Resilience and Hopelessness: Exploring the Mediator Role of Spirituality in the Global Situation of COVID-19

Abstract

This research aims to describe and to define the importance of spirituality as a mediator in the global pandemic situation of COVID-19 in Pakistan while having positive correlation with resilience and inverse with hopelessness. The correlational research design was used and data was gathered by simple random sampling and there was a use of standardized psychological instruments to measure the variables. The participants were (N=540) Pakistani general population (male and female) with the age range of 18–60. The outcomes revealed that resilience was positively correlated with spirituality (r=0.72; p <0.01) while spiritualty is negatively correlated with hopelessness (r=-0.76; p <0.01) and resilience was negatively correlated with hopelessness (r=-0.78, p <0.01). Mediation analysis shows that spirituality performed a strong intermediating role between resilience and hopelessness the direct effect of hopelessness on resilience was -5.9** whereas the indirect effect through spirituality was -1.7** and the total effect size was – 7.6**. It is revealed that spirituality has a strong impact on the resilience behavior and reduces the hopelessness even in the worldwide disastrous situation. This study enhances the literature related to the psychological research and prompts the role of spiritual coping strategies especially in the state of uncertainty like coronavirus pandemic.

The Moderator Role of Spirituality on the Relationship between Fear of COVID-19 and Psychological Well-Being

“…The researchers investigated spirituality's mediator role between resilience and hopelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. The mediator effect was again also found; therefore, we can say that spirituality boosts resilient behavior, which in turn lessens hopelessness (Maraj et al, 2020).…”

“…There was also an inverse relationship between resilience and hopelessness, and eventually there was a mediating role of spirituality between the variables, which led authors to conclude that individuals who are more spiritual are less prone to have an anxiety and depression (Gülerce & Maraj, 2021). A similar study by Maraj et al (2020) was also conducted in Pakistan. The researchers investigated spirituality's mediator role between resilience and hopelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.…”

The Relationship between Spiritual Well-Being and Fear of COVID-19 in Individuals with Chronic Disease during COVID-19 Outbreak

“…Among these few studies, Roberto et al (2020) examined the relationship between COVID-19, spirituality, and resilience, and they investigated that spirituality also affects resilience in the context of COVID-19 (Roberto et al, 2020). Similarly, in the study conducted by Maraj et al (2020), the relationship between resilience and hopelessness was investigated and it was stated that spirituality was effective in this relationship. Spirituality plays an important role in better coping with crises and traumas such as the COVID-19 pandemic (Baykal, 2020).…”

A Scoping Review on Biopsychosocial Predictors of Mental Health among Older Adults

“…Religiosity and spirituality are common phenomena in elderly life. This is because seeking answers to the meaning of life in religiosity and spirituality provides a sense of well-being, reduces anxiety and helplessness, and increases resilience to situational problems as well as difficulties associated with aging [ 88 , 89 , 90 ]. Individual spirituality can also be expressed through values, beliefs and ritual practices for the pursuit of transcendence, self-reflection, and thoughts about existential relationships outside the objective world [ 91 ].…”