Chapter 4

Results
<describing the data>
1. Introduction/ Feel for Data
The data was analyzed using the SPSS software. All the variables were given descriptive
statistics, and Pearson's r correlations were utilized to look into the relationships between
COVID-19 Health Anxiety and Emotional Suppression and Hand Washing as Coping
Mechanism among Maybank Employees in Malaysia.
A total of 127 responses were gathered via the survey. The minimum age of the respondents
of this survey is 22 and the maximum is 58. The respondents consisted of 4 ethnicities.

Figure 1

2. Profile of Respondents
Out of 127 respondents, 117 were Maybank staffs and 10 were non-Maybank staffs. 69 out
127 respondents were female and the remaining were male respondents.

Figure 2
 Ethnic group of Respondents

52 55

18

Malay Chinese Indian Others

Figure 3

As shown in figure 3, 55 out of 127 respondents which amounts up to 43.3% belong to the
Malay ethnicity while 18 out of 127 respondents which amounts up to 14.2% belong to the
Chinese ethnicity. The chart also shows that 52 out of 127 respondents which amounts up to
40.9% belong to the Indian ethnicity while 2 out of 127 (1.6% ) respondents are from other
ethnicities.
Figure 4

Education of Respondents

16% 1% Secondary
23% Diploma
Degree
Postgraduate

61%

Figure 5
The chart in Figure 5 shows that only 1 respondent has a secondary level education. About 29
respondents have Diploma, 77 respondents are degree holders and the remaining 20
respondents have postgraduate as their highest level of education.

Employment status

9 5
1) Full-time
2) Part-time
3) Unemployed

113

Figure 6
Figure 6 shows that 113 out of 127 respondents are employed full time, 9 of them are
employed part-time while the remaining 3 are unemployed.
 Chart Title

1 to 5
9
6 to 10
3
11 to 15
5 16 to 20
9 45 21 to 25
6 25 to 30
>30

51

Figure 7

In terms of frequency of handwashing daily, majority (51) respondents have stated that they
wash hands about 6 to 10 times. 45 respondents claimed that they wash hands 1 to 5 times a
day. About 9 respondents claimed to wash hands 16 to 20 times a day and another 9
respondents claimed to wash hands more than 30 times a day. While 6 respondents claimed to
wash hands 11 to 15 times a day, 5 respondents claimed to wash their hands 21 to 25 times
daily and the least number of respondents (3) claimed to wash hands 25 to 30 times a day
(refer to Figure 7).

3. Reliability Analysis
Figure 8

Figure 9
 According to the Cronbach’s Alpha table in Figure 9, a high alpha value could
indicate that the test items are highly connected, on the other hand, is affected by the
quantity of items in a test. The reliability test according to figure 8 is 0.899 for Covid-
19 health anxiety and 0.917 for emotional suppression. The values from the reliability
test shows that the result of the survey has high level of reliability

4. Correlation Analysis

Figure 10
The correlation between handwash and age factor in the table in Figure 10 shows a negative
value which further proves that the older the respondents are, the lesser the frequency of
handwash per day.
The correlation value between Covid-19 anxiety and emotional suppression shows a positive
value which means the higher the Covid-19 health anxiety, the higher emotional suppression.
The negative correlation between employment and Covid-19 anxiety shows that those who
are employed full-time are more anxious and those employed part-time have lesser anxiety.
This could be due to the fact that full-time employees are more exposed to the outer
environment. Therefore, respondents with the least anxiety are the unemployed individuals.

5. Regression Analysis
Figure 11

The table shows that R2 as 13.51% which indicates how much handwashing as a moderator
affects emotional suppression caused by Covid-19 health anxiety. The model is a significant
model as the model summary reading is lesser than 0.05. From the values in the table, it is
proven that Covid-19 health anxiety is significantly related to emotional suppression.
However, there is no relationship with handwashing as the moderator as the P-value is
negative as shown in the table above. Thus, the relationship between Covid-19 Health anxiety
as the independent variable, Handwashing as the moderator and emotional suppression as the
dependent variable is as deduced in the chart below.

Figure 12
Therefore, Maybank employees is said to have Covid-19 health anxiety which causes an
effect on emotional suppression, which means they tend to suppress their emotions. However,
the negative value for the relationship between handwashing as a moderator and emotional
suppression shows that it does not influence the dependent variable, meaning it has no
connection with the Maybank employees suppressing their emotions.

6. Power Analysis
The table in Figure 8 shows the calculation of Type 1 and 2 errors and the observed statistical
power. Type 1 error, which is the probability always must be equal to or lesser than 0.05 of
value and type 2 has to be lesser than 0.03 of value. Type 2 error is based on the formula 1-
Power. The power in this study is 0.917. There type 2 has been calculated as 1-0.917 as
shown in the Figure 8 below.

Figure 13
As the values for the Power is more than 0.8, for type 1 error is lesser than 0.5 and for type 2
is lesser than 0.3 as they should be, the sample size for the survey conducted is acceptable.
 7. Summary

Hypothesis Beta- Std Error P-Value Decision

Value
H1: Covid-19 Anxiety -> 0.6096 0.1873 0.0015 Supported
Emotional Suppression
H2: Moderating Effects of -0.0103 0. 0154 0.5073 Not Supported
Handwashing

In summary, as shown in the table above, hypothesis 1 is supported as Covid-19 health

anxiety directly affects emotional suppression in Maybank employees and hypothesis 2 is not
supported as it handwashing as a moderator is not relevant to the dependent variable which is
the emotional suppression.
Chapter 5
Discussion

1. Introduction
The findings of this study can have a big impact on a lot of people because they know about
Covid-19 health anxiety and emotional repression. Maybank's top management are in a
position to authorise and enforce precautions and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
including hand washing, provision of infrastructure to promote social distancing, and
approval of additional support services to be able to spot symptoms and assist employees who
are struggling. Managers can be on the lookout for workers who work odd hours or are absent
if they are aware of Covid-19 health concerns and emotional repression. These could be
symptoms of a deeper issue. During office hours, managers can advise them on potential
solutions such as handwashing, working from home, taking short walks in between tasks,
eating lunch in a different place to provide a mental break, and so on.
The study benefits Maybank HR Professionals because it allows them to facilitate steps such
as hand washing and SOPs that have been approved, as well as send out frequent reminders
to employees and ensure that they follow the SOPs and use the facilities offered.
Furthermore, the knowledge helps human resource personnel to strive for regular and early
communication with employees, including open and honest communication of what they
understand and should understand "as the situation progresses, touching issues such as job
security" (Grensing-Pophal, 2020).
Apart from the stakeholders mentioned, the study also benefits Maybank employees, because
it allows them to better identify the symptoms and put the measures in place. Employees will
be more at ease if they know the significance and effects of SOP activities like handwashing,
continual masking, and social separation. In this chapter, we will find out how Covid-19
health worry affects employee emotional suppression and if the role of handwashing in the
link between employee emotional repression and Covid-19 health anxiety.

2. Discussion of results

a) Respondents (meaning of the data)

Since the study is to capture the employees of Maybank, and 92.1% of the
respondents are employees of Maybank. Since they make up to be the majority of the
respondents, they are sufficient for the study. They is also close-to-equal distribution
of gender in this study to avoid discrimination or influences on the findings of the
survey. There are equal number of Malay ethnicities and Indian ethnicities, however,
lesser Chinese respondents. Majority of the respondents are degree holders and full-
time employees. Majority of the respondents, which is 91.3% are from the middle and
frontline management.

b) Hypothesis 1
H1: Covid-19 Anxiety -> Emotional Suppression
Hypothesis 1 talks about is the effects of Covid-19 health anxiety on employee emotional
suppression. The high Beta-value being 0.6096, shows that it is a strong predictor of
emotional suppression. The term "emotional suppression" refers to efforts to hide emotional
expression in order to sustain a false perception of well-being. Although suppression has been
found to be beneficial, it is less effective than reappraisal since it limits behavioural
expression of an emotion and is less likely to improve an emotion experience while
increasing physiological sensitivity in people who repress emotions. CovH anxiety is a
reaction to fear of having or getting COVID-19. This construct is based on the literature on
health anxiety (Afifi et al., 2018; Creed & Barsky, 2004). Specifically, situations that inspire
fear, such as the novel coronavirus, are likely to motivate people to suppress their emotions
through emotion suppression, a type of response-based emotion-focused ways to cope that is
used to regulate emotions after they are formed (Gross, 1998; Gross, 2015; Gross & John,
2003; Lazarus, 1991). Thus, the affective response to the pandemic on a global scale (i.e.,
CovH worry) results in emotion-focused coping in the manner of emotion suppression
(Cutuli, 2014).

c) Hypothesis 2
H2: Moderating Effects of Handwashing
The results show that handwashing as a moderator has no effect in helping the Maybank
employees overcome Covid-19 health anxiety nor does it influence them in their emotional
suppression. Even though the survey finds that some of employees they wash their hands 10
times a day and above, handwashing as a moderator does not hold significant effect on
emotional suppression according to the Regression analysis.

d) Underpinning Theory
From a practical perspective, our study speaks volumes about employees' experiences
throughout the COVID-19 issue. We documented workers' experiences beginning the week
social distancing orders were implemented, and are thus able to provide a fundamental
comprehension of how the situation has impacted workers' lives, as well as how they may
experience and deal with anxiety-inducing risk circumstances more broadly. To begin, it is
apparent that CovH anxiety has an influence on job performance, family engagement, and
personal wellness. Additionally, our research reveals that when confronted with a novel
threat, problem-focused coping in the form of a basic practise such as handwashing can help
attenuate the impact of situation-specific anxiety. Notably, there is no claim that handwashing
is a universal coping mechanism that works in all risky circumstances. Rather than that, there
is an emphasis the necessity of individuals participating in proper coping behaviours that are
appropriate for the environment they are in. Handwashing has been frequently advocated as a
technique to mitigate the COVID-19 threat. In other instances, like as when someone is
threatened with layoffs, taking proactive measures to ensure that work is completed
successfully may also lessen the impact of threat-related anxiety.
Based on the research and the hypotheses, Maybank employees are affected by the Covid-19
anxiety. Consequently, they are suppressing their emotions. Although, they have resorted to
handwashing as a moderator to cope with the anxiety, it is proven that it does not effectively
reduce their emotional suppression behavior. Self-determination theory examines the degree
to which an individual's behaviour is self-motivated or self-determined. When people's basic
needs are addressed, their productivity and wellness are generally higher than when their
basic needs are not fulfilled. This theory may not resonate in terms of reducing Covid-19
anxiety by using handwashing as a coping mechanism. This theory suggests that when the
desire is met, individuals feel a sense of expertise, achievement, and control which in this
case might help reduce emotional suppression. However, handwashing as a moderator did not
align with this theory to achieve reduction in emotional suppression. Deci and Ryan (2000)
observe that Self Determination Theory may be unable of identifying individual differences
in basic psychological requirements. However, a consideration of individual variances in
psychological demands is worthwhile since it may aid in the development of more effective
motivating mechanisms. Broeck, Ferris, Chang, and Rosen (2006) concluded that those three
demands generally constitute the primary criteria for basic psychological needs in their
evaluation of SDT. Nonetheless, they concluded that additional broad-based research is
required in organisational contexts. This further opens path to other that alternate actions such
as social distancing, vaccinations and isolations to be a better coping mechanism to reduce
Covid-19 health anxiety which subsequently might help in reducing emotional suppression.
Alternatively, Motive Determination Theory (MDT) by McClelland might be more useful in
this context. Similar to Self Determination Theory (SDT), MDT emphasizes the importance
of human needs and share the fundamental belief that understanding psychological needs is
necessary for understanding human functioning, including motivation, behaviour, and goal
pursuit (Deci & Ryan, 1985). MDT considers of implicit and explicit processes which is not
considered in Self Determination Theory. Additionally, needs are quantified differently in
SDT and MDT. Implicit motives, according to MDT, cannot be measured through self-
reports since they act subconsciously (McClelland et al., 1989).  Explicit motives form a
component of people's self-concept, and life ambitions. Both are cognitive and conscious
activities. Explicit motive systems include, but are not limited to, an individual's conscious
thoughts on his or her values and goals, cognitive beliefs, and logical choices about what is
most important to strive for in life. The cognitive schemas linked with the explicit
motivational system reflect evolutionarily younger cerebral elaborations (McClelland et al.,
1989). MDT also considers individuals hopes and fear and its evolutionary basis is variation
in motive strength through learning. This theory basically recognizes that individuals are
different and their needs could be different unlike SDT.

3. Conclusion
The findings of this study can have a big impact on a lot of people because they know about
Covid-19 health anxiety and emotional repression. The affective response to the pandemic on
a global scale (i.e., CovH worry) results in emotion-focused coping in the manner of emotion
suppression (Cutuli, 2014). The results show that handwashing as a moderator has no effect
in helping the Maybank employees overcome Covid-19 health anxiety nor does it influence
them in their emotional suppression. Hypothesis 2 not being supported made this research to
not resonate with the Self-Determination Theory to achieve reduction in emotional
suppression. This further opens path to other that alternate actions such as social distancing,
vaccinations and isolations to be a better coping mechanism to reduce Covid-19 health
anxiety which subsequently might help in reducing emotional suppression.

Chapter 6
Conclusion

1. Introduction
A study found that as the pandemic spread, Malaysians become more prone to depression.
Despair prevalence was near 60% among research participants using the DASS-21-D score
during data collection month as the COVID-19 pandemic entered its seventh month in the
country. The global burden of illness is heavily influenced by depression, which is a major
cause of disability (World Health Organisation, 2020). Anxiety (55.1%) and tension (30.6%)
were also highest near the end of the data collection period. Overall, the COVID-19 outbreak
increased the severity of general mental health issues. A mental disorder causes suicidal
thoughts and attempts (Chesney et. Al, 2014). Depression is the main risk factor for suicide
(Li et. Al, 2011). During the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide attempts and cases increased in
Malaysia (Kamel, 2020). These findings need prompt mental health surveillance and early
counselling in Malaysia to reduce harmful social impacts (Li et. Al, 2021).

Emotional repression among Maybank Malaysia personnel during the COVID-19 outbreak is
unknown. Anxiety is only anecdotally reported. Anxiety is common in a society. Anxiety,
wrath, perplexity, and tension have been linked to isolation and quarantine (Brooks et. al,
2020). Emotional suppression affects work performance (citation) and psychological well-
being (cite). It is unknown whether Maybank employees in Malaysia suffer from Covid-19
health anxiety and so emotional repression. This study also examines hand washing as a
coping method. Self-determination theory examines an individual's motivation and self-
determination. People are more productive, healthier, and happier when their basic needs are
satisfied.

2. Conclusion on findings
The outcomes of this study may have a significant impact on a large number of persons who
are aware of Covid-19-related health concerns and emotional repression. The worldwide
pandemic's affective reaction (i.e., CovH concern) results in emotion-focused coping in the
way of emotion suppression (Cutuli, 2014). The findings indicate that using handwashing as
a moderator has no effect on assisting Maybank employees in overcoming Covid-19 health
concerns or on their emotional repression. Because Hypothesis 2 was not substantiated, this
research did not align with the Self-Determination Theory's goal of reducing emotional
suppression. This further paves the way for alternative measures like as social distancing,
vaccines, and solitude to serve as a more effective coping technique for reducing Covid-19
health concerns, which may assist alleviate emotional repression.
 a) Implication for theory
Maybank personnel, according to the research and assumptions, are influenced by Covid-19
anxiety. As a result, they suppress their emotions. While they have used handwashing as a
moderator to cope with their fear, it has been demonstrated that it does not effectively lessen
their emotional suppression behaviour. Self-determination theory explores how self-
motivated or self-determined an individual's behaviour is. When people's basic requirements
are met, their productivity and well-being generally increase, whereas when their basic needs
are not met, their productivity and well-being decrease. This idea may not apply to the
reduction of Covid-19 anxiety by the use of handwashing as a way to cope. According to this
hypothesis, when a want is satisfied, individuals have a sense of knowledge, accomplishment,
and control, which may assist alleviate emotional suppression in this circumstance.
Nonetheless, handwashing as a moderating variable did not support this idea of emotional
repression reduction. This further paves the way for alternative measures like as social
distancing, vaccines, and solitude to serve as a more effective coping technique for reducing
Covid-19 health concerns, which may assist alleviate emotional repression. Therefore, it was
not useful to explain the relationships in the model. Motive Determination Theory might be
more useful in this context as it takes into account of both implicit and explicit motives and
considers about individuals hopes and fear.
b) Implication for practices
Knowing handwashing does not positively influence the reduction of emotional suppression,
Maybank's top management, as managers can approve and take interventions and standard
operating procedures (SOPs) such as provision of facilities that promote social distancing,
and approval of additional support services that enable managers to be on the lookout for
symptoms and assist staff who are struggling. Managers can be on the lookout for workers
who work irregular hours or are unavailable due to their knowledge of Covid-19 health
concerns and emotional repression which is no longer affected by handwashing. These could
be indications of a more serious underlying issue. Managers can then counsel them on
possible alternatives like as working from home, taking brief walks between jobs, eating
lunch in a different place to provide a mental break, and so on within normal business hours.
These findings may have large-scale consequences for preserving the mental health of
individuals and at-risk individuals and for improving the quality of psychological
interventions. For instance, these findings may provide guidance for assisting healthcare
practitioners who report severe levels of subjective suffering (Bohken et. al, 2020) but also on
individuals, families, and workers who seek psychological care as a result of the pandemic
(Salari et. al, 2020). In terms of Maybank's human resource professionals, they can now
support other approved measures like standard operating procedures (SOPs) and send out
frequent reminders to employees, as well as to ensure that staff follow the SOPs and utilise
the facilities given. Additionally, the knowledge helps human resource professionals to strive
for regular and early communication with employees, including open and upfront
communication of what they know and do not know "when situations such as job security
evolve" (Grensing-Pophal, 2020). Maybank employees can grasp the significance and
consequences of other SOP procedures continual masking, and social separation, resulting in
mental relaxation.
 3. Limitations of the research
The limitations to this research would be having unequal distribution in terms of ethnicities.
Majority of the respondents were Malay and Indian ethnicities. Therefore, the study does not
fully speak on behalf of other ethnicities. Besides, the study is limited to one branch of
Maybank, which is located in Bangsar only. Besides that, the study consisted very low
numbers of top management level and included unemployed individuals as well.

4. Direction for future research

The future of this research could focus on alternatives as moderators such as vaccination
policies, social distancing, isolations, frequency of workplace disinfections and work from
home policies. Besides that, future research could also focus on wider coverage of Maybank
branches in Malaysia. Wider coverage of branches could also result in inclusion of higher
numbers of the top management level and equal distribution of ethnicities which were some
of the limitations of this study.

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