Adherence to COVID-19 Preventive Behaviours: the Implication of Life Orientation and Sociodemographic Factors among Residents in Nigeria

Abstract

There is a sporadic increase in the number of newly infected cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria and this conveys clearly, poor adherence to the preventive guidelines by WHO and NCDC. This study examined the roles of life orientation and socio-demographic factors on adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviours among residents in Nigeria. Using an ex post facto design, 798 residents in Nigeria (M = 303, F = 485) responded to an online survey measuring the socio-demographics, Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) and validated adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviours. Two research hypotheses were formulated and tested using t-test of independent samples and ANCOVA. Results revealed that life orientation had a significant influence on adherence to preventive behaviour during the COVID-19 outbreak, [t (796) = 14.72; p = 14.25, SD = 1.71) than respondents with pessimistic life orientation (= 10.28, SD = 3.20). Furthermore, respondents’ age [F (1, 753) = 04.69, p = .01]; sex, F (1, 753) = 06.07, p = .01]; education, [F (5, 753) = 11.70, p = .072) and marital status, [F (3, 753) = 3.84, p = .015] independently influenced adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviours. The study concluded that life orientation and socio-demographic factors have serious implications for research efforts and policymaking in ensuring that people adhere to COVID-19 preventive behaviours in Nigeria.