Abstract
After more than two years of the pandemic we can easily say that the entire population has been affected in one way or another. In the process of analysing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, of particular relevance are the psychological elements among students. Unlike the general population, this group had to deal with an additional series of stressors such as the need to relocate. It should also be mentioned that before the pandemic students presented a significant vulnerability in terms of anxiety, depression, and other relevant emotions. Thus, the first objective of the present study was to identify possible associations between fear of COVID-19 and negative affect, irrational beliefs, emotion regulation in the academic environment. The second objective was to test whether the effect of irrational beliefs on negative affect depends on fear of COVID-19, through a moderation analysis. In the present study, a final sample of 154 students participated in this research and fully completed the selected scales measuring the variables listed above. Results showed significant relationships between negative affect, irrational beliefs, emotion regulation, and fear of COVID-19. Moreover, the moderation analysis emphasized that fear of COVID-19 represented a moderator in the relationship between irrational beliefs and negative affect. These preliminary findings suggest that fear represents an important element in the pandemic context that can influence students' mental health. Also, these results could represent a preliminary step to identify and assess negative affect, irrational beliefs, and risky behaviours and also to identify adaptive strategies to cope with the pandemic. In addition, this study discussed theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research directions. |
