Risk-efficacy framework - a new perspective on threat and efficacy appraisal and the role of disparity.

The current study aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of threat and efficacy appraisal and account for the influence of disparity in the accessibility to risk prevention resources in predicting attitudes and behaviors. We propose a Risk-Efficacy Framework by integrating theories, including the extended parallel process model, health belief model, social cognitive theory, and construal level theory of psychological distance to achieve such a goal. An online survey targeting the U.S. population was conducted to empirically test the model (N = 729). The survey measured people's threat and efficacy appraisals related to COVID-19 and its vaccines and their attitudes and behavioral intention. The results of the survey supported the model's propositions. Specifically, perceived susceptibility moderated perceived severity's effects on attitudes and behaviors, such that perceived severity's influence attenuated as perceived susceptibility increased. Perceived accessibility to risk prevention resources moderated the influence of self and response efficacy. The former's effects on attitudes and behaviors increased, and the latter's effects decreased when perceived accessibility was high. The proposed framework provides a new perspective to examine the psychological determinants of prevention adoption and contributes to designing and implementing campaigns distributing prevention to underserved populations. The framework offers insights for risk managers such as public health authorities by articulating the dynamic nature of risks. When communicating early-stage lesser-known risks to the public, campaigns should highlight their severity and the response efficacy of risk solutions. Differently, more resources should be devoted to cultivating self-efficacy for widespread risks with more mitigation resources.

Cashless economy – the nexus of COVID-19 and E-wallet usage intentions: a multi-group analysis between formal and informal sector workers in Ghana

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to offer a conceptual model that bridges gaps in the current research by combining constructs from the health belief model (HBM) and theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Furthermore, the researchers applied the constructed model to analyse the determinants of workers' intentions to use e-wallet payment options for business transactions rather than physical currency during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the paper examines whether there are any significant variations in the usage intentions of Ghanaian workers in the formal and informal sectors. Design/methodology/approach: The non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to compile the primary respondents among Ghanaian users of e-wallets. Based on constructs derived from the HBM and TPB, an online survey involving the use of a questionnaire was administered to collect quantitative data from 285 formal and informal sector workers in Ghana. Data collected was analysed using the partial least squares-structural equation modelling approach involving the measurement, structural model tests, hypothesis tests and multi-group analysis (MGA) tests. Findings: This study reveals that workers' attitudes, subjective norms and perceived susceptibility as the main determinants of intentions to use e-wallets, as the analysis of data lends support to hypotheses involving these constructs. Perceived behavioural control was however not supported by the data analysis as a determinant of workers' intention. Finally, there were no significant differences between e-wallet usage intentions of formal and informal sector workers in Ghana. Research limitations/implications: Given the ongoing pandemic, the study recommends that governments of emerging economies should formulate policies that promote the use of e-wallets, to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and at the same time contribute to the quest for a cashless economy. However, the results of the study are only based on data collected from workers in Ghana. Therefore, practitioners should apply the recommendations with discretion and make modifications where necessary. The results of the study also provide evidence from the context of a developing country that can support future academic pursuits. Practical implications: This study provides evidence that influences practitioners' decisions and practices regarding the design and implementation of e-wallet services and innovations among workers in the formal and informal sectors of the economy. Originality/value: This study provides useful business insights to user acquisition managers, marketing managers and business development managers during the formulation of policies, strategies and approaches for their mobile wallet subscriber base. Moreover, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is one of the first to apply the constructs of the HBM (mainly applied in health research) to the study of workers' intentions to use e-wallets. It, therefore, makes a significant contribution to the existing literature by examining the combined effects of the constructs of the HBM and the TPB on workers' intention to use e-wallets. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

JD-R model on job insecurity and the moderating effect of COVID-19 perceived susceptibility.

The present research applied a triangulation approach in order to examine the mediating effect of job insecurity and the moderating effect of perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 (PSC) in the Job demands and resources model (JD-R model). Questionnaire and follow-up interview data were collected at two points in time from 292 hotel front-line employees and 15 hotel senior and department managers in Phuket, Thailand. Quantitative results indicated that job insecurity fully mediated the relationship between job demands and job burnout, as well as the relationship between job demands and work engagement. In addition, PSC partially moderated the research model. More specifically, the impact of job insecurity on work engagement is reduced when PSC is low and increased when PSC is high; the impact of job insecurity on job burnout is reduced when PSC is high and increased when PSC is low. Qualitative results further verified the findings of the quantitative study.

COVID-19 complications and entrepreneurial intention among the entrepreneurs of Pakistan: evidence from the second wave of the pandemic

PurposeAt present, nearly the whole globe is facing a severe threat of COVID-19. This study aims to examine the COVID-19 complications and entrepreneurial intention among the entrepreneurs of Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a deductive approach. An online survey is conducted to collect cross-sectional data from entrepreneurs of Pakistan. Convenience sampling is applied to target the respondents. In total, 278 usable answers proceed for final analysis. The structural equation model (SEM) is used to infer the results.FindingsThe findings of the study highlight a significant negative effect of fear of COVID-19 (FO19), perceived susceptibility (PSU) and perceived severity (PSE) on entrepreneurial intention (EI) among the entrepreneurs.Practical implicationsThe study would provide the guidelines for policymakers and planners to combat the barriers of fear, PSU and PSE during a pandemic. The findings of the second wave of COVID-19 may provide a warning to the government to take preventive measures to face the severe effect of the pandemic. Finally, the outcomes of the study may enrich the depth of COVID-19 literature globally.Originality/valueThis study is the first study highlighting factors such as fear, PSU and PSE toward EI in COVID-19 second wave.

Depression and Medicine Use among Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Psychosocial Resources and COVID-19 Perceived Susceptibility.

A relationship was found between the COVID-19 pandemic and depression among older adults and between depressed mood and increased use of antidepressant medication among older adults during the pandemic. With the aim of broadening the understanding of these relationships, the study examined whether COVID-19 perceived susceptibility mediates the relationship between psychosocial resources (optimism and perceived social support) and depressive symptoms and medication use. Participants included 383 older adults (M = 71.75, SD = 6.77) reporting on socio-demographics, health characteristics, depression, optimism, social support, and COVID-19 perceived susceptibility. Medication use was retrieved from participants medical files. Lower optimism, lower social support, and higher COVID-19 perceived susceptibility were associated with greater depression, related with higher medication use. The findings emphasize the buffering effect of psychosocial resources on the adverse effects of depression affecting older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, and consequently, the increased use of medication in this population. Practitioners should focus interventions on enhancing optimism and expanding social support among older adults. Moreover, interventions focused on alleviating depression among older adults should aim at improving perceptions of perceived susceptibility in the older population.

Compensatory travel in the post COVID-19 pandemic era: How does boredom stimulate intentions?

To promote tourism recovery in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, it is critical to understand the psychological factors that either boost or suppress travel demands. However, little is known about the underlying psychological mechanism that affects compensatory travel intention. Therefore, by scrutinizing the roles that autonomous self -motivation, sensation seeking, and perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 play, this study conducted two scenario -based experiments (N = 223 + 200) to explore the psychological mechanism and boundary conditions behind the influence of boredom on compensatory travel intention. The findings reveal that people are more likely to generate compensatory travel intention when there is a higher level of boredom during the COVID-19 pandemic due to their desire for sensation seeking. This effect is magnified when people adopt autonomous self-motivating strategies. However, for people with high (vs. low) perceived susceptibility to COVID-19, a high level of boredom evokes lower compensatory travel intention through sensation seeking.

How health beliefs and sense of control predict adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines among young adults in South Korea.

This study defined adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines as health behavior and examined whether the two constructs of the health belief model (i.e., perceived susceptibility and perceived severity) and sense of control predict the level of adherence among young adults in South Korea. An online survey (N = 200) conducted in June 2021, showed that perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and sense of control positively predict adherence behavior. Sense of control significantly moderated the relationship between perceived susceptibility and adherence even after controlling for depression and perceived health status. Specifically, individuals with a lower level of perceived susceptibility still adhered to COVID-19 prevention guidelines if they had a higher level of sense of control. The finding demonstrates the key role of sense of control in promoting adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines and the relationship between sense of control and two constructs of the health belief model. Implication for public messaging targeted at young adults during pandemic situations is also discussed.

Gender Difference in Fear and Anxiety about and Perceived Susceptibility to COVID-19 in the Third Wave of Pandemic among the Japanese General Population: A Nationwide Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey.

Existing research suggested gender differences in fear and anxiety about and perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 and previous infectious disease pandemics. We analyzed whether women felt fear and anxiety about and perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 more frequently than men in Japan. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using internet survey data collected during the third wave of the pandemic in Japan. The subjects were enrolled from the Japanese general population: 11,957 men and 11,559 women. Fear and anxiety specifically related to COVID-19 were evaluated with the Japanese version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FoCS). The question "How likely do you think you will be infected with COVID-19?" was used to assess the perceived susceptibility to COVID-19. Women had higher mean (standard deviation) FoCS scores [18.6 (5.6) vs. 17.5 (5.9), d = 0.190] and reported the median or higher FoCS score (57.4% vs. 51.4%, φ = 0.060) and perceived susceptibility (13.6% vs. 11.5%, φ = 0.032) more frequently than men. The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) adjusted for age, having a spouse, comorbidities, watching commercial TV stations' news programs, employment status, and household income were 1.24 (1.17-1.32) and 1.27 (1.16-1.38), respectively. We observed that women were more anxious and fearful about and perceived the susceptibility to infectious diseases more frequently than men even one year after the pandemic occurred in Japan, although the effect size was small.

Panic Purchasing: Food Hoarding in a City under Lockdown during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research aimed to investigate the determinants of panic purchasing to hoard food in Ho Chi Minh City during the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pragma-tism and the deduction approach were used for the research. During the lockdown period in Ho Chi Minh City, the purposive sampling technique was the first method used to reach the popula- tion that needed to be measured. Then, simple sampling was the second technique to collect data in the city in July and August 2021. Data were collected from 584 participants-higher than the required minimum sample size-who fulfilled the essential criteria to be included in the sample's population. Multi-quantitative methods, including descriptive statistics, reliability tests for items, exploratory factor analysis, and linear regression analysis, were used to analyze the data obtained. The main findings are that perceived scarcity, susceptibility, severity, cues to action, and self -ef- ficacy impacted panic purchasing to hoard foods. The results of this study are compared to the literature review in order to discuss panic buying behaviour, and recommendations are offered to policymakers and researchers in the future.

Understanding How People Make Decision about Preventive Behavior against COVID-19: A Case from Rural Areas in Western Iran

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most significant health challenge humans experienced since World War 2, and its course can be affected by the stringency in undertaking individual and collective protective behavior. In this study, the health belief model structures in adopting the protective behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic were assessed. A sample of 375 household heads living in the rural areas of Lorestan Province was selected through a multi-stage stratified and random sampling method. Structural equation modeling showed that knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, self-efficacy, and cues to action affect the protective behaviors of Iranian rural households during COVID-19. Cues to action and knowledge were the most important predictors of protective behaviors in rural households. The results suggest the necessity to emphasize enhancing knowledge to highlight the negative impacts of COVID-19 and train rural households regarding the proper and effective preventive measures. © 2022, Tarbiat Modares University. All rights reserved.

The Health Belief Model Applied to COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: A Systematic Review.

This study systematically analyzes the research that used the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a theoretical basis to examine the influence of HBM constructs on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Following PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus were searched for quantitative studies. Sixteen studies with 30,242 participants met inclusion criteria. The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was 33.23% (95% CI 24.71-41.39%). Perceived barriers and perceived benefits were the most common HBM constructs that were significantly associated with vaccine hesitancy. While perceived benefits was inversely associated, a positive association was found between perceived barriers and vaccine hesitancy. Other HBM constructs that were frequently examined and inversely associated were perceived susceptibility, cues to action, perceived severity, and self-efficacy. The most common HBM modifying factor that was directly associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was gender, followed by education, age, geographical locations, occupation, income, employment, marital status, race, and ethnicity; however, a few studies report inconsistent results. Other modifying variables that influenced vaccine hesitancy were knowledge of COVID-19, prior diagnosis of COVID-19, history of flu vaccination, religion, nationality, and political affiliation. The results show that HBM is useful in predicting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Families coping with the COVID-19 pandemic: Risk perceptions associated with preventive intention across three generations of Chinese families

While generational differences in coping with the threat of the global COVID-19 crisis were widely discussed in Western societies, a more careful look from the family level is needed in collectivistic societies like China. This study conducted an online survey among three generations of Chinese families between late January and late March in 2020. The study examined 1380 individuals (college students [G1]: N = 762, M-age = 20.47 + 2.45, 78.1% female;parents [G2]: N = 386, M-age = 47.64 + 4.08, 51.3% female;grandparents [G3]: N = 232, M-age = 73.50 + 8.57, 54.3% female) and their cognitions, affect, and preventive intentions toward COVID-19. The investigation ultimately yielded 226 pairs of family data. The results showed generational differences in the above variables. Perceived severity showed a significant total effect on preventive intention for all three generations, and perceived societal risk showed a significant (total) effect on preventive intention only for G3. Perceived severity was linked to preventive intentions through negative affect for those with lower self-efficacy in G1 and G2. Perceived societal risk was also linked to preventive intention through negative affect for those with low self-efficacy for G2. Moreover, cluster analyses identified three types of families with different epidemic coping patterns: stand-by families (48.23%), precautious families (35.40%), and insensitive families (16.37%). This research provides theoretical and practical implications for understanding the disparities in epidemic prevention between different generations and families. Findings show insights for improving the government's communication strategies.

Coping with COVID-19: Survey data assessing psychological distress to COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy with measures of theory of planned behavior, mindfulness, compassion, cultural orientation, and pandemic fatigue.

As the COVID-19 pandemic extends into another year, the causes and consequences of pandemic fatigue and vaccine hesitancy have become prominent concerns. This dataset contains MTurk survey responses from 658 vaccinated USA samples indicating: (a) pandemic fatigue and psychological distress (physical and trauma symptoms); (b) delays in receiving medical care due to COVID-19 restrictions; (c) vaccine-related behavior and beliefs (type of vaccine and vaccine hesitancy), and (d) COVID-19 preventive health behaviors. Several predictor variables were also collected including: (a) demographic variables; (b) COVID-19 health risk factors; (c) perceived susceptibility to disease and intolerance of uncertainty; (d) attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control about COVID-19 vaccine from the theory of planned behavior; (e) compassion for self and others; (f) psychological flexibility and inflexibility; (g) Buddhist mindfulness insight (impermanence, acceptance of suffering, nonself attachment, mindfulness); and (h) cultural orientation and authoritarianism. The data were collected between August 28th and October 18th of 2021. Out of the 746 MTurk workers who responded to the survey, 88 were removed from the dataset due to failing attention checks and problems with quality data. The responses from the remaining 658 allow an examination of the associations between fatigue and distress from COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccine related behaviors and beliefs; preventive health behaviors for COVID-19; COVID-19 susceptibility; intolerance of uncertainty; together with compassion, psychological flexibility, mindfulness, cultural orientation, as well as authoritarianism as possible moderators of COVID-19 fatigue, distress, and vaccine beliefs.

Do They Really Intend to Adopt E-Wallet? Prevalence Estimates for Government Support and Perceived Susceptibility

This study proposed a novel attempt to explain the effect of government support and individual’s perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 in adopting e-Wallet by integrating technology acceptance model (TAM) and health belief model (HBM). A total of 232 valid responses were collected through online survey. The hypotheses were analysed and validated by using the partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. The study found that the HBM construct, which is perceived susceptibility, was only mediated by perceived usefulness. Meanwhile, government support was fully mediated by both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The FinTech practitioners should consider the ease of use and usefulness of e-Wallet in fulfilling the needs of the consumers. In addition, instead of subsidising the consumers, the Government should also focus on the public facilities such as the stable connectivity that allow the consumers to stay connected and trust on the connectivity for e-Wallet. This study adopted holistic and integrative modesl which are TAM and HBM to explain the intention to adopt e-Wallet services during COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022, Asia Business Research Corporation. All rights reserved.

I won't touch money because it is dirty: examining customer's loyalty toward M-payment

Purpose>Several industries including banking are booming because of COVID-19. However, it is still unknown whether this growth is momentary or permanent in nature. Hence, this study aims to identify the role of health-related concerns and trust as stimuli on M-payment loyalty.Design/methodology/approach>Data were collected through Google Forms from 431 participants. Subjects were M-payment users. The hypothesized model was tested using structural equational modeling.Findings>Results of the study indicate that perceived severity and trust act as stimuli for M-payment loyalty. Further, trust not only influences loyalty directly but also through intimacy. Additionally, no linear relationship was found between perceived usefulness and M-payment loyalty.Originality/value>This work is an early attempt to consider health-related concerns and trust as stimuli to predict M-payment loyalty. Further, this study focused on three new constructs, namely perceived severity, perceived susceptibility and intimacy, that are underexplored in digital banking literature.

COVID-19 Vaccination Behavior Among Frontline Healthcare Workers in Pakistan: The Theory of Planned Behavior, Perceived Susceptibility, and Anticipated Regret.

Healthcare workers in Pakistan are still fighting at the frontline to control the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and have been identified as the earliest beneficiaries for COVID-19 vaccination by the health authorities of the country. Besides, the high vaccination rates of frontline healthcare workers (FHWs) are essential to overcome the ongoing pandemic and reduce the vaccines hesitancy among the general population. The current research employed the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to investigate the COVID-19 vaccination behavior among FHWs in Pakistan as well as the predictors of such behavior. Following the epidemic control and prevention policies, a sample of 680 FHWs were accessed to fill in the questionnaire evaluating the components of the TPB. Moreover, the potential role of anticipated regret (AR) and perceived susceptibility (PS) on COVID-19 vaccination behavior was also assessed. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) results revealed that the TPB components, as well as the AR, have positive associations with the COVID-19 vaccination behavior. The results further confirmed that PS positively affects the anticipated regret, attitude (ATT), and subjective norm (SN) to vaccinate against SARS-CoV-2. The perceived susceptibility also has a positive association with COVID-19 vaccination behavior through the mediation of anticipated regret, ATT, and SN. Our findings highlighted the importance of COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers, which can be applied to reduce vaccine hesitancy among the general public.

Intentions to Seek Information About COVID-19 Vaccine Among Young Adults: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Young adults have been one of the lowest vaccinated groups against COVID-19 in the U.S. Since information seeking intention is closely related to individual’s behavior intention, this study used expanded theory of planned behavior model to explain COVID-19 vaccine information seeking intention among young adults. Results suggested that attitudes, subjective norms, self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility, and political view were significantly associated with information seeking intention while anticipated regret was not significantly associated with information seeking intention. The overall model contributed a substantive part of variance of information seeking intention (R2 = 0.58). Implications for public health communication strategies and vaccination campaigns were discussed. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Government Communication, Perceptions of COVID-19, and Vaccination Intention: A Multi-Group Comparison in China.

Government communication has been playing an important role in mass vaccination to conduct the largest vaccination campaign of the world for COVID-19 and to counter vaccine hesitancy. This study employs the health belief model to examine the association between government communication and the COVID-19 vaccination intention. A survey of Chinese adults (N = 557) was conducted in March 2021, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to estimate the multi-construct relationships. The findings indicate that government communication has both direct positive association with vaccination intention and indirect association with vaccination intention through the mediation of perceived severity, benefits, and barriers. Multi-group comparisons suggest that individuals from private sectors are more easily mobilized to receive COVID-19 vaccination by government communication than those from public sectors. Similarly, the correlation between government communication and the vaccination intention of individuals with a good health status was stronger than that of those with a poor health status. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are further discussed.

Post-Adoption of Online Shopping: Do Herding Mentality or Health Beliefs Matter?

Purpose: The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered several herd purchase behaviors, and online shopping has been considered a health-related preventative behavior. This study aims to the relative impact of health threat beliefs concerning Covid-19 (perceived susceptibility and perceived severity) and herd mentality on consumers’ online shopping post-adoption disconfirmation and continuance intention of online shopping. Research design, data and methodology: An internet survey was conducted with Vietnamese consumers, and upon screening, usable data of 292 responses were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Results showed that while herd mentality positively affects disconfirmation, health threat beliefs including perceived susceptibility and perceived severity of Covid-19 do not. Results: Results also provided further support for the notion that disconfirmation is a crucial determinant of post-adoption continuance intention. Moreover, herd mentality also has a significantly negative influence on online shopping post-adoption continuance intention. Conclusions: The research provides evidence supporting the role of herd mentality and post-adoption disconfirmation in driving consumers’ intention to continue online shopping. However, the research shows that neither the perceived susceptibility of Covid-19 nor the perceived severity of Covid-19 has significant impact on post-adoption disconfirmation, adding mixed evidence to the application of health belief theory in technology (such as online shopping) adoption. © 2022 The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.

Guarding against COVID-19 vaccine hesitance in Ghana: analytic view of personal health engagement and vaccine related attitude.

Vaccination is the most effective preventive measure against COVID-19 spread. While the WHO and other stakeholders fear vaccine nationalism, vaccine-hesitancy has become a topical issue among experts. Based on the evidence of vaccine hesitancy among Blacks, we explore the interrelatedness of psycho-social factors (personal health engagement, fear of COVID-19, perceived susceptibility, and vaccine-related attitude) likely to thwart vaccine acceptance in Africa. We sampled 1768 Ghanaian adults over 2 weeks from December 14, 2020, the first day a successful COVID-19 vaccine was administered in the US using an online survey. A higher level of personal health engagement was found to promote vaccine-related attitudes while reducing COVID-19 related fears, susceptibility, and vaccine hesitancy. Fear of COVID-19 and perceived vulnerability are significant contributors to the willingness to accept vaccination. This is an indication that health engagement alone will not promote vaccination willingness, but the fear and higher level of perceived susceptibility out of personal evaluation are essential factors in vaccination willingness. We recommend promoting health educational messages on COVID-19 vaccination ahead of any vaccination rollout in Africa, and such messages should contain some element of fear appeal.