The Effect of Fear of COVID-19 on Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Undergraduate Students During the Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Self-Regulation

Abstract

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020. Subsequent lockdowns and fatalities have significantly impacted individuals’ lives, social relationships, and economic conditions. While pandemics affecting populations can lead to health issues, they also give rise to psychological disturbances such as anxiety, worry, panic, loneliness, depression, fear, and traumatic symptoms. Research has demonstrated that these symptoms are commonly observed across various segments of society. Self-regulation refers to individuals’ efforts to modify their thoughts, emotions, desires, and actions in line with their desired goals. It emphasizes that individuals are active agents and decision-makers rather than passive observers in the face of events. Studies have found that self-regulation is associated with success, well-being, social competence, academic performance, peer bullying, depression, anxiety, obesity, and various psychopathological conditions. COVID-19 research has also identified relationships between emotional regulation and depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms. Covid-19 has also been associated with educational problems such as decline in student achievement, learning losses, problems with continuing education and drop-outs. In this study, the relationships between COVID-19 fear and depression, anxiety, and stress are examined, focusing on the mediating role of self-regulation in university students. Structural equation modeling and mediation analyses were conducted using collected data. The results indicate that COVID-19 fear significantly predicts depression, anxiety, and stress during the pandemic. Self-regulation partially mediates this relationship, diminishing the impact of COVID-19 fear and reducing levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.