National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic (preprint)

Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors that associated with people reported adopting public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = -.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Identifying frail populations for disease risk prediction and intervention planning in the Covid-19 era: a focus on social isolation and psychosocial vulnerability (preprint)

Background: The early identification of fragile populations in the Covid-19 era would help governments to allocate resources and plan strategies to contain consequences of the pandemic. Beyond frailty, social vulnerability to environmental stressors, such as the social distancing enforced to reduce the SARS-CoV2 contagion, can modify long-term disease risk and induce health status changes in the general population. Methods: We assessed frailty and social vulnerability indices in 1258 Italian residents during the lockdown phase (March 14-31, 2020) via an on-line survey. We compared indices taking into account age categories (young, middle, older adults and elders) and gender. Results: While frailty showed a linear increase with age and was greater in females than in males, social vulnerability was higher in young adults and elders compared to middle aged and older adults, and in males than females. Both frailty and social vulnerability contributed in explaining the individual perception of the impact of Covid-19 emergency on health, which was further modulated by proactive attitudes/behaviors and social isolation. Conclusions: Social isolation and loneliness following the Covid-19 outbreak may exert dramatic psychosocial effects in the general population. The early detection of vulnerable categories, at risk to become ill and develop long-lasting health status changes, would help in the next future to prevent consequences on general well-being by allocating resources to targeted interventions managing psychosocial distress and increasing young adults and elderly resilience towards the post-Covid-19 crisis.

Covid-19 in mind: how job loss and health threatening events modulate risk-taking behaviours in real-life contexts (preprint)

Covid-19 pandemic is exerting a tragic impact all around the world. First-person experience of life-threatening and stressful events can modify individuals’ risk perception, and, consequently, risk-taking behaviours. Here we investigated risk-taking profiles in 130 Italian residents, and compared healthcare to non-healthcare workers, during the lockdown phase. We ad hoc developed the “Covid-19 Risk Task”, including the classic monetary Holt-Laury Paired Lottery Task (Monetary Condition, MC) and two new ecological conditions exploring Covid-19 related risk-taking aptitudes in relation to different health (Health Status Condition, HsC) and employment (Employment Status Condition, EsC) outcomes. Results showed that, in the whole sample, individuals were more risk-averse in MC than in HsC and EsC. Moreover, a payoff increase produced a shift toward more risk-averse behaviours in MC, but not in HsC and EsC, where we found an opposite trend suggesting a more risk-loving behaviour. Finally, we found that healthcare workers were significantly less risk-averse compared to non-healthcare workers in EsC, but not in MC and HsC.These findings provided evidence of the possible effects of Covid-19 outbreak on risk-taking aptitudes. The negative impact on human choices and, consequently, on the whole world economy of this catastrophic life event must not be underestimated.

COVID-19 OUTBREAK IN ITALY: ARE WE READY FOR THE PSYCHOSOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CRISIS? BASELINE FINDINGS FROM THE PSYCOVID STUDY (preprint)

BACKGROUND: Covid-19 pandemic is burning all over the world. National healthcare systems are facing the contagion with incredible strength, but concern regarding psychosocial and economic effects is critically growing. The PsyCovid Study assessed the influence of psychosocial variables on individual differences in the perceived impact of Covid-19 outbreak on health and economy in the Italian population.METHODS: Italian volunteers from different regions completed an online anonymous survey. Main outcomes were the perceived impact of Covid-19 outbreak on health and economy. A two-way MANOVA evaluated differences in main outcomes, with geographical area (northern, central and southern regions) and professional status (healthcare workers or not) as factors. We then tested the relationship linking psychosocial variables (i.e. perceived distress and social isolation, empathy and coping style) to the main outcomes through two different mediation models. RESULTS: 1163 responders completed the survey (835 females; mean age: 42±13.5 y.o.; age range: 18-81 y.o.) between March 14 and 21, 2020. Healthcare workers and people living in northern Italy reported significantly worse outbreak impact on health, but not on economy. In the whole sample, distress and loneliness were key variables influencing perceived impact of Covid-19 outbreak on health, while empathy and coping style affected perceived impact on economy.CONCLUSION: Covid-19 pandemic represents a worldwide emergency in term of psychological, social and economic consequences. Our data suggests that in the Italian population actual differences in individual perception of the Covid-19 outbreak severity for health are dramatically modulated by psychosocial frailty (i.e., distress and loneliness). At the same time, problem-oriented coping strategies and enhanced empathic abilities increase people awareness about the severity of the impact of Covid-19 emergency on economics. There is an immediate need of consensus guidelines and healthcare policies to support interventions aimed to manage psychosocial distress and increase population resilience towards the imminent crisis.