The Mediating Role of Religious Beliefs in the Relationship between Well-Being and Fear of the Pandemic

Religion is one of the social entities that has had a significant impact on the pandemic. The study’s goals are to investigate the relationship between well-being and fear of COVID-19, as well as to test whether religious beliefs mediate the effect of wellbeing on fear of COVID-19. The sample comprised of 433 participants in Vietnam. Independent Sample t-Test, One-way ANOVA, mediation analysis were used to analyze the data. In the levels of well-being, individuals who engage in religious services daily have higher levels than those hardly and never attend, and people from the age of 18 to 30 have higher levels than individuals from 31 to above 60 years. In addition, people aged from 51 to above 60 have higher levels of religious beliefs than people aged from 18 to 50. Females experience more fear of COVID-19 compared to males. The latter illustrates that religious beliefs mediate the effect of well-being on fear of COVID-19. Social workers and clinicians must prioritize older adults and people with chronic diseases for early mental interventions, and they should be aware of the role of religion in psychological treatment integration.