Perceived vulnerability to disease, knowledge about COVID-19, and changes in preventive behavior during lockdown in a German convenience sample

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has called worldwide for strong governmental measures to contain its spread, associated with considerable psychological distress. This study aimed at screening a convenience sample in Germany during lockdown for perceived vulnerability to disease, knowledge about COVID-19, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and behavioral responses. In an online survey, 1358 participants completed the perceived vulnerability to disease scale (PVD), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), and questionnaires on knowledge about COVID-19 and self-perceived change in behaviors in response to COVID-19. Lower and upper quartiles of the PVD were used to classify individuals into low and high PVD. A confirmatory factor analysis supported three factors representing risk, preventive and adaptive behavior as behavioral responses to COVID-19 lockdown. A structural equation model showed that the score of the knowledge scale significantly predicted the self-reported increase in adaptive and preventive behavior. The score in the PVD-subscale Perceived Infectability predicted a self-reported increase in preventive behavior, whereas the Germ Aversion score predicted a self-reported increase in preventive and a decrease in risk behavior. The score in PHQ-4 predicted a higher score in the perceived infectability and germ aversion subscales, and a self-reported decrease in adaptive behavior. Low-, medium- and high-PVD groups reported distinct patterns of behavior, knowledge, and mental health symptoms. This study shows that perceived vulnerability to disease is closely linked to preventive behaviors and may enhance adaptation to COVID-19 pandemic.

Trust in Science, Perceived Vulnerability to Disease, and Adherence to Pharmacological and Non-pharmacological COVID-19 Recommendations

“…Step Recent findings show that PVD: (1) has shifted significantly as a function of pandemic (Miłkowska et al, 2021;Stevenson et al, 2021), ( 2) can be manipulated experimentally (participants who read the coronavirus morbidity-mortality statistics and/ or the government lifestyle regulations scored higher on PVD, compared to those who did not read such information; Bacon and Corr, 2020), and (3) predicts preventative behaviors (Makhanova and Shepherd, 2020;Shook et al, 2020;Stangier et al, 2021). It seems that tapping these evolved psychological mechanisms could prove instrumental for public interventions aiming to enhancing voluntary adherence to guidelines.…”

Factors Affecting COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors among University Students in Beijing, China: An Empirical Study Based on the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior

“…Although some countries and regions, including China, have introduced a wide range of vaccinations, given the long-term complexity of the global pandemic situation, the construction and promotion of the preventive literature and behavior are critical in the “new normal” period of COVID-19 in addition to treatment and vaccine development. In fact, increasing numbers of studies added to the understanding of general public preventive behavior in many countries after the outbreak of COVID-19 [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. However, few have targeted higher education systems [ 10 , 11 ], and most have focused on the role of knowledge and attitudes in predicting students’ COVID-19 preventive behavior [ 12 ].…”

Security Motives and Negative Affective Experiences During the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…These perceptions have been associated with motives to protect oneself from harm (Ferrer et al, 2018), including during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, individuals who perceived more risk were more concerned about the pandemic, had more knowledge about COVID-19, enacted preventive health behaviors more often, and took fewer risks with their health (Shook et al, 2020;Stangier et al, 2021). Similarly, individuals with greater health anxiety perceived more pandemic-related threats (Shiloh et al, 2021), and those who perceived greater risk and were more fearful of COVID-19 were also more likely to have changed their behaviors and adopt preventive measures even before the lockdown (Harper et al, 2020).…”