With or without the Mask: Age Differences in Perceived Trustworthiness and Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the obligation to wear surgical face masks have affected social interactions. Wearing a mask can cause impairments in face identification, emotion recognition, and trait impressions. The present study investigated, during the COVID-19 period, age-related differences in perceived trustworthiness (Study 1) and health (Study 2) when viewing faces with or without masks. Younger (YAs, 18-35 years) and older (OAs, over 65 years) adults' ratings were compared. Through a web-based platform, a series of neutral younger and older faces (YFs vs. OFs) were presented, on a computer screen, with or without a mask (Mask vs. No-Mask), and participants were asked to rate them on a 7-point scale. Furthermore, data collected during the pandemic (Mask and No-Mask conditions) were compared with ratings obtained before it (Pre-COVID condition). Perceived trustworthiness was lower in the No-Mask condition for both age groups compared to Mask and Pre-COVID conditions, which did not differ. For health ratings, no differences emerged for OAs between the conditions, whereas YAs' ratings were lower in both the Mask and No-Mask conditions compared to the Pre-COVID condition. The fear of contracting COVID-19 affected both trustworthiness and health ratings. Wearing a surgical face mask affects trait impressions for YAs and OAs, partly due to the fear of COVID-19. Trait impressions are also influenced by the age of the face to be evaluated.

Perceptions of COVID-19 Maternal Vaccination among Pregnant Women and Healthcare Workers and Factors That Influence Vaccine Acceptance: A Cross-Sectional Study in Barcelona, Spain.

COVID-19 is associated with poor maternal and pregnancy outcomes. COVID-19 vaccination is recommended in Spain, yet vaccination rates in pregnancy are suboptimal. This study investigates the perceptions of pregnant women and healthcare workers (HCW) regarding COVID-19 vaccination. A web-based cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in 2021-2022 among 302 pregnant women and 309 HCWs in the Catalan public health system. Most pregnant women (83%) and HCWs (86%) were aware of COVID-19 maternal vaccines. The recommendation of the COVID-19 vaccination by an HCW was identified as the greatest facilitator for maternal vaccine uptake, while the fear of harming the foetus was the most significant barrier reported for rejecting vaccination. HCWs recognised they received limited information and training about COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy, which hindered them from providing informed recommendations. This study highlights that information and education on COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant women and health professionals are pivotal to ensuring informed decision-making and increasing vaccine uptake.

Beliefs about the COVID-19 pandemic, trust in government, and vaccine intention in older adults with cognitive impairment in the United States and Italy

Background The degree and spread of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic has been prolific, influencing individuals of all ages. We examined belief in misinformation in older individuals with and without cognitive impairment in Boston, MA (United States) and Chieti (Italy). The purpose of this investigation was to compare the two cohorts on specific misconceptions, trust in media and government, perceived risk regarding COVID-19, and their relation to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and intention. Method Forty-seven subjects from the U.S. (mean age = 75.4, SD = 9.4) and 134 subjects from Italy (mean age = 72.2, SD = 7.7) were administered a telephone neuropsychological battery and MoCA. One hundred twenty-two individuals (67.4%) met the cutoff for cognitive impairment. Individuals answered a COVID-19 Misinformation Questionnaire and Perceived Risk Scale. A Vaccine Hesitancy Scale was administered 4-6 months after the initial assessment. Comparisons were made between the two cohorts using binary logistic regression, controlling for age, education, and cognitive status (i.e., MoCA). Results Individuals in the Italian cohort demonstrated greater perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 and also greater trust in the government as a source of information. A large proportion of the sample (N=160;88.4%) rated the media as not at all trustworthy. Greater cognitive impairment was predictive of misconception endorsement. Further, individuals in the U.S. cohort were approximately four times as likely as individuals in the Italian cohort to believe that that COVID-19 was a bioweapon developed by a government or terrorist organization. Trust indices were not related to misconception belief. Examination of vaccine hesitancy, and confirmation of the preliminary analyses, will be undertaken following completed recruitment and testing. Conclusion When individuals hold knowledge that is incorrect, the consequences can be manifold. From our preliminary analyses, we found that trust in government was not related to misconception endorsement;however, differences emerged between the U.S. and Italian cohorts. This examination provides a broad, cultural context to complex health beliefs, with specific implications for health behaviors such as vaccine intention, for individuals with and without cognitive impairment.

Associations between misinformation around COVID-19 pandemic, severity of social isolation, and cognitive impairment

Background In the past year, new research has focused on the degree of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in younger and older adults. However, no study has assessed how social isolation and cognitive status influence misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, we sought to investigate the differences in misinformation on the current pandemic in older individuals with and without cognitive impairment and social isolation in Boston, MA (United States) and Chieti (Italy). Method Data has been obtained from 49 subjects from the Boston cohort and 138 from the Italian cohort. Both healthy older adults and individuals diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer?s Disease (AD) Dementia were included. Cognitive status was assessed with a telephone administered neuropsychological battery and blind MoCA. Social isolation was evaluated with the Lubben social isolation scale and misinformation with a COVID-19 Misinformation Questionnaire. Associations between these variables were assessed using Pearson correlation and binary logistic regression. Result 35 participants in our sample (26%) met the cutoff for social isolation. 95 subjects (70%) were cognitively impaired. Subjects that were at a higher risk of being socially isolated were more cognitively impaired (r=0.43, N=181, p<.001). Also, they were less likely to know the correct age group that is most affected by the pandemic (b =0.06;p <0.05) and were less likely to feel informed about protective measures that should be taken to avoid contracting COVID-19 (r=0.24, N=181, p<.001). Subjects that were more cognitively impaired were more likely to think that the COVID-19 was a bioweapon developed by a government or terrorist organization (b =0.15;p <.001) and were more likely to incorrectly think that a person could not be COVID-19 positive and be asymptomatic (b =0.17;p <.01). More analysis will be completed once recruitment is completed. Conclusion Social isolation and cognitive impairment were associated with a higher degree of misinformation about COVID-19 and less information about protective measures against infection, making patients with these characteristics a vulnerable population during the current pandemic.

Data on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on people's expectations about their future.

The worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has unpredictably changed the way people live, by influencing their behaviors and beliefs. This article presents the raw data that have been used to investigate how the pandemic affected people's beliefs and expectations about their future. A total of 3991 participants (18-85 years old) were recruited through an online survey using the Qualtrics platform. The data collection was carried out during the Italian lockdown, between April 1st and April 20th, 2020. This survey collected information about psychological and socioeconomic variables related to the COVID-19 emergency. Respondents filled out a battery of questionnaires that included five measures. Three of the measures were specifically developed by the authors: 1. Expected repercussions of COVID-19; 2. Forethought scale; and 3. Perceived financial resources. The two other measures were standardized questionnaires: the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory Short Version (ZTPI-short) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Data from tailored measures on the COVID-19 pandemic reflect people's beliefs about the future, in terms of expectation about the pandemic's effect, estimation of the time needed for the pandemic to resolve, and estimation of how long people could endure the lockdown situation from a financial perspective. The ZTPI questionnaire was administered to measure people's differences in terms of Deviation from Balanced Time Perspective (DBTP). The PANAS questionnaire, instead, was administered to investigate people's differences in terms of emotional mood states. The provided dataset could be useful to other researchers, considering that the data were collected during the lockdown imposed on Italian citizens to face the unprecedented emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the collected data may help to understand how people coped with the pandemic, both from a psychological and socioeconomic perspective. Finally, this dataset can be included in the broad context of data, procedures, and experimental materials that have been used to expand our knowledge in the study of time perspective, beliefs, and emotions.

"What's next?" Individual differences in expected repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future are hardly predictable, and people differ in terms of expected repercussions on their future. This study investigated individual differences in the pandemic's expected repercussions, with particular attention to a Balanced Time Perspective (BTP). BTP reflects an individual profile with optimal temporal orientations, it is positively associated with mental health, and it has proven to promote successful coping with unexpected crises. We analyzed data from 3991 adults from 18 to 85 years old participating in an online survey conducted during the Italian lockdown. Participants provided information on BTP, affective states, financial resources, and expectations for the future. Multi-group path analysis was used to test the hypothesized model and to explore gender differences. Results showed that people with a more BTP had fewer negative beliefs about COVID-19's consequences on their future life. BTP affected expected repercussions also indirectly, via affects and beliefs. Finally, gender emerged as a significant moderator of some of the relationships highlighted. The present study contributes to the understanding of the psychological reactions to the current health emergency by confirming its impact on several life domains besides health, not only in the present but also in the anticipated future.

Age-related differences in the perception of COVID-19 emergency during the Italian outbreak.

OBJECTIVES: Older adults have been identified as a high-risk population for COVID-19, therefore it is crucial to understand how they perceived and reacted to the emergency. We examined age-related differences in emotions, cognitive attitudes, and behavioral responses to the COVID-19 crisis. Based on the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, we expected to find a positive approach in older adults, which may translate into lower compliance with restrictive measures.Methods: We analyzed data (n = 306) from a nation-wide online survey conducted between April 1st and April 16th, 2020. We compared young (18-29 years), middle-aged (30-50 years), and older (65-85 years) adults' self-reported emotions, attitudes toward the emergency, and compliance with governmental rules.Results: Older adults showed lower negative emotions than young and middle-aged adults. Also, older adults were more confident about COVID-related information received, more favorable toward the restrictive measures, and perceived lower underestimation of the emergency compared to the other age groups. However, older people anticipated a longer time for the emergency to resolve. No age-related differences in compliance with the rules emerged.Conclusion: Older people showed a positive attitude toward the emergency. This attitude was confined in the here and now and did not extend to expectations for the future. Compliance with rules was high across our sample. However, less compliant individuals were also less confident in COVID-related information received by the media and official sources, suggesting the importance of providing precise and reliable information to promote adherence to restrictive measures.