The Relationship between Risk Event Involvement and Risk Perception during the COVID-19 Outbreak in China

A system dynamics model of the COVID-19 pandemic considering risk perception: A case study of Iran

The new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a complex issue around the world. As the disease advancing and death rates are continuously increasing, governments are trying to control the situation by implementing different response policies. In order to implement appropriate policies, we need to consider the behavior of the people. Risk perception (RP) is a critical component in many health behavior change theories studies. People's RP can shape their behavior. This research presents a system dynamics (SD) model of the COVID-19 outbreak considering RP. The proposed model considers effective factors on RP, including different media types, awareness, and public acceptable death rate. In addition, the simplifying assumption of permanent immunity due to infection has been eliminated, and reinfection is considered; thus, different waves of the pandemic have been simulated. Using the presented model, the trend of advancing and death rates due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran can be predicted. Some policies are proposed for pandemic management. Policies are categorized as the capacity of hospitals, preventive behaviors, and accepted death rate. The results show that the proposed policies are effective. In this case, reducing the accepted death rate was the most effective policy to manage the pandemics. About 20% reduction in the accepted death rate causes about 23% reduction in cumulative death and delays at epidemic peak. The mean daily error in predicting the death rate is less than 10%.

Don't say it's over: The perceived epidemic stage and COVID preventive behaviour

Little is known about the perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic's dynamic and its effect on self-protective behaviour. Using survey data from 1343 university students we explored how the perceived temporal distance to the COVID pandemic peak associates with risk perception and the adherence of preventive behaviours. Results show that individuals differ in their perception of the pandemic stage despite being in the same environment. The belief that the COVID peak is in the past was associated with less perceived risk and decreased self-protection. A high COVID-19 media involvement and trust in the authorities were associated with higher perceived risk and preventive behaviour implementation. Overall, the perception that the pandemic wave is in its final stages could be an independent predictor of more risky behaviour. Thus, the communication of the pandemic dynamic should be provided by policy makers with caution to avoid the possibility of discounting the risk.

Investigation of the Relationship Between COVID-19 Anxiety and Perception of Risk in Pregnancy, Fears of Death and Losing Their Baby in the Pandemic

The aim of the study was to determine Covid-19 anxiety, obsession, perception of risk and self-care agency levels of pregnant women during the pandemic and investigate the association between Covid-19 anxiety, obsession, perception of risk and self-care agency levels and the fears of death and losing their baby in the pregnant women. The study was a cross-sectional and descriptive study. Five hundred thirty-eight pregnant women were included in the study. "COVID-19 Anxiety Scale," "COVID-19 Obsession Scale," "Risk Perception in Pregnancy Scale," and "The Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale" were used to collect data of the study. In this study, the total Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients of the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, COVID-19 Obsession Scale, The Perception of Pregnancy Risk Questionnaire, The Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale were found to be 0.73, 0.70, 0.86 and 0.95 respectively. Statistical analysis of data in the study was conducted using SPSS (22.0, IBM Corp. Armonk, NY) statistical program. Statistically significant differences were identified between the mean score from COVID-19 anxiety scale and the mean scores from COVID-19 obsession scale, the perception of pregnancy risk questionnaire and the exercise of self-care agency scale. These results suggest that education and health policies that focus on the health of pregnant women and their fetus should be developed for antenatal care services.

Predicting the use of a COVID-19 contact tracing application: A study across two points of measurements

Contact tracing mobile applications (apps) were important in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Most previous studies predicting contact tracing app use were cross-sectional and not theory-based. This study aimed at contributing to a better understanding of app use intentions and app use by applying an extended version of the protection motivation theory across two measurement points while accounting for the development of the pandemic. A total of N = 1525 participants from Switzerland (Mage = 53.70, SD = 18.73; 47% female; n = 270 completed both assessments) reported on risk perceptions, response efficacy, self-efficacy, social norms, trust in government, trust in the healthcare system, active search of COVID-19-related information, intentions for and actual (self-reported) app use. Analyses included country-specific incidences and death toll. Increases in response-efficacy, self-efficacy, trust in government, and the active search of COVID-19-related information predicted increased app-use intentions. Increases in self-efficacy, intentions, and the active search of COVID-19-related information predicted increased self-reported app use. Risk perceptions, incidence, and death toll were unrelated to both outcomes. Across an aggravation of the pandemic situation, intentions for and app use were primarily related to response-efficacy, self-efficacy, trust in government, and the active search of COVID-19-related information.

Maternal prenatal attachment during the COVID-19 pandemic: exploring the roles of pregnancy-related anxiety, risk perception, and well-being

Pregnant women have faced novel physical and mental health risks during the pandemic. This situation is remarkable because a parent's emotional bond with their unborn baby (also known as prenatal attachment) is related to the parent's mental state. Prenatal attachment helps parents psychologically prepare for the transition into parenthood. Moreover, it plays a pivotal role in the future parentchild relationship and psychosocial development of the baby. Based on the available literature, the current study integrated risk perception theories with mental health indicators to examine maternal prenatal attachment during the pandemic. Pregnant women (n = 258) completed the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire-Revision 2 (PRAQ-R2), the WHO Well-being Index (WHO-5), the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), and answered questions about COVID-19 risk perception. The findings illustrated that pregnancy-related anxiety was positively associated with maternal prenatal attachment. Moreover, COVID-19 risk perception and well-being mediated this relationship. In other words, the higher levels of pregnancy-related anxiety were associated with increased COVID-19 risk perception and decreased well-being, inhibiting prenatal attachment in pregnant women. Considering the importance of prenatal attachment, it is crucial to understand the experiences of pregnant women and develop policies for promoting prenatal attachment, especially during challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Management of the COVID crisis in Reunion Island (SW Indian Ocean): representations of COVID-19 and acceptance of public health measures

Context

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has caused a major health crisis, requiring the implementation of various public health measures in order to slow the spread of the virus and reduce the associated mortality. However, the success of these measures depends on people's acceptance of them. This research aimed at understanding people's representations of COVID-19 and its crisis management, and ultimately at understanding their attitudes toward health measures for counteracting the spread of COVID-19 in Reunion Island together with the behaviours expected of them.

Method

Using Random Digit Dialling, a qualitative study was conducted with 53 inhabitants between February and May 2021. The COREQ checklist was followed. A dual textometric and manual thematic analysis was adopted in order to identify representations of COVID and the management of the crisis.

Results

Some respondents perceived COVID-19 as a serious disease, while others saw it as a banal virus or even doubted its existence. A perceived ineffectiveness of public health measures and the incompetency of public actors predominated in the participants' discourse.

Conclusions

Thus, there was a considerable lack of trust and negative attitudes toward health measures, possibly influencing people's acceptance and explaining numerous controversies. This research examines the importance of considering people's representations of the health situation in order to improve people's acceptance of protective measures.

How does social presence influence public crisis information sharing intention? Situational pressure perspective

Objective

Public crises seriously affect social stability and personal health. When individuals are in a public crisis environment, they will have the impulse and intention to share information, which is a behavioral attitude shown in the face of a crisis. Public crisis information sharing intention will be affected by many factors. This study aims to examine how the process of social presence may influence information sharing intentions during a public crisis and the mediating effects of situational pressure, including risk perception of disease infection and consistency of perception of opinion climate.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study with 505 youth SNS users. In order to collect as suitable samples as possible, a research website was commissioned to conduct a questionnaire in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. This questionnaire was utilized to measure social presence, risk perception of disease infection, consistency of perception of opinion climate and intention to share information about COVID-19. Structural equation modeling was used to examine variable relationships in the research model.

Results

The results showed that social presence was significantly and positively associated with risk perception of disease infection (B = 0.42, p < 0.001), consistency of perception of opinion climate (B = 0.43, p < 0.001) and intention to share information about COVID-19 (B = 0.48, p < 0.001). Risk perception of disease infection (B = 0.19, p < 0.001) and consistency of perception of opinion climate (B = 0.18, p = 0.002) positively predicted youth SNS users' intention to share information about COVID-19. Risk perception of disease infection and consistency of perception of opinion climate mediated the relationship between social presence and intention to share information about COVID-19 (Z = 2.66, CI: 0.03, 0.15; Z = 2.66, CI: 0.02, 0.16).

Conclusion

The study further deepens our understanding of the mechanisms underlying social presence and information sharing intentions. These new findings suggest that some situational cues, including media environment factors (social presence) and perceived stress factors (risk perception of disease infection, consistency of perception of opinion climate) may influence information sharing intention. From the perspective of communication psychology, this study enriched the assessment of information sharing on social media and contributes to understanding of social presence and situation pressure, and it helps to provide specific references for effectively promoting netizens' intention to share information about public crises.

Disability weight measurement for the severity of different diseases in Wuhan, China

BACKGROUND

Measurement of the Chinese burden of disease with disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) requires disability weight (DW) that quantify health losses for all non-fatal consequences of disease and injury. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2013 DW study indicates that it is limited by lack of geographic variation in DW data and by the current measurement methodology. We aim to estimate DW for a set of health states from major diseases in the Wuhan population.

METHODS

We conducted the DW measurement study for 206 health states through a household survey with computer-assisted face-to-face interviews and a web-based survey. Based on GBD 2013 DW study, paired comparison (PC) and Population health equivalence (PHE) method was used and different PC/PHE questions were randomly assigned to each respondent. In statistical analysis, the PC data was analyzed by probit regression. The probit regression results will be anchored by results from the PHE data analyzed by interval regression on the DW scale units between 0 (no loss of health) and 1 (loss equivalent to death).

RESULTS

A total of 2610 and 3140 individuals were included in the household and web-based survey, respectively. The results from the total pooled data showed health state "mild anemia" (DW = 0.005, 95% UI 0.000-0.027) or "allergic rhinitis (hay fever)" (0.005, 95% UI 0.000-0.029) had the lowest DW and "heroin and other opioid dependence, severe" had the highest DW (0.699, 95% UI 0.579-0.827). A high correlation coefficient (Pearson's r = 0.876; P < 0.001) for DWs of same health states was observed between Wuhan's survey and GBD 2013 DW survey. Health states referred to mental symptom, fatigue, and the residual category of other physical symptoms were statistically significantly associated with a lower Wuhan's DWs than the GBD's DWs. Health states with disfigurement and substance use symptom had a higher DW in Wuhan population than the GBD 2013 study.

CONCLUSIONS

This set of DWs could be used to calculate local diseases burden for health policy-decision in Wuhan population. The DW differences between the GBD's survey and Wuhan's survey suggest that there might be some contextual or culture factors influencing assessment on the severity of diseases.

Monitoring the impact of climate extremes and COVID-19 on statewise sentiment alterations in water pollution complaints

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated prevention policies can directly or indirectly alter the sentiment of individuals while registering water pollution complaints, but observational evidence remains limited. Here, we conducted a sentiment analysis on over 10,000 water pollution complaints from residents in Alabama, USA (2012-2021) to better understand how and to what extent COVID-19 has altered emotion (polarity score-based) and attitude (subjectivity) of water pollution complaints. We found that the 2017 state-wise drought significantly increased the percentage of negative water pollution complaints by +35%, with no significant alternation in attitude before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since COVID-19, the percentage of negative and subjective water pollution complaints significantly decreased and increased by -30 and +20%, respectively, and these sentiment alternations were maintained by 2021. This study provides a new direction for environmental governance and management, requiring a timely response to changes in the public's emotions and attitudes during the next climate extremes and pandemics.

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.

Effects of negative emotions and information perceived value on residents' risk perception during the COVID-19 pandemic: An empirical survey from China

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly and heavily hit the globe, and the mutation and transmission speed of the coronavirus have accelerated so that the world is still in danger. Thus, this study aims to investigate the participants' risk perception and explore the associations of risk perception of COVID-19 with negative emotions, information value perception and other related dimensions.

Methods

A cross-sectional, population-based online survey was conducted from April 4 to 15, 2020, in China. A total of 3,552 participants were included in this study. A descriptive measure of demographic information was used in this study. Multiple regression models and moderating effect analysis were used to estimate the effect of potential associations of risk perceptions.

Results

Those who showed negative emotions (depressed, helplessness, loneliness) and perceived video information in social media to be useful were positively correlated with risk perception, whereas individuals who perceived experts' advice to be useful, shared risk information with friends and thought that their community made adequate emergency preparation reported lower risk perception. The moderating effect of information perceived value (β = 0.020, p < 0.001) on the relationship between negative emotion and perception of risk was significant.

Conclusions

Individual differences in risk cognition during the COVID-19 pandemic were observed in subgroups of age level. Furthermore, the role of negative emotional states, the perceived usefulness of risk information and the sense of security also contributed to improving the public's risk perception. It is crucial for authorities to focus on residents' negative emotions and to clarify misinformation in accessible and effective ways in a timely manner.

Farmers' cognition of the COVID-19 outbreak, risk perception and willingness of green production

Existing literature reports that COVID-19 outbreak may affect people's risk perceptions, with disturbances ranging from mild negative emotional reactions to overall mental health. At the same time, the pneumonia pandemic reveals all the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of our ecosystem and makes people reflect on traditional ecologically harmful production practices. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to review the existing scientific literature on these variables, through a survey and empirical analysis, in order to present and comment on the effects and mechanisms of influence between them. The results showed that: (1) Increasing farmers'cognition of COVID-19 outbreak could significantly enhance the green production willingness. Specifically, the probability of "Very willing"to participate in green production increased by 29.9% for each unit of increase in cognition. (2) Farmers'cognition of COVID-19 outbreak can significantly enhance the level of risk perception and thus enhance their green production willingness, that is, risk perception is an important transmission medium of this effect. (3)The analysis of inter-generational difference showed that the impact of cognition of COVID-19 outbreak on green production willingness was significant for both the new generation and the old generation. On the basis of this, some policy suggestions are put forward, such as strengthening the propaganda and education of natural ecological environment protection, establishing the propaganda mechanism of green agricultural products market in the later period of epidemic situation, raising farmers'risk perception level through multi-channels and so on.

Characteristics&nbsp;of Collective&nbsp;Resilience&nbsp;and Its Influencing Factors from the Perspective of Psychological Emotion: A Case Study of COVID-19&nbsp;in&nbsp;China

Collective resilience is the ability of human beings to adapt and collectively cope with crises in adversity. Emotional expression is the core element with which to characterize the psychological dimension of collective resilience. This research proposed a stage model of collective resilience based on the temporal evolution of the public opinions of COVID-19 in China's first anti-pandemic cycle; using data from hot searches and commentaries on Sina Weibo, the changes in the emotional patterns of social groups are revealed through analyses of the sentiments expressed in texts. A grounded theory approach is used to elucidate the factors influencing collective resilience. The research results show that collective resilience during the pandemic exhibited an evolutionary process that could be termed, "preparation-process-recovery". Analyses of expressed sentiments reveal an evolutionary pattern of "positive emotion prevailing-negative emotion appearing-positive emotion recovering Collective resilience from a psycho-emotional perspective is the result of "basic cognition-intermediary condition-consequence" positive feedback, in which the basic cognition is expressed as will embeddedness and the intermediary conditions include the subject behavior and any associated derived behavioral characteristics and spiritual connotation. These results are significant both theoretically and practically with regard to the reconstruction of collective resilience when s' force majeure' event occur.

Scale of Adherence to Good Hospital Practices for COVID-19: Psychometric Properties

To avoid hospital transmission, all COVID-19 prevention measures should be followed. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a novel scale developed to assess adherence to good practices for COVID-19 in the hospital setting. A methodological cross-sectional study was conducted at a public hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with 307 healthcare providers. Data were collected using a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic/occupational data and the Adherence to Standard Precautions for COVID-19 scale. Cronbach's alpha coefficients and the intraclass correlation coefficients were used to measure internal consistency and temporal stability (test-retest analysis), respectively. Concurrent validity was evaluated using Spearman's correlation coefficients between the scores of the overall scale and its domains. Factorial structure was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and goodness-of-fit of the model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the scale and its domains were higher than 0.7, except the psychosocial domain (0.61). All intraclass correlation coefficients were higher than 0.7. Strong correlations were found between the total score and the personal (0.84) and organizational (0.90) domains of the scale and a good correlation was found with the psychosocial domain (0.66). The fit of the multidimensional model was satisfactory for all parameters and the three-dimensional structure of the scale was confirmed by the fit of the factor loadings. The novel scale is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing adherence to good hospital practices for COVID-19.

Burnout among Health Care Professionals during COVID-19

The present study examined organizational, situational (i.e., COVID-19-related), and psychological factors associated with burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic among 268 health care professionals in Norway. A total burnout score based on the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT), the four core BAT subscales (i.e., Exhaustion, Mental Distance, Cognitive Impairment, and Emotional Impairment), and the COVID-19 Burnout Scale served as the dependent variable. Among the results, organizational factors such as work-home conflict, workload, and role conflict were positively related to burnout. Although autonomy and colleague support were negatively related to burnout, support from leaders was positively related to it, which might suggest a suppressive effect. Organizational factors explained most of the variance in general burnout (i.e., BAT Total), whereas situational (i.e., COVID-19-related) factors (e.g., involvement with COVID-19, fear of COVID-19, and COVID-19-induced stress) seemed to better explain COVID-19 burnout. COVID-19-oriented actions were related only to Mental Distance. Psychological factors such as meaning were negatively related to BAT Total, Exhaustion, and Mental Distance, whereas a breach of the psychological contract was related to all subscales. Such results suggest that organizational and situational factors contribute differently to general and COVID-19 burnout and that administering pandemic-specific assessment tools can clarify how the pandemic has affected mental health.

Religion, politics and COVID-19 risk perception among urban residents in Malawi

INTRODUCTION

Majority of Malawians have not yet adopted COVID-19 mitigation measures despite having knowledge about its infectivity, morbidity, and fatality. Understanding drivers of hesitancy to adoption of COVID-19 mitigation measures is critical as it can inform prevention programs. This study explores Malawians' COVID-19 risk perception, and the associated constraints in the adoption of mitigation efforts. A Health Belief Model (HBM) approach was used to understand perceived factors that undermine public health COVID-19 messages to reduce the spread of the pandemic in Malawi.

METHODS

The study applied rapid appraisal and photovoice qualitative inquiry to comprehend risk perception regarding COVID-19. We purposively selected 52 participants from three major cities in Malawi. Audio and video interviews were transcribed verbatim, and transcripts were coded manually to derive key themes and concepts.

RESULTS

The study identified that social factors particularly religious and political beliefs influenced COVID-19 risk perception. Specific religious beliefs pertaining to individuals recognizing signs of the 'Christian apocalypse' were particularly associated with lower risk perceptions. Politically, participants believed COVID-19 lockdown measures were a ploy by the then-ruling party to remain in power.

CONCLUSION

The study suggests that religious beliefs and political environment undermine self -perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 among urban dwellers in Malawi. We recommend that diverse actors in Malawi should collaborate to promote the dissemination of accurate COVID-19 discourses and reduce the severity of the pandemic's impact in Malawi.

Media Data and Vaccine Hesitancy: Scoping Review

Background

Media studies are important for vaccine hesitancy research, as they analyze how the media shapes risk perceptions and vaccine uptake. Despite the growth in studies in this field owing to advances in computing and language processing and an expanding social media landscape, no study has consolidated the methodological approaches used to study vaccine hesitancy. Synthesizing this information can better structure and set a precedent for this growing subfield of digital epidemiology.

Objective

This review aimed to identify and illustrate the media platforms and methods used to study vaccine hesitancy and how they build or contribute to the study of the media's influence on vaccine hesitancy and public health.

Methods

This study followed the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. A search was conducted on PubMed and Scopus for any studies that used media data (social media or traditional media), had an outcome related to vaccine sentiment (opinion, uptake, hesitancy, acceptance, or stance), were written in English, and were published after 2010. Studies were screened by only 1 reviewer and extracted for media platform, analysis method, the theoretical models used, and outcomes.

Results

In total, 125 studies were included, of which 71 (56.8%) used traditional research methods and 54 (43.2%) used computational methods. Of the traditional methods, most used content analysis (43/71, 61%) and sentiment analysis (21/71, 30%) to analyze the texts. The most common platforms were newspapers, print media, and web-based news. The computational methods mostly used sentiment analysis (31/54, 57%), topic modeling (18/54, 33%), and network analysis (17/54, 31%). Fewer studies used projections (2/54, 4%) and feature extraction (1/54, 2%). The most common platforms were Twitter and Facebook. Theoretically, most studies were weak. The following five major categories of studies arose: antivaccination themes centered on the distrust of institutions, civil liberties, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and vaccine-specific concerns; provaccination themes centered on ensuring vaccine safety using scientific literature; framing being important and health professionals and personal stories having the largest impact on shaping vaccine opinion; the coverage of vaccination-related data mostly identifying negative vaccine content and revealing deeply fractured vaccine communities and echo chambers; and the public reacting to and focusing on certain signals-in particular cases, deaths, and scandals-which suggests a more volatile period for the spread of information.

Conclusions

The heterogeneity in the use of media to study vaccines can be better consolidated through theoretical grounding. Areas of suggested research include understanding how trust in institutions is associated with vaccine uptake, how misinformation and information signaling influence vaccine uptake, and the evaluation of government communications on vaccine rollouts and vaccine-related events. The review ends with a statement that media data analyses, though groundbreaking in approach, should supplement-not supplant-current practices in public health research.

Community resilience and psychological distress in Chinese older adults amid COVID-19: the roles of perceived community prevention effectiveness and risk perception

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping the world, bringing a disaster for not only public physical but also mental health. As older adults are more vulnerable than those in other age groups in this disaster, their psychological distress in this pandemic is of particular concern. Considering the importance of communities in combating the pandemic, we examined the role of a community in relieving older adults' psychological distress and the heterogeneous effect by older adults' different levels of risk perception.Method: We collected data through a questionnaire survey of 272 older adults in 12 communities in the Sichuan province of China in April 2020, and used the structural equation model to analyze the data.Results: we found that community resilience was negatively associated with older adults' psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress), and this association was mediated by perceived community prevention effectiveness. However, this indirect effect was stronger for older adults with low risk perceptions than for ones with high risk perceptions (including self-risk perception and group-risk perception).Conclusion: These findings underlined a community's vital significance in alleviating older adults' psychological distress amid the COVID-19 pandemic and moreover indicated that tailored interventions for facilitating community pandemic prevention should be designed for older adults with different risk perceptions.

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.

Risk Perception towards COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis

Several studies have attempted to identify how people's risk perceptions differ in regard to containing COVID-19 infections. The aim of the present review was to illustrate how risk awareness towards COVID-19 predicts people's preventive behaviors and to understand which features are associated with it. For the review, 77 articles found in six different databases (ProQuest, PsycInfo, PubMed, Science Direct, SCOPUS, and Web of Science) were considered, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was followed, and data synthesis was conducted using a mixed-methods approach. The results indicate that a high-risk perception towards COVID-19 predicts, in general, compliance with preventive behaviors and social distancing measures. Additionally, risk awareness was found to be associated with four other key themes: demographic factors, individual factors, geographical factors, and timing. Therefore, gaining a greater understanding of individual and cultural differences as well as how people behave could be the basis of an effective strategy for raising public risk awareness and for countering COVID-19.

An analysis of the relationship between risk perceptions and willingness-to-pay for commodities during the COVID-19 pandemic

The novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on the global retail market. Nonetheless, consumers will eventually return to the market once the pandemic is effectively controlled. Therefore, it is critical to consider which features closely linked to COVID-19 may affect consumer behavior. The present study thus addresses this gap by investigating the relationship of risk perceptions regarding COVID-19 with an important component of consumer behavior-namely, willingness-to-pay (WTP)-and further explores the underlying mechanisms behind this relationship. Data collected from 480 Chinese participants were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results showed that those with a greater risk perception regarding COVID-19 were more likely to exhibit a higher WTP for various commodities, which can be driven by awe and perceived loss of control induced by COVID-19. The present study delineates the effect that public health emergencies have on the consumption intentions of the general public.

Portuguese Version of COVID-19 Perceived Risk Scale and COVID-19 Phobia Scale: Psychometric Properties

The COVID-19 pandemic scenario has a psychological impact on individuals and society. A higher level of perceived risk concerning COVID-19 has been found when compared to other potential health threats. A misperception of risk in contrast with the real risk may lead people to develop disruptive cognitive, affective, or behavioral responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, namely, coronaphobia. Validated instruments are needed to evaluate such responses. This work aims to validate the COVID-19 Perceived Risk Scale (C19PRS) and the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19PS) in the Portuguese population. The two scales were translated from English to Portuguese using the back-translation technique. The cultural adaptation was framed in the context of establishing the validity and reliability of the instruments. In two studies, C19PRS and C19PS were validated for the adult Portuguese population (N = 1122; women = 725 (64.6%); mean age of 31.91 years old) through exploratory factorial analysis, followed by a confirmatory factorial analysis. Convergent validity was calculated by composite reliability (CR) and average variance extracted (AVE) values. Discriminant validity was assessed by square roots of the AVE values and their comparison with the C19PRS and C19PS dimensions’ cross-correlations. Both C19PRS and C19PS present a good adjustment model and solid reliability and validity and have significant correlations with fear of COVID-19 and COVID-19 anxiety scales.

A Psychometric Examination of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale and the Fear of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Scale in the Italian Population

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has caused not only significant physical health problems but also mental health disorders. Anxiety and fear appear to be the main psychological symptoms associated with COVID-19. The aim of this study was to investigate whether anxiety and fear related to COVID-19 are influenced by sociodemographics and whether specific conditions, such as positivity for COVID-19 or death among relatives and friends, can further enhance these symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, 697 Italians responded to an online survey assessing sociodemographic information, the presence/absence of positive cases, or deaths due to COVID-19 among relatives or acquaintances. The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) and Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCS-19S) were administered in order to assess the levels of anxiety and fear associated with COVID-19. The data were collected in November 2020. Anxiety and fear scores were positively correlated. Both male and female subjects with higher CAS scores also displayed higher FCS-19S scores. The CAS and FCS-19S scores tended to increase with age, with older subjects exhibiting higher scores than younger subjects. Additionally, respondents with lower educational levels demonstrated higher scores on both the CAS and FCS-19S. Similarly, respondents living with older people and/or experiencing the death of one or more relatives due to COVID-19 exhibited corresponding outcomes. This study demonstrates how the levels of anxiety and fear, measured by CAS and FCS-19S associated with COVID-19, are influenced by gender, age, cohabitation status, educational levels, and the presence of positive cases or deaths due to COVID-19.

Does psychosocial support buffer the effect of COVID-19 related stressors on mental health among Chinese during quarantine?

The effect of the COVID-19 related stressors on the mental health of both infected patients and the general public has been well established. However, knowledge is limited on how psychosocial support buffers the association. This study aimed to examine this buffering role in the context of China. We utilized cross-sectional data collected online in mid-March 2020, involving 585 respondents. Mental health status was determined through depression symptoms and loneliness. COVID-19 related stressors include three aspects: perceived severity, perceived threat to life and health, and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection. Psychosocial support included family and social supports. Analyses include ordinary linear regression. The finding showed that psychosocial support buffered the negative effect of loneliness in the context of perceived severity of COVID-19, but appeared to intensify the negative effect of depression symptoms in the context of perceived threat to life and health. However, there was no significant buffering effect on depression or loneliness in the context of the perceived risk of infection. The buffering effect of psychosocial support on COVID-19 related stressors is of mixed patterns. This study contributes to the emerging body of literature trying to understand how the COVID-19 impacts the mental health of individuals.

Panic Buying and Consumption Displacement during COVID-19: Evidence from New Zealand

Panic buying and hoarding behavior is a significant component of crisis- and disaster-related consumption displacement that has received considerable attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding such purchasing and stockpiling behavior provides critical information for government, disaster managers and the retail sector, as well as policy makers to adjust crisis response strategies and to better understand disaster management, including preparedness and response strategies. This study examines consumer purchasing behavior, retail spending and transactional data for different retail sectors between January 2017 and December 2020 using data for the greater Christchurch region in New Zealand. Once COVID-19-related panic buying began, overall spending increased sharply in anticipation of lockdowns. Transactional spending increased and subsided only slowly to a level higher than pre lockdown. The magnitude of the panic buying event far exceeded historical seasonal patterns of consumer spending outside of Christmas, Easter and Black Friday, although daily spending levels were comparable to such consumption events. The results of the study highlight the importance of comparing panic buying to other events in terms of purchasing motivations and also considering that so-called panic buying may contribute to greater individual and household resilience. The volume of sales alone is not adequate to define panic buying. Instead, the extent of divergence from the normal daily spending value per retail transaction of a given population provides a much more accurate characteristic of panic buying.

Consumption Trends During the COVID-19 Crisis: How Awe, Coping, and Social Norms Drive Utilitarian Purchases

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis continues to worsen globally, there exists a widespread enthusiasm for buying utilitarian products in the retail market, irrespective of culture or nationality. However, the questions of whether and why being involved in a public health emergency like the COVID-19 crisis could modify consumer behaviors have been underexplored by previous literature. Drawing on the theory of awe that highlights the important role in influencing human behaviors when they are facing unexpected events that transcends the frame of existing references, the present research aims to clarify the relationship between COVID-19 involvement and consumer preference for utilitarian versus hedonic products. We collected data from 512 Chinese participants (319 women; average age 29.11 years; SD = 11.89) during the outbreak of COVID-19. The results of structural equation modeling showed that COVID-19 involvement was positively related to the preference for utilitarian products (vs. hedonic products). More importantly, this relationship could be explained via the mediated effects of awe, problem-focused coping, and social norm compliance. The present research emphasizes the non-negligible role of public health emergencies in modifying consumer behavior and the role of awe in explaining the psychological influence of public health emergencies.