Behavioral Sciences

Research

18 pages, 835 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Population Perspectives on Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Essential Health Services—Behavioral Insights from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

by Šeila Cilović-Lagarija, Sanjin Musa, Nino Hasanica, Goran Čerkez, Mirza Palo, Marek Majdan, Martha Scherzer, Katrine Bach Habersaat, Catherine Smallwood, Ardita Tahirukaj and Dorit Nitzan

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12120495 - 3 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2318

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patterns of use of essential health services (EHS), health-seeking behaviors, and population health and wellbeing in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) from the perspective of its [...] Read more.

The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patterns of use of essential health services (EHS), health-seeking behaviors, and population health and wellbeing in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) from the perspective of its adult population. A population-based survey was implemented in the FBiH in December 2020 on a sample of 1068 adults. Overall, 64% of respondents received care, significantly more being women (67% vs. 61%, p = 0.046), those with a chronic disease (CD) (75% vs. 65%, p < 0.001), and of an older age (58% in 18–34 vs. 67% in older, p = 0.031). These groups also postponed care more often (39% in 55+ vs. 31% in 18–34 years old, p = 0.01; 55% with CD vs. 31% without, p < 0.001; and 43% in females vs. 32% males, p < 0.001). Main reasons for postponing care were lack of available appointments and fear of infection. The presence of a CD was the strongest predictor of need, access, and disruptions of health care. Respondents reported increased expenses for medicines (40%) and health services (30%). The findings of the survey add user insights into EHS disruptions to existing health statistics and other data and may be used to inform strategies for mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on the disruption of health care services, strengthening health system preparedness and building resilience for future emergencies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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12 pages, 652 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of COVID-19 on Motivation, Involvement, and Behavior of Cyclists in Taiwan

by Ya-Ling Yu, Jia-Yi Lin, Chiung-Hsia Wang and Chin-Huang Huang

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 479; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12120479 - 25 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1521

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread all over the world and has impacted tourism globally, with countries taking various measures such as travel restrictions, border closures, lockdowns, or quarantines to contain the virus. Tourists’ motivation has also been affected by COVID-19, but so far, [...] Read more.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread all over the world and has impacted tourism globally, with countries taking various measures such as travel restrictions, border closures, lockdowns, or quarantines to contain the virus. Tourists’ motivation has also been affected by COVID-19, but so far, the literature has not yet discussed their concern over COVID-19 as well as the relationships among their motivation, involvement, and behavior intention. Therefore, this study fills the gap in the literature by taking cycling tourism as an example to understand the involvement of tourists concerning COVID-19 and presents the depth and breadth of its effects upon tourism. Due to the challenge of face-to-face, on-site investigation, we employ an online survey for data collection, use exploratory factor analysis to extract the main factors of motivation, involvement, and behavior intention, and set up a structural equation model to examine the relationships among the three factors. The results show that COVID-19 has positively and significantly affected motivation and involvement. Motivation positively and significantly affects involvement, and involvement affects motivation and behavior intention. The main finding herein is that motivation does not affect behavior, but involvement does mediate between the motivation and behavior of cyclists during COVID-19. Therefore, people may perceive the risk of health and wellbeing through such involvement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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14 pages, 788 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exercise Participation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Anxiety, Stress, and Precautionary Behavior

by Heetae Cho, Sunghoon Kim and Weisheng Chiu

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12110437 - 9 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1724

Abstract

Understanding emotion is critical, as it influences behavioral responses. In particular, anxiety is one of the most significant factors affecting individuals’ behavior during a pandemic situation. However, the effect of coronavirus anxiety on exercise behaviors has not been extensively explored in the extant [...] Read more.

Understanding emotion is critical, as it influences behavioral responses. In particular, anxiety is one of the most significant factors affecting individuals’ behavior during a pandemic situation. However, the effect of coronavirus anxiety on exercise behaviors has not been extensively explored in the extant literature. Therefore, this study examined the relationships among coronavirus anxiety, stress, precautionary behavior, and exercise participation. A total of 307 responses were collected from individuals who experienced the full length of the circuit breaker in Singapore. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results showed that coronavirus anxiety had positive effects on stress and precautionary behavior. In addition, precautionary behavior played a mediating role in the relationships among coronavirus anxiety, stress, and exercise participation. The findings of this study identify how COVID-19 affected exercise participation during that period and suggest strategies to promote exercise participation, which would benefit individuals and governments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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12 pages, 910 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Individuals’ Willingness to Get the Vaccine for COVID-19 during the Third Wave: A Study on Trust in Mainstream Information Sources, Attitudes and Framing Effect

by Marianna Masiero, Davide Mazzoni, Silvia Francesca Maria Pizzoli, Simone Gargenti, Roberto Grasso, Ketti Mazzocco and Gabriella Pravettoni

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 399; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12100399 - 18 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1968

Abstract

Different inner and external determinants might explain an individual’s willingness to get the vaccine for COVID-19. The current study aims at evaluating the effects of trust in mainstream information sources on individuals’ willingness to get the vaccine and the moderator role of the [...] Read more.

Different inner and external determinants might explain an individual’s willingness to get the vaccine for COVID-19. The current study aims at evaluating the effects of trust in mainstream information sources on individuals’ willingness to get the vaccine and the moderator role of the message framing. Six hundred and thirty-four participants (68.5% females and 31.5% males) were enrolled in an online survey. Participants filled out a questionnaire assessing: trust in mainstream information sources and vaccinal attitude (trust in vaccine benefit, worries over unforeseen future effects, concerns about commercial profiteering, and preference for natural immunity). In addition, participants were randomly exposed to one of four conditions of framing information about the vaccine (gain-probability; gain-frequency; loss-probability; loss-frequency). Results showed that trust in vaccine benefit (b = 9.90; 95% CI: 8.97, 11.73) and concerns about commercial profiteering (b = −4.70; 95% CI: −6.58, −2.81) had a significant effect on the intention to get the vaccine. Further, a significant interaction was observed between loss-gain and trust in vaccine benefit and between frequency-probability and concerns about commercial profiteering. Future vaccination campaigns should consider the individuals’ concerns about vaccine benefit and economic profits to efficaciously deliver frequency-framed or probability-framed information. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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18 pages, 908 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Understanding Combined Health and Business Risk Behaviour: Small Tourism Firm Owners Reopening Amid COVID-19 in Pingyao, China

by Haizhou Zhang, Zhaoyuan Shi, Jieqi Chen and Ziang Zhang

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 358; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12100358 - 26 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2421

Abstract

This study explores the psychological factors affecting small tourism firm (STF) owners’ decision making about reopening businesses in the midst of COVID-19 based on protection motivation theory and the theory of planned behaviour. The data were collected from a sample of 300 STFs [...] Read more.

This study explores the psychological factors affecting small tourism firm (STF) owners’ decision making about reopening businesses in the midst of COVID-19 based on protection motivation theory and the theory of planned behaviour. The data were collected from a sample of 300 STFs in the Ancient City of Pingyao when the lockdown policy was lifted in China. A symmetric approach, i.e., partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS–SEM), and an asymmetric model, i.e., a fuzzy set/qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), were used to analyse the net effect of the psychological determinants and correlations between the variables leading to high and low behavioural intentions to reopen businesses. The results indicate that social norms and perceived business uncertainty were the critical factors influencing the intention to reopen. The pathway (low perceived risk of infection, low perceived business uncertainty, high reward, high response efficacy, high self-efficacy, high attitude, and high subjective norm) was only one configuration for a high intention to reopen. The study results are discussed based on dual-process theory, and practical implications are offered to guide STF recovery amid COVID-19. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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9 pages, 488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Student Perceptions of the Resilience in a Confinement Due to COVID-19 in University of A Coruña: A Qualitative Research

by María-Paula Ríos-de-Deus, María-Luisa Rodicio-García, Laura Rego-Agraso, María-José Mosquera-González, Marta Elena Losa-Iglesias, Ricardo Becerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo and Daniel López-López

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(8), 294; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12080294 - 19 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2108

Abstract

The home confinement caused by COVID-19 has caused university students to express feelings, negative experiences, and concerns about the confinement situation they were experiencing. This prompted the development of research on resilience, which shows that it is closely related to well-being. The general [...] Read more.

The home confinement caused by COVID-19 has caused university students to express feelings, negative experiences, and concerns about the confinement situation they were experiencing. This prompted the development of research on resilience, which shows that it is closely related to well-being. The general objective is to determine if resilience acts as a guarantor of personal growth and, therefore, of the self-perception of well-being. The research is developed with qualitative methodology and is framed in the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach and is framed in the hermeneutic-dialectical method. The selection of participants was carried out through an intentional sampling, by non-random methods, among university students. Fifty-two students participated, 41 are women (78.84%) and 11 men (21.15%), with an average age of 20.7 years. The information was collected through a diary card in which they had to collect their experiences and prepare a short speech identifying three temporal moments of confinement: beginning, during, and end. The information was collected between 16 April and 15 May 2020. An inductive analysis was carried out, and the emerging categories were defined: personal growth, resilience, and well-being. Personal growth materializes through three subcategories: personal changes, interpersonal changes, and changes in the philosophy of life. The university students showed that the vital transformation related with resilience acts as a guarantor of personal growth and self-perception of well-being. A voluntary, conscious, and intelligent evolution of people is detected, and personal changes, interpersonal changes, and changes in the philosophy of life are identified as factors of personal growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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10 pages, 495 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Institutional Trust as a Protective Factor during the COVID-19 Pandemic in China

by Shuangshuang Li, Yijia Sun, Jiaqi Jing and Enna Wang

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(8), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12080252 - 25 Jul 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2498

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that institutional trust protects subjective well-being during pandemics. However, the potential mediation mechanisms underlying this linkage remain unclear. This study constructs a mediating model to investigate the effect of institutional trust on subjective well-being and the mediating roles of [...] Read more.

Previous research has demonstrated that institutional trust protects subjective well-being during pandemics. However, the potential mediation mechanisms underlying this linkage remain unclear. This study constructs a mediating model to investigate the effect of institutional trust on subjective well-being and the mediating roles of belief in a just world and fear of COVID-19 in the Chinese context. To this end, we survey a sample of 881 participants. The results show that institutional trust, belief in a just world, fear of COVID-19, and subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) are significantly interrelated. The results also indicate a significant impact of institutional trust on life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. Belief in a just world and fear of COVID-19, independently and in sequence, mediate the relationship between institutional trust and subjective well-being. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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10 pages, 276 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South-East Gabon

by Roméo Karl Imboumy-Limoukou, Barthélemy Ngoubangoye, Serge Ely Dibakou, Sandrine Lydie Oyegue-Liabagui, Franck Mounioko, Lady Charlene Kouna, Walter Roddy Matangoye, Steede Seinnat Ontoua, Nancy Cheronne Mbani Mpega and Jean-Bernard Lekana-Douki

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12070226 - 11 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1602

Abstract

COVID-19 is an emerging respiratory disease; it was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. This survey aimed to describe the knowledge, attitudes, perception and practices of the Gabonese public towards COVID-19. This study was performed on 1016 participants. All participants [...] Read more.

COVID-19 is an emerging respiratory disease; it was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. This survey aimed to describe the knowledge, attitudes, perception and practices of the Gabonese public towards COVID-19. This study was performed on 1016 participants. All participants filled in the questionnaire voluntarily, reporting demographic characteristics and answering questions assessing their level of knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practice towards COVID-19. Among participants, there were 535 men and 476 women. The mean age of the participants was 33.2 ± 16.7 years old. Almost all participants (98.1%) said that they had heard about COVID-19 but only 2.8% knew the pathogenic agent responsible for COVID-19. More than 80% knew that the disease could be transmitted by greeting infected people (87.3%), kissing an infected person (90.0%), touching an infected doorknob (83.5%) and attending meetings (83.9%). The mean knowledge score was higher among younger than older participants, higher among participants living in urban areas than those living in rural areas and higher among participants with higher levels of education than those with lower levels of education. In general, respondents had good knowledge of COVID-19 and a positive attitude towards using protective measures; however, there were differences according to gender, age group, place of residence, professional group and level of education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

16 pages, 1664 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Time-Series Associations between Public Interest in COVID-19 Variants and National Vaccination Rate: A Google Trends Analysis

by Cecilia Cheng

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 223; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12070223 - 9 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2433

Abstract

The emergence of a constantly mutating novel virus has led to considerable public anxiety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Information seeking is a common strategy to cope with pandemic anxiety. Using Google Trends analysis, this study investigated public interest in COVID-19 variants and its [...] Read more.

The emergence of a constantly mutating novel virus has led to considerable public anxiety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Information seeking is a common strategy to cope with pandemic anxiety. Using Google Trends analysis, this study investigated public interest in COVID-19 variants and its temporal associations with the disease-prevention measure of vaccination during the initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout period (13 December 2020 to 25 September 2021). Public interest was operationalized as the relative search volume of online queries of variant-related terms in the countries first affected by the Alpha, Beta, and Delta variants: the UK, South Africa, and India, respectively. The results show that public interest in COVID-19 variants was greater during the Delta-variant-predominant period than before this period. The time-series cross-correlation analysis revealed positive temporal associations (i.e., greater such public interest was accompanied by an increase in national vaccination rate) tended to occur more frequently and at earlier time lags than the negative temporal associations. This study yielded new findings regarding the temporal changes in public interest in COVID-19 variants, and the between-country variations in these public interest changes can be explained by differences in the rate and pace of vaccination among the countries of interest. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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9 pages, 496 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Social Motivation to Comply with COVID-19 Guidelines in Daily Life in South Korea and the United States

by Min Young Kim and Kyueun Han

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 213; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12070213 - 27 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2572

Abstract

Collectivism assessed at the national level has been suggested as a psychological factor that affects compliance with COVID-19 guidelines in daily life. The level of assessment and conceptual construct of collectivism, however, vary across studies, which calls for the need to clarify the [...] Read more.

Collectivism assessed at the national level has been suggested as a psychological factor that affects compliance with COVID-19 guidelines in daily life. The level of assessment and conceptual construct of collectivism, however, vary across studies, which calls for the need to clarify the power of collectivism in explaining individuals’ compliance behaviour. With this aim, we investigated individual-level collectivism, the unique variance and other relevant factors, such as altruism (e.g., for the family, community, and humanity) and impression management (e.g., what others would think of me) in explaining compliance with COVID-19 guidelines in US and South Korean participants. The results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that collectivism was a significant factor that explained compliance only in the US participants, whereas impression management was significant and explained the additional variance over collectivism in compliance in both the US and South Korean participants. The findings suggest the importance of elucidating the overlap between collectivism and impression management in studies exploring COVID-19 guideline adherence in daily life. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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13 pages, 1355 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Capability of Government Information Intervention and Socioeconomic Factors of Information Sharing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Country Study Using Big Data Analytics

by Sejung Park and Rong Wang

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12060190 - 15 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2548

Abstract

(1) Background: This study introduces a novel computational approach to examine government capabilities in information intervention for risk management, influential agents in a global information network, and the socioeconomic factors of information-sharing behaviors of the public across regions during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) [...] Read more.

(1) Background: This study introduces a novel computational approach to examine government capabilities in information intervention for risk management, influential agents in a global information network, and the socioeconomic factors of information-sharing behaviors of the public across regions during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: Citation network analysis was employed to gauge the online visibility of governmental health institutions across regions. A bipartite exponential random graph modeling (ERGM) procedure was conducted to measure network dynamics. (3) Results: COVID-19 response agencies in Europe had the highest web impact, whereas health agencies in North America had the lowest. Various stakeholders, such as businesses, non-profit organizations, governments, and educational institutions played a key role in sharing the COVID-19 response by agencies’ information given on their websites. Income inequality and GDP per capita were associated with the high online visibility of governmental health agencies. Other factors, such as population size, an aging population, death rate, and case percentage, did not contribute to the agencies’ online visibility, suggesting that demographic characteristics and health status are not predictors of sharing government resources. (4) Conclusions: A combination of citation network analysis and ERGM helps reveal information flow dynamics and understand the socioeconomic consequences of sharing the government’s COVID-19 information during the pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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12 pages, 280 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Medical Students and Professionals Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study about Similarities and Differences

by Giacomo De Micheli, Giulia Marton, Davide Mazzoni and Laura Vergani

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12060189 - 15 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1846

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring the emotional reaction that medical students (MS) and professionals have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigating the differences between the two groups. A total of 362 MS and 330 professionals filled in an online survey during the [...] Read more.

This study aimed at exploring the emotional reaction that medical students (MS) and professionals have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigating the differences between the two groups. A total of 362 MS and 330 professionals filled in an online survey during the second outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. The outcome measures were psychological distress with the General Health Questionnaire, stress, fear for themselves, fear for family members and cohabitants, perceived control, anger, loneliness, and feeling abandoned by institutions with Visual Analog Scales (VAS) and two open-ended questions about their perceived difficulties and the perceived consequences of the pandemic. The results showed that the level of distress among the two groups was above the threshold (MS mean: 21.85; professionals mean: 21.25). The means of the VAS of MS and professionals showed different results for the two groups, and we analyzed them with independent samples t-tests and linear regressions. MS reported higher levels of perceived loneliness (t(673.177) = −1.970, p < 0.05), while physicians reported more fear for themselves (t(655.183) = 4.799, p < 0.001), anger (t(690) = 2.096, p < 0.05), and feeling abandoned by the institutions (t(690) = 7.296, p < 0.001). The open questions were analyzed considering the most frequent words used to describe their perceived difficulties and consequences; the specificity analysis emphasizes the differences in the words used by the two groups. In conclusion, MS and physicians reported similar levels of psychological symptoms. Physicians were mostly worried about themselves, they were afraid of getting infected, while MS suffered from loneliness and the missed possibilities concerning their education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

20 pages, 1753 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Trust in Institutions, Not in Political Leaders, Determines Compliance in COVID-19 Prevention Measures within Societies across the Globe

by Ryan P. Badman, Ace X. Wang, Martin Skrodzki, Heng-Chin Cho, David Aguilar-Lleyda, Naoko Shiono, Seng Bum Michael Yoo, Yen-Sheng Chiang and Rei Akaishi

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12060170 - 30 May 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4624

Abstract

A core assumption often heard in public health discourse is that increasing trust in national political leaders is essential for securing public health compliance during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–ongoing). However, studies of national government trust are typically too coarse-grained to [...] Read more.

A core assumption often heard in public health discourse is that increasing trust in national political leaders is essential for securing public health compliance during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–ongoing). However, studies of national government trust are typically too coarse-grained to differentiate between trust in institutions versus more interpersonal trust in political leaders. Here, we present multiscale trust measurements for twelve countries and territories across the West, Oceania and East Asia. These trust results were used to identify which specific domains of government and social trust were most crucial for securing public health compliance (frequency of mask wearing and social distancing) and understanding the reasons for following health measures (belief in effectiveness of public health measures). Through the use of linear regression and structural equation modeling, our cross-cultural survey-based analysis (N = 3369 subjects) revealed that higher trust in national and local public health institutions was a universally consistent predictor of public health compliance, while trust in national political leaders was not predictive of compliance across cultures and geographical regions. Institutional trust was mediated by multiple types of transparency, including providing rationale, securing public feedback, and honestly expressing uncertainty. These results highlight the importance of distinguishing between components of government trust, to better understand which entities the public gives the most attention to during crises. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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8 pages, 285 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fear of Death in Medical Students from a Peruvian University during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Brayan Miranda-Chavez, Cesar Copaja-Corzo, Marco Rivarola-Hidalgo and Álvaro Taype-Rondan

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12050142 - 13 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3629

Abstract

Due to close contact with death, medical students may question their own and their patients’ dying process, especially with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the increase in deaths. This situation provokes fear and negative attitudes towards dealing with patients and their [...] Read more.

Due to close contact with death, medical students may question their own and their patients’ dying process, especially with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the increase in deaths. This situation provokes fear and negative attitudes towards dealing with patients and their environment. This study aimed to assess the level of fear of death and associated factors in medical students at a Peruvian university. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted during March 2021 in human medicine students from the first to the seventh year. A validated survey including the Collet–Lester fear-of-death scale was applied. Factors associated with the fear-of-death score were evaluated by calculating linear regression coefficients (β). A total of 284 students were included. The median age was 22 years, and 58.1% were female. The mean Collet–Lester scale score was 2.79, and it was higher in the dimensions related to the death of others. Adjusted analysis showed that the score on this scale was lower in students aged 24–40 years compared to 17–21 years (β: −0.25; 95% CI: −0.46 to −0.04) and those who had no religious beliefs (β: −0.29; 95% CI: −0.53 to −0.04). In conclusion, fear of death was lower than reported in other investigations despite the COVID-19 situation, being much lower among older students and those without religious beliefs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

12 pages, 327 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Citizens’ Perception of COVID-19 Passport Usefulness: A Cross Sectional Study

by Jorge de Andrés-Sánchez, Mario Arias-Oliva and Jorge Pelegrin-Borondo

Behav. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12050140 - 12 May 2022

Viewed by 3669

Abstract

This paper assesses the influence on people’s perception of the utility of the immunity passport (IP) program by sociodemographic factors, infectivity status, and the objective of its use. The material of this paper is a cross-sectional survey of 400 residents in Spain. The [...] Read more.

This paper assesses the influence on people’s perception of the utility of the immunity passport (IP) program by sociodemographic factors, infectivity status, and the objective of its use. The material of this paper is a cross-sectional survey of 400 residents in Spain. The relation between utility perception and input variables is fitted with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and linear quantile regression (LQR). The principal explanatory variable of usefulness perception is being vaccinated, especially when the objective of the IP is regulating mobility. The OLS estimate of the coefficient regression is (cr) = 0.415 (p = 0.001). We also found a positive and significant influence of that factor in all LQRs (cr = 0.652, p = 0.0026 at level (τ) = 0.75; cr = 0.482, p = 0.0047 at τ = 0.5 and cr = 0.201, p = 0.0385 at τ = 0.25). When the objective of the IP is regulating leisure, being vaccinated is relevant only to explain the central measures of usefulness perception. If the IP is used to regulate traveling, variables related to interviewees’ infectivity have greater relevance than sociodemographic factors. When its objective is ruling assembly, the more important variables than being vaccinated are gender and age. To create an effective implementation of the IP, it is advisable to have a general agreement among the population on its convenience. Therefore, the findings in this study have important implications for public health decision-makers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive Behaviors toward COVID-19: Antecedents, Compliance, and Psychological Impact)

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