RESEARCH ARTICLE
Impact of COVID-19 on psychological distress among SME owners in Ghana: Partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach
Md U. H. Uzir,
Zakari Bukari,
Ishraq Jerin,
Najmul Hasan,
Abu B. Abdul Hamid,
Thurasamy Ramayah,
Corresponding Author
Md U. H. Uzir
Department of Marketing, Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Correspondence Md U. H. Uzir, Department of Marketing, Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorZakari Bukari
Department of Marketing, Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Search for more papers by this authorIshraq Jerin
Department of Management, Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Search for more papers by this authorNajmul Hasan
Department of Management Science and Engineering, Center for Modern Information Management, School of Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
Search for more papers by this authorAbu B. Abdul Hamid
Department of Marketing, Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Search for more papers by this authorThurasamy Ramayah
Department of Management, School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Penang, Malaysia
Department of Management, Sunway University Business School, Sunway University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
Department of Management, Fakulti Pengurusan dan Perniagaan, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam, Malaysia
Department of Management, Faculty of Accounting and Management, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Search for more papers by this author
Md U. H. Uzir,
Zakari Bukari,
Ishraq Jerin,
Najmul Hasan,
Abu B. Abdul Hamid,
Thurasamy Ramayah,
Corresponding Author
Md U. H. Uzir
Department of Marketing, Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Correspondence Md U. H. Uzir, Department of Marketing, Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorZakari Bukari
Department of Marketing, Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Search for more papers by this authorIshraq Jerin
Department of Management, Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Search for more papers by this authorNajmul Hasan
Department of Management Science and Engineering, Center for Modern Information Management, School of Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
Search for more papers by this authorAbu B. Abdul Hamid
Department of Marketing, Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Search for more papers by this authorThurasamy Ramayah
Department of Management, School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Penang, Malaysia
Department of Management, Sunway University Business School, Sunway University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
Department of Management, Fakulti Pengurusan dan Perniagaan, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam, Malaysia
Department of Management, Faculty of Accounting and Management, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
A critical part of the national economy is small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SME owners are vital contributors to the overall economy. Due to their limited capital and assets, they are more vulnerable. In comparison to their contribution, the value of assessing SME owner's depression, anxiety, and mental stress has been very minimal during the COVID-19 outbreak. Firms were forced to close due to lockdown, and they faced substantial business losses. Thus, this study aims to investigate SME owners' psychological distress due to business losses during this pandemic. The study used psychological parameters: Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) to examine SME owners' psychological distress. A total number of 217 owners were surveyed through a judgmental sampling technique using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed employing partial least square-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings showed that DASS-21 parameters and fear of business loss affected psychological distress. Besides, fear of business loss increases psychological distress, whereas government support lessens the distress. Theoretically, this study extended the scope of DASS-21 scale and contributed to the literature of psychology. In terms of policy implications, this study provides useful information for government, policymakers, and SME owners about the effects mentioned above.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.
Open Research
PEER REVIEW
The peer review history for this article is available at https://publons.com/publon/10.1002/jcop.22716
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