Abstract
BackgroundThe influence of COVID-19 on mental health problems has received considerable attention. However, only a few studies have examined the relationship between exposure to COVID-19 and mental health problems, and no empirical study has tested the mechanisms between them.MethodsWe conducted a survey in 31 provinces of China during 3–13 March 2020 to test the effect of the exposure level on mental health problems. Our sample comprised 2987 participants who reported their perceived threat, coping efficacy, mental health problems and other demographic variables. Multiple mediators path analysis was used in the data analysis.ResultsThe results showed that the level of exposure to COVID-19 in China was negatively associated with mental health problems, which confirmed the “Psychological Typhoon Eye” effect. Further analyses indicated that both perceived threat and coping efficacy partially mediated the relationship between them. However, coping efficacy explained the “Psychological Typhoon Eye” effect. Perceived threat mediated the positive relationship between exposure level and mental health problems.ConclusionThis study detected the psychological typhoon eye effect and demonstrated the mediating role of coping efficacy and perceived threat between exposure to COVID-19 and mental health problems. Our findings suggest that policy makers and psychological workers should provide enough psychological services to low-risk areas as the high-risk areas. An important means of alleviating mental health problems is to improve coping efficacy.
Highlights
The influence of COVID-19 on mental health problems has received considerable attention
Perceived threat was positively correlated with mental health problems, and coping efficacy was negatively related to mental health problems, ps < 0.001
The mediating effects of risk perception between exposure levels and mental health problems were tested using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS
Summary
The influence of COVID-19 on mental health problems has received considerable attention. Only a few studies have examined the relationship between exposure to COVID-19 and mental health problems, and no empirical study has tested the mechanisms between them. Reviews in the field of exposure to COVID-19 and mental health problems have called for research to test the relationship between them and to identify the mechanism underlying this relationship [26, 51, 52]. The present study examined the risk perception factors that may explain how the level of exposure to COVID-19 in China contributes to mental health problems. Several studies have indicated the influence of COVID-19 on mental health problems. The pandemic has burdened a major psychological stress on the medical workforce [28] and could cause distress and leave many people vulnerable to mental health problems and suicidal behavior [13]. It is important to detect the antecedents of mental health problems
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