COVID-19 Emergency: the Influence of Implicit Attitudes, Information Sources, and Individual Characteristics on Psychological Distress, Intentions to Get Vaccinated, and Compliance with Restrictive Rules

Overview

Journal Health Psychol Rep

Publisher Termedia

Date 2023 Dec 12

PMID 38084370

Authors

Daiana Colledani

Pasquale Anselmi

Egidio Robusto

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: To limit the spread of the COVID-19 emergency, a massive vaccination program was implemented and restrictive measures were imposed on the population. However, the propensity to adhere to the vaccination program has struggled to take off. Moreover, complying with the restrictive rules and maintaining social distancing have been highly distressing for many individuals.

Participants And Procedure: Italian participants ( = 140, females = 65%, mean age = 29.50, = 10.80) were presented with an online survey consisting of multiple-choice questions and two single-category implicit association tests (SC-IATs). One SC-IAT evaluated the tendency of participants to automatically associate personal protective equipment (PPE) and vaccines with or ; the other evaluated their tendency to automatically associate social situations with or . Multiple-choice questions explored individual, social, and environmental factors that were expected to contribute to vaccine propensity, compliance with restrictive rules, and feelings of distress.

Results: Using scientific information sources was related to implicitly associating PPE and vaccines with safety, which in turn was associated with the propensity to get the vaccine. Moreover, being female, young, unsatisfied with social relationships, having suffered health and economic consequences due to the pandemic, and having negative implicit attitudes toward social situations contributed to increasing feelings of distress.

Conclusions: Communication may contribute to individuals' behavior and preferences and it can also be associated with implicit attitudes, becoming consequently one of the main leverages to reduce vaccine hesitancy. Recovery programs should prioritize the development of interventions aimed at fostering psychological well-being through the enhancement of social contacts.

Citing Articles

Fear of COVID-19, intolerance of uncertainty, psychological capital, and positive future expectations: Tests of mediating relationships with healthcare workers.

Yildirim M, Cagis Z, Williams G Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2023; 45:158-163.

PMID: 37544692 PMC: 10290176. DOI: 10.1016/j.apnu.2023.06.016.

Development of a scale for capturing psychological aspects of physical-digital integration: relationships with psychosocial functioning and facial emotion recognition.

Colledani D, Anselmi P, Robusto E AI Soc. 2023; :1-13.

PMID: 37358941 PMC: 10031718. DOI: 10.1007/s00146-023-01646-9.

References

Giuntella O, Hyde K, Saccardo S, Sadoff S . Lifestyle and mental health disruptions during COVID-19. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021; 118(9). PMC: 7936339. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2016632118. View

Yildirim M, Guler A . Coronavirus anxiety, fear of COVID-19, hope and resilience in healthcare workers: a moderated mediation model study. Health Psychol Rep. 2023; 9(4):338-397. PMC: 10687536. DOI: 10.5114/hpr.2021.107336. View

Veronese G, Mahamid F, Bdier D, Pancake R . Stress of COVID-19 and mental health outcomes in Palestine: the mediating role of well-being and resilience. Health Psychol Rep. 2023; 9(4):389-410. PMC: 10687527. DOI: 10.5114/hpr.2021.104490. View

Mallinas S, Maner J, Plant E . What factors underlie attitudes regarding protective mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic?. Pers Individ Dif. 2021; 181:111038. PMC: 8164375. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111038. View

Batra K, Singh T, Sharma M, Batra R, Schvaneveldt N . Investigating the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers: A Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(23). PMC: 7730003. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17239096. View

Xu Q, Mao Z, Wei D, Liu P, Fan K, Wang J . Prevalence and risk factors for anxiety symptoms during the outbreak of COVID-19: A large survey among 373216 junior and senior high school students in China. J Affect Disord. 2021; 288:17-22. PMC: 9754660. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.080. View

Merlo E, Sicari F, Frisone F, Costa G, Alibrandi A, Avena G . Uncertainty, alexithymia, suppression and vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Health Psychol Rep. 2023; 9(2):169-179. PMC: 10501415. DOI: 10.5114/hpr.2021.104078. View

Turkozer H, Ongur D . A projection for psychiatry in the post-COVID-19 era: potential trends, challenges, and directions. Mol Psychiatry. 2020; 25(10):2214-2219. PMC: 7366480. DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0841-2. View

Santabarbara J, Lasheras I, Lipnicki D, Bueno-Notivol J, Perez-Moreno M, Lopez-Anton R . Prevalence of anxiety in the COVID-19 pandemic: An updated meta-analysis of community-based studies. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2020; 109:110207. PMC: 7834650. DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110207. View

10.

Chudik A, Mohaddes K, Pesaran M, Raissi M, Rebucci A . A counterfactual economic analysis of Covid-19 using a threshold augmented multi-country model. J Int Money Finance. 2021; 119:102477. PMC: 8460619. DOI: 10.1016/j.jimonfin.2021.102477. View

11.

Aw J, Seng J, Seah S, Low L . COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy-A Scoping Review of Literature in High-Income Countries. Vaccines (Basel). 2021; 9(8). PMC: 8402587. DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9080900. View

12.

Robertson E, Reeve K, Niedzwiedz C, Moore J, Blake M, Green M . Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK household longitudinal study. Brain Behav Immun. 2021; 94:41-50. PMC: 7946541. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.03.008. View

13.

Abu-Farha R, Mukattash T, Itani R, Karout S, Khojah H, Abed Al-Mahmood A . Willingness of Middle Eastern public to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Saudi Pharm J. 2021; 29(7):734-739. PMC: 8165039. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2021.05.005. View

14.

Dymecka J, Gerymski R, Machnik-Czerwik A . Fear of COVID-19 as a buffer in the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction in the Polish population at the beginning of the global pandemic. Health Psychol Rep. 2023; 9(2):149-159. PMC: 10501413. DOI: 10.5114/hpr.2020.102136. View

15.

Xiong J, Lipsitz O, Nasri F, Lui L, Gill H, Phan L . Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population: A systematic review. J Affect Disord. 2020; 277:55-64. PMC: 7413844. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.001. View

16.

Fekih-Romdhane F, Ghrissi F, Abbassi B, Cherif W, Cheour M . Prevalence and predictors of PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a Tunisian community sample. Psychiatry Res. 2020; 290:113131. PMC: 7255192. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113131. View

17.

Banse R, Messer M, Fischer I . Predicting aggressive behavior with the aggressiveness-IAT. Aggress Behav. 2016; 41(1):65-83. DOI: 10.1002/ab.21574. View

18.

Chaturvedi K, Vishwakarma D, Singh N . COVID-19 and its impact on education, social life and mental health of students: A survey. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2021; 121:105866. PMC: 7762625. DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105866. View

19.

Pappa S, Ntella V, Giannakas T, Giannakoulis V, Papoutsi E, Katsaounou P . Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Behav Immun. 2020; 88:901-907. PMC: 7206431. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.026. View

20.

Zaami S, Marinelli E, Vari M . New Trends of Substance Abuse During COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Perspective. Front Psychiatry. 2020; 11:700. PMC: 7378810. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00700. View