Effects of Cognitive Appraisals on Perceived Self-Efficacy and Distress during the COVID-19 Lockdown: An Empirical Analysis Based on Structural Equation Modeling

Abstract

During the COVID-19 lockdown, individuals and households had to responsibly manage the difficulties and problems caused by the restrictions on their mobility, such as the interruptions to work schedules, insecure food supplies, and the procurement of services and health care. The perceptions of risk as well as the fear of disease were strongly linked to worry, defined as a sequence of thoughts that evoke negative emotions and elevated levels of anxiety and distress. This study evaluated how different cognitive appraisals of an individual’s sources of worry could influence their perceived self-efficacy and directly or indirectly moderate their perceived general distress. A sample of 544 participants completed a survey that included questions based on the generalized self-efficacy scale, the sources of concern during the epidemic, the cognitive appraisal scale in emergency, and perceived discomfort. Subsequently, a structural-equation-modeling (SEM) analysis was performed to test the moderating role of cognitive appraisals and perceived self-efficacy on participants’ overall distress during a lockdown. Overall, the model reported acceptable fit values and confirmed the hypotheses of the study. An individual’s worries activated either a dysfunctional threat appraisal, which prompted a fear-and-closure response that then increased their overall state of distress; or two other functional appraisals (i.e., adaptive or supportive) that contributed to significantly improving the individual’s self-efficacy. Higher self-efficacy was shown to be associated with lower levels of perceived distress. For the purposes of prevention and distress containment, it would be appropriate to promote psycho-educational interventions that promote the adoption of appraisal strategies that are functional and beneficial for perceived self-efficacy.

Item response theory to discriminate COVID-19 knowledge and attitudes among university students

“…However, we further assessed the level of discrimination for each item to confirm the earlier findings. Incidentally, among the knowledge construct, item 1 identified as the most difficult was also found to be associated with a higher discrimination tendency [23]. Inversely, item 5, the easiest to respond to had the least discrimination tendency.…”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic performance: a comparative analysis of face-to face and online assessment

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has forced nations to undergo significant restructuring across economic, health and educational systems. Recent psychological research, spanning the past 3 years, has started to illuminate the impact of prolonged exposure to a pandemic along with associated lockdowns and home confinement on cognitive and affective processing (e.g., Diotaiuti et al, 2021 , 2023 ; Fiorenzato et al, 2021 ; Wilke et al, 2021 ; Gewalt et al, 2022 ; Rania et al, 2022 ). For example, Fiorenzato et al ( 2021 ), documented an increase in the severity and prevalence of conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, abnormal sleep, appetite changes, decreased libido, and health-related anxiety in the pandemic.…”

Impact of social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the mood profile of active and sedentary older adults: physical activity as a protective factor

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