“Losing it” in the wake of a pandemic: The interactive effects of fear of COVID-19 virus and emotional regulation on paranoid cognition and outcomes.

Abstract

Drawing from the cognitive appraisal theory of stress and coping, this study examines and tests a moderated mediation model of the detrimental effects of fear of the COVID-19 virus. We examine paranoid cognition as an explanatory mechanism to help unveil how fear of the COVID-19 virus creates higher anxiety and lower life satisfaction. We also hypothesize that an individual's emotional regulation capacity moderates the fear of the COVID-19 virus and paranoid cognition relationship. Using a three-wave and temporally segregated research design (n = 271), we collected online data from working adults belonging to Pakistan. Our findings support the moderated mediated model whereby fear of the COVID-19 virus results in promoting higher anxiety and lower life satisfaction via paranoid cognition at low levels of emotional regulation. Our findings suggest practical implications for organizations and future avenues for researchers to combat this prevailing global health crisis.