Well-being and Pandemic Lockdown: The Role of Emotional Intelligence, Self-compassion and Rumination

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying restrictions, apart from the destructive global economic and social impact, brought negative psychological consequences to the world. The aim of the current study is to investigate the factors that help individuals maintain psychological well-being under the condition of self-isolation, a global restriction against the spread of the pandemic. Specifically, the role of trait emotional intelligence, self-compassion, and rumination was explored in order to determine how these variables relate to psychological well-being. According to the results, trait emotional intelligence and self-compassion positively correlate with psychological well-being, while rumination is negatively correlated. Self-compassion mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and well-being. The relationship between rumination and well-being is affected by emotional intelligence and self-compassion: Self-compassion mediates the relationship between depression related rumination and well-being, while self-control and emotionality factors of trait emotional intelligence moderate the relationship between reflection rumination and well-being. The findings of the current study provide insight about self-compassion, rumination, and emotional intelligence as different contributing factors to the individuals’ well-being in self-isolation, suggesting further implications about the use of these strategies to help people cope with this stressful situation.