Mediation Effect of Perceived Symptom Change on the Association between COVID-19 Perceptions and Well-Being Controlling for the Effect of Relationship Quality

Abstract

Most people had a perception of COVID-19 as an illness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and this inevitably resulted in developing psychological symptoms which in the end yielded to lower levels of well-being. These experiences affected the people who were in a relationship during the pandemic, hence the quality of their relationship was influenced by all these individual feelings. Regarding this context, the current study aimed to explore the mediation role of perceived symptom change in the association between well-being and COVID-19 perceptions, controlling for the effect of relationship quality. To achieve this goal, 174 (N = 124 women, N = 49 men) participants were recruited. Results of the study put forth that (1) there was a positive association between COVID-19 illness perception and symptom change, (2) there was a negative association between perceived symptom change and well-being, (3) there was a negative association between COVID-19 illness perception and well-being, (4) relationship quality was positively associated with well-being, and (5) the symptom change mediated the association between COVID-19 illness perception and well-being in the case relationship quality was considered as a covariate. Limitations and recommendations for further research are presented.