The Effect of Collectivism on Mental Health during COVID-19: A Moderated Mediation Model

Background: COVID-19 is an unprecedented public health emergency of international concern and has caused people to live in constant fear and posed a significant threat to their physical and mental health. Method: The study constructed a moderated mediation model to examine the mediating role of emotion regulation between collectivism and mental health and the moderating role of ego identity in the context of COVID-19. A total of 459 participants were recruited to complete the survey from 30 January to 8 May 2021.The Mental Health in COVID-19 Period Scale, Collectivism Tendency Scale, ERQ, and Identity Status Scale were used for the study. Results: (1) Expressive suppression played a mediating role in the relationship between collectivism and mental health; (2) The direct effect of collectivism on mental health and the path from expressive suppression to mental health were moderated by ego identity. Conclusion: The effect of collectivism on mental health is indirectly generated through expressive suppression and ego identity showing different patterns of regulation of mental health in different pathways, and its mechanisms and other important influences could be further explored in the future.