Institutional trust as a determinant of anxiety during the SARS crisis in Hong Kong

Adherence to COVID-19 measures and the associated factors: evidence from a two-wave longitudinal study in Singapore

BACKGROUND

At the onset of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic when pharmaceutical interventions were not readily available, governments relied on public health mandates and social distancing measures to counter rising infection rates. In order to address the dearth of longitudinal studies, this study sought to identify factors associated with continued adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviours in Singapore.

METHODS

Data were from a two-wave longitudinal cohort study; baseline study was conducted from May 2020 to June 2021 and follow-up study from October 2021 to September 2022. Participants (n = 858) were Singapore residents, aged 18 and above, and able to speak English, Chinese or Malay. Weighted multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to identify factors associated with adherence to the COVID-19 measures.

RESULTS

Adherence rates of 'avoid dining out', 'crowded places', 'people with flu symptoms' and 'small group gatherings' at baseline were 39.41%, 60.82%, 79.82%, and 44.82% respectively. All measures had a decrease in adherence rates across the two-waves. Older age groups were associated with greater adherence to 'avoid dining out' and 'avoid crowded places'. Having high trust in local public health experts was associated with greater adherence to 'avoid crowded places' and 'avoid people with flu symptoms'. Fear of family and friends getting infected with COVID-19 was associated with 'avoid dining out' and 'avoid crowded places'.

CONCLUSIONS

Soft interventions like nudges can be implemented at crowded places to remind the public of the ease of transmitting the virus to their loved ones. Increasing media presence of public health experts can be a viable alternative to improve adherence.

Retrospecting Digital Media Use, Negative Emotions, and Trust Gaps During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China: Cross-Sectional Web-Based Survey

BACKGROUND

Retrospecting the trust gaps and their dynamics during the pandemic is crucial for understanding the root causes of postpandemic challenges and offers valuable insights into preparing for future public health emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic eroded people's trust in strangers and acquaintances, while their trust in family members remained relatively stable. This resulted in 2 trust gaps, namely, the family members-strangers trust gap and the family members-acquaintances trust gap. Widening trust gaps impede social integration and undermine the effective management of public health crises. However, little is known about how digital media use shaped trust gaps during a pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the relationships between digital media use, negative emotions, the family members-strangers trust gap, and the family members-acquaintances trust gap during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. We test the mediating role of negative emotions between digital media use and 2 trust gaps and compare the indirect effect of digital media use on 2 trust gaps through negative emotions.

METHODS

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in China between January 31, 2020, and February 9, 2020. A total of 1568 adults participated in the survey. Questions related to digital media use, negative emotions, trust in family members, trust in acquaintances, and trust in strangers during the pandemic were asked. Regression analyses were performed to test the associations between the examined variables. We used a 95% bootstrap CI approach to estimate the mediation effects.

RESULTS

Digital media use was positively associated with negative emotions (B=0.17, SE 0.03; P<.001), which in turn were positively associated with the family members-strangers trust gap (B=0.15, SE 0.03; P<.001). Likewise, digital media use was positively associated with negative emotions (B=0.17, SE 0.03; P<.001), while negative emotions were positively associated with the family members-acquaintances trust gap (B=0.08, SE 0.03; P=.01). Moreover, the indirect effect of digital media use on the family members-strangers trust gap (B=0.03, SE 0.01; 95% CI 0.01-0.04) was stronger than that on the family members-acquaintances trust gap (B=0.01, SE 0.01; 95% CI 0.003-0.027).

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate that negative emotions resulting from the frequent use of digital media are a key factor that accounts for the widening trust gaps. Considering the increasing reliance on digital media, the findings indicate that the appropriate use of digital media can prevent the overamplification of negative emotions and curb the enlargement of trust gaps. This may help restore social trust and prepare for future public health crises in the postpandemic era.

Risk Perception and Preventive Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic : Testing the Effects of Government Trust and Information Behaviors

Given the absence of COVID-19 treatments, the best way to control the spread of the virus is to break the chain of infection by increasing public participation in preventive behaviors recommended by health authorities. This study proposes a moderated mediation model of information behaviors (e.g. information seeking and information verification) and trust in government that explores the relationship between risk perception and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19. Using a survey study in South Korea, we conducted the moderated mediation analysis with latent moderated structural equation modeling (LMS). We found serial mediation effects for risk perception, information behaviors, and preventive behaviors, as people both seek out information and verify that information before adopting preventive behaviors. Additionally, trust in government moderated information behaviors in the relationship between risk perception and preventive behaviors, suggesting that trust in government encourages people to adopt more preventive actions via information seeking and information verification. Further implications are discussed to promote public understanding of the health crisis and public participation in preventive measures.

Psychological Factors of Vaccination Intent among Healthcare Providers, Parents, and Laypeople

The interrelatedness of social-structural aspects and psychological features with vaccination intention provides the context to explore personal psychological features related to vaccination. Specifically, we focused on general decision making and vaccine-related dispositions, and their contribution to the intention to vaccinate, within post-pandemic circumstances, after the imposed possibility of choosing a vaccine brand. Our study aimed to map the function (promotive, protective, risk, vulnerability) of a set of personal psychological aspects in the intention to vaccinate among people holding different social roles regarding the vaccination. We surveyed three samples of people: healthcare providers (HPs), parents, and laypeople, within the post-pandemic context. Negative vaccine attitudes lower intention to vaccinate in all regression models (all βs ranging from -0.128 to -0.983, all ps < 0.01). The main results indicate that, regardless of the sample/social role, there is a shared attitudinal core for positive vaccination intention. This core consists of [high] trust in large corporations, government, and healthcare systems, as well as perceived consensus on vaccine safety/efficacy and experience of freedom (protective factors), and [low] vaccination conspiracy beliefs, trust in social media, and choice overload (risk and vulnerability factors, respectively). There are no common promotive factors of intention to vaccinate: for parents, perceived consensus on vaccines, and trust in corporations and the healthcare system, play such roles; for HPs, the experience of freedom is obtained as a unique promotive factor. In contrast, for laypeople, no unique promotive factors were found. Our findings provide insights into the function of psychological factors of vaccination intention across different social roles, particularly healthcare providers, parents, and laypeople, and emphasize the need for tailored immunization interventions in the post-pandemic landscape.

Insights from China: understanding the impact of community resilience and government trust in psychological resilience and anxiety during COVID-19

Background

COVID-19 has the potential to greatly impact an individual mental well-being. However, an individual's psychological resilience, combined with support from their community and government disaster relief efforts can aid individuals in confronting crises with a positive mindset. The purpose of this study is to investigate how individuals, across three dimensions of individual resilience perception, community resilience perception, and government trust perception, mitigate individual anxiety during COVID-19.

Methods

This study employed an online survey method that was not restricted by geographical location. Data collection took place from January 2022 to June 2022, and the valid questionnaires covered all 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China. The assessment of community resilience was conducted employing the Conjoint Community Resilience Assessment Measure-10 (CCRAM-10). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was also used to examine the relationship between community resilience, government trust, individual psychological resilience, and anxiety.

Results

The SEM results reveal that individual psychological resilience is significantly negatively correlated with anxiety (b = -0.099, p < 0.001), while there is a significant positive correlation between community resilience perception (b = 0.403, p < 0.001) and government trust (b = 0.364, p < 0.001) with individual psychological resilience. Furthermore, government trust perception enhances psychological resilience, consequently reducing anxiety (b = -0.036, p < 0.001). The results also revealed that women and increasing age had a mitigating effect on individual anxiety during COVID-19.

Conclusion

Individual's mental state is influenced on multiple dimensions during COVID-19. Not only can individual psychological resilience better cope with anxiety, but support at the community and government dimensions has a significant impact on individual psychology. These resources can enhance the resilience of both individuals and communities, helping them better cope with stress and difficulties.

Political orientation, trust and discriminatory beliefs during the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal evidence from the United Kingdom

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in many ways; for example, evidence from the United Kingdom indicates that higher rates of discriminatory behaviours against immigrants have been recorded during this period. Prior research suggests that political orientation and trust are instrumental in discriminatory beliefs against immigrants. A longitudinal study (six waves and a follow-up) was conducted in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic (September 2020-August 2021) using convenience sampling (N = 383). The hypotheses enquired about whether political orientation predicts trust in government, trust in science and discriminatory beliefs. Multilevel regression and mediation analyses were conducted, using repeated measures nested within individuals. It was found that conservative views are associated with higher discriminatory beliefs, lower trust in science and higher trust in government. Furthermore, trust in science promotes reduction of discrimination, whereas trust in government, increases discriminatory beliefs. However, a nuance revealed by an interaction effect, shows that a positive alignment between political and scientific authorities may be required to reduce prejudice against immigrants. Exploratory multilevel mediation showed that trust is a mediator between political orientation and discriminatory beliefs.

Hope, Belief in Just World and Trust in Government: An Interaction Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic in India

The outbreak of COVID 19 has brought about changes in all spheres of human life. In the present times of pandemic, human life has suffered not only from physical stresses but also encountered and endured several mental stresses. In recent times people adopted several measures to bring positivity to their life. The present study explores the relationship between- Hope, Belief in Just World, Covid -19, and Trust in the Government in India, during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Data was collected online from young adults, via Google forms, using the tools- Adult Hope scale, Covid Anxiety scale, Belief in Just world scale, and Trust in Government. Results showed a significant correlation between the three variables. Hope, Belief in Just World, and Trust in government. Regression analysis found these three variables to significantly impact Covid anxiety. Further, Belief in Just World was found to mediate the relationship between Hope and Covid anxiety. During challenging times, it is important to boost mental health in the right direction. Implications have been further discussed in the article.

Well-Being and the Pandemic: Trust in People Matters More Than Trust in Institutions

Trust is an important correlate of well-being, and it plays an important moderating role against adversity. But does this conclusion also hold during pandemics? We address this question by investigating the role of interpersonal and institutional trust for well-being, as measured by five proxies, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia. We also examined age and gender differences in the relationship between trust and well-being, and tested the protective role of trust among individuals whose well-being might be at risk during the pandemic. The sample included a total of 5776 Serbian adults (M_age = 37.00 years, 75% female). The results showed that interpersonal trust has a small but significant relationship with well-being, whereas institutional trust has negligible effects. We also found some evidence for the protective role of general interpersonal trust on well-being among individuals with poorer self-rated health and in a poorer financial situation. Our findings confirm the role of interpersonal trust for well-being in times of crisis, and support previous evidence indicating that promoting interpersonal trust should be a core goal of public policy.

Risk perception and gratitude mediate the negative relationship between COVID-19 management satisfaction and public anxiety

In this study, we explored whether satisfaction with government management, perception of risk, and gratitude influenced public anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Using a cross-sectional, anonymous and confidential online survey, a nationwide sample of Chinese adults (N = 876) was targeted between March 25-March 30, 2020, a period in which newly confirmed cases significantly declined in China. The anxiety level was decreased as compared to that assessed during the peak period. Multiple parallel mediation modeling demonstrated that risk perception and gratitude partially mediated the relationship between satisfaction with government management and public anxiety. Increasing satisfaction and gratitude, as well as reducing risk perception contribute to the public's mental health. The results may shed light on the positive factors for psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and may aid potential strategies for the policy maker, the public, and the clinic to regulate negative emotions or future emerging infectious diseases.

Social asset or social liability? How partisanship moderates the relationship between social capital and Covid-19 vaccination rates across United States counties

This study investigates the interactive effect of social capital and partisanship on COVID-19 vaccination rates. Using county-level data from the United States (U.S.), we empirically find that social capital is a double-edged sword. Its effect on the vaccination rate depends on the dominant partisanship of the jurisdiction. In more liberal counties, stronger social capital is a social asset that encourages people to seek vaccination and results in a higher vaccination rate. In contrast, in more conservative counties where the Trump-voting rate reaches 73% and beyond, stronger social capital becomes a social liability for public health by reinforcing residents' hesitancy toward or rejection of vaccinations, leading to a lower vaccination rate. This study implies the need for reducing the partisanship salience and investing in bridging and linking social capital in polarized communities.

Better support for national than local system during the COVID-19 pandemic in China

Individuals increase their support for social systems in response to the threat, panic, and uncertainty that characterized the COVID-19 pandemic. This could be because a powerful social system can compensate for a lack of control at the individual level. However, the levels of public support for national versus local systems could be different in China. Two studies investigate whether people support the national more strongly than the local system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study 1 analyzed data of 3593 participants from China; the results showed that participants reported higher levels of support for the national system than the local. In Study 2, we further tested a possible moderator for it. With a sample of 275 participants, we found that the difference between public support for national and local systems in China was based on the perceived higher response efficacy with the national government. Implications for research on system justification and governmental pandemic responses were discussed.

Building the Positive Emotion-Resilience-Coping Efficacy Model for COVID-19 Pandemic

The world faces unprecedented challenges because of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Existing theories of human flourishing and coping efficacy are too broad and general to address COVID-19 unprecedented mental health challenges. This study examined two main objectives, first the associations between psychological outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) and psychological wellbeing of this phenomenon, and second, moderating and mediating factors emotions, resilience and coping self-efficacy. A nationwide survey was carried out on a Malaysian sample (n = 920). Participants completed an on-line survey that assessed psychological outcomes, psychological wellbeing, positive-negative emotions, resilience, and coping self-efficacy. The relationship between psychological states and psychological wellbeing was successfully mediated by coping self-efficacy (direct effects of -0.31 to -0.46 at p < 0.01) and resilience (direct effects of -0.06 to -0.26 at p < 0.01). Moreover, positive emotion significantly moderated depression (b = -0.02, p < 0.01) and anxiety (b = -0.14, p = 0.05) with psychological wellbeing. Findings highlighted the importance of these factors in developing a dedicated model to be built into the recovery plan to ameliorate the negative impact of COVID-19 on psychological wellbeing. Hence, the Positive Emotion-Resilience-Coping Efficacy Model was developed.

Community resilience and anxiety among Chinese older adults during COVID-19: The moderating role of trust in local government

The worldwide spread of COVID-19 has resulted in an enormous threat to public health, causing global panic, especially older adults suffering severe anxiety due to their vulnerability. With a questionnaire survey on 213 Chinese older adults in April 2020, we examined the role of community resilience in protecting older adults from anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and simultaneously considered the moderating role of trust in local government. The results indicated that community resilience was negatively associated with older adults' anxiety, and this association was weakened for older adults with low trust in local government. This study has implications for intervention designs that combine resilient factors related to communities and local governments to relieve older adults' anxiety during the pandemic. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Social capital dimensions are differentially associated with COVID-19 vaccinations, masks, and physical distancing

BACKGROUND

Social capital has been associated with health outcomes in communities and can explain variations in different geographic localities. Social capital has also been associated with behaviors that promote better health and reduce the impacts of diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, face masking, and vaccination have all been essential in controlling contagion. These behaviors have not been uniformly adopted by communities in the United States. Using different facets of social capital to explain the differences in public behaviors among communities during pandemics is lacking.

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the relationship among public health behavior-vaccination, face masking, and physical distancing-during COVID-19 pandemic and social capital indices in counties in the United States.

METHODS

We used publicly available vaccination data as of June 2021, face masking data in July 2020, and mobility data from mobile phones movements from the end of March 2020. Then, correlation analysis was conducted with county-level social capital index and its subindices (family unity, community health, institutional health, and collective efficacy) that were obtained from the Social Capital Project by the United States Senate.

RESULTS

We found the social capital index and its subindices differentially correlate with different public health behaviors. Vaccination is associated with institutional health: positively with fully vaccinated population and negatively with vaccination hesitancy. Also, wearing masks negatively associates with community health, whereases reduced mobility associates with better community health. Further, residential mobility positively associates with family unity. By comparing correlation coefficients, we find that social capital and its subindices have largest effect sizes on vaccination and residential mobility.

CONCLUSION

Our results show that different facets of social capital are significantly associated with adoption of protective behaviors, e.g., social distancing, face masking, and vaccination. As such, our results suggest that differential facets of social capital imply a Swiss cheese model of pandemic control planning where, e.g., institutional health and community health, provide partially overlapping behavioral benefits.

Intolerance of Uncertainty and Tendency to Worry as Mediators Between Trust in Institutions and Social Support and Fear of Coronavirus and Consequences of the Pandemic

The aim of this article is to formulate and test a model integrating cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) findings regarding the importance of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and tendency to worry with findings regarding the importance of trust in institutions, other people, and social support. We assumed that trust in institutions, other people, and social support reduce fear of the coronavirus and of the consequences of the pandemic in a direct way, but also indirectly by enhancing one’s sense of control and diminishing the tendency to worry which, further, attenuates fear of the coronavirus and fear of the consequences of the pandemic. An online survey was conducted among the Serbian general population (N = 1409, 78.1% female, M = 38.82, SD = 9.24) at the end of April 2020, which included questionnaires on fear of SARS-CoV-2, fear of consequences of the pandemic, social support, trust in other people and trust in political and health institutions. The model has been validated by data from our study suggesting that it represents one possible pattern of interrelationships between social and intrapsychic variables in the pandemic situation. Results also showed that the COVID-19 related fears are related more strongly to intrapsychic variables – IU and tendency to worry – than to variables operationalizing social context relevant for coping with pandemic at the social and individual level.

Iron fists and velvet gloves: Investigating the associations between the stringency of governments' responses to COVID-19, stress, and compliance in the early stages of the pandemic

To tackle the spread of COVID-19, governments worldwide have implemented restrictive public health behavioural measures. Whether and when these measures lead to positive or negative psychological outcomes is still debated. In this study, drawing on a large sample of individuals (N_total  = 89,798) from 45 nations, we investigated whether the stringency of public health measures implemented at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March-May 2020 was associated with individuals' levels of stress and compliance. Moreover, we addressed the question of how these associations may be moderated by the measures' implementation lag, nations' tolerance for unequal distributions of power (i.e., power distance), and individuals' institutional trust. Linear mixed models suggested that slower implementation of less stringent measures was associated with higher stress and lower compliance. Also, rapid implementation of stricter measures was associated with a mild increase in stress. Such effects were especially pronounced in countries with less tolerance for inequality. Albeit significant, the moderating effect of institutional trust was very small. The results suggest that it may be important to consider the measures' implementation lag when tackling the spread of COVID-19, but findings should be interpreted in relation to the data collection period.

Socioeconomic Status and COVID-19-Related Psychological Panic in China: The Role of Trust in Government and Authoritarian Personality

Although the health and economic risks of COVID-19 may differ for higher- and lower-socioeconomic-status (SES) populations, some studies found that people with lower SES do not necessarily experience more psychological panic. In this research, we examine how SES is related with psychological panic during the COVID-19 pandemic using a large nationwide Chinese sample. Participants were 933 adults (mean age = 30.04, SD = 8.19) who completed an online questionnaire between 11 and 12 February 2020. Lower SES individuals have higher trust in government and thus experience less psychological panic, and the indirect effect of this trust suppresses the direct negative association between SES and psychological panic. In addition to this difference in trust in government between lower- and higher-status individuals, the indirect effect of the trust only exists among people with low (not high) authoritarian personalities. This study provides evidence that political trust may serve as a buffer, suppressing the negative association between SES and psychological panic; thus, policies and actions enhancing political trust are vital to support the mental health of individuals with lower SES during the pandemic, especially for citizens with low authoritarian personalities.

Living in opposition: How women in the United States cope in spite of mistrust of federal leadership during the pandemic of Covid-19

International research collaborators conducted research investigating sociocultural responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our mixed methods research design includes surveys and interviews conducted between March and September of 2020 including 249 of 506 survey responses and 18 of 50 in-depth, exploratory, semi-structured interviews with self-defined politically left-leaning women in the United States. We employ a sequential design to analyze statistical and qualitative data. Despite international data suggesting that trust in federal governments reduces anxiety, women who did not trust and actively opposed the Trump administration reported lower levels of anxiety than expected. Results indicate reliance on and development of new forms of connection that seem to mitigate symptomatic anxieties when living in opposition. Women living in opposition to the leadership of the federal government use and develop resources to help them cope. Research on coping strategies and mental health and anxiety during crisis can inform recommendations for ways to support and strengthen sense of coherence during tumultuous times.

One Hundred and Sixty-One Days in the Life of the Homopandemicus in Serbia: The Contribution of Information Credibility and Alertness in Predicting Engagement in Protective Behaviors

COVID-19 pandemic is a long-lasting process associated with dynamic changes within society and in individual psychological responses. Effective communication of measures by credible sources throughout the epidemic is one of the crucial factors for the containment of the disease, and the official communication about pandemics is straightforwardly directed toward changes in behavior via engagement in (self-)protective measures. Calls for the adherence to these measures are aimed at the general population, but people's reactions to these calls vary depending on, for example, their individual differences in cognitive and emotional responses to the situation. The focus of our study was the general narrative about the epidemic as conveyed by both state officials and media outlets in times of decreased social contacts due to the quarantine, in which relying on these sources of information is even more pivotal. Our aim was to explore the stability of the proposed mediational model during the course of the epidemic in Serbia. In the model, we tested the relationship between perceived credibility of information (PCI) and two types of protective behavior-the actual self-protective behavior (ASPB) and the hypothetical protective behavior (HPB), as well as the potential mediating role of alertness in these relationships time-wise. A cross-sectional study (N = 10,782, female = 79.1%) was being administered daily during the first epidemic wave and in three more 2-week time frames during the second wave. Based on the variability of these measures during the first epidemic wave, three stages of psychological responses were mapped (acute, adaptation, and relaxation stage), which were observed, with some deviations, also in the second wave. The mediational model was relatively robust after the initial few weeks, but the strength of pairwise relationships was more changeable. With both types of protective behaviors, the predictive power of PCI was partially mediated through alertness. This suggests that, while individual differences in cognitive and affective responses are important, so is coherent, focused, and credible communication in all stages of the epidemic, which emphasizes the communality aspect of the social containment of the infection. Our findings can thus be valuable in informing the planning of effective future communication.

The Social Consequences of the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak in Iran: Is Social Capital at Risk? A Qualitative Study

As well as causing a global health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has also generated multilevel social changes by damaging psychosocial and economic resources across Iranian society. Therefore, this qualitative study was conducted to examine and explain these social consequences and their impact on the social capital of Iran during the COVID-19 outbreak. Using a content analysis approach, nine experts participated in semistructured, in-depth interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Lundman and Graneheim's method. The social impacts of COVID-19 can be summarized into six categories and 32 subcategories. Three positive-negative categories emerged from the data analysis: "formation of new patterns of social communications; formation of new patterns of behavior; creation of economic changes." Three entirely negative categories included "creating a climate of distrust; disruption of cultural, social, and religious values; psychosocial disorders." Overall, most findings (27 out of 32 subcategories) indicated the destructive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on social capital. Therefore, this raises concerns about social capital endangerment in Iran. However, positive social impacts can guide policies that strengthen social action and improve social capital.

Perceived effectiveness of public health measures and positive attitudes during a pandemic: a large cross-sectional study in Shanghai, China

OBJECTIVES

Building individuals' positive attitudes during a pandemic is essential for facilitating psychological resilience. However, little is known about how public health measures may improve people's positive attitudes during a pandemic. We investigated the potential mechanism underlying the association between individuals' perceived effectiveness of public health measures and positive attitudes towards the success of pandemic control during the COVID-19 pandemic, by examining the parallel mediating effects of three types of threat appraisals: concerns about contracting the virus, perceived impact of the pandemic on life and estimated duration of the pandemic.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

In February 2020 when the COVID-19 infection was spreading rapidly in China, a large cross-sectional survey was conducted among 132 054 adults from the 16 districts in Shanghai, China.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Perceived effectiveness of the public health measures, positive attitudes towards the success of pandemic control and threat appraisals.

RESULTS

Results of structural equation modelling supported the hypothesised mediation model: perceived effectiveness of public health measures was associated with lower levels of concerns about contracting the virus (β=-0.20), perceived impact of the pandemic (β=-0.13) and perceived duration of the pandemic (β=-0.20), which were then associated with higher levels of positive attitudes towards the success of pandemic control (βs=-0.12 to -0.25).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that threat appraisals may be important pathways through which individuals' evaluations of prevention strategies may influence their attitudes towards the success of pandemic control. The health authorities should consider reducing people's inappropriate threat appraisals when designing public health policies to facilitate people's positive attitudes during a pandemic.

Self-harm and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 outbreak in Lebanon: a preliminary study

Purpose

This cross-sectional study focuses on the social psychological correlates of self-harm and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak in Lebanon, which is a country characterized by political and economic instability.

Design/methodology/approach

A convenience sample of 191 Lebanese individuals completed measures of length of being in lockdown, fear of COVID-19, job insecurity, political trust, self-harm and suicidal ideation. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and multiple regression.

Findings

Fear of COVID-19 was associated with neither self-harm nor suicidal ideation. Males and people with lower income reported higher suicidal ideation than females and those with higher income, respectively, and religiosity was inversely associated with suicidal ideation. People who reported self-harm generally exhibited lower political trust than those who did not report self-harm.

Research limitations/implications

Beyond the fear of COVID-19, the socioeconomic sequelae of COVID-19 (especially the economic fallout and declining political trust), which are accentuated in already economically and politically unstable societies, may precipitate poor mental health and maladaptive coping strategies in Lebanon. There is a need to ensure adequate access to mental health services to the general population amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Lebanon.

Originality/value

This study provides novel insight into the risk factors for self-harm and suicidal ideation in Lebanon during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: Its association with public perceptions toward government's pandemic responses and lifestyle changes

In order to propose better mental health interventions under the pandemic threat, the present study aimed to investigate whether depression and anxiety are associated to Chinese adults' perceptions of government's pandemic responses and the personal lifestyle changes imposed by those responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a telephone survey with random sampling and obtained a probability community sample of 616 adults (39.1% men; M age = 41.7, SD age = 16.3) in Macao, China in April 2020. The prevalence of 8.8% probable depression and 12.0% probable anxiety was observed in this sample. Positive perceptions toward government's pandemic responses were found to be negatively associated with probable depression and probable anxiety (ORu = .36 and .41, p < .05). Three lifestyle-changing stressors (i.e., increased family conflict, friendship deterioration, and weight gain), were commonly reported (29.9, 27.5, and 43.0% respectively), and displayed positive associations with probable depression (ORu = 1.67 to 1.87, p < .05) and probable anxiety (ORu = 1.54 to 2.10, p < .05). Our findings suggest protective effects of perceived trust and satisfaction regarding government's pandemic responses against mental distress and the potential mental health threats from three pandemic-specific lifestyle-changing stressors. These findings can inform clinicians and policymakers to better prepare for the mental health impacts of the current and future pandemics.

Psychosocial predictors of virus and social distancing fears in undergraduate students living in a US COVID-19 "hotspot"

The COVID-19 pandemic is positioned to exact a substantial mental health toll on the global population. Heightened fears of viral contamination and fears of the negative consequences of social distancing (e.g., fears related to home confinement, fears of loneliness and isolation) might contribute to the distress caused by the pandemic. Cross-sectional data were collected from undergraduates (N = 608) residing in a U.S. pandemic "hotspot" at the time of data collection (between 7 April to 9 May, 2020). Outcome variables included viral contamination fears and social distancing fears. Predictor variables included biological sex, underlying medical vulnerability, number of recent viral symptoms, presence of positive COVID-19 test in social network, anxiety, depression, stress, emotion dysregulation, intolerance of uncertainty, body vigilance, and health anxiety. Female sex, anxiety severity, intolerance of uncertainty, and health anxiety uniquely predicted fears of viral contamination. Female sex and depression severity uniquely predicted fears of social distancing. Multiple anxiety-related vulnerabilities are potential intervention targets for reducing viral contamination fears. Depression is a potential intervention target for social distancing fears. Females might be at greater risk for both types of fears.

Anxiety, depression, and health anxiety in undergraduate students living in initial US outbreak "hotspot" during COVID-19 pandemic

Evidence of the psychological distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including depression, anxiety, and health anxiety, has been documented globally. College students are a unique sub-set of the population with consistently elevated psychological distress associated with the pandemic, and well-informed intervention is urgently needed. The current study is the first, to our knowledge, to document the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of undergraduates in a heavily impacted area in the United States. Cross-sectional, self-report data on psychological distress and COVID-19 exposure were collected from a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 641 undergraduates between April 7-9 May 2020. Nearly half of the students reported elevated psychological distress, including health anxiety, general anxiety, and depression. Heightened risk of psychological distress was associated with female sex, a COVID-19 case in one's immediate social network, underlying medical vulnerabilities, and recent experience of ≥3 viral symptoms. Vigilance to viral symptoms and worry about coronavirus were also factors associated with more severe psychological distress. The current study highlights some of the factors associated with a greater risk of developing psychological distress due to COVID-19 and can be used to inform the dissemination of psychological interventions.

Logical Framework Approach a Platform for Integrating the Mental Health and Nutritional Care for Controlling the Covid-19 Pandemic

Coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is spreading rapidly in the world beyond the health care capacity. The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced an emergency state that needs quick and effective actions. In the lack of specific medicine and vaccine, integration of mental health and nutritional care in the platform of a powerful managerial technique named the “Logical Framework Approach” (LFA) could be helpful for successful control of this pandemic. The strengths of the LFA for coronavirus management program are stakeholders’ involvement, integrative teamwork in research and medical procedures, as well as Inter-sectoral cooperation. The related organizations like WHO and ministries of health of every country could easily adopt this approach and act more efficiently to manage this pandemic.

Paranoia, hallucinations and compulsive buying during the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United Kingdom: A preliminary experimental study

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 (in the early phase of the outbreak) on symptoms of psychosis, namely paranoia and hallucinations. Three hundred and sixty-one people in the United Kingdom participated in a 2 (self-isolation vs. no self-isolation) x 2 (perceived COVID-19 symptomatology vs. no perceived COVID-19 symptomatology) x 2 (exposure to COVID-19 news vs. control) experiment online. Participants completed measures of political trust, social network, fear of COVID-19, current paranoid thoughts, hallucinatory experiences and compulsive buying. Kruskal-Wallis results showed that employed people and students are more prone to paranoia and hallucinatory experiences in response to COVID-19 news. A multigroup model showed a moderation effect of the news conditions - in the COVID-19 news condition, fear of COVID-19 and political trust significantly predict the variance of paranoia, hallucinatory experiences and compulsive buying and these co-vary with each other but not in the control condition. In line with cognitive and social theories of paranoia, results suggest that negative affect and low political trust are linked to the presence of paranoid thoughts and hallucinatory experiences and compulsive buying amid COVID-19. Digitized and Tailored Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy are proposed to address the psychiatric impact of COVID-19.

The Relation Between Official WhatsApp-Distributed COVID-19 News Exposure and Psychological Symptoms: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Background

In a global pandemic, digital technology offers innovative methods to disseminate public health messages. As an example, the messenger app WhatsApp was adopted by both the World Health Organization and government agencies to provide updates on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). During a time when rumors and excessive news threaten psychological well-being, these services allow for rapid transmission of information and may boost resilience.

Objective

In this study, we sought to accomplish the following: (1) assess well-being during the pandemic; (2) replicate prior findings linking exposure to COVID-19 news with psychological distress; and (3) examine whether subscription to an official WhatsApp channel can mitigate this risk.

Methods

Across 8 weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak (March 7 to April 21, 2020), we conducted a survey of 1145 adults in Singapore. As the primary outcome measure, participants completed the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). As predictor variables, participants also answered questions pertaining to the following: (1) their exposure to COVID-19 news; (2) their use of the Singapore government’s WhatsApp channel; and (3) their demographics.

Results

Within the sample, 7.9% of participants had severe or extremely severe symptoms on at least one DASS-21 subscale. Depression scores were associated with increased time spent receiving COVID-19 updates, whereas use of the official WhatsApp channel emerged as a protective factor (b=–0.07, t[863]=–2.04, P=.04). Similarly, increased anxiety scores were associated with increased exposure to both updates and rumors, but this risk was mitigated by trust in the government’s WhatsApp messages (b=–0.05, t[863]=–2.13, P=.03). Finally, although stress symptoms increased with the amount of time spent receiving updates, these symptoms were not significantly related to WhatsApp use.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that messenger apps may be an effective medium for disseminating pandemic-related information, allowing official agencies to reach a broad sector of the population rapidly. In turn, this use may promote public well-being amid an “infodemic.”

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04305574; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04305574

The trouble with trust: Time-series analysis of social capital, income inequality, and COVID-19 deaths in 84 countries

Can social contextual factors explain international differences in the spread of COVID-19? It is widely assumed that social cohesion, public confidence in government sources of health information and general concern for the welfare of others support health advisories during a pandemic and save lives. We tested this assumption through a time-series analysis of cross-national differences in COVID-19 mortality during an early phase of the pandemic. Country data on income inequality and four dimensions of social capital (trust, group affiliations, civic responsibility and confidence in public institutions) were linked to data on COVID-19 deaths in 84 countries. Associations with deaths were examined using Poisson regression with population-averaged estimators. During a 30-day period after recording their tenth death, mortality was positively related to income inequality, trust and group affiliations and negatively related to social capital from civic engagement and confidence in state institutions. These associations held in bivariate and mutually controlled regression models with controls for population size, age and wealth. The results indicate that societies that are more economically unequal and lack capacity in some dimensions of social capital experienced more COVID-19 deaths. Social trust and belonging to groups were associated with more deaths, possibly due to behavioural contagion and incongruence with physical distancing policy. Some countries require a more robust public health response to contain the spread and impact of COVID-19 due to economic and social divisions within them.

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Income inequality was associated with 30-day mortality rates in 84 countries.

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Some dimensions of social capital are associated with fewer COVID-19 deaths.

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Social trust is associated with more deaths, possibly due to behavioural contagion.

Emotional Responses and Self-Protective Behavior Within Days of the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Promoting Role of Information Credibility

Due to changes in the information environment since the last global epidemic, high WHO officials have spoken about the need to fight not only the current COVID-19 pandemic but also the related infodemic. We thus explored how people search for information, how they perceive its credibility, and how all this relates to their engagement in self-protective behaviors in the crucial period right after the onset of COVID-19 epidemic. The online questionnaire was circulated within 48 h after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Slovenia. We gathered information on participants' demographics, perception of the situation, their emotional and behavioral responses to the situation (i.e., self-protective behavior), perceived subjective knowledge, perceived credibility of different sources of information, and their level of trust. We looked into the relationships between perceived credibility and trust, and self-protective behavior of 1,718 participants and found that mass media, social media, and officials received relatively low levels of trust. Conversely, medical professionals and scientists were deemed the most credible. The perceived credibility of received information was linked not only with lower levels of negative emotional responses but also with higher adherence to much needed self-protective measures, which aim to contain the spread of the disease. While results might vary between societies with different levels of trust in relevant governmental and professional institutions, and while variances in self-protective behavior scores explained by our model are modest, even a small increase in self-protective behavior could go a long way in viral epidemics like the one we are facing today.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Corona Pandemic in Social Sciences: A Review of Influential Aspects and Conceptual Structure

Corona pandemic has affected the whole world, and it is a highly researched area in biological sciences. As the current pandemic has affected countries socially and economically, the purpose of this bibliometric analysis is to provide a holistic review of the corona pandemic in the field of social sciences. This study aims to highlight significant, influential aspects, research streams, and themes. We have reviewed 395 journal articles related to coronavirus in the field of social sciences from 2003 to 2020. We have deployed 'biblioshiny' a web-interface of the 'bibliometrix 3.0' package of R-studio to conduct bibliometric analysis and visualization. In the field of social sciences, we have reported influential aspects of coronavirus literature. We have found that the 'Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report' is the top journal. The core article of coronavirus literature is 'Guidelines for preventing health-care-associated pneumonia'. The most commonly used word, in titles, abstracts, author's keywords, and keywords plus, is 'SARS'. Top affiliation is 'The University of Hong Kong'. Hong Kong is a leading country based on citations, and the USA is on top based on total publications. We have used a conceptual framework to identify potential research streams and themes in coronavirus literature. Four research streams are found by deploying a co-occurrence network. These research streams are 'Social and economic effects of epidemic disease', 'Infectious disease calamities and control', 'Outbreak of COVID 19,' and 'Infectious diseases and the role of international organizations'. Finally, a thematic map is used to provide a holistic understanding by dividing significant themes into basic or transversal, emerging or declining, motor, highly developed, but isolated themes. These themes and subthemes have proposed future directions and critical areas of research.

Psychological status and behavior changes of the public during the COVID-19 epidemic in China

BACKGROUND

A cluster of pneumonia cases were reported by Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, China in December 2019. A novel coronavirus was eventually identified, and became the COVID-19 epidemic that affected public health and life. We investigated the psychological status and behavior changes of the general public in China from January 30 to February 3, 2020.

METHODS

Respondents were recruited via social media (WeChat) and completed an online questionnaire. We used the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Self-rating Depression Scale, and Symptom Checklist-90 to evaluate psychological status. We also investigated respondents' behavior changes. Quantitative data were analyzed by t-tests or analysis of variance, and classified data were analyzed with chi-square tests.

RESULTS

In total, 608 valid questionnaires were obtained. More respondents had state anxiety than trait anxiety (15.8% vs 4.0%). Depression was found among 27.1% of respondents and 7.7% had psychological abnormalities. About 10.1% of respondents suffered from phobia. Our analysis of the relationship between subgroup characteristics and psychological status showed that age, gender, knowledge about COVID-19, degree of worry about epidemiological infection, and confidence about overcoming the outbreak significantly influenced psychological status. Around 93.3% of respondents avoided going to public places and almost all respondents reduced Spring Festival-related activities. At least 70.9% of respondents chose to take three or more preventive measures to avoid infection. The three most commonly used prevention measures were making fewer trips outside and avoiding contact (98.0%), wearing a mask (83.7%), and hand hygiene (82.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

We need to pay more attention to public psychological stress, especially among young people, as they are likely to experience anxiety, depression, and psychological abnormalities. Different psychological interventions could be formulated according to the psychological characteristics of different gender and age groups. The majority of respondents followed specific behaviors required by the authorities, but it will take time to observe the effects of these behaviors on the epidemic.

Social capital, trust in health information, and acceptance of Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign in Tamil Nadu: A case-control study

Background

Parents' decision about vaccination of children is influenced by social relationships and sources of information. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of social capital and trust in health information on the status of Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign in Tamil Nadu.

Materials and Methods

This was a case-control study carried out in Kancheepuram district in Tamil Nadu where the MR vaccination campaign offered by Government of Tamil Nadu had poor acceptance. Cases were parents of children who had refused the MR vaccine and controls were parents having children in the same age group who had accepted the vaccine. Data on social capital and trust in health information were collected by using social capital scale developed by the researchers and trust in the source of information was measured by using simple questions on the level of trust in the information source.

Results

Nonadministration of MR vaccine was high among young parents and parents of younger children. Vaccine acceptance was higher when it was offered at school (P < 0.000) and also among parents who trusted school teachers (P < 0.003) and other school children (P < 0.014) as source of information. MR vaccine acceptance was less among parents who trusted social media and WhatsApp information. Greater levels of health-related physical social capital led to greater vaccine hesitancy. Multivariate analysis revealed that greater the age of the child, better parental attitudes toward vaccination, poorer health-related physical social capital, and greater trust in health information provided by school teachers led to overall greater acceptance of the MR vaccine.

Conclusion

Strong homogeneous bonding social capital had a negative influence on MR vaccine acceptance. Schools and school teachers played a vital role in influencing parental decision to vaccinate.

Combined and Relative Effect Levels of Perceived Risk, Knowledge, Optimism, Pessimism, and Social Trust on Anxiety among Inhabitants Concerning Living on Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil

This research aims at combined and relative effect levels on anxiety of: (1) perceived risk, knowledge, optimism, pessimism, and social trust; and (2) four sub-variables of social trust among inhabitants concerning living on heavy metal contaminated soil. On the basis of survey data from 499 Chinese respondents, results suggest that perceived risk, pessimism, optimism, and social trust have individual, significant, and direct effects on anxiety, while knowledge does not. Knowledge has significant, combined, and interactive effects on anxiety together with social trust and pessimism, respectively, but does not with perceived risk and optimism. Social trust, perceived risk, pessimism, knowledge, and optimism have significantly combined effects on anxiety; the five variables as a whole have stronger predictive values than each one individually. Anxiety is influenced firstly by social trust and secondly by perceived risk, pessimism, knowledge, and optimism. Each of four sub-variables of social trust has an individual, significant, and negative effect on anxiety. When introducing four sub-variables into one model, trust in social organizations and in the government have significantly combined effects on anxiety, while trust in experts and in friends and relatives do not; anxiety is influenced firstly by trust in social organization, and secondly by trust in the government.

The Role of Social Work for Foreign Residents in an Epidemic: The MERS Crisis in the Republic of Korea

This article explores the experiences of foreign residents during the period of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in (South) Korea and discusses from a social work perspective the implications of their experiences and their needs. Data were obtained from interviews with 22 foreigners who either live and work or study in Korea. The data were then interpreted using a thematic analysis approach in a multilingual research context. The findings from the study show that foreign residents experienced a wide range of social and psychoemotional difficulties during the MERS health threat. Implications for social work practice in an epidemic emergency are presented.

Social capital and health-protective behavior intentions in an influenza pandemic

Health-protective behaviors, such as receiving a vaccine, wearing a face mask, and washing hands frequently, can reduce the risk of contracting influenza. However, little is known about how social capital may influence health-protective behavior in the general population. This study examined whether each of the social capital dimensions (bonding, bridging, and linking) contributed to the intention to adopt any of the health-protective behaviors in an influenza pandemic. The data of this study were from the 2014 Taiwan Social Change Survey. A stratified, three-stage probability proportional-to-size sampling from across the nation, was conducted to select adults aged 20 years and older (N = 1,745). Bonding social capital was measured by the frequency of neighborly contact and support. Bridging social capital was measured based on association membership. Linking social capital was measured according to general government trust and trust in the government's capacity to counter an influenza pandemic. Binary logistic regressions were used to assess the multivariate associations between social capital and behavioral intention. The study results indicate that social capital may influence the response to influenza pandemic. Specifically, the intention to receive a vaccine and to wash hands more frequently were associated with the linking dimension and the bonding dimension of social capital, while the intention to wear a face mask was associated with all forms of social capital. The findings of this study suggest that government credibility and interpersonal networks may play a crucial role in health-protective behavior. This study provides new insights into how to improve the effectiveness of influenza prevention campaigns.