The mediating effects of resilience on psychological distress in social workers in Singapore and South Korea during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Under the pandemic situation, social workers functioning as front liners were found to be more adversely affected. This study examined the mediating effect of resilience between psychological distress and organizational support among frontline social workers in two countries, South Korea and Singapore. The hierarchical multiple regression and Sobel z-test were conducted. We found that resilience statistically significantly mediates the impact of organizational support on psychological distress among frontline social workers. Organizations in the social sectors need to consider how enhancing their practitioners’ resilience via resources like having quality relationships, professional identity, and self-care could contribute toward improving their well-being.