A social psychological investigation of community sentiment toward COVID-19 mitigation policies in the justice system

The COVID-19 pandemic led to many policy changes across the U.S. justice system that aimed to reduce the spread of the deadly virus. The present dissertation provides novel insights into community sentiment toward justice system COVID-19 mitigation policies such as the early release of prisoners, the pretrial release of defendants, the suspension of fines and fees, and the prioritization of prisoner vaccination. Using a student sample (study 1) and a demographically-representative U.S. community sample (study 2), this dissertation found that political conservatism was negatively associated with support for justice system COVID-19 mitigation policies across both samples. Prison reform attitudes and COVID-19 anxiety were also positively associated with support for justice system mitigation policies in the community sample. In addition to exploring direct relationships, this research examined mechanisms between political conservatism and support for justice system COVID-19 mitigation policies. The results provide evidence that people high in political conservatism show low support for justice system COVID-19 mitigation policies because of authoritarian attitudes and their moral disengagement from those in the justice system. The results of this research contribute to the growing literature on how individual differences can affect COVID-19 pandemic-related attitudes. They also provide policymakers with an idea of how to tailor a more effective public health strategy to promote the welfare of one of the most vulnerable populations to public health crises - those involved in the justice system. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

COVID-19 vaccine: What factors influence people's vaccination decisions?

In December 2019, Wuhan, China, experienced a highly infectious disease outbreak described as an acute respiratory virus caused by a novel coronavirus strain (COVID-19) (Ruiz & Bell, 2021) that spread quickly worldwide. By mid-October 2020, the total number of confirmed cases and loss of life had surpassed 38 million, with the United States (US) accounting for 7.8 million cases of the disease and over 216,000 deaths (John Hopkins University, 2020). The United States had the highest prevalence rate of COVID-19 worldwide. The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has significantly impacted the United States, particularly New York City, and State, with a high mortality rate. This study aimed to explore the factors that influenced people's perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines and how those perceptions may have influenced decisions between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Participants (n = 120) were sent an online survey using the Pandemic Subjective Perception (PSP) scale, which was tested based on a previous study by Pelletier (2021). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Are societies in conflict more susceptible to believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories? A 66 nation study

Conspiracy theories widely influence our social and political lives. A recent example is the broad impact such theories had on government's efforts to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In that context, public's compliance and willingness to get vaccinated was found to be substantially and negatively affected by the belief in conspiracy theories, among various factors. In the present study, we tested whether some countries are more susceptible to conspiracy theories than others. We examined, for the first time, the idea that the degree of intensity of conflict predicts the degree of belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. A multilevel analysis across 66 countries (N = 46,450) demonstrated that people living in countries with higher conflict intensity tended to be more susceptible to COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs. These findings are the first large-scale comparative evidence of the profound psychological effects of conflicts on the involved societies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement The belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories has severe implications on public's health. Thus, it is important to better understand the reasons behind such beliefs. The present study provides new information which helps to better understand the contexts in which conspiracy belief thrive. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Familial responses to death in veterans affairs medical centers: Losing control and holding on

Purpose: To explore how families respond to the death and dying of their loved ones in a hospital setting, archival research was conducted using eight qualitative articles describing next-of-kins' perceptions of end-of-life care in Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). The articles were based on the qualitative arm of the VA Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) study entitled, "Best Practices for End-of-life Care and Comfort Care Order Sets for our Nation's Veterans" (BEACON). Design: The archival research consisted of an interactive methodological process of data immersion, analysis, and interpretation which resulted in the emergence of two overarching thematic frameworks called "losing control" and "holding on." Findings: "Losing control" is the process that occurs when the patient experiences a cascading sequence of deleterious biological events and situations rendering the caregiver no longer able to direct the timing or setting of the dying trajectory. The notion of "holding on" captures family member's responses to the need to maintain control after relinquishing the patient's care to the institutional setting. During the patient's hospitalization, the dual dynamics of "losing control" and "holding on" unfolded in the spatial, temporal, and life narrative domains. Originality: The findings not only contribute to better overall understanding of family members' responses to death in the pre-COVID-19 hospital setting but also heighten the awareness of the complex spatial, temporal, and narrative issues faced by family members who lost a hospitalized loved one during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Supporting the career development of black adults during the covid-19 pandemic

In this pilot study, Black adults (N = 15) in a large Midwestern city who were economically impacted by the pandemic completed three career development webinars. The study examined how completing three career development webinars improved participants' perceptions of career search efficacy and helped participants progress toward their career development goals. Results of a linear regression indicated a significant positive increase in post-test career search efficacy scores. Results of the thematic analysis revealed four themes: career development knowledge, career development confidence, entrepreneurship, and exploring career interests. Implications for counselors and counselor educators are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Investigating young adult cancer survivors' perspectives on the future and interpersonal relationships

For many young adults (YA, aged 18-39) who have recently survived cancer, planning and working towards goals for the future is a fraught process. Prior research consistently identifies the challenges of survivorship, including: rebuilding personal identity, accepting the impact of cancer-related interruptions on personal goals, navigating new roles in significant close relationships, and initiating new relationships as a survivor. However, there is limited research describing the mechanisms underlying these persistent challenges, which poses difficulties when tailoring evidence-based psychological intervention. The present study consolidates both established and newly hypothesized survivorship challenges into a novel conceptual model, hypothesizing that they are interrelated, and mutually reinforcing, to perpetuate social isolation and avoidance of the future in young survivors.This dissertation study elucidated what YA survivors experience as they envision their lives in the future, with a focus on goals, such as family-building, which may be shared with a close other. We hypothesized that YA may struggle to plan for the future because they experience interfering emotions and thoughts related to their health, often regarding recurrence of cancer or late effects of treatment. Many of these struggles may be difficult to share with a partner. In particular, self-conscious emotions, such as embarrassment, shame, guilt, or pride associated with being a cancer survivor, may explain how relating to others without cancer can be challenging. This qualitative study utilized a semi-structured interview to prompt YA survivors to imagine significant future events in their close relationships, identifying future-oriented thoughts, beliefs, coping strategies, and emotions as they arose. Participants included 35 YAs treated for cancer within the past five years. Interviews were conducted remotely over a secure video platform and professionally transcribed. Analysis software was used to test deductive codes based on a priori research questions, and inductive codes based on bottom-up consensus coding of transcripts. Quantitative data regarding demographics and mental health were used to augment analyses and interpretation. The process of thematic text analysis was used to identify significant themes and subthemes in the data. Findings indicated good support for the hypothesized conceptual model, including the impact of health anxiety and social isolation on close relationships and psychosocial well-being. In some cases, social isolation was worsened by the impacts of COVID-19. In addition to deductive findings regarding the interfering nature of cancer-related worry in planning for the future, inductive themes gleaned from analyses included the prominence of grief (e.g. loss of fertility due to treatment, death of peers). Participants overwhelmingly requested tailored and ongoing mental health support in survivorship, and the majority of participants had attended peer support groups. This study provides a strong foundation for broader quantitative study confirming the themes hypothesized by the conceptual model presented here. It also provides a preliminary basis for clinical intervention to improve future planning based on mitigating social isolation and addressing the short- and long-term impacts of decisional avoidance in the context of health anxiety. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Towards understanding usable privacy concerns among older adults

While researchers have examined privacy among a wide range of users, there has been less focus on the perceptions of older adults, who may exhibit attitudes towards privacy that differ from their younger counterparts. Lower levels of awareness regarding potential online privacy violations, coupled with limited knowledge of protective measures that can be adopted to counter online attacks, are known to lead to negative outcomes for some older adults, including falling victim to scams and data breaches. The research described in this dissertation focuses on an investigation of older adults' privacy and security perceptions regarding digital and non-digital technologies, and identifies how their usage and adoption of tools and technologies are impacted by these perceptions. To this end, three studies have been conducted exploring the (1) complex privacy behaviors of older adults and comparisons with younger age groups, (2) adoption barriers and motivators of online security tools, and (3) experiences and concerns when older adults were required to transition to online communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. An exploratory study was initially conducted, to identify older adults' perceptions of usable privacy and general concerns about privacy threats, while drawing comparisons to findings from younger age groups. After identifying that perceptions of privacy impact older adults' adoption of these tools in the second study, a third study was conducted, which investigated how these perceptions impacted older adults who were either forced to adopt or who continued using online conferencing tools due to the social distancing requirements imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative inquiry was conducted to examine usable privacy and security, and to gain a deeper understanding of older adults' intricate mental models. Findings from the work described in this dissertation can be used to inform design guidance for interface developers and researchers aiming to support privacy among older groups of users. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Towards understanding usable privacy concerns among older adults

While researchers have examined privacy among a wide range of users, there has been less focus on the perceptions of older adults, who may exhibit attitudes towards privacy that differ from their younger counterparts. Lower levels of awareness regarding potential online privacy violations, coupled with limited knowledge of protective measures that can be adopted to counter online attacks, are known to lead to negative outcomes for some older adults, including falling victim to scams and data breaches. The research described in this dissertation focuses on an investigation of older adults' privacy and security perceptions regarding digital and non-digital technologies, and identifies how their usage and adoption of tools and technologies are impacted by these perceptions. To this end, three studies have been conducted exploring the (1) complex privacy behaviors of older adults and comparisons with younger age groups, (2) adoption barriers and motivators of online security tools, and (3) experiences and concerns when older adults were required to transition to online communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. An exploratory study was initially conducted, to identify older adults' perceptions of usable privacy and general concerns about privacy threats, while drawing comparisons to findings from younger age groups. After identifying that perceptions of privacy impact older adults' adoption of these tools in the second study, a third study was conducted, which investigated how these perceptions impacted older adults who were either forced to adopt or who continued using online conferencing tools due to the social distancing requirements imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative inquiry was conducted to examine usable privacy and security, and to gain a deeper understanding of older adults' intricate mental models. Findings from the work described in this dissertation can be used to inform design guidance for interface developers and researchers aiming to support privacy among older groups of users. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Investigating young adult cancer survivors' perspectives on the future and interpersonal relationships

For many young adults (YA, aged 18-39) who have recently survived cancer, planning and working towards goals for the future is a fraught process. Prior research consistently identifies the challenges of survivorship, including: rebuilding personal identity, accepting the impact of cancer-related interruptions on personal goals, navigating new roles in significant close relationships, and initiating new relationships as a survivor. However, there is limited research describing the mechanisms underlying these persistent challenges, which poses difficulties when tailoring evidence-based psychological intervention. The present study consolidates both established and newly hypothesized survivorship challenges into a novel conceptual model, hypothesizing that they are interrelated, and mutually reinforcing, to perpetuate social isolation and avoidance of the future in young survivors.This dissertation study elucidated what YA survivors experience as they envision their lives in the future, with a focus on goals, such as family-building, which may be shared with a close other. We hypothesized that YA may struggle to plan for the future because they experience interfering emotions and thoughts related to their health, often regarding recurrence of cancer or late effects of treatment. Many of these struggles may be difficult to share with a partner. In particular, self-conscious emotions, such as embarrassment, shame, guilt, or pride associated with being a cancer survivor, may explain how relating to others without cancer can be challenging. This qualitative study utilized a semi-structured interview to prompt YA survivors to imagine significant future events in their close relationships, identifying future-oriented thoughts, beliefs, coping strategies, and emotions as they arose. Participants included 35 YAs treated for cancer within the past five years. Interviews were conducted remotely over a secure video platform and professionally transcribed. Analysis software was used to test deductive codes based on a priori research questions, and inductive codes based on bottom-up consensus coding of transcripts. Quantitative data regarding demographics and mental health were used to augment analyses and interpretation. The process of thematic text analysis was used to identify significant themes and subthemes in the data. Findings indicated good support for the hypothesized conceptual model, including the impact of health anxiety and social isolation on close relationships and psychosocial well-being. In some cases, social isolation was worsened by the impacts of COVID-19. In addition to deductive findings regarding the interfering nature of cancer-related worry in planning for the future, inductive themes gleaned from analyses included the prominence of grief (e.g. loss of fertility due to treatment, death of peers). Participants overwhelmingly requested tailored and ongoing mental health support in survivorship, and the majority of participants had attended peer support groups. This study provides a strong foundation for broader quantitative study confirming the themes hypothesized by the conceptual model presented here. It also provides a preliminary basis for clinical intervention to improve future planning based on mitigating social isolation and addressing the short- and long-term impacts of decisional avoidance in the context of health anxiety. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Impact of a pandemic on attitudes towards immigrants

Immigration control is an issue that figures prominently in public policy discussions and election campaigns throughout the world. Immigrants can be perceived as posing both realistic and symbolic threats to the host society. During the current global pandemic, these threats are amplified. This research investigated how attitudes towards immigrants were likely to be more negative when the impact of the pandemic was made salient. Based on intergroup threat theory (Rios et al., 2018) and uncertainty identity theory (Hogg, 2021a), two empirical studies investigated the effect of realistic and symbolic threats from the COVID-19 pandemic on people's attitudes towards immigrants. Study 1 (N =303) tested if priming pandemic induced symbolic threats increased social identity uncertainty and found that pandemic-related symbolic but not realistic threats increased social identity uncertainty. Study 2 (N =363) again primed the two types of threat induced by the pandemic, measured their effects on attitudes towards immigrants, and examined if the effects could be explained by social identity uncertainty and collective angst. Results showed that people who perceived more COVID-19 related symbolic threat than COVID-19 related realistic threat experienced more COVID-19 related national identity uncertainty and collective angst, which predicted less positive attitudes towards immigrants. People who perceived more COVID-19 related realistic threat than COVID-19 related symbolic threat experienced less COVID-19 specific national identity uncertainty and collective angst, which predicted their more positive attitudes towards immigrants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The impact of leaders' emotional intelligence and sub-crises events on follower perceptions of crisis leadership (in)effectiveness

Crisis events in organizations have become more frequent and often play out in very public arenas creating demanding situations and consequences for both private and public organizations and their stakeholders. The crisis generally has time pressure and the needed ability of key leaders to make swift decisions. Organizational crisis is inevitable. It has never been more evident as the global Covid 19 pandemic has impacted airlines, hospitals, schools, supply chain management, restaurants, sports, and countless other enterprises as well as the millions of stakeholders' dependent upon them. Followers look to leaders for actions, solutions, and explanations. This study examines Emotional Intelligence and its relationship to follower perceptions of crisis leadership, during the main crisis event and sub-events that occur through the crisis lifecycle. It is designed to have practical implications for leaders as they consider their role as a crisis leader and how they position themselves best to lead their organization and its stakeholders through the crisis. Findings conclude there is a strong relationship between above-average levels of emotional intelligence to positive follower perceptions of overall effective crisis leadership. The findings also suggest sub-events that occur during the main crisis lifecycle impact follower perceptions of crisis response. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

An examination of managers' view of telework and business continuity: Utilization level before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Advancements in technology have resulted in traditional work experiences evolving into various work arrangements in today's organizations. A changing world demands new ways of using digital infrastructure to survive in business. However, not all organizational managers embrace employees working outside of the traditional work setting. This mindset can be problematic when an organization is faced with a disruption such as a local or national emergency, natural disaster, or pandemic. Telework continues to be an under-utilized innovation in today's organizations. This quantitative study was designed to investigate managers, teleworkers, and non-teleworkers in professional occupations level of telework utilization before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine managers' attitudes and practices of telework changes as it relates to business continuity. This study used the quantitative research method with a descriptive research design. Convenience sampling was used to select the most desirable participants for the study. Data analysis indicated that most participants did not telework before the COVID-19 pandemic because they had to be present on the job. Findings also showed that telework utilization increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as organizations returned to the workplace. The results also indicated that managers found employees' requests to telework to be important and that managers agreed telework provided business continuity during COVID-19. Finally, it was determined that the relationships between telework and business continuity demonstrated positive associations, indicating that as managers' consideration of telework increased, business continuity scores also increased. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Fighting COVID-19: Fear and internal conflict among older adults in Ghana

This reprinted chapter originally appeared in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2020, 63[6-7], 688-690. (The following of the original article appeared in record 2020-47806-001.) The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has upended the social lives and health of all people globally. The debilitating brunt of the infection and mortality has been huge for older adults with comorbidities. The exponential rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Ghana have engendered intense fear and anxiety among the at-risk populations with serious implications for mental health and well-being of older people. In this letter, I call on the government to implement innovative interventions to contain the spread of COVID-19 to older people. The health system should realign to deliver geriatric care and psychological support for older people in these extraordinary times. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A qualitative study to explore college presidents' perceptions of Greek social organizations

The purpose of this study was to explore how college and university presidents perceive the Greek social organizations that exist on their campus. Fraternities and sororities, in recent years, have increasingly been placed underneath a microscope. While a variety of research exists in regards to perceptions of Greek social organizations there is a dearth of research analyzing college and university presidents. A phenomenological approach was used in order to allow the participants to share stories, experiences, and perceptions freely and unfiltered. The study focused on the Ohio Valley region of the United States. Sixteen presidents volunteered to participate in the interview which represented 5 states and various institution types. The semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed for rich conversation, storytelling, and detail descriptions of the phenomenon. Data explication allowed for the finding of three themes across the sixteen participants. These themes were: Financial Impact, Campus Impact, and Desired Evolution. The participants expressed their approval and excitement for the research as it gave them an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and freely share their thoughts. This study is one of the first to investigate the lived experiences of college and university presidents as it related to Greek social organizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Investigating factors that affect the adoption of COVID-19 contact-tracing apps: A privacy calculus perspective

On June 16, 2020, the German government issued a coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) contact-tracing app whose privacy settings were fiercely debated in advance. Contrary, potential benefits regarding the acceleration of contact tracing were advertised. This study investigated the relative importance of privacy concerns and perceived benefits in relation to the decision to use the app adopting a privacy calculus perspective extended by trust in app privacy and technological knowledge about the app. Results of a representative German sample (N = 952) revealed that privacy concerns were negatively related to app usage, and perceived benefits and knowledge were positively related to actual app adoption. Additionally, perceiving app benefits was the most important factor for (continued) usage intention, while privacy concerns did not play a role anymore. Trust was strongly negatively associated with privacy concerns and strongly positively with perceived benefits. Results are discussed concerning consequences for communication strategies when launching technology whose adoption should help in mitigating dangers of pandemics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Didactic physician assistant education in light of SARS-CoV-2. Perceptions of pa program directors on the use of an online curriculum: Has the thinking evolved?

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has presented both confusion and opportunity in medical education. The perception of program directors regarding the use of online learning options has been subject of debate but there are no studies that that discuss online modalities in didactic PA education. This study aims to determine program director perceptions of didactic online education prior to and since the onset of the pandemic and discuss their experiences with pedagogical modifications. Through grounded theory methodology, seven program directors were interviewed and discussed perceptions of online didactic PA education over the past eighteen months, the challenges each program encountered during the transition, outcome comparison with previous cohorts comparing traditional versus online content delivery, and if they feel that there is a place in their program in the future for online content delivery. A constant comparative analysis demonstrated that program directors uniformly felt that prior to the pandemic, there was minimal interest in utilizing online methods of content delivery and that online didactic delivery was inferior to traditional lecture in achieving program outcome objectives. This perception was significantly altered after each program instituted online instruction for their cohorts and found that there appeared to be no significant measurable outcome disadvantages to online content delivery for didactic content lectures. There was, however, significant challenges across programs that required modification to practical time for physical, examination skills to remote learning modalities. Program directors also discussed correlation between the amount of time students spent together prior to initiating online curriculum and their level of stress. This study found support for future use of online methods for PA didactic content providing there was adequate in-person time allocated for practical application of skills required to meet program objectives. Further research into the student perceptions as well as a larger sample of programs as a result of the pandemic would be beneficial to the understanding of the lessons learned from programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

An investigation of factors that influence passengers' intentions to use biometric technologies at airports

Biometric technologies use the characteristics and measurements from humans to establish and verify their identity. Within an airport setting, biometric technologies can be used to hasten passenger processes such as airport check-in, baggage drop-off or pick-up, and aircraft boarding, thus enhancing the overall passenger experience.This research investigated the factors that influence passengers' intentions to choose the use of biometrics over other methods of identification. The current study utilized a quantitative research method via an online survey of 689 persons from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and employed structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques for data analysis. The study utilized the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as the grounded theory, while perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were included as additional factors that could influence individuals' intentions to use new technology.The study further assessed the impact of passengers' privacy concerns on the intentions to use biometrics and investigated how the privacy concerns moderate the influencing factors of passengers' behavioral intentions. Because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that became prevalent at the time of the study, a COVID-19 variable was introduced as a control variable to examine if there were any effects of COVID-19 on passengers' behavioral intentions while controlling for the other variables.Results showed that for the TPB factors, attitudes and subjective norms significantly influenced passengers' behavioral intentions to use biometrics, while the effect of perceived behavioral control (PBC) on passengers' intentions was not significant. The additional factors of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use did not significantly influence passengers' intentions. In addition, the hypothesized relationships between privacy concerns and four factors, behavioral intentions, attitudes, PBC, and perceived ease of use were supported, while the relationships between privacy concerns and perceived usefulness and between privacy concerns and subjective norms were not supported.The examination of the moderating effects found that privacy concerns moderated the relationships between passengers;intentions and three factors: attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived usefulness. However, because the interaction plots showed that the moderating effects were weak, the effects were not considered to be of much value and were therefore not added to the final model. Results also showed that the control variable (COVID-19) did not significantly influence passengers' behavioral intentions and passengers' privacy concerns while controlling for the other variables.Practically, the study contributed a research model and specified factors that were postulated to influence passengers' behavioral intentions to use biometrics at airports. Further research would be required to determine additional factors that influence behavioral intentions. Finally, although the moderating effects were not used in the final model, the findings suggest that stakeholders can customize biometric systems and solutions appropriately to cater to passengers' concerns. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Social representation of COVID-19, attitudes and knowledge in the adult Portuguese population

The goal of the present study was to measure COVID-19 social representation and to characterize attitudes and knowledge about the virus SARS-CoV-2. With an exploratory nature, it used a non-probabilistic sample of 297 Portuguese adults. To measure COVID-19 social representation, we used a free evocation task;attitudes were assessed by 20-item questionnaires divided into cognitive, affective and behavioural dimensions;knowledge was assessed by a true or false test based upon general information made available by DGS [Portuguese health general directorate]. Results suggest participants have little belief that they could be infected, have the disease or even be preoccupied about it. Concerning social representation, results suggest the existence of two different groups of participants, one with a more favourable attitude towards COVID-19 and another with a less favourable attitude. The study raises questions to be developed in future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) El objetivo de este estudio era medir la representacion social de la COVID-19 y caracterizar las actitudes y los conocimientos de los participantes sobre el virus SARS-CoV-2. Bajo un enfoque exploratorio, se recluto una muestra de 297 adultos portugueses. Para medir la representacion social de la COVID-19 se diseno una tarea de evocacion libre de palabras. Para medir las actitudes se utilizo un cuestionario de 20 items correspondientes a dimensiones cognitivas, afectivas y conductuales, mientras que para medir los conocimientos, se utilizo una prueba de tipo verdadero/falso basada en la informacion general publicada por la Direccion General de Salud de Portugal (DGS). Los resultados sugieren que, en general, los participantes no se sienten vulnerables frente a la infeccion o a la enfermedad, ni siquiera se muestran preocupados por ello. Por lo que respecta a la representacion social de la enfermedad, los resultados sugieren dos grupos distintos de poblacion: un grupo que muestra una actitud mas favourable o positiva hacia la COVID-19, mientras que el otro muestra una actitud menos favourable o mas negativa. El estudio plantea algunas cuestiones que deberian ser abordadas por futuras investigaciones. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)