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. 2024 Nov 15;12(1):665.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-02165-y.

Embracing impermanence: life events, fear of COVID-19 and psychological distress in the context of the postepidemic era: a moderated mediation model

Shiyou Fu  1 , Zhengjia Ren  2 , Zihao Yang  3 , Zuoshan Li  4 , Jing Wang  4 , Tianyi Zhao  4 , Xinwei Huang  4
Affiliations

Embracing impermanence: life events, fear of COVID-19 and psychological distress in the context of the postepidemic era: a moderated mediation model

Shiyou Fu et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the relationships between life events and psychological distress in the postepidemic era as well as the effects of fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19) and impermanence on these relationships to enrich the study of the underlying psychological mechanisms of postepidemic psychological distress and to provide a theoretical basis for scientific prevention and intervention in individuals with psychological distress.

Methods: A survey of 504 adults (71.3% female; age M = 26.87, SD = 10.70) was conducted via the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, the FCV-19 Scale, the Impermanence Scale, the Anxiety Scale and the Depression Scale, and a structural equation model was established to explore the relationships between variables.

Results: The present study revealed the following: (1) there is a significant positive correlation between life events and psychological distress; (2) FCV-19 completely mediates the relationship between life events and psychological distress; and (3) impermanence moderates the mediation, regulating the path by which life events affect FCV-19 and the path by which FCV-19 affects psychological distress.

Conclusions: In the postepidemic era, impermanence can effectively mitigate the impact of life events on FCV-19 and the impact of FCV-19 on psychological distress.

Keywords: Fear of COVID-19; Impermanence; Life events; Postepidemic era moderated mediation model; Psychological distress.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate The study was performed in line with the ethical standards set out in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. The Ethics Committee of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University reviewed and approved all procedures used in this study on April 9, 2021. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hypothetical model
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Effects of life events, FCV-19, and impermanence on psychological distress (n = 536)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Moderating role of impermanence in the effect of life events on the incidence of FCV-19
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Moderating role of impermanence in the influence of FCV-19 on psychological distress
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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