Ambivalence and Adherence to Measures to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris K. Schneider ◽  
Angela Rachael Dorrough ◽  
Celine Frank

The COVID-19 pandemic poses one of the largest behavioral change challenges in the last decades. Because currently, there is no widely available pharmaceutical treatment available to contain the spread of infection, governments worldwide rely – at least to some extent – on behavioral recommendations aimed at reducing spread. The success of this strategy is dependent on the number of people that follow the recommendations. Most recommendations need people to change their behavior or adopt a new behavior. We propose that such behavioral change, with direct costs and delayed benefits, is a source of conflict and mixed feelings. This ambivalence negatively affects adherence to such recommendations. We present three studies that support our hypotheses: the more ambivalent people are about the recommendations, the less they follow them. We also examined the effect of the mixed emotions of hope and worry on adherence and find that it positively relates to adherence. Our findings replicated both in a U.S. sample as well as a representative German sample. Our work is the first to investigate the role of ambivalence in large-scale behavior change and highlight the importance of understanding the conflict that comes with changing behavior. We discuss implications for policy and communication.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jilly Gibson-Miller ◽  
Orestis Zavlis ◽  
Todd Hartman ◽  
Orla McBride ◽  
Kate Bennett ◽  
...  

This chapter will explore psychological and demographic influences on citizens’ ability to enact protective health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such behaviours include social distancing and hygienic practices that have been recommended across the globe to reduce the spread of infection from the coronavirus. Such behaviours represent a seismic change in usual social behaviour and have been particularly difficult to adopt under urgent circumstances. However, human behaviour is the essential driver of the rate and spread of infection. Using evidence from a large-scale longitudinal survey conducted throughout the pandemic in the UK, this chapter explores protective behaviours in relation to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model of behaviour change, which presents a framework for understanding the influences on behaviour. We will illustrate how the components of the COM-B model can inform behaviour change interventions and the importance of the role of anxiety in shaping behavioural responses to the pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Kulesza ◽  
Dariusz Dolinski ◽  
Paweł Muniak ◽  
Daisy Winner ◽  
Kamil Izydorczak ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented global health crisis. Because large-scale behavior change has been critical to slowing the spread of the virus, understanding the mechanisms behind people’s decisions and behaviors to follow (or not) public health recommendations, is essential. OBJECTIVE In order to investigate one possible mechanism, we investigated the presence of the better-than-average effect. METHODS in 3066 individuals across Poland, Iran, and Kazakhstan. RESULTS Participants demonstrated clear the BTAE in all three countries. Furthermore, we found that the level of BTAE was a predictor of COVID-19 vaccination (declarative) claims. CONCLUSIONS These findings contribute to the growing literature on the role of cognitive biases on health behaviors, particularly during global health emergencies. We provide recommendations for public health communicators on how to address this bias to help ensure people adopt the behaviors that are critical to combatting the virus.


2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gergana Y. Nenkov ◽  
Deborah MacInnis ◽  
Maureen Morrin

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth J. Ploran ◽  
Ericka Rovira ◽  
James C. Thompson ◽  
Raja Parasuraman

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 4486-4494 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.El Damrawi ◽  
F. Gharghar

Cerium oxide in borate glasses of composition xCeO2·(50 − x)PbO·50B2O3 plays an important role in changing both microstructure and magnetic behaviors of the system. The structural role of CeO2 as an effective agent for cluster and crystal formation in borate network is clearly evidenced by XRD technique. Both structure and size of well-formed cerium separated clusters have an effective influence on the structural properties. The cluster aggregations are documented to be found in different range ordered structures, intermediate and long range orders are the most structures in which cerium phases are involved. The nano-sized crystallized cerium species in lead borate phase are evidenced to have magnetic behavior.  The criteria of building new specific borate phase enriched with cerium as ferrimagnetism has been found to keep the magnetization in large scale even at extremely high temperature. Treating the glass thermally or exposing it to an effective dose of ionized radiation is evidenced to have an essential change in magnetic properties. Thermal heat treatment for some of investigated materials is observed to play dual roles in the glass matrix. It can not only enhance alignment processes of the magnetic moment but also increases the capacity of the crystallite species in the magnetic phases. On the other hand, reverse processes are remarked under the effect of irradiation. The magnetization was found to be lowered, since several types of the trap centers which are regarded as defective states can be produced by effect of ionized radiation. 


e-Finanse ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Piotr Bartkiewicz

AbstractThe article presents the results of the review of the empirical literature regarding the impact of quantitative easing (QE) on emerging markets (EMs). The subject is of interest to policymakers and researchers due to the increasingly larger role of EMs in the world economy and the large-scale capital flows occurring after 2009. The review is conducted in a systematic manner and takes into consideration different methodological choices, samples and measurement issues. The paper puts the summarized results in the context of transmission channels identified in the literature. There are few distinct methodological approaches present in the literature. While there is a consensus regarding the direction of the impact of QE on EMs, its size and durability have not yet been assessed with sufficient precision. In addition, there are clear gaps in the empirical findings, not least related to relative underrepresentation of the CEE region (in particular, Poland).


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Sun ◽  
Disa Sauter

Getting old is generally seen as unappealing, yet aging confers considerable advantages in several psychological domains (North & Fiske, 2015). In particular, older adults are better off emotionally than younger adults, with aging associated with the so-called “age advantages,” that is, more positive and less negative emotional experiences (Carstensen et al., 2011). Although the age advantages are well established, it is less clear whether they occur under conditions of prolonged stress. In a recent study, Carstensen et al (2020) demonstrated that the age advantages persist during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that older adults are able to utilise cognitive and behavioural strategies to ameliorate even sustained stress. Here, we build on Carstensen and colleagues’ work with two studies. In Study 1, we provide a large-scale test of the robustness of Carstensen and colleagues’ finding that older individuals experience more positive and less negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We measured positive and negative emotions along with age information in 23,629 participants in 63 countries in April-May 2020. In Study 2, we provide a comparison of the age advantages using representative samples collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We demonstrate that older people experience less negative emotion than younger people during the prolonged stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the advantage of older adults was diminished during the pandemic, pointing to a likely role of older adults use of situation selection strategies (Charles, 2010).


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-168
Author(s):  
V. V. Antonenko ◽  
A. V. Zubkov ◽  
S. N. Kruchina

Data were obtained on the basis of the results of research carried out on the territory of the educational and experimental farm of the Timiryazev State Agrarian University, in Moscow during 2018-2019. As a result of the surveys, the most dangerous diseases and pests of pome crops on the territory of this farm were established. The most resistant apple and pear varieties to major diseases have been identified. Peculiarities of development of alternariosis on pear are described, the harmfulness of the disease on pear and apple seedlings is noted. A possible role in the transfer of alternariosis infection from garden-protective plantations and weed vegetation to fruit trees was noted. A possible role has been established in the transport of septoriosis, powdery dew infection from dicotyledonous weeds plants. The peculiarities of the spread of infection under the influence of wind direction are noted. The results and peculiarities of the application of various methods of scaring birds in the orchard are presented. As a result of route surveys the most harmful weed plants have been identified. The possibility of using herbicides of different mechanism of action in fruit gardens for weed control has been studied. High efficiency and relative safety of application of herbicides of contact action in nursery fields, operational orchards and for control of piglets on fruit trees are shown. Recommendations are given for the use of soil and systemic herbicides of soil in seedlings beds, the first and second fields of the nursery, as well as in the process of production of large-scale planting material and operational orchards of fruit crops. The safety of the herbicides in question is established when used in accordance with the recommended methods of use.


1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 39-44
Author(s):  
J. Holas ◽  
M. Konvicková

Potential environmental impacts as a result of large-scale farming system in the Czech Republic have created a great deal of concern in recent years. This concern has led to several studies to identify the role of new regulations, directives and other legislative issues in the field of water pollution control. The set of legislative tools related to watershed management policy to promote better agricultural practices is shortly reviewed. The paper emphasises the running water law system amendment with respect to European community water quality regulations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 837-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Effimia Zacharia ◽  
Nikolaos Papageorgiou ◽  
Adam Ioannou ◽  
Gerasimos Siasos ◽  
Spyridon Papaioannou ◽  
...  

During the last few years, a significant number of studies have attempted to clarify the underlying mechanisms that lead to the presentation of atrial fibrillation (AF). Inflammation is a key component of the pathophysiological processes that lead to the development of AF; the amplification of inflammatory pathways triggers AF, and, in tandem, AF increases the inflammatory state. Indeed, the plasma levels of several inflammatory biomarkers are elevated in patients with AF. In addition, the levels of specific inflammatory biomarkers may provide information regarding to the AF duration. Several small studies have assessed the role of anti-inflammatory treatment in atrial fibrillation but the results have been contradictory. Large-scale studies are needed to evaluate the role of inflammation in AF and whether anti-inflammatory medications should be routinely administered to patients with AF.


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