Occupational stress and psychological wellbeing during COVID 19: Mediating role of positive psychological capital.

ABSTRACT

The COVID 19 pandemic has challenged the humankind's livelihood, physical health, mental health, employment, and economy. Lockdowns, quarantines, online teaching, and learning have become new normal. Negativities have been spread across the globe and society by the pandemic. The negative effects caused a confused mindset, fear, anxiety, stress, and other psychological complications amongst the people especially among the Health Care Workers (HCWs), children, elderly people, and Frontline Workers (FLWs). This research work examines the levels of Occupational Stress (OS), and psychological well-being (PWB) of HCWs and police personnel during the pandemic and the relationship between OS and PWB. Further, the study analyzed the role of Positive Psychological Capital (PPC) as a mediator and Emotional Quotient (EQ) as a moderator in the relationship between OS and PWB. Positive Psychological Capital (PPC) characteristics of the respondents such as having faith in one's ability, and performance, willingness to succeed or attain the goals framed, ability to bounce back from the hard times, and their optimism about the future have helped them to tackle the stress caused by the pandemic and to maintain a better state of psychological wellbeing in the fight against the pandemic.