saudi Arabia. The sample comprised 1,195 employees, 886 females, and 309 males. The participants' ages ranged from 25 to 60 years. The Financial Anxiety Scale, Work-Related Flow Inventory, and Qualitative Job Insecurity Measures were found valid and reliable. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the associations. As hypothesized, the results indicated that job insecurity was positively related to financial anxiety, work-related flow was negatively associated with financial anxiety, and work-related flow mediated the relationship between job insecurity and financial anxiety. All these associations were significant regardless of gender, age, marital status, sector of employment, income, self-rated health, and COVID-19 infection status. Further research is needed to understand the impact of job insecurity on financial anxiety in-depth through the paths of work-related flow, especially in the midst of COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412110404
Author(s):  
Remya Lathabhavan

The study aims at understanding the relationships between the fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress, wellbeing, and life satisfaction. The study also analyses the role of gender on the relationship of fear of COVID-19 with these study variables. For this, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 1125 participants in India, comprising 638 men and 487 women. Structural equation model was used to analyse the data. It was found that the fear of COVID-19 is positively related to perceived stress and negatively related to wellbeing and life satisfaction. It was also found that, these relationships are stronger among women than among men. The study shows the importance of psychiatric assessment during pandemic times and alerts policy makers and society in general, to take measures for ensuring mental health among people during times of crisis. Future studies can include longitudinal research for a comprehensive understanding of the psychological impacts of the pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Franck ◽  
Filip Haegdorens ◽  
Eva Goossens ◽  
Yannic van Gils ◽  
Michael Portzky ◽  
...  

Background: Constantly searching for a balance between work demands and their own physical and psychological health has challenged medical and nursing staff during the immediate wake of this COVID-19 viral epidemic leading to acute stress reactions and psychosomatic symptoms. Coping behavior might be a buffer for work-related stress in relation to mental well-being. The present study aims to evaluate the role of positive and negative stress-reducing activities on healthcare workers' mental and physical well-being.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using an online survey that was sent out using our network of healthcare workers at the University of Antwerp and through social media. Socio-demographic data, coping behavior with the Palliative Pallet Scale (P3), and distress and somatization using the Four-dimensional symptom checklist were collected. Surveys were completed by 1,376 participants.Results: The results clearly showed that positive stress-reducing activities are related to fewer symptoms of distress and somatization. Providing direct care to COVID-19 patients was associated with a higher decrease of applying positive stress-reducing activities during the peak of the pandemic compared to the ideal situation. Finally, fewer symptoms of distress and somatization were associated with the following activities: reading, mind sports games, keeping a hobby collection, studying; engaging in sexual activities with your partner; cleaning the house, tidying up, working in the garden, doing household chores; exercising alone; walking, or taking a trip together with someone; exercise together with someone; watching TV, listening/playing (to) music/, playing computer games; playing a card game or other board game; and preparing something extra tasteful outside regular meals.Conclusion: Our study demonstrated an association between concrete coping behaviors and distress and somatization in healthcare workers during the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results provide relevant and additional insights to develop and investigate interventions among others in personal leadership and resilience.


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