Developing a model of corona anxiety in students based on optimism and resilience: the mediating role of the perceived social support

Due to the prevalence of coronavirus among people, especially the affected countries, which has caused anxiety, the aim of the present study was to investigate the causal modeling of Corona anxiety in students based on optimism and resilience with the mediating role of perceived social support.

The research method was descriptive and structural equations. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all students of University of Mohaghegh Ardabili who were studying in the academic year of 2009-2010, when 300 people participated in the research online and through virtual networks. Data collection tools included Corona Anxiety Scale (Alipour et al., 2020), Life Orientation Test (Scheier & Carver, 1992), Resilience Scale (Conner & Davidson, 2003) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling using Spss23 and Lisrel 8.8 software.

Based on the results, the causal model confirmed the relationship between optimism, resilience, perceived social support and Corona anxiety in students based on different fitness indices. Optimism, resilience and perceived social support have a direct effect on the Corona anxiety in students; also, Optimism and resilience has an indirect effect on the Corona anxiety in students through perceived social support (P <0.05).

Therefore, optimism, resilience and perceived social support play an important role in the Corona anxiety in students and targeting these three components by psychological therapies can be effective in reducing the Corona anxiety in students.