Substance use and abuse associated with the behavioral immune system during COVID-19: The special case of healthcare workers and essential workers

ABSTRACT

The article discusses the risks of substance use and abuse facing healthcare and essential workers in the U.S. due to changes to their behavioral immune system (BIS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other topics include the categories of stressors during the pandemic like social and economic stress, traumatic stress symptoms, and danger and contamination fear, as well as xenophobia as a unique factor of COVID Stress Syndrome.