Predicting personal protective equipment use, trauma symptoms, and physical symptoms in the USA during the early weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown (April 9–18, 2020)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic created a complex psychological environment for Americans.In this study, 450 MTurk workers completed measures of sociodemographic characteristics, perceived risk for COVID-19, general perceived vulnerability to disease, intolerance of uncertainty, and psychological flexibility. These variables were used to predict COVID-19 preventive health behaviors (PPE use), psychological distress, and physical symptoms. The surveys were completed between April 9, 2020 and April 18, 2020 which is a period that corresponded to the first 2-3 weeks of lockdown for most participants. A demographically diverse sample of participants was recruited. A substantial number of participants reported a reduction employment status and 69% were in self-isolation.Participants reported a high degree of perceived vulnerability to COVID-19. PPE mask wearing was variable: 16% “not at all,” 20% “some of the time,” 42% “a good part of the time,” and 26 “most of the time.” Using clinical cutoff on the post-trauma scale, 70% of the sample would be considered to have symptoms consistent with PTSD. Physical symptom reporting was also high. Intolerance of uncertainty and psychological inflexibility were significant predictors of psychological distress and physical symptoms. Psychological flexibility moderated the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and psychological distress/physical symptoms. The relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and psychological distress/physical symptoms was stronger among participants with lower levels of psychological flexibility. These findings indicate psychological flexibility can reduce distress associated with COVID-19. Additionally, these results support the workability of the Unified Flexibility and Mindfulness Model as a framework for studying health behavior.

Coping with COVID-19: Survey data assessing psychological distress to COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy with measures of theory of planned behavior, mindfulness, compassion, cultural orientation, and pandemic fatigue

“…The responses were ranging from “Strongly disagree” (1) to “Strongly agree” (5) for each item (e.g., "My past experiences make me believe I am not likely to get sick even when my friends are sick." Our prior examination of the psychometric properties of the PVD revealed suboptimal Cronbach's alphas [4] . An exploratory factor analysis with an oblimin rotation was conducted to determine subscales that match the present sample.…”

“…The demographic items employed for gender, ethnicity, and religion are from the USA census items [3] . These were later combined with items previously used in mindfulness and health investigations [4] .…”

“…Research findings up to that point provided the foundation for the Preventative Actions Taken Scale (PATS) development in late January, 2020 [4] . The initial 12-item assessed participants in China and the United States how likely they were to engage in COVID-19 prevention practices.…”

Face Covered and Six Feet Apart: Behavioral Awareness Predicts Greater Adherence to Public Health Guidelines during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Lastly, in the United States researchers found that individuals with greater psychological flexibility experienced reduced psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic [10]. Other studies have further investigated psychological flexibility as it relates to the pandemic in different outcomes, as well as the potentially protective effects of psychological flexibility on mental health during the pandemic [26][27][28][29]. As such, it is clear that psychological flexibility is an important modifiable transdiagnostic predictor of well-being and behavioral compliance during global adversity.…”

Introduction to the special issue on COVID-19

“…Findings suggested that when conversations among individuals focus on increasing perspective and understanding rather than dwelling on negative experiences, they ameliorate emotional distress and promote committed action. Similarly, O'Brien and colleagues (2020) presented analyses in a sample of 450 Mturk workers in the US taken in April 2020. Although their analyses suggested that psychological inflexibility and intolerance of uncertainty were both linked to psychological distress and physical symptoms, moderation analyses suggested that psychological flexibility buffered the links between intolerance of uncertainty and those outcomes, highlighting psychological flexibility as a source of resiliency.…”