Optimism and Psychological Distress: The Role of Resilience as a Moderator in COVID-19 Recovered Patients of Pakistan

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the moderating role of resilience in the relationship between optimism and psychological distress. A sample of 200 participants was drawn via multistage purposive sampling from a population of coronavirus recovered patients of Lahore, Pakistan including both men (44.5%) and women (55.5%) whose age ranges from 18-66 years (M =3.22, SD = 1.61. The Urdu versions of the life Orientation Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and Impact of Event Scale were used to assess optimism, resilience, and psychological distress respectively. Pearson-product moment correlation analysis indicated a significant association in optimism, resilience, and psychological distress. Findings of the moderation analysis suggested that resilience was a significant moderator in the association between optimism and psychological distress. At a low level of resilience, the association between optimism and psychological distress was not significant, whereas at a moderate level the association was significant. Results indicated that at the high level of resilience the association between optimism and psychological distress was highly significant. Life is not free of adversities, both on a personal and social level. COVID-19 pandemic is a very challenging life experience. The development of resilience as a psychological resource would help in coping with such challenging life experiences and promotes both personal and social growth.