Moderation Effect of Physical Activity on the Relationship Between Fear of COVID-19 and General Distress: A Pilot Case Study in Arabic Countries
Bragazzi4,5,6, Tareq A. Alsalhe1, Sulaiman O. Aljaloud1, Nasr Chalghaf2,3, Noomen Guelmami2,Dallal W. Alhazza1, Fairouz Azaiez2,3and Nicola Luigi . 2020
:Aims
This study aimed to investigate the effects of the fear of COVID-19, level ofphysical activity, and gender on negative stress (distress) in an Arab population by meansof structural equations based on partial least squares.
Materials and Methods:
The sample population comprised of 459 participants fromfour Arab countries (ageM= 33.02, SD = 8.46;n= 237 women andn= 222 men).The level of education was basic (<9 years of study;n= 144), secondary/vocational(between 9 and 12;n= 178), and university (n= 137). The “Fear of COVID-19” Scale,the short form of the “International Physical Activity Questionnaire,” and the “PerceivedStress Scale” questionnaires were disseminated by emails and social networksviaGoogle Forms. SMARTPLS software version 3.2.9 was used to model the relationshipsbetween the variables under study.Results:Results confirmed the links between level of physical activity, fear of COVID-19, and gender, showing a significant mediating effect of the fear of COVID-19 on therelationship between gender and general distress. The level of physical activity was alsofound to influence the fear of COVID-19, varying depending on gender. In addition, themodel highlighted the presence of a moderation effect of the level of physical activity
:Conclusion
Based on the model presented in the present study, we can concludethat the COVID-19 pandemic has a profound impact on psychological distress in thetarget populations. The impact of the level of physical activity on psychological distressis shown to be very important during the pandemic phase
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