Anger and confrontation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national cross-sectional survey in the UK

Abstract

Objectives To investigate factors associated with anger or confronting others due to COVID-19. Design Online cross-sectional survey. Setting Data were collected between 17 and 20 July 2020. Participants A total of 2237 participants living in the UK aged 16–75 years. Main outcome measures Reporting having had arguments, felt angry or fallen out with others because of COVID-19. Reporting having confronted or reported someone to the authorities, or that you had been confronted or reported to the authorities, for not wearing a face covering; not keeping your distance from others or being in too large a group; or alternatively following recommended measures too carefully. We used logistic regression analyses to identify factors associated with anger and confrontation. Results Most participants reported having had arguments, feeling angry or fallen out with others because of COVID-19 (56%, n = 1255). Twenty-two percent (n = 500) of participants reported that they had confronted or reported someone. Fourteen percent (n = 304) of participants reported that they had been confronted or reported by someone. Confronting someone, having been confronted and feeling angry or having had arguments were strongly associated with each other. Anger and confrontation were associated with younger age, greater likelihood of experiencing significant financial difficulties due to the pandemic, greater perceived risk of COVID-19 and getting information about COVID-19 from social media. Conclusions Measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have caused considerable strain. Increased support, clear messaging on the rationale for easing restrictions and combatting misinformation on social media may all help decrease tension.

The Lived Experience of COVID-19

“…The literature supports the experiences reported. Stokes et al 9 reported 36 % of patients experienced myalgia, 43.4% experienced headache, and 10 percent reported a loss of taste and smell. Other studies reported a greater incidence of changes in taste and smell.…”

Anxiety, anger, and mindfulness as predictors of general health in the general population during COVID‐19 outbreak: A survey in southeast Iran

“…Few studies on anger during the COVID‐19 outbreak were found in a review of the literature. In a study conducted by Smith, Duffy, et al ( 2020 ) 56% of participants reported arguing with others and feeling angry or struggling with others as a result of COVID‐19. Today, with the outbreak of COVID‐19, which can cause problems such as anxiety and anger in the community and have an impact on people's mental health, mental health care has been recommended, and mental health problems should be treated if necessary (Landi et al, 2020 ).…”

It’s Contagious! The Effects of Gamifying Refutation Texts on Emotions and Learning

“…Further, despite in many cases being necessary, several public health responses to the pandemic were still severe disruptions to individuals' economic, social, and personal lives. As a result, multiple stakeholders held conflicting incentives and ideas about the high-stakes issue of the best course of action, which frequently led to angry confrontations between values and politicization (Gadarian et al, 2021;Pew, 2021;Smith et al, 2021;Trevors & Duffy, 2020). Taken together, the infodemic and the strong emotional reactions it elicited presented a historic challenge to public health communication, which provided space for misconceptions to proliferate 1 and necessitated new approaches to public education (Han et al, 2020;Li et al, 2020).…”