Hillman Wirawan, Hasbi Hasbi, Muhammad Ahsan Samad, Novina Sabila Zahra
This study investigates the effect of fear of COVID-19 on subjective well-being via the mediating role of perceived stress. The moderating role of awareness of COVID-19 on the mediation model is also tested. This study employed a longitudinal correlation design with a three-wave data collection technique. The data were collected using a snowballing sampling technique where participants were recruited through online advertisements. Finally, 345 responses were included in the analysis after dropping participants who did not fully complete the study and failed the attention check items. The measures included fear of COVID-19, perceived stress, subjective well-being and awareness of COVID-19 and were administered using an online survey platform. The results suggested that fear of COVID-19 adversely impacted subjective well-being while perceived stress partially mediated the relationship. Additionally, awareness of COVID-19 moderated the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress. The effect of fear of COVID-19 on perceived stress was more positive for those who had high awareness of COVID-19, consequently lowering subjective well-being. This study is among a few studies investigating a mechanism that explains the effect of fear of COVID-19 on subjective well-being. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Department of Psychology, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, Indonesia; School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia; Department of Sociology, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, Indonesia; Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Tadulako, Palu, Indonesia; Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanity, The National University of Malaysia, Selangor, Bangi, Malaysia; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia
