Objectives In order for physical distancing directives to be effective at lowering and flattening the epidemic peak during a pandemic, individuals must adhere to confinement guidelines. Recent reviews highlight the paucity of research on empirical correlates of adherence to physical distancing and quarantine directives. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 1003 individuals were recruited using quota sampling to form a sample approximately representative of the population of Quebec (Canada) in terms of age, gender, and urbanicity. Participants completed an online survey on adherence to physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey evaluated socio-demographic, health, cognitive, emotional, and social factors related to physical distancing.

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This study supports the role of HF-HRV reactivity as a vulnerability factor for stress-induced sleep disturbances. The combination of high trait worry and high HF-HRV reactivity to worry might identify a subgroup of individuals most vulnerable to stress-related sleep disturbances.

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Close relationships are an important social context in which emotional experiences, regulation, and coregulation unfold. This interpersonal emotion regulation process is likely intertwined with the self-regulatory capacities and social skills of each individual dyad member. This study aimed to examine whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological marker related to self-regulation, moderates the impact of rumination, a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy, on couples’ conflict. A dyadic, longitudinal design examined the association among RSA, rumination, and couples’ conflict in a sample of 83 cohabiting romantic partners raising young children. At baseline, rumination and RSA from each romantic partner were assessed. Couples’ conflict was reported at 3 time points over the following 12 months. Actor–partner interdependence modeling examined the mutual contributions of each couple member’s rumination to couples’ conflict, as well as the moderating impact of RSA. Results indicated that rumination from both members of the dyad were independently associated with couples’ conflict across the 12-month period. Furthermore, RSA moderated the association between one’s partner’s rumination and couples’ conflict, such that high actor RSA attenuated the positive association between partner’s rumination and couples’ conflict. The findings highlight the interdependent nature of emotion regulation within close relationships, and the impact of RSA on interpersonal emotion regulation processes.

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Objectives. To identify targetable psychosocial predictors of adherence to physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic using theories of health behaviour change. Methods. Using a cross-sectional sample (N = 1003) representative of the population in terms of age, gender, and urbanicity in Quebec, Canada, we examined social, cognitive, and emotional predictors of adherence to physical distancing. Results. Individuals were more likely to report adhering to physical distancing if they believed it is their civic duty to adhere (injunctive personal norms), that physical distancing will benefit others and the broader crisis (perceived benefits for others), and if they perceive that other people are following these directives (descriptive social norms). In contrast, perceived personal risk and emotional factors were not significantly related to physical distancing. Moderation analyses revealed unique predictors depending on health risk status, essential workers status, and urbanicity.Conclusions. These results highlight the importance of health beliefs and perceived social norms in shaping responses to physical distancing directives, and offer insights into ways to frame public health communications for different segments of the population.

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