Social distancing decreases an individual's likelihood of contracting COVID-19.

Past research has established the value of social distancing as a means of deterring the spread of COVID-19 largely by examining aggregate level data. Locales in which efforts were undertaken to encourage distancing experienced reductions in their rate of transmission. However, these aggregate results tell us little about the effectiveness of social distancing at the level of the individual, which is the question addressed by the current research. Four months after participating in a study assessing their social distancing behavior, 2,120 participants indicated whether they had contracted COVID-19. Importantly, the assessment of social distancing involved not only a self-report measure of how strictly participants had followed social distancing recommendations but also a series of virtual behavior measures of social distancing. These simulations presented participants with graphical depictions mirroring specific real-world scenarios, asking them to position themselves in relation to others in the scene. Individuals' social distancing behavior, particularly as assessed by the virtual behavior measure, predicted whether they contracted COVID-19 during the intervening 4 mo. This was true when considering only participants who reported having tested positively for the virus and when considering additional participants who, although untested, believed that they had contracted the virus. The findings offer a unique form of additional evidence as to why individuals should practice social distancing. What the individual does matters, not only for the health of the collective, but also for the specific individual.

Race, ethnicity, psychological factors, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We examined the associations between perceived risk, perceived severity, and fear of contracting COVID-19 and vaccine acceptance among different ethnic groups in San José, California. We surveyed 3,797 adults living in San José using a multi-stage, clustered sampling design in which we randomly selected census tracts in San José followed by households within each census tract. We estimated the odds ratio (ORs) for perceived risk, perceived general severity, fear of contracting COVID-19, and vaccine acceptance using regression models. Finally, we assessed the differential impacts of perceived risk, perceived severity, and fear of contracting the COVID-19 on vaccine acceptance by controlling for social-demographic variables. Hispanic/Latino respondents reported higher levels of perceived risk and lower fear of contracting COVID-19 than Asians. Hispanic/Latinos (odds ratio [OR] = 0.48, P < 0.05), Whites (OR = 0.61, P < 0.05), and African Americans (OR = 0.28, P < 0.05) were less likely to report intentions to be vaccinated than Asians. Finally, perceived risk and perceived personal severity were not associated with intentions to be vaccinated, while perceived general severity and fear of contracting COVID-19 were stronger predictors of vaccination intentions. The study highlights the importance of psychological factors in understanding vaccine acceptance across race/ethnicity groups.

Perceived support and preparedness for the next pandemic among Israeli social workers in hospital settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study describes the conditions under which Israeli social workers in hospital settings operated s during the COVID-19 pandemic, and assesses their perceived support (informal and organizational support) and preparedness for the next pandemic. It further assesses correlates for perceived support and associations between perceived support and preparedness. The participants were 163 social workers from four hospitals who completed an on-line survey. The findings revealed that the level of exposure to COVID-19 and fear of contracting COVID-19 were unrelated to perceived informal and organizational support. Age and having children who are minors living at home moderated the relationship between fear of contracting COVID-19 and both types of perceived support. Each type of perceived support was significantly associated with preparedness beyond age, having minors at home, exposure to COVID-19, and fear of contracting COVID-19. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Investigating students' E-Learning attitudes in times of crisis (COVID-19 pandemic).

With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the world, the vast majority of students in various educational institutions around the world have changed their learning styles from the physical classroom to digital learning education. Especially the fact that university students take their lessons with e-learning in times of crisis (COVID-19 pandemic) has forced them to spend more time with the computer. This situation will also affect their academic motivation. This research aimed to test whether the fear of contracting COVID-19 (CoVFC) had a moderating effect on the prediction of preservice teachers' academic motivation (AMOTV) with their computer self-efficacy perceptions (CSE). With a combined approach, a single model was employed to test the moderating role of CoVFC and the mediating role of Attitudes towards E-Learning (ATEL) in the prediction of preservice teachers' AMOTV with their CSE. 522 preservice teachers from 21 different branches participated in this research. As a result of the research, the CSE of preservice teachers were determined to predict their AMOTV significantly and positively. The increase in CoVFC was found to have a negative moderating effect on the prediction of AMOTV with the CSE of preservice teachers. Also, ATEL was found to have a partial mediating effect in the relationship between the CSE and AMOTV of preservice teachers.

Risk of Contracting COVID-19, Personal Resources and Subjective Well-Being among Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Role of Stress and Meaning-Making.

The latest research suggests that the relationships between the risk of contracting COVID-19, personal resources and subjective well-being have rather an indirect character and can include the occurrence of mediating factors related to meaning-making processes and stress experiences. Protection motivation theory offers a theoretical paradigm that enables these associations to be thoroughly investigated and understood. The current study aimed to examine the mediating roles of meaning-making and stress in the relationship of risk of contracting COVID-19 and personal resources (self-efficacy and meaning in life) with subjective well-being among healthcare workers. A total of 225 healthcare workers from hospitals, medical centres and diagnostic units completed a set of questionnaires during the first few months of the COVID-19 lockdown period (March-May 2020). The results revealed that greater self-efficacy and meaning in life were associated with higher cognitive and affective dimensions of subjective well-being, whereas a lesser risk of contracting COVID-19 was only associated with the higher affective dimension. The central finding demonstrated different mediating roles of stress and meaning-making in the relationship of risk of contracting COVID-19 and personal resources with the cognitive and affective dimensions of subjective well-being. This confirmed the applicability of meaning-oriented and stress management processes for understanding how healthcare workers' well-being is affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posicionamento Atitudinal, Percepção de Vulnerabilidade e Preocupação em contrair a COVID-19 / Attitudinal Positioning, Perception of Vulnerability and Concern on getting COVID-19 / Posicionamiento Actitudinal, percepción de vulnerabilidad y preocupación por contraer la COVID-19

Este programa de pesquisa objetivou testar um conjunto de hipóteses de modo a evidenciar como Posicionamentos Atitudinais e Políticos, Atitudes em face das Doenças, Traços de Personalidade e a Religiosidade de brasileiros relacionam-se com sua Percepção de Vulnerabilidade e Preocupação em contrair a COVID-19. Para tanto, realizaram-se dois estudos. No primeiro, identificou-se o Posicionamento Atitudinal de internautas em 2.000 comentários sobre um pronunciamento do Presidente do Brasil acerca do novo coronavírus e da COVID-19. Já o estudo 2 resultou na proposição de um modelo explicativo com bons índices de ajustes [x² = 67,72; g = 24; x²/gl = 2,6; CFI = 0,94; TLI = 0,9; RMSEA = 0,06 (IC90%: 0,04-0,08)], demonstrando que Posicionamentos Políticos, Atitudes em face das Doenças e Consienciosidade predizem a Percepção de Vulnerabilidade e a Preocupação em contrair a COVID-19. Em suma, tais achados podem subsidiar estudos futuros e modelos interventivos na dinâmica social para contenção da atual pandemia

This research program aimed to test a set of hypotheses in order to show how Attitudinal and Political Positions, Attitudes towards Diseases, Personality Traits and the religiosity of Brazilians are related to their perception of vulnerability and concern in contracting COVID-19. To do this, two studies were carried out. In the first, the Attitude Positioning of internet users was identified in 2.000 comments on a statement made by the President of Brazil about the new coronavirus and COVID-19. Study 2, on the other hand, resulted in the proposition of an explanatory model with good adjustment rates [x² = 67.72; g = 24; x²/gl = 2.6; CFI = 0.94; TLI = 0.9; RMSEA = 0.06 (CI90%: 0.04-0.08)], demonstrating that Political Positions, Attitudes towards Diseases and Conscientiousness predict the perception of vulnerability and the concern to get COVID-19. In short, such findings may support future studies and interventional models in social dynamics to contain the current pandemic

Esta investigación buscó probar un conjunto de hipótesis sobre cómo las posiciones actitudinales y políticas, las actitudes hacia las enfermedades, los rasgos de personalidad y la religiosidad de los brasileños están relacionadas con su percepción de vulnerabilidad y preocupación en contraer la COVID-19. Para esto, se realizaron dos estudios. En el primero, se identificó el posicionamiento actitudinal de los usuarios de Internet en 2.000 comentarios en una declaración del presidente de Brasil sobre el nuevo coronavirus y la COVID-19. El estudio 2, resultó en un modelo explicativo con buenas tasas de ajuste [x² = 67,72; g = 24; x²/gl = 2,6; CFI = 0,94; TLI = 0,9; RMSEA = 0,06], demostrando que las Posiciones políticas, las actitudes hacia las enfermedades y la conciencia predicen la percepción de vulnerabilidad y la preocupación en contraer la COVID-19. En resumen, tales hallazgos pueden respaldar futuros estudios y modelos de intervención en la dinámica social para contener esta pandemia