Psychological capital as a mediator between perceived stress and depression in Thai adults during COVID-19: A mediation analysis

Abstract

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused substantial psychological distress, including elevated stress and depression. Psychological capital (PsyCap)—a positive psychological resource comprising hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism—may function as a psychological resource that helps buffer the adverse effects of stress on mental health.

Objective: This study aimed to examine whether PsyCap mediates the relationship between perceived stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic and depression among Thai adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 298 Thai adults aged 18–60 years. Participants completed the COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10-C), the Thai Psychological Capital Inventory, and the depression subscale of the Thai Mental Health Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlations and mediation analyses were performed using the PROCESS Macro Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap resamples.

Results: COVID-19-related stress was positively correlated with depression (r = 0.449, P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with psychological capital (r = – 0.323, P < 0.001). Psychological capital was negatively correlated with depression (r = – 0.579, P < 0.001). Mediation analysis indicated that psychological capital partially mediated the relationship between stress and depression, with a variance accounted for (VAF) of 34.7%. The full mediation model explained 41.2% of the variance in depression. In the parallel mediation analysis, only hope demonstrated a significant indirect effect.

Conclusion: PsyCap, particularly hope, may help buffer the association between pandemic-related stress and depression. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating strengths-based interventions that enhance PsyCap to promote mental well-being during public health crises.