The prospective relations of substance use frequency to social distancing behaviors and intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of social distancing self-efficacy.

To identify factors that increase risk for nonadherence to recommended health protective behaviors during pandemics, this study examined the prospective relations of substance use frequency to both adherence to social distancing recommendations and social distancing intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the role of social distancing self-efficacy in these relations. A U.S. community sample of 377 adults completed a prospective online study, including an initial assessment between March 27 and April 5, 2020, and a follow-up assessment one-month later. Results revealed a significant direct relation of baseline substance use frequency to lower adherence to social distancing recommendations one-month later. Results also revealed significant indirect relations of greater substance use frequency to lower levels of both social distancing behaviors and intentions one-month later through lower social distancing self-efficacy. Results highlight the relevance of substance use and social distancing self-efficacy to lower adherence to social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The impact of stay-at-home orders on vulnerability assessments and precautionary intentions during a pandemic.

In 2020, a novel emerging infectious disease - COVID-19 - became a global pandemic and prompted unprecedented social distancing measures. We examined the associations of voluntary stay-at-home (SAH) orders during the COVID-19 pandemic with vulnerability assessments and precautionary intentions (e.g. social distancing, hand washing). A quasi-experimental study using an online adult sample was conducted in U.S. states with and without voluntary SAH orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-report surveys assessed vulnerability assessments and precautionary intentions. Participants living in states with SAH orders showed inflated vulnerability assessments for contracting COVID-19, and this association was stronger for affect-laden than cognitively-based assessments. Moreover, only affect-laden vulnerability assessments were uniquely associated with precautionary intentions and accounted for the relationship between SAH orders and precautionary intentions. Our study was among the first to explore the impact of voluntary SAH orders on vulnerability assessments and precautionary intentions. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for health behavioral models and applications for promoting self-protective actions during a pandemic.

Suicidal ideation among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Identifying at-risk subgroups.

Given concerns of increased suicide risk among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examined rates of lifetime and past-year suicidal ideation (SI) among university students in Fall 2020 (vs. two earlier semesters), overall and across gender, racial/ethnic background, and sexual identity. Participants included 1700 university students enrolled in a general education psychology course in Fall 2020, Fall 2014, or Fall 2013. Rates of SI were not significantly higher in Fall 2020 versus the earlier semesters and did not differ across racial/ethnic background. However, rates of SI in Fall 2020 were significantly higher among sexual minority than heterosexual students.

Adherence to Social Distancing Guidelines Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Pseudoscientific Beliefs, Trust, Political Party Affiliation, and Risk Perceptions.

BACKGROUND: Adherence to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines varies across individuals. PURPOSE: This study examined the relations of pseudoscientific and just world beliefs, generalized and institutional trust, and political party affiliation to adherence to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines over three months, as well as the explanatory role of COVID-19 risk perceptions in these relations. METHODS: A U.S. nationwide sample of 430 adults (49.8% women; mean age = 40.72) completed a prospective online study, including an initial assessment (between March 27 and April 5, 2020), a 1 month follow-up (between April 27 and May 21, 2020), and a 3 month follow-up (between June 26 and July 15, 2020). We hypothesized that greater pseudoscientific and just world beliefs, lower governmental, institutional, and dispositional trust, and Republican Party affiliation would be associated with lower initial adherence to social distancing and greater reductions in social distancing over time and that COVID-19 risk perceptions would account for significant variance in these relations. RESULTS: Results revealed unique associations of lower governmental trust, greater COVID-19 pseudoscientific beliefs, and greater trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lower initial adherence to social distancing. Whereas greater COVID-19 risk perceptions and CDC trust were associated with less steep declines in social distancing over time, both Republican (vs. Democratic) Party affiliation and greater COVID-19 pseudoscientific beliefs were associated with steeper declines in social distancing over time (relations accounted for by lower COVID-19 risk perceptions). CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the utility of public health interventions aimed at improving scientific literacy and emphasizing bipartisan support for social distancing guidelines.

Prospective interactive influence of financial strain and emotional nonacceptance on problematic alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Researchers have highlighted the risk for alcohol use problems in the context of COVID-19, although the factors associated with this risk remain unclear.Objectives: This study examined the prospective relation of baseline financial strain (reported at the beginning of the pandemic) to problematic alcohol use one month later, as well as the moderating role of emotional nonacceptance. We hypothesized that financial strain would be more strongly associated with problematic alcohol use one month later among participants with high (vs. mean or low) levels of nonacceptance.Methods: Shortly after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO and national emergency by the U.S. President (on March 11 and 13, 2020, respectively), a U.S. nationwide community sample completed a prospective online study, including an initial assessment from March 27-April 5, 2020 and a one-month follow-up from April 27-May 21. Measures included the Family Economic Strain Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Participants included 254 adults reporting some alcohol use (50.4% women; mean age = 41.8).Results: Baseline financial strain was significantly positively associated with problematic alcohol use one month later only among participants with high (b =.06, SE =.03, p =.037) versus mean (b =.01, SE =.02, p =.677) or low (b = -.04, SE =.02, p =.110) emotional nonacceptance.Conclusion: Individuals experiencing financial strain in the context of COVID-19 may be at risk for problematic alcohol use if they are not accepting of their emotional distress.

The prospective influence of COVID-19 affective risk assessments and intolerance of uncertainty on later dimensions of health anxiety.

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to increase risk for the development of health anxiety. Given that elevated health anxiety can contribute to maladaptive health behaviors, there is a need to identify individual difference factors that may increase health anxiety risk. This study examined the unique and interactive relations of COVID-19 affective risk assessments (worry about risk for contracting/dying from COVID-19) and intolerance of uncertainty to later health anxiety dimensions. A U.S. community sample of 364 participants completed online self-report measures at a baseline assessment (Time 1) and one month later (Time 2). Time 1 intolerance of uncertainty was uniquely associated with the Time 2 health anxiety dimension of body vigilance. Time 1 affective risk assessments and intolerance of uncertainty were uniquely associated with later perceived likelihood that an illness would be acquired and anticipated negative consequences of an illness. The latter finding was qualified by a significant interaction, such that affective risk assessments were positively associated with anticipated negative consequences of having an illness only among participants with mean and low levels of intolerance of uncertainty. Results speak to the relevance of different risk factors for health anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight targets for reducing health anxiety risk.

Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness explain the associations of COVID-19 social and economic consequences to suicide risk.

OBJECTIVE: The social and economic consequences of COVID-19 and related public health interventions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus have been proposed to increase suicide risk. However, no research has examined these relations. This study examined the relations of two COVID-19 consequences (i.e., stay-at-home orders and job loss) to suicide risk through thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and loneliness. METHOD: Online data from a nationwide community sample of 500 adults (mean age = 40) from 45 states were collected between March 27 and April 5, 2020. Participants completed measures assessing thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, loneliness, and suicide risk, as well as whether they (a) were currently under a stay-at-home order and (b) had experienced a recent job loss due to the pandemic. RESULTS: Results revealed a significant indirect relation of stay-at-home order status to suicide risk through thwarted belongingness. Further, whereas recent job loss was significantly correlated with suicide risk, neither the direct relation of job loss to suicide risk (when accounting for their shared relations to perceived burdensomeness) nor the indirect relation through perceived burdensomeness was significant. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the potential benefits of interventions targeting thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness to offset suicide risk during this pandemic.