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)

Health beliefs and compliance to health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey among Indian adults

In the current chapter, we have detailed the course and results of our research to evaluate the five constructs of Health Behaviour Model (HBM) as well as the degree of compliance to preventive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 among the Indian citizens. Additionally, we also examined the degree of association of the HBM constructs with the compliance. Finally, we investigated whether these constructs differed across various socio-demographic group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Socio-economic and clinical drivers of COVID-19 mortality: An empirical analysis of the supply-side and demand-side moderators

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted everyday life globally, with severe consequences in several countries and regions. A key concern related to the COVID-19 pandemic is the wide variation in mortality across nations and sub-national locations such as states and counties. Anecdotal evidence, as well as evidence from CDC, indicates that the risk of spread as well as the risk of mortality from the pandemic is higher for regions with a population characterized by disadvantaged economic (income) and racial (underserved communities) and demographic profiles (age). Multiple studies have indicated that the most crucial step toward reducing mortality is expanding critical care capacity through procuring personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators and training critical care frontline employees. It is projected that with exponential growth in the pandemic spread, many regions would fall short of critical care capacity, increasing mortality.Furthermore, the pandemic has imposed high levels of constraints on resource availability, even in developed nations. Under resource constraints in critical care delivery, mitigation strategies need to account for the variation in observed cases and the disparity in mortality across locations. In my dissertation, I make a concerted effort to contribute toward understanding the sources of variation in mortality and propose a framework that enables pandemic preparedness and mitigation strategies that encapsulate the spatial and temporal variation in risk of mortality from COVID-19. The mitigation strategies are divided into supply-side and demand-side moderators of mortality. Accordingly, I focus on two mitigation strategies: (i) ICU capacity as a supply-side moderator and (ii) Vaccination coverage as a demand-side moderator. The overarching objective of my dissertation is to understand the role of supply-side and demand-side moderators of mortality, independently and jointly, of the association between socio-economic, demographic (henceforth referred to as social), and clinical risk factors and COVID-19 mortality. Much of the epidemiological literature on COVID-19 has focused on reducing the spread. However, the ultimate goal is to reduce mortality. There is a necessity in both practice and academic literature to understand actionable policies that can reduce mortality in general and spatial variation of mortality in specific. This dissertation research primarily leverages empirical methodology combining matching procedures with fixed effect modeling of panel data to test the hypothesized relationships of interest. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Why do people wear a mask? A replication of previous studies and examination of two research questions in a Japanese sample

Wearing masks is an easy and effective way to prevent infection by COVID-19. In Japan, two studies investigated the reasons why people wear a mask;however, the results were inconsistent. Therefore, the present study reexamined the association between mask wearing and the reasons given for doing so, focusing on the differences in and problems of item wording. The results of both studies were found to be almost reproducible, and there were few issues regarding item wording. Furthermore, the results revealed that people wear a mask to prevent them selves and others from infection and to conform to others wearing a mask. We suggest that inconsistencies in the results were due to differences in item wording, and discuss how future research should be conducted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Should we wear a mask? Household assessment of mask wearing for COVID-19 in Ya'an, China

In late 2019 and 2020, the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus spread worldwide and resulted in the COVID-19 pandemic, the second deadliest pandemic in modern history since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Since the virus was novel, no therapeutics and vaccines existed. Effective implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions was essential to reducing the transmission of the disease until the discovery of effective therapeutics and vaccines. This study explores the influence of the facilitating protective action attribute on adopting mask-wearing as a protective action in Ya'an, Sichuan Province, China. The study found that perceptions of mask effectiveness to reduce the probability of contracting and spreading the disease, positive social influences, and the influence of an alert emotion shaped the facilitating protective action attribute and the adoption of mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research also revealed a significant positive correlation between the expected consequences from contracting COVID-19, the influence of both the alert and positive emotions, and information sources on the adoption of mask-wearing as a protective action. Lastly, expected consequences from exposure, indirectly affected by age, and information from authorities directly affected the adoption of the recommended protective action. The significance of both expected consequences and information from authorities affected the adoption of the recommended action. The finding suggested what actions public health, public policy, and emergency management leadership can take to enhance the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate the spread of disease during future pandemics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Determinants of hand-washing behavior during the infectious phase of COVID-19

Hand washing is one of the most effective measures to reduce the risk of transmitting infectious diseases. However, motivation for regular hand washing during the infectious phase of the SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unclear. We examined four possible reasons for practicing regular hand washing-two involved the perceived effectiveness of this practice in reducing the risk of infection, and the other two involved other motivations. The results of our nationwide survey revealed that people conformed to other people's practice of washing hands and felt relief from their anxiety when washing their hands. The perceived effectiveness of personal risk reduction, however, showed little effect on the behavior, while motivations such as conformity and relief from anxiety successfully explained a large proportion of hand-washing behavior. Our findings suggest that policymakers responsible for public health should consider social motivations when implementing public strategies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The influence of social anxiety, trait anxiety, and perceived vulnerability to disease on the frequency of face mask wearing

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological factors related to the frequency of face mask wearing (mask wearing) among Japanese people. Specifically, the influence of social anxiety (scrutiny fears, social interaction anxiety), trait anxiety, and perceived vulnerability to disease (germ aversion, perceived infectability) on mask wearing frequency was examined. We also investigated whether the relationships were altered based on the COVID-19 pandemic and the seasons. Online surveys (N=6,742) were conducted in the summer and winter sea sons from Aug. 2018 to Dec. 2020. Results showed that scrutiny fears, perceived infectability (but only in the winter season), and germ aversion affected the frequency of mask wearing before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the relationships were altered as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. Scrutiny fears and perceived infectability did not play a role in the frequency of mask wearing. These alternations of results could be derived from the increase in mask wearing rate, changes in the reasons to wear masks among Japanese people, and elevation of perceived risk to COVID-19 due to the increased transmission. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

COVID-19: Boredom in the family

This research is focused on the subject of boredom in the families during the stay-at-home process forced by coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The literature on boredom was reviewed, and then the qualitative research was designed with the open-ended questions appropriate for the subject and purpose. The research was conducted between April 20 and 29, 2020, in Istanbul, Turkey, with the participation of 264 families. The most significant findings of the research showed that family members accustomed to active life experienced boredom more during the stay-at-home process, they utilized information technologies very often to overcome boredom, the importance of time spent at home increased, involuntary behaviors such as overeating and snacking became common, the livelihood difficulties and fear of unemployment increased boredom, nevertheless, no conflict occurred between the family members, and the process taught to be patient and strong. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Musical achievement during a lockdown: The parental support miracle

The quality of parental support is recognized as a crucial factor in the early stages of a student's development, and particularly in instrumental music education. At the start of 2020, the outbreak of a global pandemic crisis posed new and unprecedented challenges to education, forcing families to stay at home to prevent contagion. This investigation was conducted during the period of a COVID pandemic lockdown in Portugal. We explored whether parental support, provided during the lockdown period, was associated with their child's achievement as reported by their instrumental music teacher. For this study, 39 parent-teacher dyads of first-grade students of an instrument music course were recruited from two public music conservatories. Parents supplied information on the frequency in which they provided student-support-related attitudes and actions in the home context. Simultaneously, teachers provided information about the student's achievement during the lockdown compared with the previous in-person performance period. Results indicate a strong relationship between parental support and musical achievement, with students who received higher levels of supportive parental involvement performing better than before the pandemic crisis. The findings are discussed in relation to the importance of parental involvement in a child's instrumental music education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Cognitive consequences of COVID-19 infection and quarantine-induced social isolation: Hope for the young and mildly infected

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected over 539 million individuals worldwide, and initial research supports the possibility that COVID-19 may damage the central nervous system either directly or indirectly. Neurological signs and noted cognitive deficits observed in even mildly infected patients are a cause for concern for those infected by COVID-19;the effect of social isolation on the central nervous system is also of interest. The present study sought to determine the extent of these potential cognitive deficits in a young and mildly infected sample of college students. Participants completed an extensive survey assessing their experience with COVID-19 and any pandemic-induced social isolation. Participants then completed a battery of cognitive assessments to evaluate attention, memory, and executive functioning. Results largely suggested that mild infection did not cause lasting cognitive deficits. While social isolation largely did not influence cognition, it had an effect on non-diagnostic measures of certain mental health disorders. Overall, the present data suggest no evidence of current Long-COVID related cognitive deficits in a young and mildly infected sample, despite participants reporting perceived deficits in their cognition. This perceived lack will be important for clinicians and researchers to consider as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Community Mitigation of COVID-19 and Portrayal of Testing on TikTok: Descriptive Study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 testing remains an essential element of a comprehensive strategy for community mitigation. Social media is a popular source of information about health, including COVID-19 and testing information. One of the most popular communication channels used by adolescents and young adults who search for health information is TikTok-an emerging social media platform. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe TikTok videos related to COVID-19 testing. METHODS: The hashtag #covidtesting was searched, and the first 100 videos were included in the study sample. At the time the sample was drawn, these 100 videos garnered more than 50% of the views for all videos cataloged under the hashtag #covidtesting. The content characteristics that were coded included mentions, displays, or suggestions of anxiety, COVID-19 symptoms, quarantine, types of tests, results of test, and disgust/unpleasantness. Additional data that were coded included the number and percentage of views, likes, and comments and the use of music, dance, and humor. RESULTS: The 100 videos garnered more than 103 million views; 111,000 comments; and over 12.8 million likes. Even though only 44 videos mentioned or suggested disgust/unpleasantness and 44 mentioned or suggested anxiety, those that portrayed tests as disgusting/unpleasant garnered over 70% of the total cumulative number of views (73,479,400/103,071,900, 71.29%) and likes (9,354,691/12,872,505, 72.67%), and those that mentioned or suggested anxiety attracted about 60% of the total cumulative number of views (61,423,500/103,071,900, 59.59%) and more than 8 million likes (8,339,598/12,872,505, 64.79%). Independent one-tailed t tests (α=.05) revealed that videos that mentioned or suggested that COVID-19 testing was disgusting/unpleasant were associated with receiving a higher number of views and likes. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding of an association between TikTok videos that mentioned or suggested that COVID-19 tests were disgusting/unpleasant and these videos' propensity to garner views and likes is of concern. There is a need for public health agencies to recognize and address connotations of COVID-19 testing on social media.

Community mitigation strategies for coronavirus disease 2019: An assessment of knowledge and adherence amongst residents of Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: In the absence of effective vaccines and definitive treatment, non-pharmaceutical interventions, also known as community mitigation strategies (CMS), are needed to reduce the transmission of respiratory virus infections such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the effectiveness of these strategies depends on a knowledgeable population cooperating and adhering strictly to recommended strategies. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the knowledge and adherence to CMS against COVID-19 in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted amongst adult residents in Benin City using a self-administered questionnaire for data collection. Eighteen questions addressed knowledge of CMS, while adherence was assessed using 14 questions on a graded scale. Each correct answer was scored giving maximum and minimum scores of 18 and 0 for knowledge and 28 and 0 for adherence, respectively. Scores were converted to percentages with scores 70% and above adjudged as good knowledge of CMS and scores 50% and above adjudged as good adherence to CMS. Data were analysed with IBM SPSS version 25.0 software. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age (standard deviation) of 577 respondents who participated in the study was 32.5 ± 11.7 years. Overall, 532 (92.2%) respondents had good knowledge, while only 165 (28.6%) demonstrated good compliance with CMS against COVID-19. Christianity was a statistically significant predictor of knowledge of CMS. Income was found to be a significant predictor of adherence to CMS amongst respondents. CONCLUSION: Respondents demonstrated good knowledge but poor adherence with CMS against COVID-19 in Benin City, Edo State. Behaviour change communication is advocated to ensure that mitigation strategies are effective.

Social approaches to COVID-19 pandemic response: effectiveness and practicality in sub-Saharan Africa.

INTRODUCTION: the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to health systems and communities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is enormous. Social approaches such as distancing measures are essential components of the public health response to respiratory-related infectious disease outbreaks. Due to socio-economic and broader peculiarities of SSA countries, social approaches that were effective elsewhere may have limited practicality in these contexts, and if practical; may yield different or even adverse results. We highlighted the effectiveness of these social approaches and their practicality in SSA. METHODS: we conducted a comprehensive literature search through multiple databases, to identify articles relevant to social distancing. Findings were thematically summarized. RESULTS: our review found emerging and varying empirical evidence on the effectiveness of social approaches in the control and mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic; thus, limiting its applicability in SSA contexts. Nonetheless, our review demonstrates that the effectiveness and practicality of social approaches in SSA contexts will depend on available resources; timing, duration, and intensity of the intervention; and compliance. Weak political coordination, anti-science sentiments, distrust of political leaders and limited implementation of legal frameworks can also affect practicality. CONCLUSION: to overcome these challenges, tailoring and adaptation of these measures to different but unique contexts for maximum effectiveness, and investment in social insurance mechanisms, are vital.