Adherence to social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic in Italy: The role of autonomous motivation and defiance.
J Health Psychol
; : 13591053221093447, 2022 May 05.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2270311
ABSTRACT
To maintain social distancing in the long term, in the current COVID-19 scenario, people's motivation must be strong and of high quality. Many governments adopted measures enforcing social distancing. Enforcement, however, can produce feelings of defiance and backfiring effects. The present work aims at investigating the relationship between autonomous motivation and intentions to maintain social distancing, through adherence to recommendations and feelings of defiance. A sample of 502 Italian residents, from different parts of Italy, completed an online survey assessing their present behavior, levels of autonomous motivation and feelings of defiance, as well as intentions to observe social distancing in the short and long term. Results support the hypotheses that autonomous motivation is related to stronger intentions to maintain social distancing, particularly in the long term, and that feelings of defiance mediate this relationship. These results underline importance of promoting understanding and internalizing reasons for social distancing, beyond norms.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Observational study
Language:
English
Journal:
J Health Psychol
Journal subject:
Psychology
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
13591053221093447
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