The effect of COVID fatigue on mental health in the public sector organizations: exploring compassion as a mediator

Abstract

This study examines the impact of COVID fatigue on mental health amidst the pandemic. In particular, it tries to understand the mediating role of compassion in the equation between COVID fatigue, corona anxiety, social support, and mental health. Systematic review was conducted to understand the interrelationship among chosen variables. Hierarchical regression was used as a tool of empirical evidence for the derived interrelationships. The results from a survey of 307 white-collar employees from public sector organizations in India confirmed the mediating role of compassion on mental health. The results state that a unit change in the dependent variables of COVID fatigue, corona anxiety, and social support can have an impact of 9.7% on the mental health quotient. It was also found out that introducing a unit of compassion in the equation will mediate the impact to 3.7%. In this study, 61.1% of participants were categorized as psychologically fatigued and 38.9% as psychologically non-fatigued. Implications for the theory and practice of compassion are discussed, and future research directions offered.