The Mediating Role of Resilience and Personality Traits in the Relationship between Social Isolation and Psychological Well-Being in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 462 - 478, 26.03.2022

Ahmet Sapancı , Gözde Akkaya

Abstract

The present study investigates the mediating role of psychological resilience and personality traits in the relationship between the social isolation process implemented during the pandemic period and the psychological well-being of individuals. The predictive correlational model based on the relational survey method, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the study. The study participants consisted of 238 people through the convenient sampling model, 66 men and 172 women. Personal Information Form, Social Isolation subtest of Nottingham Health Profile Scale, short form of the Psychological Resilience Scale, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale and short form of the Five-Factor Personality Scale were used as data collection tools in the study. While determining the mediating effects in the data analysis, a regression analysis based on the bootstrap method was performed with the Process Macro. As a result of the research, it was found that resilience mediated the relationship between the perception of social isolation and psychological well-being. When the mediating effect of personality dimensions was examined, it was found that the mediating effect of conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion dimensions were significant. In contrast, the mediating effects of openness to experience and agreeableness dimensions were not statistically significant. Since the psychological effects of the pandemic differ from person to person, determining the differentiation of the effects of social isolation in individuals may contribute to understanding the possible risky and protective factors. For this purpose, it is thought that this study, which reveals the possible mediating effects of psychological resilience and personality traits as two individual characteristics, will contribute to the determination of priority treatment groups by mental health professionals.

Keywords

Social isolation, psychological well-being, resilience, personality traits

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