Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya.
J Soc Psychol. 2021 Jul 4;161(4):452-465. doi: 10.1080/00224545.2021.1918618. Epub 2021 Jul 14.
According to the motivated helplessness hypothesis, a sense of helplessness in coping with threats in a specific domain can serve an anxiety-buffering function. The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis in the context of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Argentina, using data collected before and during the pandemic. Findings supported the motivated helplessness hypothesis: Whereas feelings of helplessness to avoid being infected with COVID-19 were positively related to fear of being infected with COVID-19 and state anxiety before the pandemic, these feelings were negatively related to fear of being infected (and not directly related to state anxiety) during the pandemic. These findings demonstrate the specificity of the motivated helplessness effect and further establish this effect in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
根据动机性无助假说，在特定领域应对威胁时产生的无助感可以起到缓解焦虑的作用。本研究旨在检验阿根廷冠状病毒（COVID-19）大流行背景下这一假说，使用了大流行前后收集的数据。研究结果支持了动机性无助假说：避免感染 COVID-19 的无助感与大流行前对感染 COVID-19 的恐惧和状态焦虑呈正相关，而在大流行期间，这种感觉与对感染的恐惧呈负相关（与状态焦虑没有直接关系）。这些发现表明了动机性无助效应的特异性，并进一步在 COVID-19 大流行背景下确立了这种效应。
