Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on career development: Insights from cultural psychology

Collective Resilience and Coping Mechanisms Among International Faculty Members Amid Snap Lockdowns During the Delta and Omicron Variant Outbreaks in East China

This study explores international faculty members' resilience and the active challenges to establishing coping mechanisms while facing a mental health crisis provoked by the Delta and Omicron lockdowns in China. Grounded in a qualitative approach, this study used a transcendental phenomenological methodology to examine 16 international faculty members affiliated with higher education institutions in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. The findings showed that participants had various mental health issues amid snap lockdowns and persistent nucleic acid application tests. They perceived the most influential sources of coping mechanisms to be (a) social and emotional support; (b) prosocial behavior; and (c) engagement with the public and social services alongside the domestic faculty members. This study emphasizes the significance of collective resilience and prosocial behaviors, calling on future scholars to pay more attention to the host group's cultural values and community resilience as coping mechanisms during the public health crisis provoked by the pandemic.

A qualitative analysis of STEM female's coping strategy under the COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of the research was to realize the STEM female's career coping under the pandemic. We conducted in-depth interviews with three STEM female engineers in Silicon Valley, California. After analyzing the research results, we found that: (1) In response to the impact of the pandemic, technology companies and female workers have demonstrated their ability to respond quickly; (2) While working from home, STEM females experienced five notable challenges, but also developed corresponding coping strategies; (3) Corporate systems and teamwork in the STEM fields utilize external resources to help female workers respond effectively to the pandemic.

How National Culture Influences the Speed of COVID-19 Spread: Three Cross-Cultural Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected 222 countries and territories around the globe. Notably, the speed of COVID-19 spread varies significantly across countries. This cross-cultural research proposes and empirically examines how national culture influences the speed of COVID-19 spread in three studies. Study 1 examines the effects of Hofstede's national cultural dimensions on the speed of COVID-19 spread in 60 countries. Drawing on the GLOBE study (House et al., 2004), Study 2 investigates how GLOBE cultural dimensions relate to the speed of the pandemic's spread in 55 countries. Study 3 examines the effect of cultural tightness in 31 countries. We find that five national cultural dimensions - power distance, uncertainty avoidance, humane orientation, in-group collectivism, and cultural tightness - are significantly related to the speed of COVID-19 spread in the initial stages, but not in the later stages, of the pandemic. Study 1 shows that the coronavirus spreads faster in countries with small power distance and strong uncertainty avoidance. Study 2 supports these findings and further reveals that countries with low humane orientation and high in-group collectivism report a faster spread of the disease. Lastly, Study 3 shows that COVID-19 spreads slower in countries with high cultural tightness.

Psychological distress, optimism and emotion regulation among Israeli Jewish and Arab pregnant women during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Pregnancy is a vulnerable period for women, and it is especially so under the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas there is some evidence for distress among pregnant women during the outspread of COVID-19, little is known about the second wave of the pandemic. We therefore sought to examine the contribution of background variables, ethnicity (Jewish, Arab), personal resources (optimism, emotion regulation), and COVID-19-related anxieties to pregnant Israeli women's psychological distress.

METHOD

A convenience sample of 1127 Israeli women was recruited from 5 July to 7 October 2020.

RESULTS

Not having an academic degree, lower economic status, being an Arab woman, poorer physical health, lower levels of optimism and cognitive reappraisal, higher levels of emotion suppression and COVID-19-related anxieties all contributed significantly to greater psychological distress. Finally, ethnicity moderated the relationship between optimism and emotion suppression and the woman's level of psychological distress.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings reveal risk and resilience factors associated with the psychological distress of pregnant women during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the potentially greater vulnerability of women from a minority group, showing that ethnicity plays a central role in the way personal resources are related to psychological distress at such times.

A systematic review on the cultural factors associated with stigma during pandemics

Both public stigma and perceived self-stigma are prevalent during pandemics threatening a divide among the global community. This systematic review examined the cultural factors associated with viral respiratory-related pandemic stigma. Following PRISMA guidelines, the keywords, "culture, stigma, and pandemic" were searched across relevant databases for empirical papers between January 2000 to March 2022. Quality assessment and coding were adopted in the screening process. Thirty-one articles were included in the final analysis. Themes revealed that collectivistic values, cultural identities, and non-western regions were associated with public (others) stigma; mismatch of cultural values, minority groups, and North America, Asia, Oceania, and African regions were associated with higher perceived and self-stigma. We further mapped the themes into a proposed systemic cultural stigma model to integrate the dynamic intersection of cultural values, identity, and ecology. The cultural factors and their influence on stigma were then explained by drawing on two evolutionary theories: Cultural rationality theory and scapegoating theory. Lastly, we proposed culturally sensitive and responsive practices for stigma management at the community level, especially in non-Western regions during the pandemic recovery phase.

Brief Assessment of Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping Strategies During Pandemic

This study aimed to analyse the internal structure, internal consistency, and convergent and divergent validity for the Coping Strategies Scale. We found a two-factor solution (maladaptive coping; adaptative coping) with a second-order general factor (coping strategies) that demonstrated adequate factorial structure and internal consistency for a brief nine items instrument in a sample of 211 economically active Brazilians (M_age = 37.07; SD = 13.03). The adaptive strategies factor converged with quality of life and work. It also diverged from phobia, stress, and anxiety. Maladaptive coping strategies converged with phobia, stress, and anxiety and diverged from the quality of work and life. According to the results, we found that coping strategies are a vital personal resource to overcome daily adversity, including those from the current pandemic. The present instrument may impact worldwide, offering conditions to investigate and promote mental health positive outcomes by reinforcing coping assessment during pandemics.

The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on work connectivity behavior

Introduction

Based on event system theory, this study analyzed the influence of the event strength of major public health outside the organization on work connectivity behavior.

Methods

The study collected data from 532 employees on their psychological status and working style during the COVID-19 pandemic through an online questionnaire survey.

Results

The results show that driven by financial risk perception, female employees are more willing to pay work connectivity behavior than male employees and unmarried employees are more willing to pay work connectivity behavior than married employees. The risk perception of employees aged 28-33 has the greatest impact on workplace behavior. The impact of financial risk perception on behavior of employees without children is much higher than that of employees with children. The influence of financial risk perception and social risk perception on their behavior of employees with master's degree is much higher than that of health risk perception, but the workplace behavior of employees with doctor's degree is mainly affected by health risk perception.

Discussion

The novelty of the Corona Virus Disease event has a negative influence on work connectivity duration. The criticality, disruption of the Corona Virus Disease event has a positive influence on work connectivity duration. The criticality of the Corona Virus Disease event has a positive influence on work connectivity frequency. Employees' social risk perception, financial risk perception and health risk perception has a positive influence on the work connectivity duration and work connectivity frequency.

COVID-19 and individual performance in global virtual teams: The role of self-regulation and individual cultural value orientations

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, global virtual teams (GVTs) have become increasingly important. Drawing on conservation of resources theory and self-regulation theory, we examined the mechanism and process underlying individuals' performance in GVTs in this specific situation. We posit that the local severity of the pandemic has a negative effect on individuals' performance in GVTs and that self-regulation functions as a coping mechanism in times of pandemic-related ambient stress, reducing its negative effect on performance. We suggest that three cultural value orientations, that is, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism, and long-term orientation, explain different levels of self-regulation, which in turn moderates the relationship between the local severity of the pandemic and individual performance in GVTs. Based on a sample of 2727 individuals from 31 countries participating in an international business consulting project during the early stage of the unfolding pandemic, we show that (a) the local severity of the pandemic had a negative effect on individuals' performance, (b) the negative effect of the pandemic on performance is weaker for individuals with high self-regulation, and (c) uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation are positively associated with self-regulation, which mediates the moderating relationship between the cultural value orientations and the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and individual performance in GVTs.

Consumers and service robots: Power relationships amid COVID-19 pandemic

Robotics significantly influence retail and consumer services. The COVID-19 pandemic further amplified the rise of service robots (SRs) through social distancing measures. While robots are embraced widely by retailers and service providers, consumers’ interaction with SRs remains an intriguing avenue of research across contexts. By taking a relative social power perspective, we report on a series of pre- and intra-COVID-19 studies. Our findings suggest that Gen-Z consumers hold more positive attitudes towards SRs perceived as lower in power vis-à-vis the human user. The longitudinal nature of our study also reveals that while attitudes towards such low-power services turned more negative during the COVID-19 pandemic, attitudes towards SRs that are high in power vis-à-vis the human user remained stable. In practical terms, while Gen-Z consumers hold more positive attitudes towards low-power robots, such service providers also face the challenge of relatively changeable attitudes towards them, especially during crisis times.

The evolvement of trust in response to the COVID-19 pandemic among migrants in Norway

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound consequences for the world's population, particularly for vulnerable groups like migrants who face barriers to healthcare access. Trust in authorities is crucial to any crisis management strategy implemented by a government. However, trust in authorities is linked to trust in other areas of life and it evolves during a crisis. This study explores migrants' trust in the Norwegian government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured interviews from April to May 2020 with migrants from Somalia (10), Syria (15), Sri Lanka (10), Chile (10) and Poland (10) who were living in Norway. Interviews were conducted via telephone and in participants' mother tongue. Data were analysed thematically using the systematic text condensation method.

RESULTS

Trust was established at four levels: (i) in the personal sphere, (ii) in Norwegian society in general, (iii) in the Norwegian authorities' management of the pandemic, and (iv) in the transnational sphere. Trust was deeply rooted in relationships with individuals, groups and entities, across countries. High trust in authorities emerged in the accounts of participants who felt they were taken care of in the diverse relationships they established in Norway, particularly during the crisis.

CONCLUSION

Pandemics create more vulnerability but also opportunities for trust-building. Trust-building can be fostered through relationships in the host country that provide the foundation for migrants to feel included. Healthcare providers are in a position from which they can nurture trust as they can build relationships with migrants over time.

The career identity of young working fathers in dual-earner relationships: A family-relatedness of work decisions perspective

Introduction

Taking on an identity lens, we explore how young working fathers (in the establishment phase of their careers), experience their careers in the context of their changing family roles (shifting ideologies of fathering). We propose that working fathers’ work experiences, work decisions, and career identity are the product of social and cognitive processes in a dual-earner relationship.

Materials and methods

This qualitative study was conducted using an interpretive, and qualitative survey. The data was collected amongst a purposive sample of 45 young South African, well-educated, working fathers, using semi-structured interviews, until data saturation was reached. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

The three main themes extracted from the data were: “the meaning of family identity,” “the impact of family identity on career identity,” and finally, “the types of negotiation scenarios” used by working fathers in dual-earner relationships, and how they balance the work-family challenges they face.

Conclusion

This study provides strong empirical support for the family-relatedness of the work decisions perspective, as we highlight the roles of working fathers as indicative of their family identities, and how these then influence their career decisions. Furthermore, our findings shed light on how dual-earner couples negotiate their work-family needs to foster positive work-family outcomes.

Building the Culture of Public Health as a Positive Reflection from the COVID-19 Crisis

The goal of this study was to look at the impact of different components of COVID-19 on the development of a public health culture during the COVID-19 pandemic. Culture is largely acknowledged to have the greatest and most profound influence on many aspects of human and group behavior. Culture is the process of integration that distinguishes members of one group or category of people through others; in other words, culture is the operating system of the communities, cultural nuances among societies cause people to demonstrate different behavioral patterns in the face of events. However, the cultural differences of each community make it impossible to apply these metrics universally. Observing the impact of countries’ cultural traits in the fight against outbreaks is one area where social scientists have not put much attention. As a result, this study demonstrates how cultural shifts affect their fight against outbreaks and public health challenges. The human response to COVID-19 is likely to be influenced by country culture and how (and when) overcome will be determined by it. Cultural ideas and assumptions should be assessed as part of public health interventions. These interventions should indeed be addressed at the societal level to stimulate awareness and participation while also guaranteeing culturally relevant events. Healthcare practitioners should emphasize public health exertions on culturally relevant forms of instruction, prevention, behavior and follow-up for successful pandemic management, effective screening, and diagnosis in infected individuals. Public health professionals must recognize the significance of this and learn to use communication messaging and guidelines, which must be culturally acceptable and context-dependent rather than merely grounded on medical methodologies, as was the case in many countries with COVID-19 management.

Micro-level social structures and the success of COVID-19 national policies

Similar policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in different success rates. Although many factors are responsible for the variances in policy success, our study shows that the micro-level structure of person-to-person interactions-measured by the average household size and in-person social contact rate-can be an important explanatory factor. To create an explainable model, we propose a network transformation algorithm to create a simple and computationally efficient scaled network based on these micro-level parameters, as well as incorporate national-level policy data in the network dynamic for SEIR simulations. The model was validated during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated that it can reproduce the dynamic ordinal ranking and trend of infected cases of various European countries that are sufficiently similar in terms of some socio-cultural factors. We also performed several counterfactual analyses to illustrate how policy-based scenario analysis can be performed rapidly and easily with these explainable models.

Validity and Reliability of Cultural Mix Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations among Healthcare Professionals in Ghana Amidst COVID-19

The Cultural Mix Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations is one of the recent coping measures developed to overcome the weaknesses of existing coping scales. Since its development and validation, the inventory has been used by previous studies to measure coping among teachers and students in stressful situations. Health professionals are workers who typically encounter stressful situations due to their work demands. In this study, we assessed the validity and reliability of cultural mix inventory for stressful situations among healthcare professionals in Ghana. The research was guided by three major objectives: (1) to assess the factor structure of the cultural mix coping inventory, (2) to evaluate the construct validity and reliability of the cultural mix coping inventory based on internal structure and (3) to test for evidence of criterion validity based on the external structure of the measure. Approximately 312 health workers were purposefully sampled to participate in the study. The study confirmed the original four-factor solution of the coping inventory with evidence of the construct validity based on the internal structure. Validity evidence based on the external structure of the measure was found to be sufficient. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and coupled with the stressful nature in the line of duty of healthcare professionals, this inventory provides a useful and sound measure of coping options among this cohort.

The mediating effect of self-efficacy on career aspiration and organizational support with subjective career success among Malaysian women managers during the Covid-19 pandemic

The lives and jobs of many people have been negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdowns to curb the pandemic have resulted in many people having to work from home. The question that arises is whether women's jobs are more vulnerable to the crisis. In this regard, it would be useful to understand the factors that affect career success, specifically that of Malaysian women managers. The present study sought to examine the impact of career aspiration and organizational support on subjective career success, as well the mediating role of self-efficacy in these relationships. The participants comprised 146 Malaysian women managers who had completed an occupational self-efficacy scale, career aspiration scale, as well as perceived organizational support and subjective career success inventory. The results of multiple linear regression indicated that those with high levels of career aspiration and perceived organizational support were positively associated with subjective career success. In this connection, self-efficacy mediated both relationships. The findings provided a better understanding of women managers' perception of career success in the service sector.

Effective factors in people's preventive behaviors during covid-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-synthesis

Background

The overwhelming outbreak of covid-19 has forced governments all over the world to consider different measures to face this challenging situation. A vitally important element to the declining transmission of viruses is changing behaviors based on reliable information. This study was designed and implemented to identify factors affecting the preventive behaviors during the covid-19 pandemic.

Methods

This thematic synthesis was carried out in order to create a set of central themes that summarize all of the issues raised in the articles reviewed in this study. We used PRISMA 2020 guidelines to direct this systematic review and meta synthesis. The process of analyzing data includes three different stages: 1) creating codes; 2) production of descriptive themes; 3) and finally, the creation of analytical themes. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist was used to evaluate the articles' quality.

Results

Five central themes emerged from 8 included articles, (1) Social factors (subthemes: environmental context, political leadership, multimedia), (2) Cultural factors (subthemes: national culture, religious culture, the family beliefs, work culture, foreign culture), (3) Economic factors (subthemes: economic situation of the individual, the government supports, infrastructures), (4) Personal factors (subthemes: people experiences, cognitive ability, physical factors, different motivational level, sense of responsibility, risk management, and self-management skills), and (5) Knowledge and Education factors (subthemes: access to information, skill training). Furthermore, SRQR items that were weakly reported were “researcher characteristics and reflexivity”, “Sampling strategy”, “Data collection methods”, “Data analysis”, and “techniques to enhance trustworthiness.

Conclusion

Health policymakers and other public health officials in various countries can use the factors listed to develop appropriate, evidence-based policies. They should investigate behavioral characteristics in their community based on their abilities, and then design and implement appropriate executive actions.

Does COVID-19 pandemic trigger career anxiety in tourism students? Exploring the role of psychological resilience

This study aims to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affects career anxiety of tourism students, who are the potential future employees of tourism and hospitality industry. Data was collected using an online survey with 1097 undergraduate students in the field of tourism in Turkey. The results of the study revealed that perceived risk of infection and fear of COVID-19 significantly impact students' career anxiety, and fear of COVID-19 mediate the relationship between perceived infection risk and career anxiety. In addition, the results indicated that psychological resilience, which is an individual resource against difficulties, represents a factor that reduces career anxieties of students in the face of pandemic-related negative impacts. The findings contribute to the understanding of how pandemic diseases affect career anxiety in students, who are the future workforce of the tourism sector, and to determine the role of individual resources such as psychological resilience in this process.

The effect of loving-kindness meditation on employees’ mindfulness, affect, altruism and knowledge hiding

Background

This study investigated the effects of the loving-kindness meditation (LKM) on employees’ mindfulness, affect, altruism and knowledge hiding.

Methods

In total, 100 employees were recruited from a knowledge-based enterprise in China and randomly divided into the LKM training group (n = 50) and the control group (n = 50). The LKM training group underwent LKM training for 8 weeks, while the control group did not. Seven main variables (mindfulness, altruism positive affect, negative affect, playing dumb, rationalized hiding, and evasive hiding) were measured both before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the LKM training intervention.

Results

The LKM intervention significantly increased participants’ altruism, and significantly reduced negative affect, playing dumb and evasive hiding, but did not significantly improve mindfulness, positive affect, and rationalized hiding.

Conclusions

LKM significantly improved employees’ altruism, and significantly reduce their negative affect, but did not significantly improve their mindfulness and positive affect. For knowledge hiding, LKM significantly reduced playing dumb and evasive hiding, but had no significant effect on rationalized hiding. These results further elucidate the psychological effects of LKM and suggest the possibility of reducing knowledge hiding in the workplace.

Trial registration

ChiCTR2200057460. Registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR), 13 March 2022—Retrospectively registered.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Teachers' Classroom Safety Perception, Anxiety and Coping Strategies during Instructional Delivery

Several professionals, including teachers, have been engrossed in fear of the worst happening due to COVID-19 and the rapidly evolving nature of the virus affecting the perception of safety in any working environment. This study examined teachers' perception of classroom safety, anxiety, and coping strategies during instructional delivery in senior high schools in Ghana. Adopting the cross-sectional survey design with a quantitative approach, a convenient sample of 174 senior high school teachers in the Cape Coast Metropolis completed a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression. The findings showed that teachers perceived their classroom environment as unsafe during instructional delivery amidst COVID-19 and reported modest to extreme levels of anxiety. Further, teachers with a high level of COVID-19 anxiety were found to utilize active coping strategies to manage stressful situations. The reported unsafe working environment in schools during pandemic times highlights the critical role of supportive working environments for teachers' mental and psychological wellness. School counseling psychologists, school welfare officers, and school health coordinators should collaborate to implement interventions (e.g., social emotional learning; resilience strategies) that promote the wellbeing of teachers and a safe working environment.

“Sex as a way to gain some control”: Sexual subjectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted dynamics of sexual health, including sexual subjectivity, or the way in which someone thinks of themself as a sexual being and feels entitled to pleasure. This study examines how adults in the US perceive changes in their sexual subjectivity related to the pandemic. We conducted an online survey ( N = 326), and included thematic analyses related to open-ended questions. The following themes emerged: intentional self-reflection, control of change, control of perspective, control of relationships, control of communication, and control of sexual behavior. Our findings have implications for psychological and public health approaches. We find large overlap of “capacity and engagement in self-reflection” across other themes. The implications and durability of these changes are unknown.

Integrating trauma‐informed care into career counseling: A response to COVID‐19 job loss for Black, indigenous, and people of color

The drastic increase among the U.S. unemployment rate led to increased trauma among those who lost their job as a result of the global COVID‐19 pandemic. Combined with racial and ethnic disparities, the culmination of these traumatic stressors creates unique challenges and barriers for individuals from historically marginalized populations and low socioeconomic backgrounds. In this article, we explore how trauma‐informed care can be integrated into career development practices for career practitioners. We provide a conceptualization of trauma‐informed practice, interventions, and practical implications for career practitioners to incorporate in their work with historically marginalized clients.

Development and Validation of an Inventory for Stressful Situations in University Students Involving Coping Mechanisms: An Interesting Cultural Mix in Ghana

Cognitive and behavioural coping strategies are relevant approaches for individuals such as university students as they attempt to manage stressful situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other academic-related pursuits within their social milieu. Although several instruments have been developed to measure the coping situations of such individuals, few studies have developed students’ specific coping inventories, with none in the African context. Of the few that exist, a culturally dominant code such as religion has been ignored by many scholars in the development of coping measures. In this study, a cultural-mix coping inventory was developed and validated using university students in Ghana. Two distinct interrelated objectives were addressed. First, the structure of the coping inventory was identified through principal component analysis. Further confirmatory factor as well as reliability analyses were then performed to provide evidence of construct validity of the scale. The outcome of the study revealed a sixteen-item psychometrically sound coping inventory with a four-dimensional structure, namely, active coping, religious coping, behaviour disengagement, and emotional support. The implications of the results are further discussed in detail.

COVID-19-Related Knowledge and Anxiety Response among Physical Education Teachers during Practical In-Person Lessons: Effects of Potential Moderators

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in heightened anxiety levels among teachers, especially regarding PE teachers who are required to engage students in practical in-person or contact teaching lessons. Previous research showed that these levels of anxiety among PE teachers appeared to be explained by the interplay between COVID-19 knowledge, workplace safety perception, and educational qualification. This study assessed the relationship between COVID-19-related knowledge and anxiety response among PE teachers during such practical lessons while moderating the effects of workplace safety perception and educational qualification within the relationship. The study conveniently recruited 160 PE teachers to solicit responses through both online and printed questionnaires. Using correlation and linear regression analyses, the study revealed a significant negative relationship between COVID-19-related knowledge and anxiety response among PE teachers. The educational qualification of PE teachers did not significantly moderate the association between COVID-19-related knowledge and anxiety response. Workplace safety perception significantly moderated the association between COVID-19-related knowledge and anxiety response among PE teachers. The findings remind educational authorities about the essence of creating a positive and safe working environment conducive to academic work. Achieving this goal requires the provision of adequate COVID-19 management logistics (e.g., personal protective equipment, hand sanitizers) by educational authorities for PE teachers to maintain safety practices and optimal learning conditions.

The role of collectivism and moderating effect of IT proficiency on intention to disclose protected health information

This paper aims to identify and understand factors affecting insiders’ intention to disclose patients’ medical information and to investigate how these factors affect the intention to disclose. Based on the literature review on deterrence theory and health information security awareness (HISA), we identify relevant factors and develop a research model explaining insiders’ intention to disclose patients’ health information. We collect data (N = 105) through scenario-based experiments. Results show that two personal factors, collectivism, and IT proficiency, play a significant role in the model. While collectivism affects two components (health information security regulation awareness and punishment severity awareness) of HISA which influences intention to disclose, IT proficiency moderates the relationship between HISA and intention to disclose. In addition, HISA negatively affects reporting assessment and intention to disclose. This paper aims to fill a research gap in understanding factors affecting insiders' intentions to disclose protected health information. We identify and investigate factors (e.g., collectivism, HISA, reporting assessment, and IT proficiency) that may affect insiders' disclosing intentions. We find that collectivism affects two components of HISA which influence reporting assessment and disclosing intention. We also discover that IT proficiency moderates the relationship between HISA and intention to disclose. Our findings suggest that we need to carefully consider personal factors such as collectivistic nature and IT proficiency in managing insiders' security breaches.

Perceived Safety of Learning Environment and Associated Anxiety Factors during COVID-19 in Ghana: Evidence from Physical Education Practical-Oriented Program

The outbreak of COVID-19 led to the swift migration to alternate instructional delivery models and pedagogical practices in educational institutions. This study examined the perceived safety of the learning environment and associated anxiety factors among physical education students amidst COVID-19. Using a cross-sectional design, a sample of 638 students drawn purposively and conveniently from a public university in Ghana completed a self-developed questionnaire. Frequency counts, percentages, and ordered logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Findings of the study showed that students perceived the practical lesson environment as unsafe, with self-reported moderate to high levels of anxiety during their practical lessons. The ordered logistic regression results revealed that varied factors such as age, COVID-19 information platforms, certainty about personal safety, and adequacy of preparation to manage COVID-19 cases were associated with anxiety. The study concluded that an unsafe practical physical education learning environment increases the anxiety levels of students. Academic departments/units should provide periodic interventions (e.g., positive self-talk, mental rehearsal, cognitive restructuring) and counseling services for students amidst the ongoing pandemic to help moderate situational-specific anxiety. In addition, key to the management of students' anxiety is the provision of a safe and supportive school environment, including the provision of adequate personal protective equipment for practical lessons by school authorities.

Step In, Step Out from the First Lockdown: An Exploration of COVID-19 Perceptions in France and Quebec

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research was to describe and analyze the role of psychological and behavioral factors on perceptions of COVID-19 in France and Quebec at three different times during the pandemic.

DESIGN

We conducted three qualitative and quantitative studies (Study 1 N = 255, Study 2 N = 230, Study 3 N = 143). Participants were asked to evaluate psychological and behavioral measures: at the beginning of lockdown (Study 1), during lockdown (Study 2), and during lockdown exit (Study 3).

RESULTS

Results of Study 1 show that perceptions of COVID-19 are organized around fear and a sense of threat. During the lockdown, participants mentioned for the first time the health practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (Study 2). Psychological and social impacts constitute a central theme in participants' discourse (Study 2 and 3).

CONCLUSIONS

The results show that perceptions of risk during a pandemic are socially constructed. Perceptions seem to be influenced by the political and health management of a territory and by the evolution of behavioral and psychological responses.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Industrial Organisational Psychologists in South Africa: Imagining new professional roles

Orientation

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the world of work. An understanding is needed of this impact and the positioning of roles of professional psychologists in response to adjusting to the new normal.

Research purpose

This study investigated the challenges faced by Industrial Organisational (IO) Psychologists in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the study aimed at ascertaining the professional roles that emanate from such challenges.

Motivation of the study

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, calls exist within the literature for nuanced disciplinary studies that explore the impact of the pandemic. One such discipline is that of Industrial Psychology (IP), a discipline deemed important not only for the development of individuals but also for organisations.

Research approach, design and method

A qualitative research approach utilising semi-structured interviews was conducted with 25 IO Psychologists. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the collected data using the suggestions by Braun and Clarke.

Main findings

Two main findings emerged from the study informed by the thematic analysis conducted. Firstly, the IO Psychologists expressed challenges of a direct nature affecting their practice and individual well-being. Secondly, the participating IO Psychologists suggested resultant professional roles that emerged from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These included (1) prioritisation of personal physical and mental health, (2) more technological skills and acumen needed to adjust to the challenges posed by the pandemic, (3) promotion of continued professional learning and (4) the necessity for support networks amongst practitioners.

Practical/managerial implications

Implications are drawn for the practitioners and individuals working within the IO Psychology context. These extend at assisting the practitioners within the presented challenges.

Contribution/value-add

Through the findings, suggestions to inform IO Psychology as a practice are made. Furthermore, roles in assisting IO Psychologists to adjust to the new normal are suggested. The study becomes one of the first within these disciplines to charter suggestions for this important practice.

Using a cultural and social identity lens to understand pandemic responses in the US and India

The world over, countries have been racing to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Central to the mitigation of the virus spread is the ability of nations to ensure behavior of its people adheres to the constraints imposed in the wake of the pandemic. However, there has been much variation in how individuals and collectives have responded in conformance to expected behavioral changes necessitated by the pandemic. The paper offers a cross-cultural and social identity perspective based on group categorizations to understand the variation in pandemic responses in the context of two different countries, that of India and the United States. Relevant cultural dimensions of difference shaping behavior such as individualism-collectivism, power distance, and other cultural norms shaping divergent behavioral responses in the US and India are examined. Differing group categorizations relevant for each country are also explored to understand the dynamics of behavioral response, be it adherence to mask wearing and following norms of social distancing, or the migrant labor exodus in India from urban to rural areas amidst the first wave of the pandemic. Implications for managing behavioral responses considering cross-cultural differences and group categorization processes are also discussed.

"Everybody Needs to Do Their Part, So We Can Get This Under Control." Reactions to the Norwegian Government Meta-Narratives on COVID-19 Measures

On March 12, 2020, the Norwegian government put the country on lock-down to get the COVID-19 situation under control. Making people adhere to restrictive measures is difficult. Even so, the Norwegian government largely succeeded in getting the population to comply and became the first European country to announce control over the situation. In this study, we ask what narratives the government put forth in their communication of the measures and how these measures were handled and made sense of in personal narratives at the general population level. We base our discussion on near daily government press conferences in March-April, as well as qualitative interviews with 16 individuals. Using a cultural narrative perspective on the data, we tie these meta-narratives and personal narratives together. Persuading people to comply with prevention and control measures in a crisis is crucial, and our study shows the importance of the selection of meta-narratives. There will be cultural differences in governance and receptiveness of the population across different settings, and our study suggests that governments will have to balance where on different continua they place their COVID-19 narratives, balancing freedom up against restrictions, hope against fear, and individualism against solidarity.

Human Resources during COVID-19: A Monthly Survey on Mental Health and Working Attitudes of Czech Employees and Managers during the Year 2020

This study investigates the effect of COVID-19 lockdowns and non-lockdown phases on managers and employees in the Czech Republic in the year 2020. The Czech Republic came through the first COVID-19 wave in spring 2020 with low case numbers, but became one of the countries with the highest case incidences in the second autumn wave in Europe. The study focused on examining the differences of perceptions on digital readiness of the company, working style, and mental health variables of working personnel in lockdown and non-lockdown phases. Data was obtained by an online survey conducted monthly from March-2020 to December-2020 with the same questions each month. Collected data consisted of respondents’ basic information on the actual situation, on perceptions on company and technology and on perceptions of the own mental state in the given month, retrieved from a pool of employees and managers from the Czech Republic machine and equipment manufacturers’ industry. Statistical analysis was conducted with the Kruskal-Wallis test for ordinal variables to check for significant differences in perceptions during 2020. Results show that managers in general and telecommuting-experienced workers in particular are better able to adapt to forced home office, while telecommuting-inexperienced employees struggle to adapt positively even with increasing company support and with an increasing digital team communication.

Five Roles for Psychologists in Addressing Climate Change, and How They Are Informed by Responses to the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract. This paper discusses five areas where psychologists have roles in helping to address climate change, its effects on the planet and human beings, these five areas are as follows: (1) Changing human behaviors that are causing climate change. (2) Increasing human connection with nature in positive ways to heal both the planet and human beings. (3) Advising and assisting on leadership for good governance to protect the planet. (4) Providing support and psychological interventions for those affected by climate change. (5) Preparing for bad outcomes and helping adaptation and survival should these occur. This paper considers the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and how responses to it give insights for responses to climate change.

The Positive Effects of Unneeded Consumption Behaviour on Consumers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has become an important global contagion that requires workers to implement necessary behaviours to cope. Based on the conservation of resources theory, the present studies explore the effects of unneeded consumption behaviour on consumers' recovery level and work engagement and the moderated mediating process of such relationships. Using a purchasing experiment, study 1 examined the positive effect of unneeded consumption behaviour on recovery among 100 MBA students. Using the experience sampling method, the data in study 2 were collected from 115 consumers (employees) using ten iterations of 2-day continual questionnaires (Sunday and the following Monday) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results from multilevel structural equation modelling indicate that unneeded consumption behaviour positively impacts work engagement in a moderated mediating mode. Consumer indulgence positively moderates the mediating effect of recovery level on the relationship between indulgent consumption behaviour and work engagement, while perceived consumer effectiveness negatively moderates the mediating effect of recovery level. This paper also identifies the value of transformation from consumption to work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Culture Related Factors May Shape Coping During Pandemics

This study aimed to examine how anxiety related to different styles of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these relationships were moderated by the cultural orientations of individualism/collectivism and a person’s sense of meaning in life. A sample of 849 participants from Georgia completed an online survey during the final stage of lockdown. To measure the main variables, we used the State Anxiety Inventory, the Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism Scale, the Meaning of Life Questionnaire, the COVID-19 Worry Scale, and the Ways of Coping Scale tailored to COVID-19 pandemic. The latter measured rational coping via the subscales of information accessing/processing and action-planning coping, and affective coping – via the subscales of passive-submissive and avoidant coping. Results suggested that anxiety positively predicted both affective coping styles and negatively predicted the action-planning coping style, while COVID-19 worry predicted all coping styles; presence of meaning in life positively predicted both rational coping styles and negatively predicted the avoidant coping style, while search for meaning positively predicted all coping styles; individualism negatively predicted the passive-submissive style and positively predicted the action-planning style, whereas collectivism predicted all coping styles; furthermore, individualism and collectivism moderated the link between anxiety and the passive-submissive coping style, presence of meaning in life moderated the link between anxiety and avoidant coping style, while search for meaning in life moderated the link between anxiety and the action-planning coping style. Overall, the findings enrich the cultural transactional theory of stress and coping, and generate insights for the culture-sensitive approach to the meaning in life. The results were conceptualized vis-a-vis Georgia’s intermediate position between clear-cut individualism and clear-cut collectivism.

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 and safety parameters on energy project performance with an analytical hierarchy process

COVID-19 has destabilized the global economy, disrupted the lives of billions of people globally, and caused the workforce to suffer. Furthermore, the spread of this disease has caused most nations to impose strict lockdown regulations and shutdown most industries. This study aimed to highlight the key issues of energy project performance alongside construction activities that were halted during the COVID-19 outbreak to follow social distancing, lockdown, and public safety parameters. A questionnaire survey was administered to accomplish the purpose of this study. The responses of 42 energy project professionals and experts were evaluated using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for group decision-making. AHP shows that the biggest influences on project performance during COVID-19 pandemic were government measures and personal factors. The findings provide insight to support energy project planning and management during and after the pandemic, including prioritization of labor force health and safety.

Pandemics: Implications for research and practice in industrial and organizational psychology

Pandemics have historically shaped the world of work in various ways. With COVID-19 presenting as a global pandemic, there is much speculation about the implications of this crisis for the future of work and for people working in organizations. In this article, we discuss 10 of the most relevant research and practice topics in the field of industrial and organizational psychology that will likely be strongly influenced by COVID-19. For each of these topics, the pandemic crisis is creating new work-related challenges, but it is also presenting various opportunities. The topics discussed herein include occupational health and safety, work–family issues, telecommuting, virtual teamwork, job insecurity, precarious work, leadership, human resources policy, the aging workforce, and careers. This article sets the stage for further discussion of various ways in which I-O psychology research and practice can address the issues that COVID-19 creates for work and organizational processes that are affecting workers now and will shape the future of work and organizations in both the short and long term. This article concludes by inviting I-O psychology researchers and practitioners to address the challenges and opportunities of COVID-19 head-on by proactively adapting the work that we do in support of workers, organizations, and society as a whole.

Anti-IgE monoclonal antibodies as potential treatment in COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with irreversible effects on vital organs, especially the respiratory and cardiac systems. While the immune system plays a key role in the survival of patients to viral infections, in COVID-19, there is a hyperinflammatory immune response evoked by all the immune cells, such as neutrophils, monocytes, and includes release of various cytokines, resulting in an exaggerated immune response, named cytokine storm. This severe, dysregulated immune response causes multi-organ damage, which eventually leads to high mortality. One of the most important components of hypersensitivity is immunoglobulin E (IgE), which plays a major role in susceptibility to respiratory infections and can lead to the activation of mast cells. There is also a negative association between IgE and IFN-α, which can reduce Toll-like receptor (TLR) nine receptor expression and TLR-7 signaling to disrupt IFN production. Moreover, anti-IgE drugs such as omalizumab reduces the severity and duration of COVID-19. In addition to its anti-IgE effect, omalizumab inhibits inflammatory cells such as neutrophils. Hence, blockade of IgE may have clinical utility as an immunotherapy for COVID-19.

“Now We Are All in the Same Boat. At the Same Time, We Are Not.” Meaning-Making and Coping Under COVID-19 Lockdown in Norway

On March 12, 2020, Norway went on lockdown to handle the COVID-19 outbreak. Near overnight, people faced a new and unfamiliar situation, with restrictive measures in place, extensive uncertainty and the closing down of much of society. The present study explores the meaning-making and coping in everyday life of 16 participants interviewed early in the pandemic. Norway, compared to many other settings in the world, is a privileged context. Nonetheless, participants struggled with this breach with their normal lives. The participants spoke of adapting to the new normal, how the concept of time had changed, how they handled socialisation, dealing with restricted freedom, and imagining the future. Actively drawing on communal coping, as well as problem-focused and emotion-focused individual coping strategies, participants’ accounts illustrate the on-going process of making meaning of their new lives under lockdown. In our discussion, we synthesise various coping processes that the participants made use of in their handling of the new situation. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic is a shared stressor, it influences people differently, and our research contributes with valuable insights into this variation. The recognition of different meaning-making and coping strategies is crucial, as it can constructively inform the development of political and social responses to the pandemic that actively encompasses the variation in individual experiences and ramifications.

Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Growth in Confirmed COVID-19 Infection Cases in 114 Countries Using Metrics of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions and Cultural Dimensions: Model Development and Validation

BACKGROUND

National governments worldwide have implemented nonpharmaceutical interventions to control the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate its effects.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the prediction of future daily national confirmed COVID-19 infection growth-the percentage change in total cumulative cases-across 14 days for 114 countries using nonpharmaceutical intervention metrics and cultural dimension metrics, which are indicative of specific national sociocultural norms.

METHODS

We combined the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker data set, Hofstede cultural dimensions, and daily reported COVID-19 infection case numbers to train and evaluate five non-time series machine learning models in predicting confirmed infection growth. We used three validation methods-in-distribution, out-of-distribution, and country-based cross-validation-for the evaluation, each of which was applicable to a different use case of the models.

RESULTS

Our results demonstrate high R2 values between the labels and predictions for the in-distribution method (0.959) and moderate R2 values for the out-of-distribution and country-based cross-validation methods (0.513 and 0.574, respectively) using random forest and adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) regression. Although these models may be used to predict confirmed infection growth, the differing accuracies obtained from the three tasks suggest a strong influence of the use case.

CONCLUSIONS

This work provides new considerations in using machine learning techniques with nonpharmaceutical interventions and cultural dimensions as metrics to predict the national growth of confirmed COVID-19 infections.

Being an accountant, cook, entertainer and teacher-all at the same time: Changes in employees' work and work-related well-being during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

In March 2020, the world was hit by the coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic which led to all‐embracing measures to contain its spread. Most employees were forced to work from home and take care of their children because schools and daycares were closed. We present data from a research project in a large multinational organisation in the Netherlands with monthly quantitative measurements from January to May 2020 (N = 253–516), enriched with qualitative data from participants' comments before and after telework had started. Growth curve modelling showed major changes in employees' work‐related well‐being reflected in decreasing work engagement and increasing job satisfaction. For work‐non‐work balance, workload and autonomy, cubic trends over time were found, reflecting initial declines during crisis onset (March/April) and recovery in May. Participants' additional remarks exemplify that employees struggled with fulfilling different roles simultaneously, developing new routines and managing boundaries between life domains. Moderation analyses demonstrated that demographic variables shaped time trends. The diverging trends in well‐being indicators raise intriguing questions and show that close monitoring and fine‐grained analyses are needed to arrive at a better understanding of the impact of the crisis across time and among different groups of employees.

Application of the protection motivation theory for predicting COVID-19 preventive behaviors in Hormozgan, Iran: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The high prevalence and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have made it the most important health and social challenge around the world. However, this disease can be largely prevented by adherence to hygienic principles and protective behaviors. It seems that identifying the processes involved in protective health behaviors can be effective in planning and implementing suitable interventions to encourage the community toward protective behaviors. Therefore, the present study aimed to predict the preventive behaviors of COVID-19 according to the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT).

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted over 2 months in Hormozgan Province, Iran. The study population consisted of all citizens above the age of 15 years. An online questionnaire was used to collect the data. The questionnaire link was available to the participants through social networks. The questionnaire consisted of two sections, including the demographic information and the PMT constructs. All statistical calculations and hypothesis testing were performed in SPSS Version 21 and AMOS Version 21. The significance level was considered to be 0.05 for hypothesis testing.

RESULTS

A total of 2032 subjects, with the mean age of 34.84 ± 9.8 years (r = 15-98), participated in this study. Most of the participants were 31-40 years old, female (60.4%), married (72%), urban residents (87.3%), and employed (58.8%). The majority of them also had a bachelor's degree or higher (58.8%). Significant positive correlations were observed between the preventive behaviors of COVID-19 and the perceived vulnerability (r = 0.192, P < 0.001), perceived severity (r = 0.092, P < 0.001), response efficacy (r = 0.398, P < 0.001), self-efficacy (r = 0.497, P < 0.001), and protection motivation (r = 0.595, P < 0.001). On the other hand, significant negative correlations were found between the preventive behaviors of COVID-19 and maladaptive behavior rewards (r = - 0.243, P < 0.001) and perceived costs (r = - 0.121, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The present findings showed that maladaptive behavior reward and fear negatively predicted the protective behaviors. On the other hand, response efficacy and self-efficacy positively predicted the protective behaviors; the impact of self-efficacy was the strongest. Overall, the information provided in this study can contribute to health policymaking in Iran.

Worry much? Preventive health behaviours related to worry across countries amid COVID-19

This study examined the relationship between worry and health behaviours using an online survey of 69,033 respondents from 32 countries. We hypothesized that past health behaviours predicted worry experienced, which in turn predicted future health behaviours, and included a metric of cultural distance from the US. Past behaviours such as maintaining physical distance predicted higher worry, whereas worry reduced the likelihood of going outside. Being culturally dissimilar to the US was associated with lower worry. However, cultural distance was not associated with future health behaviours. We analyse worry as an approach-avoidance motivator of health behaviours from a cross-cultural perspective, to facilitate effective health communication strategies.

L’anxiété liée à la COVID-19 : une analyse de ses effets en milieu de travail

L’anxiété générée par la crise sanitaire de la COVID-19 est un phénomène nouveau dont les effets sont largement inconnus. Pour explorer cette question, nous avons mené une étude auprès de 650 employés de ministères au Québec pendant la première vague de la pandémie qui examine les effets de l’anxiété liée à la COVID-19 sur quatre indicateurs de l’adaptation au travail : l’engagement au travail, l’engagement organisationnel, l’habilitation psychologique et l’épuisement du moi. Tout en contrôlant les effets de facteurs contextuels pertinents, les analyses indiquent que l’anxiété liée à la COVID-19 est positivement liée à l’engagement organisationnel et à l’épuisement du moi, et négativement liée à l’habilitation psychologique. En revanche, elle ne présente pas de lien significatif avec l’engagement au travail.

Effects of containment and closure policies on controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in East Asia

Growing efforts have been made to pool coronavirus data and control measures from countries and regions to compare the effectiveness of government policies. We examine whether these strategies can explain East Asia's effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic based on time-series data with cross-correlations between the Stringency Index and number of confirmed cases during the early period of outbreaks. We suggest that multidisciplinary empirical research in healthcare and social sciences, personality, and social psychology is needed for a clear understanding of how cultural values, social norms, and individual predispositions interact with policy to affect life-saving behavioural changes in different societies.