Evangelical Mental Health During A Pandemic: A Three-Way Interaction Analysis

COVID-19 quickly became a global pandemic and a biological disaster. Mental health deteriorated due to fear, stress, isolation, and loneliness. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, and disturbed sleep have been associated with COVID-19. There is limited research on mental health and well-being among evangelical Christians. A primary concern is that church congregants and leaders are tired and struggle with mental health issues. Thus, care for the congregation and community is limited. The rate of distress and depression among the religious is on the rise. The purpose of this quantitative research is to evaluate the interaction of perceived stress and emotional intelligence on the relationship between perceived social support and mental health among evangelical church members in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mental Health Scale-Short Form, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Perceived Stress Scale were used in a statistically significant moderated moderation. Overall, the study contains substantial implications for counseling research and treatment planning