The link between fear about COVID-19 and insomnia: mediated by economic concerns and psychological distress, moderated by mindfulness

This paper adds to extant research by examining the relationship between employees' fear of coronavirus disease 2019 and their suffering from insomnia. It specifically proposes mediating roles of employees' economic concerns and psychological distress and a moderating role of mindfulness in this process. The research hypotheses are tested with survey data collected through two studies among Pakistani-based professionals: 316 in study 1 and 421 in study 2. The results pinpoint a salient risk for employees who experience fear during a pandemic crisis, in that the associated economic and psychological hardships make the situation worse by undermining their sleep quality, which eventually could diminish the quality of their lives even further. It also reveals how organizations can mitigate this risk if employees can leverage pertinent personal resources, such as mindfulness.

Consumers' (ir)responsible shopping during emergencies: drivers and concerns

PurposeDuring emergencies and times of widespread social fear, such as wars and epidemics, society witnesses many instances of consumer misbehaviour (e.g. panic buying). Therefore, this study aims to understand what drives consumers to enact socially irresponsible while shopping during emergencies.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a quantitative approach with 400 responses from consumers who shopped during the pandemic.FindingsResults show a positive relationship between consumers' awareness of the negative social consequences of shopping misbehaviour and their ascription of responsibility, which is positively moderated by death-by-emergency-related anxiety. Ascription of responsibility, in turn, has a positive impact on socially responsible behaviour.Originality/valueThis research is the first to examine new applications of norm activation theory in retailing. Furthermore, this research is the first to extend the theory by examining psychological factors that may regulate socially irresponsible behaviour. The research demonstrates the significant role of anxiety and attachment in facilitating the impact of awareness of negative consequences and aspirations of responsibility in the retailing during emergencies.

Death, actually: Emboldening theory and praxis when death is all around

In this article, we seek to illuminate the public sector relevance of the weighty subject of death, and to identify the stakes in avoiding the subject. Our purpose is to unlearn silence about Public Administration's (PA's) potential role in understanding, communicating, and addressing the avoidable and unavoidable in human death and suffering. At this time, death seems to be all around, and at the same time, nowhere. Contending that the academic field of PA understates the degree to which death features in actual PA practice, this article establishes death's relative absence in the journals of the field before examining obstacles to its presence. We identify and critically examine potential barriers to death's inclusion in PA, suggesting ways forward and intimating that COVID-born openness to recognition and discussion of death is not likely to last without conscious efforts. In illuminating objections and stakes we propose that PA theory and praxis and the public sector itself would benefit by confronting death avoidance, anxiety, and dread with greater and more intentional reflection, deliberation, and literacy on these subjects. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Administrative Theory & Praxis (Taylor & Francis Ltd) is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The Correlation Between Religiosity and Death Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Palestine

Previous studies have demonstrated that religiosity may be a predictive factor for anxiety related to death among adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic;however, current study variables have not been examined among Palestinians. This correlational study was the first to test the association between religiosity and death anxiety among Palestinians in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sample data consisted of 548 Palestinian adults. Data was collected through online advertisements, e-mail, and social media campaigns. Findings confirmed that death anxiety negatively correlated with religiosity (r = -.31, p<0.01). Regression analysis for predicting anxiety related to death determined that religiosity accounted for statistical and significant variance in death anxiety (B=-.191, SE=.040, fl=-.20). It is recommended that further studies be conducted to explore the correlation between our current study variables and other related variables. This study also recommends the development of intervention programs to decrease death anxiety during pandemics or crises and enhance the protective factors of individuals.

Impact of death anxiety on mental health during COVID-19: The mediating role of the meaning in life

The aim of this article is to explore whether COVID-19 aroused an awareness of death, inflamed death anxiety, and affected mental health and to assess the degree that meaning in life played in the relationship between death anxiety and general mental health. A total of 197 participants were recruited using convenience sampling and were divided into an experimental group (n = 100) and a control group (n = 97). All participants completed the Death Anxiety Scale (DA), the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Death anxiety had a significant positive predictive effect on general mental health and meaning in life. When death anxiety and meaning in life were included in the regression equation, death anxiety still had a significant positive predictive effect on general mental health, and meaning in life had a significant positive predictive effect on general mental health. These results indicated that meaning in life played a partially mediating role in the influence of death anxiety on general mental health. In the COVID-19 context, death information was found to arouse awareness of death and death anxiety, which adversely affected mental health, and it was also confirmed that meaning in life played a partially mediating role between death anxiety and general mental health, which suggested that mental health problems could be alleviated in the future by helping people find meaning and value in their lives and cope more positively with death.

Exploring the Existential Implications of COVID-19 in Health Communication

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic provided an existential threat the world has rarely seen and forced Americans to make meaning in a world of uncertainty surrounding what most have taken for granted, being healthy. Reviewing data from several studies collected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, this article uses COVID-19 as a case study to understand reasoning to follow (or not) the recommendations set forth by government agencies through understanding the effects of longitudinal death salience (i.e., long-term awareness of death). The Terror Management Health Model (TMHM) argues that death is a key component to the condition of human behavior to elongate life. If the TMHM is correct, then Americans should have widely followed government recommendations, but instead violence and a polarized America ensued. Implications for health communication and the TMHM are discussed, providing a path forward for health communication and existential psychology scholars. © 2023 SAGE Publications.

Exploring the relationship between exposure to COVID-19 and donations during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating roles of emotions and risk perception.

Objective: Public emergency events like the COVID-19 pandemic are special occasions that need immediate massive funding from public donations. Thus, understanding the determinants of donation behaviors under public emergencies is important for both researchers and practitioners. This study investigated the effect of personal and local exposure to incidences of COVID-19 on donation behaviors. Specifically, we examined the mediating effects of risk perception and emotions on the relationship between exposure to COVID-19 and donation behaviors. Methods: The data were from a survey distributed in China between March 20 and 30th, 2020. Participants' donation choice at the end of the survey was used to measure their donation behaviors. Participants' emotions, risk perception, and personal exposure were assessed in the questionnaire. Local exposure was the 30-day confirmed cases obtained from the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. A total of 8,720 participants (Mean age = 28.91, 43.6% females) completed the online survey. Results: Based on the results from the mediation analysis, we found that people with stronger positive and negative emotions, higher risk perception, and more personal exposure to COVID-19 were more likely to donate. Furthermore, the effects of both personal and local exposure on donations are mediated by risk perception and negative emotion. Both higher personal and local exposure led to stronger negative emotions and higher risk perception, which in turn led to more donation behaviors. Discussion: This study extends our knowledge of donation behaviors during public emergencies. Our results suggest that policymakers and charity organizations should elicit stronger emotions and risk perception by exposing the severity of the disaster in advertisements to promote donations.

Women experiencing and transforming terror and death anxiety during COVID-19

During times of crises, humanistic-existential experiences can become extreme in terms of how individuals cope with negative emotions. Research during the year 2020 has shown that on the one hand, women are more challenged on different levels than men with regard to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, women leaders have shown high-quality leadership to guide nations through the crisis. This study sought to explore the humanistic-existential experiences of women through the terror management theory and from a qualitative perspective. It used a qualitative research paradigm with a hermeneutical research approach and purposeful and snowball sampling. The sample consisted of 16 women aged between 22 and 81 years and of 10 different nationalities who encountered COVID-19 themselves or experienced it in their family, colleagues, or friends. Data were collected from qualitative questionnaires/written interviews and analyzed through content analysis. Data are reported in a qualitative reporting style;quality criteria are presented and limitations discussed. Ethical considerations are addressed. Findings show that women are impacted by negative emotions, in particular anxiety and fear, which they cope with in different ways and which contribute to their meaning making. Conclusions and recommendations for future research and psychological practice are given. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Vacation vengeance: an interpretive phenomenological analysis of revenge travel in India

Purpose: After each of the COVID-19-induced lockdowns, an unprecedented surge in leisure travel was observed, resulting in tourists flocking to places of tourist interest. This phenomenon was termed revenge travel in popular literature. The purpose of this study is to explore the phenomenon of revenge travel in detail through an academic lens. It examines the psychological and emotional motivations for revenge travel while studying the differences in travel behaviour pre- and post-pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The study applies an interpretive phenomenological approach to explore post-pandemic travel behaviour. Data were collected via personal in-depth semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the transcripts was conducted to arrive at discussion themes. Findings: Drawing on the established theories, the findings of the study indicate that lockdown fatigue coupled with mortality salience induced individuals towards leisure travel. This in turn led to mood alleviation and compensation for the deprivation undergone. Practical implications: The study reveals important insights into post-pandemic preferences of travel destinations (off-beat locations near urban clusters), accommodation options (more travellers choosing home stays and stand-alone properties) and vacation itineraries (a gradual shift towards slow tourism with more focus on immersive experiences). Further, there are indications that hotels may develop "workcations” and "staycations” as a new line of offering. Originality/value: The study adds to the small body of knowledge on revenge travel. It adopts a phenomenological approach, thereby capturing the "lived experiences” of the participants and providing an in-depth look into the psychological and emotional motivations of revenge travel that have not been explored previously. The study provides insights into the travellers' psychology post a period of withdrawal and restraint. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Albert Camus - A Psychobiographical Approach in Times of Covid-19.

Albert Camus (1913-1960) stands as one of the famous pioneers in the French history of existentialism. He was a novelist, political activist, essayist and editor, as well as a journalist and playwright. Although he was described as philosopher, he often denied this ascription. Through his professional and creative expressions, Camus focused on questions of existentialism, the aspect of the human fate, and meaning in life, death and suicide. These existential questions have experienced a strong revival during the Covid-19 occurrence. This psychobiographical approach aims at understanding Albert Camus' life and work in the context of the terror management theory of Becker and Wong's 4 pillars of PP2.0 theory, namely virtue, meaning, resilience and well-being. Both theories have gained importance during the pandemic. Based on the findings of the research study, implications for future research in the context of the pandemic are given. Finally, this article provides recommendations and best practices on how to approach the Covid-19 pandemic from a terror management theory and PP2.0 perspective in the light of Albert Camus' philosophy. The contribution of this psychobiography is two-fold: first, it expands psychobiographical research on Albert Camus from absurdist and existentialist theories and thereby expands the theoretical framework of psychobiographies. Second, it aims at strengthening the importance of theoretical psychobiographical investigations and their application in real-world scenarios to address complex contemporary challenges on the basis of existentialist positive psychology theories.

Roles of self-esteem and socioeconomic status in COVID-19 preventive behaviors: Research and Reviews

This study applied terror management theory to investigate whether self-esteem and socioeconomic status (i.e., income and education) predict coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention behavior. Data collection in this cross-sectional and analytical study was performed by an online survey of 1012 participants. In participants with high self-esteem, mortality salience was high when the perceived threat of COVID-19 was high whereas mortality salience was low when perceived efficacy was high. In contrast, mortality salience was not significantly associated with COVID-19 prevention behaviors in participants with high self-esteem. In people with low self-esteem, mortality salience was high when the perceived threat of COVID-19 was high, but mortality salience was not significantly associated with perceived efficacy. Moreover, mortality salience was significantly associated with COVID-19 prevention behaviors in people with low self-esteem. Both income and education had significant positive associations with COVID-19 prevention behaviors in all participants regardless of self-esteem level. The findings revealed that perceived threat and perceived efficacy mediate the effects of self-esteem on mortality salience and on COVID-19 prevention behaviors. We discuss how these findings improve understanding of COVID-19 prevention behaviors and how they can be used to encourage these behaviors during an outbreak.

Charitable Giving in Times of Covid-19: Do Crises Forward the Better or the Worse in Individuals?

Why did some individuals react to the Covid-19 crisis in a prosocial manner, whereas others withdrew from society? To shed light onto this question, we investigate changing patterns of charitable giving during the pandemic. The study analyzes survey data of 2000 individuals, representative of the populations of Germany and Austria. Logistic regressions reveal that personal affectedness by Covid-19 seems to play a crucial role: those who were personally affected either mentally, financially, or health-wise during the first 12 months of Covid-19 were most likely to have changed their giving behavior. The observed patterns fit psychological explanations of how human beings process existential threats. Our findings indicate that a profound societal crisis in itself mainly leads to changes in charitable giving if individuals are severely affected on a personal level. Thereby, we contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying individuals' charitable giving behavior in times of crisis. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11266-023-00558-y.

Exploring the impact of the pandemic on the relationship between individual types and the natural environment: the role of mortality concerns.

COVID-19 is a global event that has impacted every individual on earth in some way and can be viewed as a mortality salience trigger. Although there were reports of increased nature exposure across the world, research is needed to understand whether the pandemic event impacted the underlying psychology of the human-nature nexus. Given the likelihood of pandemics and environmental challenges increasing in frequency in the future, there is a need for a deeper understanding of how pandemics impact individuals' relationship with the natural environment in South Africa. To achieve this, the study applied psychological types (grouping individuals based on homogeneity) to explore potential shifts as human nature is neither fixed, nor universal. The study asked: Given the multiple significant impacts of COVID-19 on the African continent, how have perceptions and attitudes towards the natural environment changed within and between types of individuals from 2016 (pre COVID) to 2021 (COVID) in South Africa? In a longitudinal, quantitative study, separate samples 721 in 2016 and 665 in 2021 were obtained. Participants in 2021 were grouped into the same six types using the same criteria, for comparison with the 2016 data. The results showed limited potential for pandemics to act as catalysts for long-term individual change towards increased pro-environmentalism. The study confirmed the main tenets of Terror Management Theory that individuals tend to be driven to uphold worldviews when confronted with mortality. Furthermore, there was a reduced experience of personal control over outcomes that increased reliance on sources of control outside the self as an attempt to buffer against mortality concerns. The study contributes towards Terror Management Theory's application during pandemics, and how that relates to individual environmental attitudes and perceptions.

Expectations and disappointments relative to COVID-19 passes: results from a voluntary mixed-methods study in French-speaking Belgium.

Objectives: Belgium enacted a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pass - the 'COVID Safe Ticket' (CST) - in October 2021. This study aimed to understand the expectations and reasons given by those supporting this policy measure. Methods: This mixed methods study was based on a voluntary online survey among 9444 French-speaking residents in Belgium. Results: Most respondents were not very supportive of the CST, with only 617 respondents (7%) being pro-CST. Compared with other respondents, the pro-CST sample comprised more males, older people, people scared of COVID-19, people who had confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines, and highly educated people. A qualitative analysis was undertaken to identify the reasons why respondents supported the CST. Two lines of argument were related to personal comfort (individual protection and means of 'recovering freedom'), and two other lines were related to collective protection (controlling the pandemic and incentivizing vaccination). Pro-CST respondents also indicated some limitations of the CST. Conclusions: The expectations regarding the CST were high, diverse and not entirely rational. Some contradictions and frustration emerged from the respondents' comments. The CST may have exacerbated the social divide in society. The high expectations risk leading to comparably high levels of disappointment, resulting in potential distrust towards future public health interventions.

A COVID–19-pandémia, halálszorongás és lelki egészség a terrormenedzsment-elmélet szemszögéből

Originating from China in late 2019 and spreading over the entire world, the COVID–19 pandemic has become a formative historical experience for humanity. People have encountered the coronavirus in three distinct forms: through contracting the disease themselves or witnessing the conditions of others in their environment;via the public discourse on the pandemic or through the various restrictive and lockdown measures. As a result, people experience such psychological pressure that demonstrably increases the incidence of death anxiety and mental disorders. This paper aims to present the scientific research on the pandemic's psychological impact from the aspect of Terror Management Theory (TMT). As its key concept, TMT identifies death anxiety as a universal archetypal experience that forms a certain basis for our mental functions, behaviour and thus psychiatric disorders as well. We tackle death anxiety in proximal and distal forms, preventing it from growing into a potential cause for serious mental disorders. After a brief presentation of the theory, the COVID–19 pandemic's impact on death anxiety and various psychiatric disorders in light of the latest TMT research and studies are examined. The pandemic weakens both of our death anxiety coping mechanisms, which, according to TMT research, is responsible for increased death anxiety as well as for the exacerbation of various mental disorders. Finally, studies on the pandemic and the positive changes of mental state, along with the proposals offered by certain TMT researchers are discussed. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic, death anxiety and mental health from the perspective of Terror Management Theory

Originating from China in late 2019 and spreading over the entire world, the COVID-19 pandemic has become a formative historical experience for humanity. People have encountered the coronavirus in three distinct forms: through contracting the disease themselves or witnessing the conditions of others in their environment;via the public discourse on the pandemic or through the various restrictive and lockdown measures. As a result, people experience such psychological pressure that demonstrably increases the incidence of death anxiety and mental disorders. This paper aims to present the scientific research on the pandemic's psychological impact from the aspect of Terror Management Theory (TMT). As its key concept, TMT identifies death anxiety as a universal archetypal experience that forms a certain basis for our mental functions, behaviour and thus psychiatric disorders as well. We tackle death anxiety in proximal and distal forms, preventing it from growing into a potential cause for serious mental disorders. After a brief presentation of the theory, the COVID–19 pandemic's impact on death anxiety and various psychiatric disorders in light of the latest TMT research and studies are examined. The pandemic weakens both of our death anxiety coping mechanisms, which, according to TMT research, is responsible for increased death anxiety as well as for the exacerbation of various mental disorders. Finally, studies on the pandemic and the positive changes of mental state, along with the proposals offered by certain TMT researchers are discussed. © 2022 A Szerzo(k).

Applying Terror Management Theory to Explain International Faculty Responses to COVID-19 Control Measures

The paper analyses an institutional approach and international faculty responses to implementation of social-distancing measures during COVID-19 on a residential campus of an international university in Kazakhstan. Terror-Management Theory is used to interpret the behavioral responses of the faculty. The theory predicts three types of international faculty responses to the conscious fear of death from COVID-19 - death avoidance, death acceptance, and death negation. These responses determine the extent of compliance with social distance-control measures. In addition three anxiety-buffering mechanisms proposed by the theory - commitment to particular worldviews, self-esteem enhancement and maintenance of social connections - serve as factors of variation in responses. Implications are drawn from the results about the relevance of the theory to the analysis of campus population responses to COVID-19-control measures on domestic and international campuses. Recommendations for university administrators at international universities are made about managing the three types of responses.

Mediator role of presence of meaning and self-esteem in the relationship of social support and death anxiety.

Introduction: Death anxiety has increased following the COVID-19 pandemic. Although terror management theory has suggested social support, presence of meaning and self-esteem functioned as death anxiety buffers, few existing works have explored the mechanism of how social support, presence of meaning, and self-esteem buffer death anxiety. To identify these mechanisms is the aim of this study. Methods: Our cross-sectional study was conducted with 1167 people in China from 19 May 2020 to 1 June 2020 during the COVID-19 outbreak. The average age of participants was 26 years. Data were by questionnaire, including demographic information, the Templer's Death anxiety scale, the multidimensional scale of perceived social support, the presence of meaning scale, and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Results: Results using structural equation modeling showed presence of meaning and self-esteem fully mediated the relationship between social support and death anxiety, respectively and sequentially. The proposed model showed good fit of indices: χ2 = 243.384, df = 58, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.968, TLI = 0.954, RMSEA = 0.052, SRMR = 0.044. Discussion: This study demonstrates significant mediator roles of presence of meaning and self-esteem in the relationship of social support and death anxiety. Multi-component interventions are needed to manage death anxiety by targeting increasing social support, presence of meaning and self-esteem and increasing presence of meaning and self-esteem when social support is diminished in the pandemic.

The Rising of the Shield hero. Development of the Post-Traumatic Symptom Questionnaire (PTSQ) and Assessment of the Protective Effect of self-esteem from trauma-related Anxiety and Depression.

Background: Adverse life events such as life-threatening accidents, domestic and/or sexual violence, organic diseases (i.e., cancer), or COVID-19 can have a strong traumatic impact - generating reactions as intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, and avoidance. Indeed, the traumatic impact of COVID-19 seems to lead individuals to experience anxiety and depression. However, the Anxiety-Buffer Hypothesis suggests that self-esteem could be considered a shield (buffer) against traumatic experiences and their outcomes (i.e., anxiety and depression). The present study has two objectives. First, to develop a measure of the impact of the traumatic event considering the aforementioned reactions. Second, to test the process - triggered by COVID19-related traumatic experience - in which self-esteem buffers the path that leads to anxiety and depression. Method: In Study 1 (N = 353), the Post-Traumatic Symptom Questionnaire (PTSQ) was developed and a deep investigation of its psychometric properties was conducted. In Study 2 (N = 445), a structural equation model with latent variables was performed to assess the buffering effect of self-esteem. Results: The PTSQ has excellent fit indices and psychometric properties. According to the ABH, results confirm the buffering effect of self-esteem in the relationships between traumatic symptoms and both anxiety and depression. Conclusion: On the one hand, the PTSQ is a solid and reliable instrument. On the other hand, that self-esteem is a protective factor against anxiety and depression related to a traumatic experience - such as COVID-19. Targeted psychological interventions should be implemented to minimize the psychological burden of the illness while promoting adaptation and positive aspects of oneself. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-022-00503-z.

Women experiencing and transforming terror and death anxiety during COVID-19

During times of crises, humanistic-existential experiences can become extreme in terms of how individuals cope with negative emotions. Research during the year 2020 has shown that on the one hand, women are more challenged on different levels than men with regard to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, women leaders have shown high-quality leadership to guide nations through the crisis. This study sought to explore the humanistic-existential experiences of women through the terror management theory and from a qualitative perspective. It used a qualitative research paradigm with a hermeneutical research approach and purposeful and snowball sampling. The sample consisted of 16 women aged between 22 and 81 years and of 10 different nationalities who encountered COVID-19 themselves or experienced it in their family, colleagues, or friends. Data were collected from qualitative questionnaires/written interviews and analyzed through content analysis. Data are reported in a qualitative reporting style;quality criteria are presented and limitations discussed. Ethical considerations are addressed. Findings show that women are impacted by negative emotions, in particular anxiety and fear, which they cope with in different ways and which contribute to their meaning making. Conclusions and recommendations for future research and psychological practice are given. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)