Măirean Cornelia, Zancu Simona Alexandra, Diaconu-Gherasim Loredana R, Brumariu Laura E
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University.
Adelphi University.
J Psychol. 2023;157(3):192-211. doi: 10.1080/00223980.2023.2169230. Epub 2023 Feb 21.
This study aimed to assess changes in COVID-19 related factors (i.e. risk perception, knowledge about the virus, preventive behaviors and perceived efficacy) and mental health (i.e. psychological distress and positive mental health), in a sample of Romanian young adults attending college, assessed immediately after the national COVID-19 lockdown ended (Time 1) and six months after the end of the lockdown (Time 2). We also evaluated the longitudinal relations between COVID-19 related factors and mental health. The sample consisted of 289 undergraduate students (89.3% female, age = 20.74, = 1.06), who completed questionnaires assessing mental health and COVID-19-related factors two online surveys, six months apart. The results showed that perceived efficacy and preventive behaviors, as well as positive mental health, but not psychological distress, decreased significantly over the six months period. Risk perception and perceived efficacy of preventive behaviors at Time 1 were positively related with the number of preventive behaviors measured six months later. Risk perception at Time 1 and fear of COVID-19 at Time 2 predicted the mental health indicators at Time 2. Public-health strategies should find the right balance in cultivating proper levels of risk perception that would be most beneficial for prevention of COVID-19 spread and mental health problems due to pandemic.
本研究旨在评估罗马尼亚大学生样本中与新冠病毒相关因素（即风险认知、对病毒的了解、预防行为和感知效能）以及心理健康（即心理困扰和积极心理健康）的变化情况，这些评估在全国范围内的新冠疫情封锁结束后立即进行（时间1），以及在封锁结束六个月后进行（时间2）。我们还评估了与新冠病毒相关因素和心理健康之间的纵向关系。样本包括289名本科生（89.3%为女性，年龄 = 20.74，标准差 = 1.06），他们在两次相隔六个月的在线调查中完成了评估心理健康和与新冠病毒相关因素的问卷。结果显示，在六个月的时间里，感知效能、预防行为以及积极心理健康显著下降，但心理困扰没有下降。时间1的风险认知和预防行为的感知效能与六个月后测量的预防行为数量呈正相关。时间1的风险认知和时间2对新冠病毒的恐惧预测了时间2的心理健康指标。公共卫生策略应在培养适当水平的风险认知方面找到正确的平衡，这将最有利于预防新冠病毒传播以及因疫情导致的心理健康问题。
