Covid or not Covid? Psychological Distress and Entrepreneurial Intentions among Canadian Workers during the Pandemic

Coulombe, Simon [Université Laval] Dejardin, Marcus [UCL] Luc, Sylvain [Université Laval]

Triggering events can be associated with entrepreneurial intentions. Using data from a survey on the mental health of Canadian workers carried out in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, we specifically test the association between entrepreneurial intentions and psychological distress, along with other individual demographic and personal-level measurements such as risk-aversion, and financial concern. Our results substantiate a positive relationship between entrepreneurial intention and individual psychological distress, as well as financial deterioration measured at the household level. Taken as a whole, our contribution helps to feed a discussion on the links between mental health and entrepreneurship in a process of personal resilience and, more generally, on well-being as a motivational factor in the entrepreneurial process.