Volume 27, Issue 140, October 2023

Love and belongingness as a buffer in Covid time: The mediating role of Love Life Satisfaction and Social Connectedness in the relationship between Intolerance of Uncertainty and Well Being (a structural equation modeling approach)

Amir Mahdi Katani¹, Ahmad Yousefi², Parastoo Naeimijoo², Reza Karimi², Abbas Masjedi Arani^3♦

¹PhD Student of Clinical Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
²PhD of Clinical Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
³Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

^♦Corresponding author
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

ABSTRACT

Background: Dealing with uncertainties that burst upon us woefully by the pandemic is beyond the capabilities of many individuals, which could adversely affect their psychological status. Being assured that we are not alone in the face of these feelings of unpredictability could help sustain our psychological well-being. Therefore, we centered on the aim of the present study on the role of love life and social connectedness in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and psychological well-being (PSW). Method: A total of 634 individuals over the age of 20 participated in this crosssectional study through either an online student or employee’s portal or word of mouth. The participants were either students or employees of three universities. The study took place over four months during the time the delta variant spread around the country. The data were analyzed through structural equation modeling using the AMOS software version 22. Results: The chi-square-to-freedom ratio index (df / χ ^ 2 =2.64), (RMSEA=0.076), and (SRMR=0.072) along with IFI, CFI, NFI, and RFI confirm the fitness of the model. The data indicated the mediating role of love, life satisfaction, and sense of social connectedness in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and psychological well-being. Conclusion: The present study's findings reveal that a sense of affiliation and belongingness could be viewed as a fundamental and rich resource in human experience during critical periods. This warrants community intervention and family/couple relationship development in an extensive setting.

Keywords: Intolerance of Uncertainty; Psychological Well-Being, Love Life Satisfaction; Social Connectedness; Covid-19

Medical Science, 2023, 27, e366ms3227

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v27i140.e366ms3227

Published: 13 October 2023