Date of Conferral
1-28-2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Management
Advisor
Edoardo Naggiar
Abstract
COVID-19 depleted multiple subsystems, took human lives, impaired mental health, and induced economic devastation. The trucking occupation was and continues to be impacted by adverse working conditions, and the pandemic’s limitations intensified the stress that truckers experience. COVID-19 resilience for trucking employees may stratify to other supply chains. Therefore, the quantitative cross-sectional study aimed to assess the research questions of how meaning in life, autonomy, competence, and relatedness correlated to each other and preceded resilience. The theoretical framework included Viktor Frankl’s meaning in life and Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theories. Connect Cloud Research was the platform for data retrieval from a purposive sample of (N = 107) trucking participants who completed the meaning in life questionnaire, the work-related basic needs satisfaction scale, and the Connor-Davidson’s resilience scale. Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regression statistical analyses indicated that autonomy held the strongest correlation (r = .344, p = .001) and a predictive value (β = .238, p = .020) with statistical significance for meaning in life. Competence was the most robust statistically significant association (r = .535, p = .001) and the more decisive influence (β = .396, p = .001) on resilience for truckers, followed by meaning’s correlation (r = .478, p = .001) and prediction (β = .321, p = .001) of resilience. The findings may contribute to industrial best practices. The trucking sector may be the backbone of the U.S. industry, and its recovery may ripple to multiple subsystems holding exciting resilience potential. The implications for positive social change include the potential for trucking industry leaders to express consistent kindness from humanitarian hearts for truckers’ resilience.
Recommended Citation
Wood, Rhonda Renee, "Resiliency’s Correlations to Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness, and Meaning in Life for the Trucking Industry During Covid-19" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17245.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17245
