Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Education and Promotion

Advisor

Erica Fowler

Abstract

Previous research indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted employee psychological outcomes in various workforce sectors. Although research showed that U.S. human resource (HR) employees experienced unique occupational challenges during the pandemic, the literature did not explore pandemic-related psychological outcomes in this population. This quantitative survey-based study included a purposive sample of 294 U.S. HR professionals to explore the pandemic’s impact on their psychological well-being. The transactional model of stress and coping served as the theoretical framework to understand the independent effects of appraisal, meaning-based coping, and coping efforts on psychological well-being. A mediation analysis was used to understand the mediating role of coping efforts, and a moderated mediation analysis was used to understand the moderating role of meaning-based coping. Regression analysis indicated that primary appraisal (b = 0.01, p < .001), emotion-focused coping (b = 0.99, p < .001), and meaning-based coping (b = -0.25, p = .008) predicted psychological adaptation. Emotion-focused coping mediated the relationship between psychological adaptation and primary (b = 0.004, 95% CI [0.001, 0.007]) and secondary appraisal scores (b = 0.006, 95% CI [0.002, 0.010]). HR employees with higher primary appraisal scores or greater use of emotion-focused coping experienced a decrease in psychological well-being. HR employees who used meaning-based coping strategies reported better psychological outcomes. This study creates positive social change through illustrating the importance of prioritizing employees’ psychological well-being and underscored the relevance of using tailored health education and promotion efforts to address employees’ unique needs.

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