The roles of risk perception, negative emotions and perceived efficacy in the association between COVID-19 infection cues and preventive behaviors: a moderated mediation model.

Preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic are especially critical to the protection of individuals whose family members or acquaintances have been infected. However, limited research has explored the influence of infection cues on preventive behaviors. This study proposed an interaction model of environment-cognitive/affective-behavior to elucidate the mechanism by which infection cues influence preventive behaviors and the roles of risk perception, negative emotions, and perceived efficacy in that influence. To explore the relationships among these factors, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey in 34 provinces in China during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 26,511 participants responded to the survey, and 20,205 valid responses (76.2%) were obtained for further analysis. The moderated mediation results show that infection cues positively predicted preventive behaviors in a manner mediated by risk perception and negative emotions. Moreover, perceived efficacy moderated the influence of infection cues not only on preventive behaviors but also on risk perception and negative emotions. The higher the perceived efficacy, the stronger these influences were. These findings validated our model, which elucidates the mechanisms underlying the promoting effect of infection cues on preventive behaviors during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications of these results for the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond are discussed.

Relationship between behavioral inhibition/activation system and Internet addiction among Chinese college students: The mediating effects of intolerance of uncertainty and self-control and gender differences.

Background: Internet addiction is a global public health issue among college students that is associated with a range of negative outcomes. Especially the COVID-19 pandemic has forced them to shift most of their studies and life activities from offline to online, leading to a growing problem of Internet dependence and even Internet addiction. Although previous studies have indicated that the Behavioral Inhibition/Activation System (BIS/BAS) have important effects on college students' Internet addiction, the mechanisms underlying these associations and gender differences are still unclear. Aims: The present study investigated the mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and self-control in the association between BIS/BAS and Internet addiction following the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model. Gender differences in such associations between variables were also tested. Method: A total of 747 Chinese college students were surveyed by using Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction, BIS/BAS Scales, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale and the Brief Self-Control Scale. Results: The results from the structural equation modeling analysis showed that BIS was positively related to Internet addiction and that BAS had a negative association with Internet addiction. Moreover, intolerance of uncertainty and self-control mediated the relationships between BIS/BAS and Internet addiction. Multi-group analysis further revealed that the associations between BAS and Internet addiction and between intolerance of uncertainty and Internet addiction were stronger among the male students than among female students. The relationship between self-control and Internet addiction was greater in the female sample than in the male sample. Conclusions: These findings extend our understanding of how BIS/BAS influence Internet addiction among college students and suggest that not only should training approaches based on intolerance of uncertainty and self-control be fully considered, but different intervention programs should be focused on gender sensitivity to maximize the intervention effect.

The mechanism of governments' and individuals' influence on protective behaviours during the second wave of COVID-19: a multiple mediation model.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to spread and resurge globally with signs of a second wave, despite actions by governments to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. However, evidence-based strategies to combat COVID-19 recurrence are poorly documented. Objective: To reveal how governments and individuals should act to effectively cope with future waves, this study proposed a preventive model of COVID-19 resurgence. Method: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 1,137 residents of Beijing, where the epidemic reoccurred. Structural equation model was used to explore the mechanism among government intervention, perceived efficacy, positive emotions, posttraumatic growth (PTG) and protective behaviours. Results: Data analysis revealed that during COVID-19 resurgence, government intervention could directly and indirectly influence protective behaviours through individual factors (i.e. perceived efficacy, positive emotions), and PTG could mediate the indirect pathway to protective behaviours. Conclusions: These findings implied that government intervention needs to be integrated with individual factors to effectively control repeated COVID-19 outbreaks.

Antecedentes: El virus SARS-CoV-2 continúa propagándose y resurgiendo a nivel mundial con signos de una segunda ola, a pesar de las acciones de los gobiernos para frenar la pandemia de COVID-19. Sin embargo, las estrategias basadas en evidencia para combatir la recurrencia de COVID-19 están pobremente documentadas.Objetivo: Para revelar cómo deben actuar los gobiernos y las personas para hacer frente de manera efectiva a futuras olas, este estudio propuso un modelo preventivo del resurgimiento de COVID-19.Método: Se realizó una encuesta entre 1.137 residentes de Beijing, donde la epidemia volvió a ocurrir. Se utilizó un modelo de ecuación estructural para explorar el mecanismo entre la intervención del gobierno, la eficacia percibida, las emociones positivas, el crecimiento postraumático (CPT) y las conductas protectoras.Resultados: El análisis de datos reveló que durante el resurgimiento de COVID-19, la intervención del gobierno podría influir directa e indirectamente en los comportamientos de protección a través de factores individuales (es decir, eficacia percibida, emociones positivas), y CPT podría mediar en el camino indirecto hacia los comportamientos de protección.Conclusiones: Estos hallazgos implicaron que la intervención del gobierno debe integrarse con factores individuales para controlar de manera efectiva los brotes repetidos de COVID-19.

The association between intolerance of uncertainty and Internet addiction during the second wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: A multiple mediation model considering depression and risk perception.

Repeated outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have forced people to shift most of their work and life activities from offline to online, leading to a growing problem of Internet dependence and even Internet addiction. However, the mechanism of the association between COVID-19-related intolerance of uncertainty (COVID-19 IU) and Internet addiction during the second wave of COVID-19 is still unclear. The current study explored the association between COVID-19 IU and Internet addiction as mediated by depression and risk perception based on the Uncertainty-Depression-Perception-Addiction model (UDPA). A total of 1,137 adult participants were recruited, and COVID-19 IU, depression, risk perception, Internet addiction, and demographic variables were analyzed. The results showed that COVID-19 IU was significantly and positively associated with Internet addiction and that this relationship was mediated in parallel by depression and risk perception. Our findings further extend the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model from the perspective of applicability in the unique context of COVID-19. Furthermore, the study suggests that individuals could decrease their dependence on the Internet to prevent Internet addiction during the second wave of the pandemic through effective interventions that include lowering COVID-19 IU, improving emotion regulation, and developing reasonable perceptions of risk.

Intolerance of COVID-19-Related Uncertainty and Negative Emotions among Chinese Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Risk Perception, Social Exclusion and Perceived Efficacy.

The uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated negative emotions, especially among adolescents, who feel unable to tolerate the uncertainty of the epidemic. However, the mechanism by which the intolerance of COVID-19-related uncertainty (COVID-19 IU) affects negative emotions in adolescents remains unclear. This study explored the underlying mechanism from COVID-19 IU to negative emotions using a moderated mediation model in adolescents. In total, 3037 teenagers completed a cross-sectional survey including measures of COVID-19 IU, risk perception, social exclusion, perceived efficacy, and negative emotions. The results showed that COVID-19 IU positively predicted negative emotions and that risk perception and social exclusion mediated this relationship. In addition, both the direct effect of COVID-19 IU on negative emotions and the mediating effect of risk perception on this relationship were moderated by perceived efficacy; in particular, COVID-19 IU had a greater impact on negative emotions among adolescents with lower levels of perceived efficacy. These findings suggest that COVID-19 IU is closely associated with negative emotions among adolescents and that effective measures should be taken to enable adolescents to improve their perceived efficacy and develop a reasonable perception of risk, help them eliminate the stigma of the disease, and strengthen their connections with society.

The Effects of Governmental and Individual Predictors on COVID-19 Protective Behaviors in China: A Path Analysis Model.

The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the world into a crisis. To contain this crisis, it is essential to build full cooperation between the government and the public. However, it is unclear which governmental and individual factors are determinants and how they interact with protective behaviors against COVID-19. To resolve this issue, this study builds a multiple mediation model. Findings show that government emergency public information such as detailed pandemic information and positive risk communication had greater impact on protective behaviors than rumor refutation and supplies. Moreover, governmental factors may indirectly affect protective behaviors through individual factors such as perceived efficacy, positive emotions, and risk perception. These findings suggest that systematic intervention programs for governmental factors need to be integrated with individual factors to achieve effective prevention and control of COVID-19 among the public.