The COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province in China, has caused severe health problems and imposed a tremendous psychological impact on the public. This study investigated the risk and protective factors associated with psychological distress among Hubei residents during the peak of the outbreak. Data were obtained from a combined online and telephone survey of 1,682 respondents. Various COVID-19-related stressors, including risk exposure, limited medical treatment access, inadequate basic supplies, reduced income, excessive exposure to COVID-19-related information, and perceived discrimination, were associated with psychological distress. Neighborhood social support can reduce psychological distress and buffer the effect of COVID-19-related stressors, whereas support from friends/relatives affected stress coping limitedly. Interventions to reduce stressors and promote neighborhood support are vital to reduce psychological distress during infectious disease outbreaks.

The present study was designed to examine the role of the perceived culture of the outgroup and the perceiver's cognitive style on the intergroup process. We conducted a survey among mainland Chinese college students to discover the role of their personal endorsement of Hong Kong Chinese's distinctive values and need for cognitive closure in predicting their attitude towards the Hong Kong Chinese outgroup. Results showed that mainland Chinese who gave a higher endorsement of Hong Kong Chinese values were more likely to show a positive attitude towards Hong Kong Chinese, especially for people with a higher need for cognitive closure. These results were discussed in terms of the function of shared social reality on the formation of positive intergroup attitude. Future directions for intergroup research were proposed based on these findings

Highlights• Examining the validity of the bull's eye model and typhoon eye model;• Factors influencing the psychological distress of people in high-and low-risk areas during the COVID-19 epidemic;• Combined online and telephone survey of a large sample in Hubei, China;• A higher level of psychological distress and influence of risk factors among the residents in Wuhan than those in low-risk areas.https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms.