Self-control Mediates the Relationship between Psychosocial Strengths and Perceived Severity of COVID-19 among Frontline Healthcare Professionals of Pakistan: A Single Center Experience

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between psychosocial strengths (resilience, self-efficacy beliefs and social support) and perceived severity of COVID-19 and also to gauge the mediating role of self-control among frontline health care professionals of Pakistan METHODS: A cross-sectional research design was utilized from March to April 2020 from one medical teaching hospital of South Punjab As it was a single center experience so all the doctors were approached and asked to participate in this research In total, 284 doctors (out of 300 approx ) completed online survey The data were collected through online google forms consisting of self-report measures i e Brief Resilience Scale, Short General Self Efficacy Scale, Brief Scale for Social Support, Risk Behavior Diagnostic Scale and Brief Self-Control Scale RESULTS: The results were analyzed by using SmartPLS (3 0), direct effect of psychosocial strengths on perceived severity of COVID-19 and indirect effect of self-control were assessed through path coefficients, t-values and r-square values The results confirmed that there was significant negative relationship between psychosocial strengths and perceived severity of COVID-19 (? = -0 854, t =14 279) with 72% variance in perceived severity due to psychosocial strengths Further, the results also suggest that self-control proved significant mediator between psychosocial strengths and perceived severity (? = -0 604, t = 11 004, variance in perceived severity is 74%) CONCLUSION: In the time of pandemic, medical professionals are working as frontline force and can have several uncertainties regarding the risk associated with outbreak of COVID-19 This study concludes psychosocial strengths can play a significant role in subsiding the risk associated with severity of disease Whereas, self-control can significantly contribute to buffer the negative influence of COVID-19 among frontline medical professionals In line with findings of this study, there is a dire need to initiate psychotherapeutic studies for medical professionals to boost up their psychosocial strengths that would make them resilient against COVID-19