"I feel it in my gut:" Epistemic Motivations, Political Beliefs, and Misperceptions of COVID-19 and the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election.

This project examines the intersection of political constructs and epistemic motivations as they relate to belief in misinformation. How we value the origins of knowledge - through feelings and intuition or evidence and data - has important implications for our susceptibility to misinformation. This project explores how these epistemic motivations correlate with political ideology, party identification, and favorability towards President Trump, and how epistemic and political constructs predict belief in misinformation about COVID and the 2020 election. Results from a US national survey from Nov-Dec 2020 illustrate that Republicans, conservatives, and those favorable towards President Trump held greater misperceptions about COVID and the 2020 election. Additionally, epistemic motivations were associated with political preferences; Republicans and conservatives were more likely to reject evidence, and Trump supporters more likely to value feelings and intuition. Mediation analyses support the proposition that Trump favorability, Republicanism, and conservatism may help account for the relationships between epistemic motivations and misperceptions. Results are discussed in terms of the messaging strategies of right-wing populist movements, and the implications for democracy and public health.

Tracking COVID-19 vaccination expectancies and vaccination refusal in the United States.

To identify factors that predict COVID-19 vaccination refusal and show how expectancies affect vaccination acceptance for non-vaccinated adults, we used a monthly repeated cross-sectional sample from June/2021 to October/2021 to collect data on vaccination behaviors and predictor variables for 2,116 US adults over 50 years of age. Selection bias modeling - which is required when data availability is a result of behavioral choice - predicts two outcomes: (1) no vaccination vs. vaccination for the entire sample and (2) the effects of expectancy indices predicting vaccination Refuser vs. vaccination Accepters for the unvaccinated group. Vaccine refusers were younger and less educated, endorsed common misconceptions about the COVID-19 epidemic, and were Black. Vaccination expectancies were related to vaccination refusal in the unvaccinated eligible group: negative expectancies increased vaccine refusal, while positive expectancies decreased it. We conclude that behavior-related expectancies (as opposed to more stable psychological traits) are important to identify because they are often modifiable and provide a point of intervention, not just for COVID-19 vaccination acceptance but also for other positive health behaviors.

Factors associated with COVID-19 masking behavior: an application of the Health Belief Model.

Wearing a face mask is effective in minimizing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among unvaccinated individuals and preventing severe illness among the vaccinated. Country, state and local guidelines promote, and at times mandate, mask-wearing despite it being publicly perceived as an individual's choice. Guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM), structural equation modeling was used to analyze longitudinal data in a sample of US adults aged 18-49 years to identify constructs that contribute to face mask-wearing. Results indicated that perceived COVID-19 severity, perceived masking benefits and self-efficacy were positively associated with masking behavior, and masking barriers were negatively associated with masking behavior. Perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 and cues to action were nonsignificant correlates of masking behavior. These results' theoretical and practical implications contribute to the literature on the HBM and the COVID-19 pandemic. Future directions and limitations are discussed.

The politics of mask-wearing: Political preferences, reactance, and conflict aversion during COVID.

The current project examines how psychological reactance and conflict orientation relate to the highly politicized debate over mask-wearing in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore how psychological reactance and conflict orientation are related to self-reported mask-wearing, and how these same predispositions are correlated with political beliefs. We then assess how favorability towards President Trump in the context of the 2020 Election was uniquely correlated with these traits and how Trump favorability both mediated and moderated the effects of conflict orientation and psychological reactance on individuals' likelihood of wearing masks. Results from a national survey of U.S. adults from Nov-Dec 2020 suggest that Trump favorability was positively associated with trait reactance, negatively associated with conflict aversion, and negatively associated with self-reported mask-wearing. The opposite was true of favorability towards Joe Biden. Moderation analyses indicate that conflict-approaching Biden detractors were especially unlikely to report wearing masks, while mediation analyses show that political preferences significantly mediated the relationships between both psychological traits and self-reported mask-wearing. Implications for the politicization of health messaging and health behavior are discussed.

Psychological status in the participants of the API ADAD Colombia trial assisted by a comprehensive mental health program during COVID 19 pandemic

Background Due to the global SARS-CoV2 pandemic it has been hard to conduct research, including research related to prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. The Alzheimer?s Prevention Initiative (API) Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer?s Disease (ADAD) Colombia trial is being conducted in participants with family history of early-onset dementia due to the PSEN1 E280A mutation who are cognitively unimpaired at baseline. Participants are enduring three stressors: 1) fear of developing dementia;2) logistic changes to the study caused by the public health emergency due to the pandemic;and 3) concern about getting infected by SARS-CoV2. Objective: To describe the frequency of new or exacerbated psychological disorders among the participants of the API ADAD Colombia trial assisted by a comprehensive mental health team during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method Participants in the API ADAD Colombia trial have free access to psychology and psychiatry services, either in person or through teleassistance, as well as psychoeducational offerings. These mental health services are provided by the site, outside of the study protocol, and are supported by Health and Social plans which were created to support participants? wellbeing during the trial. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation and percentages) were used to analyze characteristics and frequency of mental health issues in the participants. Result 66 participants (53 women, 80.3%) were treated by the Mental Health Team from March 1st, 2020 through December 31st, 2020. Mean age was 44.09 (SD 6.97) y.o. Before and after the pandemic onset, the most common psychological problems were anxiety (before 36.4%, after 63.6%) and depression (before 34.8 %, after 37.9%). From people who received psychological and psychiatric services, 70% vs. 81.6% felt that those services helped them, respectively. Among participants who received psychological vs. psychiatric assistance, 71.4% vs. 86.9% of patients with depression, 70.3% vs 75% of patients with anxiety and 60% vs 76.2% of patients with other disorders, felt the services helped them with these conditions. Conclusion A comprehensive mental health program immersed in a trial to prevent or treat devastating diseases as dementia, could mitigate the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in study participants.

Psychosocial Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Intention Among White, Black, and Hispanic Adults in the US.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccine uptake is an urgent public health priority. PURPOSE: To identify psychosocial determinants (attitudes, normative pressure, and perceived behavioral control) of COVID-19 vaccination intentions for U.S. White, Black, and Hispanic adults, and how COVID-19 misperceptions, beliefs about the value of science, and perceived media bias relate to these determinants. METHODS: Longitudinal online survey using two national samples (18-49 years old/50 years and older), each stratified by racial/ethnic group (n = 3,190). Data were collected in October/November 2020 and were weighted by race group to be representative. RESULTS: Path analyses showed that more positive attitudes about getting vaccinated predict intention across age and racial/ethnic groups, but normative pressure is relevant among older adults only. Belief in the value of science was positively associated with most determinants across all groups, however the association of COVID-19 misperceptions and perceived media bias with the determinants varied by age group. CONCLUSIONS: Messages that emphasize attitudes toward vaccination can be targeted to all age and racial/ethnic groups, and positive attitudes are universally related to a belief in the value of science. The varying role of normative pressure poses messages design challenges to increase vaccination acceptance.