Abstract
Background: Particularly during the early and middle stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a population's compliance with precautionary measures (e.g., hygiene rules, smart working, travel restrictions, and quarantine) is paramount in preventing the virus from spreading.Objective: The investigation and documentation of different socio-demographic and personality-specific factors in regards to preventative measures and consequent specific health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the Health Belief Model.Method: An online survey was conducted on N = 3,006 individuals living in Germany and Austria during the early stages of lockdown. The questionnaire consisted of a self-administered section, exploring the dimensions posited in the Health Belief Model: perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived barriers, perceived benefits of health-promoting measures, and engagement in health-promoting behaviors. Additionally, the following standardized scales were used to record personality determinants: the Stress Coping Style Questionnaire SVF 78 to evaluate coping and processing strategies in stressful circumstances, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to assess the emotional state induced by the coronavirus crisis, the UI-18 scale to diagnose the intolerance of uncertainty, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess anxiety.Results: In line with the Health Belief model, four groups were created based on perceived susceptibility and engagement in health-promoting behaviors, and consequently studied in relation to personality determinants. Those four groups differed significantly in regards to almost all personality dimensions (p ≤ 0.005). Group 1 (n = 450) shows a reduced engagement with protective measures and displays underestimation of the COVID-19-pandemic. Group 2 (n = 984) displays many positive personality variables and high compliance with protective measures. Group 3 (n = 468) perceives the subjective risk of disease as high, but high emotional discomfort and stress caused by the protective measures leads to the activation of a complex fear defense. Group 4 (n = 1,004) is highly anxious and therefore compliant.Conclusion: This typification has implications for establishing the appropriate support systems. This is particularly important to encourage compliance with preventive regulations within the groups, which showed poor abidance for several reasons. For Group 1, further education on the realistic threat and efficient protective measures is as central as the fostering of empathy for others; with its resource-conscious exemplary behavior Group 2 could be used as a positive social role model. Group 3 would benefit from promoting self-care, while Group 4 requires information on psychosocial assistance availability in order to mitigate the high stress to which the group members are subjected.
Highlights
Along with the medical challenges of the disease, the uncertainty regarding its treatment, and the management of the healthcare system, the COVID-19 outbreak has had a substantial psychosocial impact on the world’s population
Further studies have addressed the clinically relevant effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for specific target groups [e.g., PTSD for healthcare professionals: [12], Chinese students: [13] or the elderly: [14]], the influence of a lockdown on factors determining the quality of life such as sexual activity [15] and sleep [16] or the treatment of critical cohorts such as those dealing with anxiety [17] and people living with diabetes [18]
The cost-benefit analysis considers the following variables: perceived barriers (“Adhesion to the preventive measures causes the loss of personal freedom”) and perceived benefits (“Adhesion to the preventive measures decreases the risk of contracting COVID-19”)
Summary
Along with the medical challenges of the disease, the uncertainty regarding its treatment, and the management of the healthcare system, the COVID-19 outbreak has had a substantial psychosocial impact on the world’s population. In many subsequent studies the model has been used to develop successful health communication interventions by targeting messages at the HBM variables to change health behaviors [e.g., [22,23,24,25]]. The HBM originally consisted of four key concepts: perceived susceptibility (vulnerability), perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers. Together, these four concepts were proposed to account for a person’s readiness to engage in preventive action such as the implementation of statutory preventative measures. The results of quantitative reviews of the susceptibility, severity, benefit, and barrier constructs suggest that these variables are very often found to be significant predictors of health-related behaviors [c.f. During the early and middle stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a population’s compliance with precautionary measures (e.g., hygiene rules, smart working, travel restrictions, and quarantine) is paramount in preventing the virus from spreading
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
