ABSTRACT
The Covid‐19 pandemic produced a complex combination of intense negative emotions among the general public, influencing people's coping reactions toward the pandemic. Yet each discrete emotion may affect people's behaviors in different ways. Unveiling the specific emotion–behavior relationships can provide valuable implications for designing effective intervention programs. Through the lens of the appraisal theory of emotion, we assessed the relationships between negative emotions and pandemic‐related behaviors among the Chinese population midst the early outbreak of the pandemic. An anonymous online survey was distributed to mainland Chinese participants (n = 2976), which assessed individuals' emotional states and behavioral reactions to the pandemic. Consistent with the differential appraisal theme underlying each negative emotion as delineated by the appraisal theory, mixed relationships between emotions and pandemic‐related behaviors were revealed. Specifically, anxiety was positively associated with behaviors of seeking pandemic‐related information, sharing such information, and stockpiling preventive goods, yet, contrary to prediction, anxious people were reluctant to adopt preventive measures, which is maladaptive. Sad people sought information less frequently and exhibited lower intention to stockpile preventive goods;but, opposing prediction, they shared information less frequently. Angry people were more active in sharing information and in stockpiling preventive goods. These findings suggest that public health practitioners can utilize the emotion–behavior relationships to identify the vulnerable individuals who tend to adopt maladaptive coping behaviors, help them address emotional distress, and encourage their adoption of effective coping behaviors. This research unveils the distinct relationships between Chinese public's discrete negative emotions (anxiety, anger, and sadness) elicited by the Covid‐19 pandemic and their behavioral reactions (seeking information, sharing information, preventive health behavior, and stockpiling) toward the pandemic. Unveiling these specific emotion–behavior relationships can help to identify the vulnerable individuals who tend to adopt maladaptive coping behaviors and encourage their adoption of effective coping behaviors, and help to design effective intervention programs.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) broke out in China in January 2020 and has been effectively controlled in April 2020 after China's relentless efforts. People's engagement in disease-related preventive behaviors is crucial in containing such infectious disease. Vulnerable populations often have higher chances of developing severe illness from COVID-19 and the mortality rate is also higher. Thus, at-risk populations for COVID-19 request extra attention. The current study conducted a national online survey among vulnerable populations in China in early February 2020 to examine their engagement in coronavirus-related preventive health behaviors (e.g., frequent handwashing) and the potential determinants including factors from the Health Belief Model, trust in different media sources, and health literacy. The results suggested that the vulnerable populations' engagement in coronavirus-related preventive behaviors were significantly associated with barriers, benefits, self-efficacy, trust in doctors' social media, and trust in TV for COVID-19-related information. Besides, barriers, benefits, self-efficacy, trust in doctors' social media, and trust in TV mediated the effects of health literacy on preventive behaviors. Our findings provided directions for future health promotions and interventions targeting vulnerable populations to enhance their preventive behaviors in China.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Health Literacy , Trust , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , China , Cross-Sectional Studies , Health Behavior , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Social Media , Surveys and Questionnaires , TelevisionABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Since January 2020, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) swept over China and then the world, causing a global public health crisis. People's adoption of preventive and intervening behaviors is critical in curbing the spread of the virus. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate Chinese people's adoption of health behaviors in responding to COVID-19 and to identify key determinants for their engagement. METHODS: An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed in early February 2020 among Mainland Chinese (18 years or older) to examine their engagement in preventive behaviors (eg, frequent handwashing, wearing masks, staying at home) and intervening behaviors (eg, advising family to wash hands frequently), and to explore potential determinants for their adoption of these health behaviors. RESULTS: Out of 2949 participants, 55.3% (n=1629) reported frequent engagement in preventive health behaviors, and over 84% (n=2493) performed at least one intervening health behavior. Greater engagement in preventive behaviors was found among participants who received higher education, were married, reported fewer barriers and greater benefits of engagement, reported greater self-efficacy and emotional support, had greater patient-centered communication before, had a greater media literacy level, and had greater new media and traditional media use for COVID-19 news. Greater engagement in intervening behaviors was observed among participants who were married, had lower income, reported greater benefits of health behaviors, had greater patient-centered communication before, had a lower media literacy level, and had a greater new media and traditional media use for COVID-19 news. CONCLUSIONS: Participants' engagement in coronavirus-related preventive and intervening behaviors was overall high, and the associations varied across demographic and psychosocial variables. Hence, customized health interventions that address the determinants for health behaviors are needed to improve people's adherence to coronavirus-related behavior guidelines.