Assessment of the COVID-19 Pandemic Situation by Residents of Russia and Belarus

Abstract

Objective. Comparative analysis of assessing the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic depending on the age of the respondents and the strategies of state regulations against infection (example of Belarus and Russia). Background. The study of COVID-19 assessments by residents of regions with different state regulations of the pandemic situation makes it possible to identify the similarities and differences in assessments of the situation, the degree of its impact on different spheres of life, fears, their capabilities and to outline the directions of psychological assistance. This is one of the first attempts to identify the personality-environment-activity interdetermination of psychological phenomenology is presented. Study design. The study was conducted from April 11th to June 4th, 2020 using Google Form. Measurements. Specially designed questionnaire with scores from 0 to 10 (on the Likert scale) of the COVID-19 situation and an open-ended question. Participants. It was attended by 439 people from 18 to 62 years old: 231 Russians (77.9% of women; average age 32.68+9.16 years) and 208 Belarusians (75.5% of women; average age 30.94+10.28 years). Of these: 1) Russian youth from 18 to 30 years old (N=91; average age 23.6+4.21 years) and Belarus youth (N=113; average age 23.1+3.8 years); 2) the mature generation of Russians from 31 to 60 years old (N=140; average age 38.6+6.25 years) and Belarusians (N=95; average age 40.25+7.37 years). Results. Both Belarusians and Russians highly estimated their capabilities and resources. Older people in both countries give a more negative assessment of the pandemic situation, while at the same time giving a higher assessment of their resources than young people. In self-isolation the intensity of fears decreases, the situation is assessed more positively, but the influence on physical activity and mental state increases. Global and personal fears dominate in the absence of self-isolation, while social fears dominate in the absence of self-isolation. There is a positive correlation between person’s capabilities and resources and the assessment of fears, the difficulties of the pandemic situation, and the degree of its impact on various aspects of life in the situation of self-isolation. Conclusions. Assessments of the pandemic situation complexity, the degree of its impact on various aspects of life, and fears are higher among the residents of Belarus, which may be explained by the lack of additional measures against the spread of coronavirus infection.

Subjective Assessments of the Pandemic Situation and Academic Adaptation of University Students

“…(7.2% of respondents); 2) individual fears: disruption of personal and family plans, financial losses, emotional instability, etc. (11.6%); 3) social fears: fear of contacts, environment (2.1%); 4) existential fears: "not understanding something important," "not coping with uncertainty" (6.5%); 5) noncategorizable fears (72.6%) [20].…”

Social Axioms and Individual Values as Predictors of COVID-19 Fear among University Students from Countries with Different Government Strategies for Managing the Pandemic

“…These assessments and interpretations depend on both external context and internal psychological factors (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). The strategies governments adopted for managing the pandemic situation may have contributed to the development of COVID-19 fear, acting as significant external contextual factors (Al-Mahadin, 2020;Odintsova et al, 2021). In a COVID-19 threat situation, different countries responded in different ways and implemented different pandemic management strategies: these included the state-level strategy of pandemic denial, as in Belarus (Karáth, 2020;Odintsova et al, 2021;Shpakou et al, 2021); the introduction of a self-isolation regime, as in Russia (Reshetnikov et al, 2020); and the declaration of a state of emergency, as in Kazakhstan (Abramov et al, 2022).…”

Untitled

“…With the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the world, each country chooses its own path, going through a unique "natural experiment" initiated by the COVID-19 disease (Odintsova et al, 2021). In Russia, Poland, and later in Lithuania and Ukraine, like in most European countries, enhanced quarantine measures were introduced in the first wave of the pandemic to combat the spread of infection.…”