Factors Related to COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors: A Structural Equation Model

Non-binary gender, vulnerable populations and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Data from the COVID-19 MEntal health inTernational for the general population (COMET-G) study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant mental health challenges, particularly for vulnerable populations, including non-binary gender individuals. The COMET international study aimed to investigate specific risk factors for clinical depression or distress during the pandemic, also in these special populations.

METHODS

Chi-square tests were used for initial screening to select only those variables which would show an initial significance. Risk Ratios (RR) were calculated, and a Multiple Backward Stepwise Linear Regression Analysis (MBSLRA) was followed with those variables given significant results at screening and with the presence of distress or depression or the lack of both of them.

RESULTS

The most important risk factors for depression were female (RR = 1.59-5.49) and non-binary gender (RR = 1.56-7.41), unemployment (RR = 1.41-6.57), not working during lockdowns (RR = 1.43-5.79), bad general health (RR = 2.74-9.98), chronic somatic disorder (RR = 1.22-5.57), history of mental disorders (depression RR = 2.31-9.47; suicide attempt RR = 2.33-9.75; psychosis RR = 2.14-10.08; Bipolar disorder RR = 2.75-12.86), smoking status (RR = 1.15-5.31) and substance use (RR = 1.77-8.01). The risk factors for distress or depression that survived MBSLRA were younger age, being widowed, living alone, bad general health, being a carer, chronic somatic disorder, not working during lockdowns, being single, self-reported history of depression, bipolar disorder, self-harm, suicide attempts and of other mental disorders, smoking, alcohol, and substance use.

CONCLUSIONS

Targeted preventive interventions are crucial to safeguard the mental health of vulnerable groups, emphasizing the importance of diverse samples in future research.

LIMITATIONS

Online data collection may have resulted in the underrepresentation of certain population groups.

Association of COVID-19 preventive behavior and job-related stress with the sleep quality of healthcare workers one year into the COVID-19 outbreak: a Japanese cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the association of COVID-19 preventive behavior and job-related stress with sleep quality among healthcare workers (HCWs). We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a questionnaire at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.

METHODS

A total of 586 participants who completed the questionnaire were eligible for the study. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to evaluate sleep quality. We examined the level of engagement between poor sleep and COVID-19-related infection preventive behaviors, such as avoiding closed spaces, crowded places, and close contact (three Cs), a distance of at least one meter from others, wearing a face mask regularly, washing hands regularly, and working remotely, as well as job-related stress in the work environment, exposure to patients, potential risk of infection, fear of infecting others, need for social confinement, and financial instability. We conducted a hierarchical logistic regression analysis to examine the relationship between poor sleep and COVID-19 preventive behavior, job-related stress, and other covariates, including age, sex, and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), which was used to measure non-specific psychological distress.

RESULTS

Poor sleep was observed in 223 (38.1%) participants. Adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures was relatively high: 84.1% of participants answered "always" for wearing a face mask regularly and 83.4% for washing hands regularly. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, stress in the work environment (odds ratio [OR] = 2.09, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-3.20; p < 0.001), financial instability (OR = 1.73, 95% CI, 1.12-2.67; p < 0.05), and low adherence to working remotely (OR = 1.65, 95% CI, 1.06-2.57; p < 0.05) were independently and significantly associated with poor sleep after controlling for the covariates.

CONCLUSIONS

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the poor sleep rates of HCWs remained high. These results emphasize the need to protect HCWs from work environment stress and financial concerns.

Students' mental health during the pandemic: results of the observational cross-sectional COVID-19 MEntal health inTernational for university Students (COMET-S) study

Introduction

The aim of the study was to search rates of depression and mental health in university students, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods

This is an observational cross-sectional study. A protocol gathering sociodemographic variables as well as depression, anxiety and suicidality and conspiracism was assembled, and data were collected anonymously and online from April 2020 through March 2021. The sample included 12,488 subjects from 11 countries, of whom 9,026 were females (72.2%; aged 21.11 ± 2.53), 3,329 males (26.65%; aged 21.61 ± 2.81) and 133 "non-binary gender" (1.06%; aged 21.02 ± 2.98). The analysis included chi-square tests, correlation analysis, ANCOVA, multiple forward stepwise linear regression analysis and Relative Risk ratios.

Results

Dysphoria was present in 15.66% and probable depression in 25.81% of the total study sample. More than half reported increase in anxiety and depression and 6.34% in suicidality, while lifestyle changes were significant. The model developed explained 18.4% of the development of depression. Believing in conspiracy theories manifested a complex effect. Close to 25% was believing that the vaccines include a chip and almost 40% suggested that facemask wearing could be a method of socio-political control. Conspiracism was related to current depression but not to history of mental disorders.

Discussion

The current study reports that students are at high risk for depression during the COVID-19 pandemic and identified specific risk factors. It also suggested a role of believing in conspiracy theories. Further research is important, as it is targeted intervention in students' groups that are vulnerable both concerning mental health and conspiracism.

Determinants of Residential Satisfaction During the Initial Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Xiangyang City, China

Objectives: To explore the impacts of psychological character strengths, self-efficacy, and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on residential satisfaction at the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Methods: To achieve the study aim, we collected data from 281 observations from Xiangyang City, China, via an online survey. Data were analyzed using linear regression. Results: Character strengths and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases significantly impacted residential satisfaction. While self-efficacy did not directly impact residential satisfaction, it moderated the relationship between the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and residential satisfaction. The control variables of social trust and shared value positively impacted residential satisfaction, and their influence on residential satisfaction was higher than that of character strengths. The sociodemographic variables of marriage, age, educational attainment, and housing area per capita also impacted residential satisfaction significantly. However, strong ties and weak ties became insignificant variables due to social distancing strategies. Conclusion: The study findings offer insights for local governments to enhance residential satisfaction in the community to avoid social panic during unpredictable threats or future pandemics.

Sense of safety and opinions about COVID-19 vaccinations in Polish school teachers: the role of conspiracy theories belief and fear of COVID-19

The co-occurrence of COVID-19 conspiracy theories (CCT) and fear of the coronavirus (FCV) can be linked to how safe people feel and how much they endorse vaccinations. School teachers were one of the vaccination priority groups in Poland. We conducted three cross-sectional studies (N1 = 1006; N2 = 1689; N3 = 627) to find out the potential interaction effects of CCT belief and FCV in predicting sense of safety (SoS; Studies 1-3), opinions about vaccinations efficacy (Studies 2-3) and endorsement of vaccinations of children (Study 3) among school teachers. In all three studies, the belief in CCT was related to lower SoS only when FCV was low. For low CCT belief, although the belief in vaccination efficacy was higher than for CCT endorsers, it was unrelated to FCV. However, for high and average CCT belief, FCV was linked to belief in vaccination efficacy. FCV was positively related to acceptance of vaccinating children on all levels of CCT endorsement. The results are discussed in light of the available literature and their potential use in public health.

COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Factors Influencing Vaccine Hesitancy among Patients with Inborn Errors of Immunity in Latvia: A Mixed-Methods Study

BACKGROUND

The European Society for Immunodeficiencies recommends that all patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) without contraindications should receive SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The aim of this study was to investigate the reasons that discourage IEI patients from receiving the recommended vaccination and to assess vaccination coverage among IEI patients in Latvia.

METHODS

In this multicenter mixed-methods study, the vaccination status of all patients with IEI within two tertiary centers in Latvia was reviewed using electronic health records. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 IEI patients who did not undergo vaccination, and a thematic analysis was performed.

RESULTS

A total of 341 patients (49.3% female; median age 19.7 years (IQR:17)) were included in the quantitative part. The proportion of fully vaccinated individuals aged ≥ 12 years was 66.8%-70.9% with patients with selective IgA deficiency and 58.8% with other IEI (χ² = 14.12, p < 0.001). The proportion of fully vaccinated individuals aged 5-11 years was 11.1%. Age was associated with vaccination status: younger patients were found to have a significantly lower likelihood of receiving vaccination (U = 8585, p < 0.001). The five main themes identified were as follows: (1) fear and uncertainty; (2) risk and benefit assessment: COVID-19 vaccine-is it worth it? (3) external influences: the dark horse of the decision-making-people around us; (4) individuals against the system; and (5) beliefs about vaccination and COVID-19. Under-representation of certain IEI groups and recall bias are possible limitations of this study.

CONCLUSIONS

While most reasons for hesitancy were similar to those previously described in the general population, disease-specific concerns were also identified.

Determinants of COVID-19 preventive health behaviors in Iranian adults based on extended parallel process model

Performing preventive behaviors by individuals has been recognized as one of the important strategies for the prevention and control of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to assess the determinants of adopting preventive behaviors of COVID-19 in a sample of Iranian adults based on Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) variables. In this cross-sectional study, 300 adults from Tehran, Iran were selected using cluster sampling method from five areas of the city: north, south, west, east, and center. The participants completed a study instrument developed to assess demographic information and EPPM variables. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software. The mean age of the participants was 40.11 (± 15.158) years. The results showed that 88.3% (n = 265) of the participants were in the process of danger control. Perceived self-efficacy, attitude, response efficiency, behavioral intention, and the number of hours of activity outside home were determinants of performing COVID-19 preventive behaviors among the participants. These predictors might be used to develop theory-based educational efforts based on EPPM variables due to encouraging people to adopt COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Our results suggest that because many participants were engaged in danger control, health professionals should focus on increasing perceived efficacy.

Attitude towards dengue control efforts with the potential of digital technology during COVID-19: partial least squares-structural equation modeling

Background: Dengue fever is still a public health issue in Indonesia, and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, integrated digital technology will be required for its control. This study aims to identify critical indicators influencing attitudes towards dengue control related to the potential for implementing digital technology. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey, with 515 people willing to fill out an online questionnaire. The analysis was conducted using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). There were 46 indicators used to assess attitudes toward dengue control, which were organized into six variables: the need for digital information systems, perceptions of being threatened with dengue, the benefits of dengue control programs, program constraints, environmental factors and attitudes in dengue control. Results:  The source of information needed for dengue control was mainly through social media. There was a positive relationship between perception of environmental factors to perception of dengue threat, perception of program constraints, perception of program benefits, and perception of digital technology needs. Perception of program benefits and threatened perception of dengue have a positive relationship with perception of digital technology needs. Conclusions: This model showed the variables perception of digital technology and perception of benefits had a positive association with attitude towards dengue control.

A study on blood donor characteristics and preferred environment of South Koreans during the COVID-19 pandemic: A conjoint analysis

Objective

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decrease in the number of blood donors worldwide, posing a global problem. Therefore, this study investigates people who have continuously participated in blood donation during the COVID-19 pandemic and collects basic information as a reference for maintaining stable amounts of blood during future pandemics.

Methods

The participants of this study were selected from the population of South Korea through stratified sampling considering region and age distributions. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants were recruited online through Embrain, an online research and survey company, from June 1 to June 28, 2021. Data were collected from a total of 1,043 participants and used in the study.

Results

The results of this study showed that there was a difference between the donors group and non-donors group in factors such as donation attitude (F = 73.342, p &lt; 0.001), donation knowledge (F = 6.530, p &lt; 0.01), and preventive health behavior (F = 12.352, p &lt; 0.001). Overall, blood donors showed favorable attitude toward and considerable knowledge of blood donation as well as a high level of preventive health behavior. The environment most preferred by people who participated in blood donation during the COVID-19 pandemic was “going with family to a blood donation center that gives out free gifts in a region far away with no confirmed cases,” which showed the highest utility (utility = 0.734).

Conclusion

Even during pandemics, donation attitude, donation knowledge, and preventive health behavior can serve as key factors affecting participation in blood donation. Additionally, blood donation centers that donors can visit with their families represent a favorable environment for the promotion of blood donation during pandemics.

Towards a sense of urgency for innovation realization: a case study on complacency asymmetries in interorganizational relations

This paper seeks to explore the concept of complacency as a barrier to the sense of urgency within product innovation, by investigating the concept on behalf of interfirm project partners. More specifically, the study aims to understand complacency within the context of an industrial research project in Norway subject to material substitution of an energy transmission tower. As such, the study seeks to give a contextual understanding of complacency for innovation realization (e.g., innovation speed) from a single case study. The study identified different complacency mechanism asymmetries on behalf of the actors, as well as the varying reasons (drivers) to why urgency gaps may occur among actors. The urgency gaps were found to impact a sense of urgency and thus innovation speed negatively. The asymmetries are presented from the drivers: role understanding, competence, project intent, risk and trust. Moreover, the urgency gaps' implications for interorganizational project collaboration, and how they contribute to theory on industrial product innovation, are explained. The findings contribute with new insights on important mechanisms for how a sense of urgency may be enhanced in research projects subject to interorganizational innovation. Theoretical contributions thus relate to enhanced understanding of complacency asymmetry in product innovation collaboration, and how trust is an important dimension for urgency creation.

The Early Warning Mechanism of Public Health Emergencies Through Whistleblowing: A Perspective Based on Considering the Uncertainty of Risk Perception

Purpose

During the early warning period of public health emergencies, the information released by whistleblowers on the risk posed by the given event can reduce uncertainty in the public's risk perception and help governments take timely actions to contain the large-scale dissemination of risk. The purpose of this study is to give full play to whistleblowers and draw attention to the risk events, forming a pluralistic model of the risk governance during the early warning period of public health emergencies.

Methods

We construct an evolutionary game model of the early warning of public health emergencies through whistleblowing that involves the government, whistleblowers, and the public, discussing the mechanism of interaction between these subjects under the uncertainty of risk perception. Furthermore, we use numerical simulations to analyze the influence of changes in the relevant parameters on the evolutionary trajectory of the subjects' behaviors.

Results

The results of the research are obtained by numerical simulation of the evolutionary game model. The results show that the public's cooperation with the government encourages the latter to take a positive guidance strategy. Increasing the reward for whistleblowers within an acceptable cost, strengthening the propaganda of the mechanism and the higher level of risk perception of the government and whistleblowers will promote whistleblowers' vocalization actively. When the government's reward for whistleblowers is lower, the whistleblowers choose negative vocalization with the improvement of the public's risk perception. If there is no mandatory guidance from the government at this point, the public is prone to passively cooperating with the government owing to a lack of risk-related information.

Conclusion

Establishing an early warning mechanism through whistleblowing is important for containing risk in the early warning period of public health emergencies. Building the whistleblowing mechanism in daily work can improve the effectiveness of the mechanism and enhance the public's risk perception better when the public health emergencies arise.

Threat Appraisal, Resilience, and Health Behaviors in Recovered COVID-19 Patients: The Serial Mediation of Coping and Meaning-Making

Research indicates that both cognitive appraisal and personal resources can noticeably influence health behaviors, as individuals modify their health convictions and practices on the basis of threat appraisal, personality, and meaning. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether coping strategies and meaning-making can serially mediate the relationship of threat appraisal and resilience with health behaviors in recovered COVID-19 patients. Self-report measures of threat appraisal, resilience, coping, meaning-making, and health behaviors were completed by 266 participants (aged 17 to 78, 51.5% female) who had recovered from COVID-19. The serial mediation analysis showed that the relationship of threat appraisal and resilience with health behaviors was mediated by problem-focused coping, meaning-focused coping, and meaning-making, but not by emotion-focused coping. These results suggest that associations among threat perception, resilience, and health behavior depend to some extent on the interplay of coping and meaning-making, which reveals their unique role in the process of recovery from COVID-19, with potential implications for health interventions.

Relationship and Sexual Quality in the Wake of COVID-19: Effects of Individual Regulatory Focus and Shared Concerns over the Pandemic

Research has shown mixed findings regarding the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on relationship and sexual quality and activity. We argue that some of these findings might be understood considering people's predisposition to maintain safety (i.e., prevention focus) or take risks (i.e., promotion focus), and sharing concerns with one's partner about the pandemic. A longitudinal study (N = 153) tested if regulatory focus before the pandemic (November 2019) was associated with relationship quality, sexual quality, and joint sexual activity later on (June 2020) and whether these effects were moderated by shared concerns over the pandemic. Results showed that participants more focused on prevention experienced higher relationship quality later on, but also less sexual quality and less frequent joint sexual activity, when they shared fewer (vs. more) concerns with their partner. In contrast, participants more focused on promotion experienced higher relationship quality later on when they shared more (vs. less) concerns with their partner. These results indicate how individuals' regulatory focus and shared concerns in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can have downstream consequences on people's relational and sexual dynamics. We offer insights for mental health professionals to improve psychosocial health and well-being when people are faced with critical events.

Contemporary trends in psychological research on conspiracy beliefs. A systematic review

Background

The number of psychological studies on conspiracy beliefs has been systematically growing for about a dozen years, but in recent years, the trend has intensified. We provided a review covering the psychological literature on conspiracy beliefs from 2018 to 2021. Halfway through this period, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, accompanied by an explosion of movements based on conspiracy theories, intensifying researchers' interest in this issue.

Methods

Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, the review systematically searched for relevant journal articles published between 2018 and 2021. A search was done on Scopus and Web of Science (only peer-reviewed journals). A study was included if it contained primary empirical data, if specific or general conspiracy belief(s) were measured and if its correlation with at least one other psychological variable was reported. All the studies were grouped for the descriptive analysis according to the methodology used, the participants' characteristics, the continent of origin, the sample size, and the conspiracy beliefs measurement tools. Due to substantial methodological heterogeneity of the studies, narrative synthesis was performed. The five researchers were assigned specific roles at each stage of the analysis to ensure the highest quality of the research.

Results

Following the proposed methodology, 308 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility and 274 articles (417 studies) meeting the inclusion criteria were identified and included in the review. Almost half of the studies (49.6%) were conducted in European countries. The vast majority of the studies (85.7%) were carried out on samples of adult respondents. The research presents antecedents as well as (potential) consequences of conspiracy beliefs. We grouped the antecedents of conspiracy beliefs into six categories: cognitive (e.g., thinking style) motivational (e.g., uncertainty avoidance), personality (e.g., collective narcissism), psychopathology (e.g., Dark Triad traits), political (e.g., ideological orientation), and sociocultural factors (e.g., collectivism).

Conclusion and limitations

The research presents evidence on the links between conspiracy beliefs and a range of attitudes and behaviors considered unfavorable from the point of view of individuals and of the society at large. It turned out that different constructs of conspiracy thinking interact with each other. The limitations of the study are discussed in the last part of the article.

Health persuasion through emoji: How emoji interacted with information source to predict health behaviors in COVID-19 situation

By providing health information through visual communication, public health organizations can effectively guide and persuade people to adopt healthy behaviors, which is critical in the context of public health crises. In this study, drawing upon congruity theory and the premise of visual communication, we examined how information source and emoji may shape people's preventive and self-protective behaviors through perceived fear (PF) and perceived controllability (PC). Using a convenience sample of 210 participants, we conducted a 2 (emoji: with versus without) × 2 (information source: official versus unofficial) between-subject experiment. The results indicated that, compared with nonuse, the use of emoji in information resulted in higher PF, stronger preventive behavioral intention (PBI), and lower PC. In addition, a strong interaction effect was observed between emoji and the source of information on PBI. When emoji were added to health information released by an unofficial organization, the text outperformed that from an official agency in persuading people to adopt preventive behaviors. Furthermore, we determined that PF mediated the effect of emoji on PBI, but only for unofficial information sources. These results provide a reference for enhancing the effectiveness of health information including visual cues, such as emoji.

Exploration of COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention Behaviors among Healthcare Workers

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the pandemic has become an important topic of global public health. To reduce the rapid spread of the pandemic, compliance with preventive behaviors has become one of the important guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO). Healthcare workers stand on the frontline for pandemic prevention, and preventive behaviors are essential measures to protect their health and safety. The purpose of this study was to propose an integrative model that explained and predicted COVID-19 preventive behaviors among healthcare workers. The study integrated workplace safety climate and the health belief model (HBM) to verify the impact of workplace safety climate and health belief factors on the safety attitude, safety compliance, and safety satisfaction of healthcare workers performing COVID-19 pandemic prevention behaviors. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2021 with a self-administered online questionnaire. The sample of the study was drawn from healthcare workers of a famous medical institution in Taipei City as research subjects. After collecting 273 valid questionnaires and verifying them through the analysis of structural equation modeling (SEM), the findings revealed that workplace safety climate had an impact on health belief factors, and then health belief factors had impacts on safety attitudes. In addition, safety attitude affected safety compliance, while safety compliance further affected safety satisfaction. The study showed that workplace safety climate can strengthen healthcare workers' health beliefs and further affect their safety attitudes, safety compliance, and safety satisfaction. The study attempted to propose a model of healthcare workers' pandemic prevention behaviors as a reference for medical facility administrators in real practice.

Application of protection motivation theory and cultural tightness-looseness for predicting individuals' compliance with the government's recommended preventive measures during regular prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic in China

Introduction

In the period of regular prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public must continue to comply with the government's recommended preventive measures to further curb the pandemic. Based on the theories of protection motivation and cultural tightness-looseness, this study investigates individuals' compliance with the government's recommended preventive measures during this period in China. It also establishes a moderated mediation model to explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods

We used structural equation modeling and latent model structural equations to analyze data from an online survey of 443 participants.

Results

The analysis showed that media exposure significantly predicted perceived severity, maladaptive rewards, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and response cost. Perceived severity, self-efficacy, and response efficacy were positively associated with protection motivation, which, in turn, was positively associated with individuals' compliance. Additionally, protection motivation positively affected individuals' compliance via implementation intention, and perceived cultural tightness-looseness significantly moderated the association between protection motivation and implementation intention.

Discussion

This study helps to better understand individuals' compliance from a theoretical perspective and provide practical advice on promoting individuals' compliance with the government's precautionary measures.

Public Perception Before and After COVID-19 Vaccine Pass for the Unvaccinated to Eat Alone: Social Media Data Analytics

This study was conducted to compare the trends of public perception in South Korea about the vaccine pass requiring the unvaccinated to eat alone during the COVID-19 crisis. Data were collected via Text mining; frequency, association, and sentiment analysis using the social big data analysis service, (known as "Some-Trend"), 2 months before and after December 16, 2021, when the vaccine pass was announced. The total number of search results was 4899 occurrences of the keywords using "eating alone" and "Hon-bab" (Korean abbreviation for eating alone). During the week of December 16, the frequency was the highest (770 occurrences). Compared to the weeks before the announcement sentiment analysis shows that words including "Reject," "Discrimination," and "Uncomfortable," among others, either newly appeared or increased in frequency. And also, the percentage of positive words decreased from 54.5% to 34% and that of negative words increased from 30.2% to 43.3%. The introduction of the vaccine pass has raised negative public interest, particularly regarding the policy of unvaccinated people forcefully restricted to eat alone. Accordingly, this study showed that the vaccine policy had not gain positive perception of the public.

[Changes in sleep patterns and the doom-scrolling (doom-surfing) phenomenon as modifiable risk factors for anxiety due to continuous stress of the COVID-19 pandemic]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the modifiable daily behavior patterns associated with increased anxiety indicators in the general population in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study examined the characteristics of the Russian population (n=7777) of the international multicenter project COMET-G. In particular, variables were targeted to describe deviations in the behavior of adults during the period of application of measures of social isolation in connection with the pandemic, and revealing a relationship with the total score on the Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (STAI-S). Among these variables, experts selected those that could potentially be subject to change in the short term, that is, act as manageable or modifiable risk factors for the development of anxiety. The selected variables were analyzed in a statistical PLS-model to identify indicators that make the most significant contribution to the increase in the total anxiety score.

RESULTS

Our statistical model explained 48.4% of the variability in the STAI-S anxiety total scores related to changes in daily life habits. In particular, doom-scrolling/doom-surfing about the spread of the virus and the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in sleep patterns and usual daily life activities due to social isolation measures presented as factors significantly contributing to the increase of state anxiety.

CONCLUSION

Given the manageable or modifiable risk factors that we have identified, public awareness and therapeutic recommendations, pointing to the need to (I) control the amount of time spent in the internet and monitor their internet-based content consumption, (II) regulate sleep-wake patterns, (III) maintain daily habits and household activities, may reduce the likelihood of developing anxiety disorders in the context of the impact of a global chronic stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social isolation measures.

The Relationship between the Need for Closure and Coronavirus Fear: The Mediating Effect of Beliefs in Conspiracy Theories about COVID-19

This study investigated the relationship between fear of the coronavirus, belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and dimensions of the need for cognitive closure. As there is evidence of associations between these variables, we hypothesized that the relationship between the need for closure dimensions and coronavirus fear may be mediated by conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19. We analyzed the results from 380 individuals who completed online versions of three scales: the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, a short version of the Need for Closure Scale, and-designed for this study-the Conspiracy Theories about the Coronavirus Scale. The results showed that belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories fully mediated the relationship between the fear of the coronavirus and avoidance of ambiguity, as well as closed-mindedness. The findings provided evidence that beliefs in conspiracy theories may play a significant role in reducing the level of coronavirus fear in people with high levels of these traits. In addition, a partial mediation between the fear of the coronavirus and the need for predictability was found. The limitations and implications of the research are discussed.

The effect of different degrees of lockdown and self-identified gender on anxiety, depression and suicidality during the COVID-19 pandemic: Data from the international COMET-G study

INTRODUCTION

During the COVID-19 pandemic various degrees of lockdown were applied by countries around the world. It is considered that such measures have an adverse effect on mental health but the relationship of measure intensity with the mental health effect has not been thoroughly studied. Here we report data from the larger COMET-G study pertaining to this question.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

During the COVID-19 pandemic, data were gathered with an online questionnaire from 55,589 participants from 40 countries (64.85% females aged 35.80 ± 13.61; 34.05% males aged 34.90±13.29 and 1.10% other aged 31.64±13.15). Anxiety was measured with the STAI, depression with the CES-D and suicidality with the RASS. Distress and probable depression were identified with the use of a previously developed cut-off and algorithm respectively.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

It included the calculation of Relative Risk (RR), Factorial ANOVA and Multiple backwards stepwise linear regression analysis RESULTS: Approximately two-thirds were currently living under significant restrictions due to lockdown. For both males and females the risk to develop clinical depression correlated significantly with each and every level of increasing lockdown degree (RR 1.72 and 1.90 respectively). The combined lockdown and psychiatric history increased RR to 6.88 The overall relationship of lockdown with severity of depression, though significant was small.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study is the first which reports an almost linear relationship between lockdown degree and effect in mental health. Our findings, support previous suggestions concerning the need for a proactive targeted intervention to protect mental health more specifically in vulnerable groups.

An analysis of awe evoked by COVID-19 on green purchasing behavior: A dual-path effect of approach-avoidance motivation

The spread of the COVID-19 virus shows that it is time to re-emphasize the ethical attitude of “awe of others, awe of nature, and awe of life.” It once again reveals the importance of green development. In this study, we introduce awe into the context of COVID-19 and construct an “emotion-motivation-behavior” framework, aiming to explore the relationship between the epidemic and green purchasing behavior from a psychological perspective. Study 1 demonstrates the effect of awe on green purchasing and examines the mediating role of the motivation perspective, to reveal the potential different path. Specifically, prosocial motivation mediates the effect of positive awe evoked by COVID-19 on green purchasing; risk avoidance motivation mediates the effect of negative awe evoked by COVID-19 on green purchasing. Study 2 examined the moderating effect of self-construal. These findings have important management implications for enterprises to correctly use emotional guidance strategies and promote green marketing practices during the COVID-19.

Age Differences in Psychological Antecedents and Behavioral Consequences of Stigmatization Associated with COVID-19 among Koreans

The first goal of this study is to develop a conceptual model of the causal relationship between psychological antecedents (internal attribution, anger, dangerousness, fear) of stigmatization, stigmatization (public stigma, anticipated stigma), and the behavioral consequences (compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines, COVID-19 testing intention) of stigmatization associated with COVID-19. The second goal of the study is to investigate the age differences in the conceptual model between younger and older adults unconfirmed with COVID-19 in Korea. After building the model based on previous studies, an online survey was conducted with Koreans in their 20s (n = 300, females: 50%) and 60s (n = 300, females: 50%) who had not been confirmed with COVID-19. The results revealed that for participants in their 20s and 60s, their internal attribution of COVID-19 infection to individuals confirmed with COVID-19 enhanced their anger at the individuals. Afterward, their anger increased their anticipated stigma of being confirmed with COVID-19 through enhancing the public stigma of the individuals confirmed with COVID-19. Unexpectedly, the fear of individuals confirmed with COVID-19 elicited by the dangerousness of the individuals had no effect on the public stigma of the individuals among participants in their 20s and 60s. The fear directly enhanced their compliance with the COVID-19 prevention guidelines. Next, for participants in their 20s, their anticipated stigma increased their compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines, but not their COVID-19 testing intention. However, the anticipated stigma did not affect both the compliance with the COVID-19 prevention guidelines and COVID-19 testing intention among participants in their 60s. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

The Roles of Health and e-Health Literacy, Conspiracy Beliefs and Political Sympathy in the Adherence to Preventive Measures Recommended during the Pandemic

Adherence to preventive measures is of the utmost importance for limiting the spreading of the coronavirus. Many predictors of adopting preventive behaviors have been analyzed in different countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: The study’s main aim was to assess the roles of health (HL) and e-health literacy (eHL), conspiracy beliefs, political sympathy, and religious practices in the adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. The analysis was based on the data obtained from a survey conducted among 2410 adult Internet users in Poland in October 2020. The survey was performed with a computer-assisted web-based interviewing technique. Survey data were analyzed through uni- and multivariable linear regression models. The multivariable regression model revealed that after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, the preventive measures score (PMS) was significantly associated with HL (B = 0.04, p < 0.001), eHL (B = 0.03, p < 0.001) and the COVID-19-related conspiracy beliefs score (C19CBS) (B = −0.24, p < 0.001). There was also a significant statistical relationship between PMS and political sympathies and religious practices. HL and eHL are key factors eligible for modification through appropriate interventions and showing positive effects in compliance with preventive measures. Conspiracy beliefs, political sympathy and religious beliefs are independently associated with the adherence.

Modeling Suicidality Risks and Understanding the Phenomenon of Suicidality Under the Loupe of Pandemic Context: National Findings of the COMET-G Study in the Russian Population

BACKGROUND: Suicidality is a complex clinical phenomenon reflecting vulnerability to suicidal behavior which can be explained via the biopsychosocial paradigm and in relationship with a variety of country-specific factors. Data on suicides within the Russian population are inconsistent (from 11.7 up to 25.1 per 100.000), whereas the populations suicidality risks have not been investigated in detail. Suicidality estimates during the multifactorial influence of the COVID-19 pandemic could serve as a basis to learn more about this mental health indicator. METHODS: The current study is a part of the COMET-G international project (40 countries, n=55.589), which represents an analysis of data collected from Russias general population (n=7714, 3312 y.o., 61% female) to estimate suicidality using the Risk Assessment Suicidality Scale (RASS) and its relationships with socio-demographic, clinical, and life-habit characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation of the statistical data (descriptive statistics, ANOVA, LASSO linear regression, significant at =0.05) was undertaken using TIBCO Statistica. RESULTS: According to the RASS, at least 20.68%, and up to 29.15%, of the general population in Russia demonstrated increased risk of suicidality during the pandemic. Modelling these risks pointed to the key vulnerabilities related to mental and behavioral disorders, such as (i) current severe depression and a history of mental disorders, (ii) bipolar disorder, (iii) use of illicit drugs surprisingly outranking the alcohol misuse, and psychiatric compounds (hypnotics), highlighting sleep quality deterioration, (iv) a history of suicide attempts and self-harm though not self-reported changes in depression in response were predictors of the risk of suicidality, which can be explained by the phenomenon of learned suicidality, a habitual behavioral suicidality pattern completion accumulated over the background. Such (v) socio-demographic indicators as younger age (disregarding the gender factor), a marital status of single, having no children, living with fewer people in the household, a recent increase in family conflicts, increased need for emotional support, decreased need for communication, and not believing in precautionary measures against COVID-19, contributed to the increase of suicidality risk in the context of the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study revealed new suicide risk factors that should be taken into account in suicidality risk assessments for the Russian population and in the implementation of suicide prevention programs in the region.

Determinants of Anxiety in the General Latvian Population During the COVID-19 State of Emergency

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictive public health measures have seriously affected mental health of society. Social, psychological, and health-related factors have been linked to anxiety in the general population.

Aim

We investigate the association of various sociopsychological and health-related determinants of anxiety and identify the predicting factors for anxiety in the general population during the COVID-19 state of emergency from in Latvia.

Methods

We conducted an online survey using a randomized stratified sample of the general adult population in July 2020 for 3 weeks. Anxiety symptoms were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S). Sociodemographic, health-related, sociopsychological characteristics and suicidality were identified using the structured questionnaire. The statistical analysis included Pearson's chi-square test, post hoc analysis, and binomial logistic regression.

Results

The weighted study sample included 2,608 participants. The mean STAY-S score of the total sample was 22.88 ± 12.25. In the total sample, 15.2% (n = 398) of participants were classified as having anxiety. The odds ratio (OR) of having anxiety was higher in females (OR = 2.44; 95% CI 1.75–3.33) and people who had experienced mental health problems in the past (OR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.03–2.04), had suicide attempt in the past (OR = 1.68; 95% CI 1.08–2.59), were worried about their health status due to COVID-19 (OR = 1.64; 95% CI 1.36–1.16), were worried about stigmatization from others if infected with COVID-19 (OR = 1.18; 95% CI 1.03–1.35), were worried about information regarding COVID-19 from the Internet (OR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.08–1.43), persons who were lonely (OR = 1.90; 95% CI 1.54–2.34), and persons with negative problem orientation (OR = 1.26; 95% CI 1.06–1.51). Protective factors were identified as having good self-rated general health (OR = 0.68, 95 % CI 0.58–0.81), maintaining a daily routine (OR = 0.74, 95 % CI 0.61–0.90), having financial stability (OR = 0.66, 95 % CI 0.55–0.79), and having good psychological resilience (OR = 0.90, 95 % CI 0.87–0.94).

Conclusions

This is the first study to report a prevalence of anxiety in the general population of Latvia. Certain factors that predict anxiety, as well as protective factors were identified.

Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination behaviour in Latvian population: cross-sectional study

Vaccination is the most effective way of limiting the spread of COVID-19. However, despite the proven effectiveness and safety of vaccines, there is resistance in society and the course of vaccination is slow. The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination behaviour.

Methods: The data originate from a representative sample of Latvian residents (N  = 1017) taken in September 2021. The data were analysed using Chi-squared test, Mann–Whitney test, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, Kruskal Wallis test, and Binary Logistic regression analysis.

Results: The results of the study reveal several factors that are associated with COVID-19 vaccination behaviour. These factors are a higher level of education, motivation for protecting oneself against illness, for promoting collective immunity, protecting relatives and other people from infection, as well as motivation for vaccination in order to keep a job or continue studies, and institutional trust. On the other hand, perceived social support from relatives is negatively associated with vaccination behaviour.

Conclusion: A higher level of education and confidence in evidence-based information on COVID-19, provided by official sources of information, is the key factor in deciding whether to protect oneself from serious illness or to make a choice to promote collective immunity and protect other people. The need for vaccination in order to continue working and/or learning is also an essential motive for vaccination. On the other hand, the belief that, if necessary, it is possible to receive support from relatives may be a delaying factor in the behaviour of vaccination.

Explaining interpersonal differences in COVID-19 disease prevention behavior based on the health belief model and collective resilience theory: a cross-sectional study from Bolivia

Background

Governments have attempted to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by issuing guidelines for disease prevention behavior (e.g., wearing masks, social distancing, etc.) and by enforcing these guidelines. However, while some citizens have complied with these guidelines, others have ignored them or have even participated in large-scale protests. This research aims both to understand the causes of such variation in citizens’ adherence to government guidelines on disease prevention behavior and to extend the scientific literature on disease prevention to account for the collective resilience of a society to diseases. Thus, this research draws on the health belief model and collective resilience theory to develop hypotheses about the determinants of a citizen’s disease prevention behavior. These hypotheses deal with how citizens’ vulnerability, attitudes toward disease prevention, and social orientation are associated with COVID-19 prevention behaviors.

Methods

From March 24 to April 4, 2020, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Bolivia. It included questions on demographic characteristics, chronic health problems, emotional burden, attitudes towards preventive behaviors, trust in public institutions, and culture. Among 5265 participants who clicked on the survey, 1857 at least partially filled it out. After removing data with missing responses to any variable, the final sample consists of 1231 respondents. The collected data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling.

Results

Regarding a citizen’s vulnerability, chronic health problems have a U-shaped association with disease prevention behavior. Moreover, age, female gender, and worries have positive associations with disease prevention behavior, whereas depression showed a negative association. Regarding attitudes toward disease prevention, trust in public institutions, and attitudes toward social distancing, a government-imposed lockdown and the enforcement of this lockdown showed positive associations with disease prevention behavior. Regarding social orientation, individualism and collectivism both have positive relationships with disease prevention behavior.

Conclusions

In the COVID-19 pandemic, a citizen’s low vulnerability, weak social orientation, and beliefs about low benefits of disease prevention behavior are associated with poor compliance with guidelines on disease prevention behavior. More research on these associations would help generalize these findings to other populations and other public health crises.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13068-1.

Suicidality Related to the COVID-19 Lockdown in Romania: Structural Equation Modeling

Background

Suicidality is a serious public health concern at a global scale. Suicide itself is considered to be preventable death; worldwide, suicide rates and their trends are under constant scrutiny. As part of the international COMET-G cross-sectional study, we conducted a national level investigation to examine the individual disturbances (such as anxiety, depression, or history of life-threatening attempts) and contextual factors (such as adherence to conspiracy theories or Internet use) associated with suicidality related to the COVID-19 lockdown in a lot of Romanian adults.

Participants and Methods

One thousand four hundred and forty-six adults responded to an anonymous on-line questionnaire, with mean age ± standard deviation of 47.03 ± 14.21 years (1,142 females, 292 males, 12 identified themselves as non-binary). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM).

Results

Univariate analysis showed strong significant correlation between anxiety and depression scorings among the respondents (Spearman R = 0.776, p < 0.001). Both the suicidality scorings and the Internet use correlated fairly with anxiety and depression, with two-by-two Spearman coefficients between R = 0.334 and R = 0.370 (p < 0.001 for each). SEM analysis substantiated the emotional disturbances, previous life-threatening attempts, and younger age as significant predictors for suicidality. The patterns of reality reading (including religious inquiries, Internet use, and beliefs in conspiracy theories) did not reach the statistical significance as influential factors in the suicidality of these respondents. There was no covariance between the Internet use and belief in conspiracy theories.

Conclusion

The study confirmed the suicidality risk initially hypothesized as being associated with the history of life-threatening attempts, increased depression within the younger population, and higher anxiety during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdown. National strategies for effective interventions at various levels of the healthcare system should be developed.

Covid-19 threat and coping: application of protection motivation theory to the pandemic experiences of people affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

BACKGROUND

People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are at high risk for severe outcomes from Covid-19 infection. Researchers exploring ALS and Covid-19 have focused primarily on system response and adaptation. Using Protection Motivation Theory, we investigated how people with ALS and family caregivers appraised and responded to Covid-19 threat, the 'costs' associated with pandemic response, and how health professionals and systems can better support people affected by ALS who are facing public health emergencies.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the 'ALS Talk Project,' an asynchronous, moderated focus group study. Participants were recruited from regions across Canada. Seven groups met online over 14 weeks between January and July 2020. Fifty-three participants contributed to Covid-19 discussions. Data were qualitatively analyzed using directed content analysis and the constant-comparative approach.

RESULTS

Participants learned about the Covid-19 pandemic from the media. They rapidly assessed their vulnerability and responded to Covid-19 threat by following recommendations from health authorities, information monitoring, and preparing for worst-case scenarios. Adopting protective behaviors had substantial response costs, including adaptations for medical care and home support workers, threatened access to advance care, and increased caregiver burden. Participants expressed need for ALS-specific, pandemic information from trusted health professionals and/or ALS health charities. Telemedicine introduced both conveniences and costs. Prior experience with ALS provided tools for coping with Covid-19. Threat and coping appraisal was a dynamic process involving ongoing vigilance and adaptation. Findings draw attention to the lack of emergency preparedness among participants and within health systems.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinicians should engage ALS patients and families in ongoing discussions about pandemic coping, strategies to mitigate response costs, care pathways in the event of Covid-19 infection, and changing information about Covid-19 variants and vaccines. Healthcare systems should incorporate flexible approaches for medical care, leveraging the benefits of telemedicine and facilitating in-person interaction as needed and where possible. Research is needed to identify strategies to mitigate response costs and to further explore the interaction between prior experience and coping. Further study is also needed to determine how communication about emergency preparedness might be effectively incorporated into clinical care for those with ALS and other medically vulnerable populations.

Exploring Performance Management in China’s Family SMEs Based on Structural Equation Modelling and Back-Propagation Neural Network

Because of the growing competition and challenges within the global business environment, understanding performance management has become essential to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they have traditionally dominated the Chinese economy. In recognition of the limited studies with a specific focus on Chinese family SMEs, this study modelled and tested performance management by analysing four factors and eighteen indicators using structural equation modelling (SEM) and back-propagation neural network (BPNN). Secondary data from the Chinese Stock Market and Accounting Research (CSMAR) database were collected for this study. The results provide a better understanding of the proposed relationships between these variables through a review of their impact and correlations. This study suggested that four factors, including financial performance, external environment, internal environment, and enterprise development potential, will significantly impact performance management.

Effects of COVID-19 on Multilingual Communication

The paper presents the results of a study on the analysis of the perception of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by Spanish-, German- and Russian-speaking social media actors after the emergence of vaccines and attitudes toward vaccination. The empirical base of the study was corpus data, materials from online media, social networks, microblogging, blogs, instant messengers, forums, reviews, and video hosting data. The Spanish-language database included 6,640,912 tokens and 43,251,900 characters; the German-language database included 16,322,042 tokens and 109,139,405 characters; and the Russian-language database included 16,310,307 tokens and 109,060,935 characters. With a neural network approach, a multilingual analysis was performed, which made it possible to analyze the topic structure and the semantic network with the allocation of the semantic core and the associative network. Differential and integral features of the identified structures based on the material of these three databases made it possible to determine the general and different characteristics of the perception by Spanish-, German-, and Russian-speaking users of the development of the pandemic, a number of social problems, attitudes toward various types of vaccines, observance of preventive measures, and readiness for vaccination.

Investigating the Adoption of Precautionary Behaviors Among Young Rural Adults in South Iran During COVID-19

COVID-19 is an unprecedented challenge for public health worldwide. Reducing the incidence of the disease requires protective measures to prevent virus transmission. Understanding those factors influencing preventive behavior is the first step in preventing the spread of the disease. This study investigates factors affecting youth intention and preventive behaviors in the face of COVID-19 through the health belief model by using a cross-sectional survey collected through an online questionnaire. The sample comprises 304 rural youth in South Iran who were selected through a random sampling technique. The results reveal that perceived severity, perceived benefits, public health beliefs, perceived self-efficacy, and the cue to act positively and significantly affect preventive behaviors. The model explains 59% of variance changes in rural youth preventive behaviors during COVID-19. Cue to action is the strongest and self-efficacy was the weakest determinant of youth's preventive behavior. This study confirms that the HBM framework has appropriate predictive power and is an effective tool for investigating preventive behaviors during COVID-19. These results provide important policy implications for the development of policies that aim to avoid the further spread of COVID-19 between young citizens.

Knowledge of COVID-19 and Its Relationship with Preventive Behaviors and Vaccination among Adults in Northern Thailand's Community

(1) Background: the 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak (COVID-19) has posed a major threat to public health and had a significant impact on all areas of people’s lives. Vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed to control the disease, and an array of personal hygiene measures has been introduced. As a result, information that will support and promote vaccination among populations as well as other health measures against COVID-19 are urgently needed. The goal of this research was to look into the knowledge about COVID-19 and how it relates to preventive behaviors and vaccination among people living in rural areas of northern Thailand. (2) Methods: a cross-sectional study was performed in four upper northern provinces of Thailand. A total of 1524 participants were recruited using the probability sampling technique. Questionnaires were distributed to collect data on general health information, as well as knowledge and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19. (3) Results: more than half (55.9%) of the participants were female and had not received the COVID-19 vaccine (67.2%). Their mean age was 44.13 years. The majority had moderate COVID-19 knowledge and engaged in preventive behaviors (65.5% and 42.0%, respectively). A linear regression model showed that the COVID-19 knowledge score was related to the COVID-19 preventive behaviors score, with a standardized coefficient of 0.510, after adjusting for age, underlying disease, and body mass index (B = 2.64; 95%CI = 2.42, 2.87). Binary logistic regression revealed that after controlling for age, education, occupation, financial status, and current disease (AOR = 1.87; 95%CI = 1.64–2.13), the score of COVID-19 knowledge was significantly associated with having the COVID-19 vaccine. (4) Discussion: knowledge of COVID-19 is very important for people in rural regions to engage in COVID-19 prevention behaviors and vaccination. Relevant government agencies and health network partners should support proactive education campaigns emphasizing the risk of contracting the disease and its severity in order to promote vaccination against COVID-19 among unvaccinated groups. These campaigns can highlight COVID-19’s positive benefit-risk balance in the short and long term and ensure public safety measures against COVID-19.

COmpliance with pandemic COmmands Scale (COCOS): The relationship between compliance with COVID-19 measures and sociodemographic and attitudinal variables

Several studies in different countries have reported that part of the population does not fully comply with the measures recommended to prevent COVID-19, and therefore poses a risk to public health. For this reason, several measures have been developed to assess the level of compliance, although many of them have methodological limitations or do not include a comprehensive set of items. The main goal of the current study was to develop a new instrument with suitable psychometric properties, which includes a more complete set of items and controls the impact of acquiescence bias. The participants were 1410 individuals (59.2% women) from Spain, who answered the new questionnaire and several items on sociodemographic and attitudinal issues. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out, and the results suggested that only one content factor was underlying the data. This solution was replicated in a different subsample, which shows the stability of the solution. Furthermore, the relationships between the scores of the new questionnaire and the sociodemographic and attitudinal variables are similar to those obtained in previous studies, which can be regarded as evidence of the validity of the new questionnaire.

Systematic Review of Socio-Emotional Values Within Organizations

The theory of separation assumes, with provocation, that an organization cannot reconcile profits and social function. Organizations can reconcile these two, apparently contrasting, missions, by considering emotions, especially moral emotions, to create a genuine motivation for focusing on goals beyond simple economic earnings and protecting organizations or groups of people from dysfunctional attitudes and behaviors, as well as considering the important role of the stakeholder accountability. Using the PRISMA method, we created a review of records using keywords relating to a socio-emotional value within organizations, with a particular focus on the last 20 years. We used the SCOPUS database and, after removing irrelevant records, we used the VOSviewer tool to create a cluster map of different areas in this topic. Some records cite the socio-emotional value that is related to organizational and employee suffering, while other articles consider it a positive factor that improves performance and prevents problems in organizations.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward Coronavirus and Associated Anxiety Symptoms Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

University students' knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward COVID-19 are vital to prevent the spread of the virus, especially in the context of developing countries. Consequently, the present study aimed to determine the KAP levels of university students and associated anxiety during the earlier stage of the pandemic in Bangladesh.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, online study with 544 university students was conducted during April 17-May 1, 2020. The questionnaire incorporated several KAP-related test items aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Anxiety was measured with the 2-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-2). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between KAP levels and anxiety adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Subgroup analyses included rerunning models stratified by gender and quarantine status.

RESULTS

Approximately 50% of students showed high levels of knowledge about COVID-19 guidelines, 59% reported behavioral practices that aligned with COVID-19 guidelines, and 39% had negative attitudes toward COVID-19 guidelines. Attitudes differed by anxiety (χ² = 23.55, p < 0.001); specifically, negative attitudes were associated with higher anxiety (OR: 2.40, 95% CI = 1.66-3.46, p < 0.001). Associations were significant for male (OR = 2.36; 95% CI = 1.45-3.84, p < 0.001) and female (OR = 2.45; 95% CI = 1.3-4.34; p < 0.001) students. Stratified analyses found non-quarantined students with negative attitudes had three times the chance of experiencing anxiety (OR = 3.14, 95% CI: 1.98-4.98, p < 0.001). Non-quarantined students with low levels of knowledge had half the chance of developing anxiety (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.31-0.78, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Based on these findings, it is recommended that university authorities continue to prioritize proactive and effective measures to develop higher levels of knowledge, more positive attitudes and better behavioral practices regarding COVID-19 for the mental health of their students.

Concerns and Challenges Related to Sputnik V Vaccination Against the Novel COVID-19 Infection in the Russian Federation: The Role of Mental Health, and Personal and Social Issues as Targets for Future Psychosocial Interventions

BACKGROUND

Vaccine hesitancy causes serious difficulties in vaccination campaigns in many countries. The study of the population's attitude toward vaccination and detection of the predictive important individual psychological and social factors defining the vaccination necessity perception will allow elaborating promoting vaccination adherence measures.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this research was to study COVID-19 threat appraisal, fear of COVID-19, trust in COVID-19 information sources, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, and the relationship of sociodemographic variables to COVID-19 preventive behavior.

METHODS

We carried out a cohort cross-sectional study of the population's attitude toward vaccination against the novel COVID-19 coronavirus infection, using a specially designed questionnaire for an online survey. Totally, there were 4,977 respondents, ranging in age from 18 to 81 years. Statistical assessment was carried out using the SPSS-11 program.

RESULTS

There were different attitudes toward vaccination. Among respondents, 34.2% considered vaccination to be useful, 31.1% doubted its effectiveness, and 9.9% considered vaccination unnecessary. The survey indicated that 7.4% of respondents were indifferent to the vaccine, while 12.2% deemed it to be dangerous. Nearly one-third (32.3%) of respondents indicated that they did not plan to be vaccinated, while another third (34.0%) would postpone their decision until more comprehensive data on the results and effectiveness of vaccination were available. Only 11.6% of the respondents were vaccinated at the time of the study. Young people were less focused on vaccination compared to middle-aged and elderly people. Receiving information concerning COVID-19 vaccination from healthcare workers and scientific experts was associated with greater vaccination acceptance.

CONCLUSION

The study results showed that vaccination attitudes interacted with individuals' mental health and various sociodemographic factors. Insofar as reports of physicians and experts are essential for shaping attitudes to vaccination, the study results inform the selection of target groups in need of particular psychosocial interventions to overcome their vaccine hesitancy.

Cyberchondria, but not preventive behavior, mediates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and somatic burden: Evidence from Russia

BACKGROUND

There is extensive available research on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 pandemic and physical symptoms. This study was the first to examine the cyberchondria and COVID-19 preventive behavior as mediators of this relationship.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2021, during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia. The participants were 2,011 Russian-speaking volunteers aged 18 years and older. They completed questionnaires on somatic burden, cyberchondria, COVID-19 preventive behavior, and fear of COVID-19 pandemic. Mediation analysis was used to explore the mediating roles of cyberchondria and preventive behavior in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and somatic burden.

RESULTS

Fear of COVID-19 positively predicted somatic burden, cyberchondria, and COVID-19 preventive behavior. Mediation analysis showed that the relationship between fear of COVID-19 pandemic and somatic burden was mediated by cyberchondria (effect = 0.08, bootstrapping SE = 0.01, bootstrapping 95% CI [0.08, 0.12]), but not COVID-19 preventive behavior (effect = 0.02, bootstrapping SE = 0.01, bootstrapping 95% CI [0.00, 0.05]).

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that cyberchondria had negative effects on somatic burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. The knowledge of the mediating role of cyberchondria may be used by health care workers when consulting persons with physical health complaints and psychosomatic disorders.