Acclimatizing the Fear of COVID-19: Impact on Psychological Distress and Job Burnout

Abstract

Purpose: The world is currently witnessing a pandemic of the contagious disease termed as COVID-19, which has accentuated globally. Though global attention is largely focusing on the effects of the coronavirus on physical health, the impact of the coronavirus on mental health cannot be ignored. This paper analyses the repercussions of fear of COVID-19 on psychological distress and job burnout. It aims at examining the mediating role of psychological distress on the relationship between fear of COVID- 19 and job burnout.

Design/ Methodology/ Approach: The proposed research shall be descriptive. The data was collected from employees confined to private companies in India and analyzed using PLS-SEM.

Findings: The results of the study show that the fear of COVID-19 among employees have positive impact on psychological distress and job burnout. The impact of Psychological Distress on the relationship of fear of COVID-19 and job burnout was also found to be significant. The study was conducted under the circumstances of COVID-19 lockdown using convenience sampling. The analysis was focused only on self-reports and online surveys that have not been verified by medical documentation or expert reviews. The generalization of our findings to the general population is minimal. The use of clinical interviews is recommended to allow a more accurate evaluation of the issue. The paper identified the mediating factors which alleviate the effect of COVID-19 on the psychological distress of workers and their participation in the organization. Not all organizations are prepared for this disease outbreak in terms of awareness, capital, and skills. Managers and personnel must find ingenious ways to handle activities while safeguarding their employees. Extensive research work has been undertaken in the context of psychological distress and job burnout.

Paper Type: Empirical Research Paper.