Fear of COVID-19 and PTSD symptoms in adolescents: the mediating role of meaning in life and the moderating role of gender.
4 affiliations
- 1School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.
- 2Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Brain Disease Prevention and Treatment of Guizhou Province, Guiyang, China.
- 3School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
- 4Shizhen College of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions were associated with substantial mental health burdens among adolescents, including PTSD symptoms. Meaning in life may explain the association between fear of COVID-19 and PTSD symptoms, and this association may differ by gender. This study examined the association between fear of COVID-19 and PTSD symptoms among Chinese adolescents, tested the distinct indirect effects of Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning, and evaluated whether gender moderated the second-stage paths from both meaning dimensions to PTSD. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,291 middle school students recruited through convenience sampling. Participants completed the FCV-19S, PCL-C, MLQ, and a demographic survey. The sample included 656 females (50.8%) and 635 males (49.2%), aged 11-18 years (M = 14.13, SD = 1.35). Analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS 27.0 and PROCESS macro version 4.1; age was included as a covariate in every mediation and moderated mediation equation. Fear of COVID-19 was positively correlated with PTSD symptoms (r = 0.31, p < 0.001). After controlling for age, the indirect effect was significant through Presence of Meaning (B = 0.059, 95% CI [0.031, 0.089]) but not Search for Meaning (B = 0.005, 95% CI [-0.001, 0.015]); this pattern held in the parallel model (Presence: B = 0.060, 95% CI [0.032, 0.092]; Search: B = -0.002, 95% CI [-0.009, 0.004]). Gender moderated the second-stage Presence-PTSD path (B = -0.159, p = 0.044; stronger among females) and the Search-PTSD path (B = -0.231, p = 0.016; negative among females but not males). For Presence of Meaning, conditional indirect effects were significant for both males and females, whereas the index of moderated mediation was not significant (index = 0.012, 95% CI [-0.002, 0.034]); for Search for Meaning, conditional indirect effects were not significant. In age-adjusted models, Presence of Meaning, but not Search for Meaning, showed a significant indirect association. Gender moderated the second-stage paths from both dimensions to PTSD, but the overall indirect effects did not differ by gender. These findings support distinguishing having meaning from seeking meaning; longitudinal research is needed to test causal or intervention implications.
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BibTeX
@article{lv2026fear,
title = {{Fear of COVID-19 and PTSD symptoms in adolescents: the mediating role of meaning in life and the moderating role of gender.}},
author = {Wen Lv and Yuguang Wang and Zeling Long and Shienyu Fei and Juan Song and Wei Chen},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1912062},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996322},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fear of COVID-19 and PTSD symptoms in adolescents: the mediating role of meaning in life and the moderating role of gender.
AU - Wen Lv
AU - Yuguang Wang
AU - Zeling Long
AU - Shienyu Fei
AU - Juan Song
AU - Wei Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1912062
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996322
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions were associated with substantial mental health burdens among adolescents, including PTSD symptoms. Meaning in life may explain the association between fear of COVID-19 and PTSD symptoms, and this association may differ by gender. This study examined the association between fear of COVID-19 and PTSD symptoms among Chinese adolescents, tested the distinct indirect effects of Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning, and evaluated whether gender moderated the second-stage paths from both meaning dimensions to PTSD. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,291 middle school students recruited through convenience sampling. Participants completed the FCV-19S, PCL-C, MLQ, and a demographic survey. The sample included 656 females (50.8%) and 635 males (49.2%), aged 11-18 years (M = 14.13, SD = 1.35). Analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS 27.0 and PROCESS macro version 4.1; age was included as a covariate in every mediation and moderated mediation equation. Fear of COVID-19 was positively correlated with PTSD symptoms (r = 0.31, p < 0.001). After controlling for age, the indirect effect was significant through Presence of Meaning (B = 0.059, 95% CI [0.031, 0.089]) but not Search for Meaning (B = 0.005, 95% CI [-0.001, 0.015]); this pattern held in the parallel model (Presence: B = 0.060, 95% CI [0.032, 0.092]; Search: B = -0.002, 95% CI [-0.009, 0.004]). Gender moderated the second-stage Presence-PTSD path (B = -0.159, p = 0.044; stronger among females) and the Search-PTSD path (B = -0.231, p = 0.016; negative among females but not males). For Presence of Meaning, conditional indirect effects were significant for both males and females, whereas the index of moderated mediation was not significant (index = 0.012, 95% CI [-0.002, 0.034]); for Search for Meaning, conditional indirect effects were not significant. In age-adjusted models, Presence of Meaning, but not Search for Meaning, showed a significant indirect association. Gender moderated the second-stage paths from both dimensions to PTSD, but the overall indirect effects did not differ by gender. These findings support distinguishing having meaning from seeking meaning; longitudinal research is needed to test causal or intervention implications.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -