Abstract
BackgroundCoronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19), a rising global pandemic, has triggered psychological crises among the public. Panic, a severe symptom of mental disorders, is increasing in the public in China and it is urgent to provide research for intervention development.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the prevalence of public panic in China during the earliest stage of the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the associated psychological behavioral responses and public's risk perception of the pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional study using a web-based survey with convenience sampling was conducted with 2,484 participants nationally from February 11 to February 24, 2020 in China. A self-developed questionnaire was applied to assess the prevalence of public panic and its associated factors. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to assess the risk and protective factors of public panic.ResultsThere were 23.39% (581/2,484) of the participants who reported experiencing panic during the earliest stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking temperature repeatedly, being nervous in a crowd, being suspicious of infection in the family, being worried about the future, and worries about high infectivity of the COVID-19, lack of effective therapies, and wide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic increased the odds of public panic. Whereas, avoiding gatherings during holidays was negatively associated with the odds of public panic.ConclusionsPsycho-behavioral responses were closely associated with public panic during the earliest stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Defusing excessive health-related worries, the guidance of appropriate self-protective behaviors, strengthening of health education in communities, and available treatment for mental disorders should be adopted to monitor the psychological responses and to guide the behaviors of the public.
Highlights
Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) has become an unprecedented enormous challenge facing mankind
Our study found that the prevalence of public panic was 23.39% during the earliest stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in China
Results from our study indicate that panic is significantly associated with psycho-behavioral responses
Summary
Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) has become an unprecedented enormous challenge facing mankind. It has affected human health and global development but has caused social shutdowns and major economic damage. COVID-19 has caused a public health crisis, but it has resulted in an information crisis [1–4]. Growing research has found that negative psychological responses, such as indifference, paranoia, sadness, fear, and anxiety, have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic [6– 8]. Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19), a rising global pandemic, has triggered psychological crises among the public. A severe symptom of mental disorders, is increasing in the public in China and it is urgent to provide research for intervention development
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