Locus of Control and Psychological Distress among Working Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, Jain Deemed to be University, Bangalore, India

2 Department of Psychology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai, India

10.30491/ijbs.2023.396461.1955

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate relationship between locus of control and psychological distress among working women during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method: A mixed method study was conducted among 81 working women in Bangalore identified through convenient and purposive sampling. In Phase 1, Levenson’s Locus of control Scale and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale were administered to measure the locus of control orientation and the level of psychological distress. In Phase 2, interviews were conducted based on open ended questions developed by the researchers to understand the perception of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on personal and professional life.
Results: Pearson’s product moment correlation was used for Phase 1 and thematic and content analysis for Phase 2. The findings from Phase 1 revealed a moderate negative correlation between internal locus of control and psychological distress, and a weak negative correlation between external locus of control and psychological distress. The thematic analysis showed the variations in the perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 on the personal and professional lives and the adaptable nature of women.
Conclusion: The present study helps to understand whether a relationship exists between locus of control orientation and psychological distress during the time of COVID-19 and reflects on the how the COVID-19 has affected the personal and professional lives of working women.

Keywords

References

  1. Andrews MA, Areekal B, Rajesh KR, Krishnan J, Suryakala R, Krishnan B, et al. First confirmed case of COVID-19 infection in India: A case report. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2020;151(5):490-2.
  2. Safi M. India’s shocking surge in Covid cases follows baffling decline. The Guardian. 2021.
  3. Coronavirus | India becomes first country in the world to report over 4 lakh new cases in a single day on April 30, 2021. The Hindu. 2021..
  4. WHO. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – World Health Organization [Internet]. www.who.int. 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019?adgroupsurvey=.
  5. Lathabhavan R, Sudevan S. The impacts of psychological distress on life satisfaction and wellbeing of the Indian general population during the first and second waves of COVID-19: A comparative study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 2022:1-12.
  6. Verma S, Mishra A. Depression, anxiety, and stress and socio-demographic correlates among general Indian public during COVID-19. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2020;66(8):756-62.
  7. Lampraki C, Hoffman A, Roquet A, Jopp DS. Loneliness during COVID-19: Development and influencing factors. PloS one. 2022;17(3):e0265900.
  8. Gupta R, Pandi-Perumal SR, COVID-somnia: How the pandemic affects sleep/wake regulation and how to deal with it? Sleep and Vigilance. 2020 Dec;4(2):.51-3.
  9. Kumar AR, Thomas S. Study on nomophobia and anger among undergraduates during COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Indian Psychology. 2020;8(3):1397-403.
  10. Abdul Latif NI, Mohamed Ismail NA, Loh SYE, Nur Azurah AG, Midin M, Shah SA, et al. Psychological distress and COVID-19 related anxiety among Malaysian women during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(8):4590.

11.American Psychological Association. APA Dictionary of Psychology [Internet]. dictionary.apa.org. Available from: https://dictionary.apa.org/psychological-distress.

  1. Heinstrom J. From fear to flow: personality and information interaction: Elsevier; 2010.. 2010: Elsevier.
  2. McClure J, Walkey F, Allen M. When Earthquake Damage is Seen as Preventable: Attributions, Locus of Control and Attitudes to Risk. Applied Psychology. 1999;48(2):239-56.
  3. Krampe H, Danbolt LJ, Haver A, Stålsett G, Schnell T. Locus of control moderates the association of COVID-19 stress and general mental distress: Results of a Norwegian and a German-speaking cross-sectional survey. BMC psychiatry. 2021;21(1):1-13.
  4. Viertiö S, Kiviruusu O, Piirtola M, Kaprio J, Korhonen T, Marttunen M, et al. Factors contributing to psychological distress in the working population, with a special reference to gender difference. BMC public health. 2021;21:1-17.
  5. Dhillon P, Kundu S, Shekhar C, Ram U, Dwivedi LK, Yadav S, et al. Case-fatality ratio and recovery rate of COVID-19: scenario of most affected countries and Indian states. IIPS Analytical Series on Covid. 2020;19.
  6. Miyamoto I. COVID-19 healthcare workers: 70% are women: JSTOR; 2020.
  7. Sigurvinsdottir R, Thorisdottir IE, Gylfason HF. The impact of COVID-19 on mental health: The role of locus on control and internet use. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020;17(19):6985..
  8. Bhattacharyya M, Marston L, Walters K, D'Costa G, King M, Nazareth I. Psychological distress, gender and dietary factors in South Asians: a cross-sectional survey. Public health nutrition. 2014;17(7):1538-46..
  9. Nadkarni, A., P. Vasudevan, and J. Krishnakumar, Symptoms of psychological distress reported by women from indigenous communities in South India: implications for methodology and future studies. Archives of Women's Mental Health, 2022. 25(3): p. 667-670.
  10. Parthasarathy R, Jaisoorya T, Thennarasu K, Murthy P. Mental health issues among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic–A study from India. Asian Journal of Psychiatry. 2021;58:102626.
  11. Murthy RS. Lessons from COVID-19 pandemic and social psychiatry. World Social Psychiatry. 2021;3(3):131.
  12. Pavan G, Choudhary K, Ponnala V, Veeri RB, Kumar R, Chattu VK, et al. Covid-19 impact on the mental health of indian pharmacy students: an online survey. Int J Pharm Res. 2021;13(2).
  13. Shoib S, Saleem SM, Shaiful Islam SM, Arafat S, Joseph SJ. Severity of depression, anxiety and stress among the people of Kashmir, India during COVID-19: An observation from telepsychiatric services. GLOBAL PSYCHIATRY ARCHIVES. 2021;4(1):62-7.
  14. SAIN S, DEY I. An Observational Study to Assess Anxiety Disorder among Women during COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research. 2021;15(3)..
  15. Ghosh P, Gogoi A, Ghosh A, Verma P, Hussain A. Psychological consequences of COVID-19 pandemic among persons residing at institutional quarantine centers in India. International Journal of Indian Psychology. 2021;9(1):891-906.
  16. Hazarika M, Das S, Bhandari SS, Sharma P. The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated risk factors during the initial stage among the general population in India. Open journal of psychiatry & allied sciences. 2021;12(1):31.
  17. Yadav R, Yadav P, Kumar SS, Kumar R. Assessment of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance in COVID-19 patients at tertiary care center of North India. Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice. 2021;12(02):316-22..
  18. Suhail A, Dar KA, Iqbal N. COVID-19 related fear and mental health in Indian sample: The buffering effect of support system. Current Psychology. 2022;41(1):480-91..
  19. Bagheri-Sheykhangafshe F, Fathi-Ashtiani A, Savabi-Niri V, Mikelani N, Eghbali F. Prevalence of Suicide and Self-harm During the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic: A Systematic Review Study. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2022;16(3):183-90..
  20. Hasanvandi S, Saadat S-H, Shahyad S, Mohammad-Zadegan R. Predicting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Based on Mental Health, Covid-19 Anxiety and Sleep Quality in University Students. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2021;15(3):219-25.
  21. Levenson H. Differentiating among internality, powerful others, and chance. Research with the locus of control construct. 1981;1:15-63.
  22. Yiengprugsawan V, Kelly M, Tawatsupa B. Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. In: Michalos AC, editor. Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands; 2014. p. 3469-70..

 

 

International Journal of Behavioral Sciences
Volume 17, Issue 3
November 2023
Pages 174-179

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics