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International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

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Open Access 01-10-2021 | Public Health | Original Article

Functional Fear Predicts Public Health Compliance in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors: Craig A. Harper, Liam P. Satchell, Dean Fido, Robert D. Latzman

Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction | Issue 5/2021

Abstract

In the current context of the global pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), health professionals are working with social scientists to inform government policy on how to slow the spread of the virus. An increasing amount of social scientific research has looked at the role of public message framing, for instance, but few studies have thus far examined the role of individual differences in emotional and personality-based variables in predicting virus-mitigating behaviors. In this study, we recruited a large international community sample (N = 324) to complete measures of self-perceived risk of contracting COVID-19, fear of the virus, moral foundations, political orientation, and behavior change in response to the pandemic. Consistently, the only predictor of positive behavior change (e.g., social distancing, improved hand hygiene) was fear of COVID-19, with no effect of politically relevant variables. We discuss these data in relation to the potentially functional nature of fear in global health crises.

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Title: Functional Fear Predicts Public Health Compliance in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Craig A. Harper
Liam P. Satchell
Dean Fido
Robert D. Latzman
Publication date: 01-10-2021
Publisher: Springer US
Keywords: Public Health
COVID-19
Anxiety
Published in: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction / Issue 5/2021
Print ISSN: 1557-1874
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1882
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00281-5

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Functional Fear Predicts Public Health Compliance in the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

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