Role of Psychological Distress, Spiritual Intelligence, and Life Satisfaction during Covid-19 Pandemic among College Students of Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was a severe and global health emergency with far-reaching effects. The goal of the study was to determine the association between psychological distress, spiritual intelligence, and life satisfaction among college students during Covid-19. In this study, a correlational research design was adopted. The sample for this research project was made up of (N= 380) college students who were chosen from several colleges in Punjab, Pakistan, using a purposive sampling technique. The researcher used the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale for data collection. The results of the correlational study indicated a strong positive association between spiritual intelligence and life satisfaction; however, there was a significant negative relationship of psychological discomfort with the other two variables. Additionally, the findings indicate significant gender differences in psychological distress and life satisfaction among college students, but not in terms of spiritual intelligence. Through this study, the researcher was able to reveal that psychological distress and life satisfaction caused by COVID-19 differ significantly between male and female respondents, whereas differences in spiritual intelligence between male and female respondents were insignificant. The findings showed that female students were under more stress than male students. Additionally, it has been found that male students have higher life satisfaction than female students. Further findings regarding spiritual intelligence during this COVID-19 outbreak revealed a negligible gender difference.