Psychological reactions of the population as a factor of adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic

One of the many negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is the “secondary epidemic” of negative psychological effects

The aim of the study was to identify socio-psychological factors associated with adaptive behavior in the population.

Materials and methods: an on-line survey of 1957 Russian-speaking respondents over 18 years old was performed from 30.03.2020 to 05.04.2020. The level of anxiety distress was verified with the psychological stress scale (PSM-25). Dispersion analyses were used (p<0.05). The size of the effects (SE) was evaluated according to Cohen’s d and Cramer’s V criteria.

Results: Increased levels of psychological stress were associated with self-isolation (SE=0.13), social distanc- ing (SE=0.14) and antiseptic usage (SE=0.11). The scores of psychological stress were higher in individuals who search the media for coronavirus news more than once or twice a day (SE=0.11). At the same time, the fre- quency of requests for information about COVID-19 was not linearly associated to the individuals fears for their own lives. The concerns about the availability of protective equipment were specifically associated to compliance with self-isolation measures (SE=0.1). The combination of concerns about the contagiousness of the virus and the unavailability of medication for daily intake were associated with the principles of social distance (SE=0.12 and SE=0.11 respectively). Moreover, concerns about the lack of specific treatment for COVID-19, the danger to one’s own life, the contagiousness of the virus and the lack of protective equipment were associated with the protective behaviours related to hand hygiene (SE=0.12, SE=0.12, SE=0.11, SE=0.11 respectively). Wearing a mask was characterized by the same anxiety patterns as hand hygiene, but their association was inverse (respectively SE=0.13, SE=0.12, SE=0.14, SE=0.15). The most common type of anxious experience—fear for the health of relatives—was not specifically associated with certain types of behavior and accompanied each of its variants.

Conclusion: Psychological reactions of the population to the COVID-19 pandemic are specifically associated with adaptive behavior in the dynamics of anti-epidemic measures.

1. “The first two patients with coronavirus were identified in Russia”. INTERFAX.RU, 31.01.2020. https://www.interfax.ru/russia/693554 (InRus.)

2. Rasskazova EI, Ivanov TU. Motivational models of health-related behavior: the problem of the “gap” between intention and action. Psikhologiya. Zhurnal Vysshey shkoly ekonomiki. 2015;12:105-130. (In Russ.)

3. Rasskazova EI, Tkhostov AS, Guldan VV. Ways of Taking Care of Health and Somatic Complaints in Normal: Role of Perception and Role of Action. Psikhologicheskiye issledovaniya. 2016;9:4-13. (InRuss.)

4. Asmundson GJG, Taylor S. Coronaphobia: Fear and the 2019-nCoV outbreak. Journalof Anxiety Disorders. 2020;70:102196

5. Asmundson GJG, Taylor S. How health anxiety influences responses to viral outbreaks like COVID-19: what all decision-makers, health authorities, and health care professionals need to know. Journalof Anxiety Disorders. 2020;71:102211

6. Asmundson GJ, Taylor S, Carleton RN, Weeks JW, Hadjstavropoulos HD. Should health anxiety be carved at the joint? A look at the health anxiety construct using factor mixture modeling in a non-clinical sample. Journalof Anxiety Disorders. 2012;26(1):246‐251. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.11.009

7. Banerjee D. The COVID-19 outbreak: Crucial role the psychiatrists can play. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020;50:102014. doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102014

8. Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, et al. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. Lancet. 2020;395:912‐920. doi:10.1016/S0140- 6736(20)30460-8

9. Chan JF, Yuan S, Kok KH, et al. A familial cluster of pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coro- navirus indicating person-to-person transmission: a study of a family cluster. Lancet. 2020;395:514‐523. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30154-9

10. COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Available from: https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

11. Cowling BJ, Ali ST, Ng TWY, et al. Impact assessment of non-pharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 and influenza in Hong Kong: an observational study. Lancet Public Health. 2020;2468-2667. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30090-6

12. Dong M, Zheng J. Letter to the editor: Headline stress disorder caused by Netnews during the outbreak of COVID-19. Health Expect. 2020;23(2):259‐260. doi:10.1111/hex.13055

13. Duan L, Zhu G. Psychological interventions for people affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020;7(4):300‐302. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30073-0

14. Huang Y, Zhao N. Generalized anxiety disorder, depressive symptoms and sleep quality during COVID-19 outbreak in China: a web-based crosssectional survey. Psychiatry Res. 2020;288:112954. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112954

15. Lei L, Huang X, Zhang S, Yang J, Yang L, Xu M. Comparison of Prevalence and Associated Factors of Anxiety and Depression Among People Affected by versus People Unaffected by Quarantine During the COVID-19 Epidemic in Southwestern China. MedSciMonit. 2020;26:e924609. doi:10.12659/MSM.924609

16. Leung GM, Ho LM, Chan SK, et al. Longitudinal assessment of community psychobehavioral responses during and after the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. ClinInfectDis. 2005;40:1713‐1720. doi:10.1086/429923

17. Li J-B, Jang A, Dou K, et al. Chinese public’s knowledge perceived severity and perceived controllability of the COVID-19 and their association with emotional and behavioural reactions, social participation and precautionary behaviour. A national survey. National survey of COVID-19. 2020. p.30

18. McDonnell WM, Nelson DS, Schunk JE. Should we fear «flu fear» itself? Effects of H1N1 influenza fear on ED use. Am J Emerg Med. 2012;30(2):275‐282. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2010.11.027

19. Moser DA, Glaus J, Frangou S, Schechter DS. Years of life lost due to the psychosocial consequences of COVID19 mitigation strategies based on Swiss data. medRxiv 2020.04.17.20069716; doi: doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.17.20069716

20. Qiu J, Shen B, Zhao M, Wang Z, Xie B, Xu Y. A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations. GenPsychiatr. 2020;33:e100213. doi:10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213

21. Rajkumar RP. COVID-19 and mental health: A review of the existing literature [published online ahead of print, 2020 Apr 10]. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020;52:102066. doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102066

22. Moore RC, Lee A, Hancock JT, Halley M, Linos E. Experience with Social Distancing Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States: Implications for Public Health Messaging. medRxiv 2020.04.08.200570677 doi. org/10.1101/2020.04.08.20057067

23. Singh R, Adhikari R. Age-structured impact of social distancing on the COVID-19 epidemic in India. 2020; arXiv:2003.12055v

24. Teigen K. Yerkes-Dodson: A Law for all Seasons. TheoryPsychol. 1994; 4(4):525-47. doi:10.1177/0959354394044004

25. Wang C, Pan R, Wan X, et al. Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during initial stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) epidemic among general population in China. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2020,17,1729; doi10.3390/ijerph17051729

26. WHO, 14 April 2020, COVID-19 STRATEGY UPDATE https://www.who.int/publications-detail/covid-19-strategy-update-14-april-2020.

27. Wise T, Zbozinek T, Michelini G, et al. Changes in risk perception and protective behaviour during the first week of the COVID-19 pandemic in United States. March 2020. https:/www.researchgate.net/340040972 DOI:10.31234/osf.io/dz428