Community Outbreak Moderates the Association Between COVID-19-Related Behaviors and COVID-19 Fear Among Older People: A One-Year Longitudinal Study in Taiwan

Frontiers in Medicine

Chung-Ying Lin²  Mark D. Griffiths³  Hsiao-Wen Wang⁴  Nai-Ying Ko⁵  Yu-Pin Chen⁶  Yi-Jie Kuo⁶  Carol Strong⁸  Mohsen Saffari⁹  Chieh-hsiu Liu^1,12 

[1] 0Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan;1Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan;2International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom;Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan;Department of Nursing, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan;Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;Department of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan;Health Education Department, Faculty of Health, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;Health Research Center, Life Style Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan;National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan;

关键词: behavior;    COVID-19;    fear;    geriatric;    psychological distress;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2021.756985

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Although health behavior theories indicate that fear is effective in activating preventive behaviors, the question of whether COVID-19 severity moderates the association between fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors remains unclear. The present study investigated the association between the fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 community outbreak of two severity levels in Taiwan. Data were obtained regarding the fear of COVID-19 and practice of preventive behaviors from 139 older people (mean age = 71.73 years; 30.2% men) through in-person interviews during a mild COVID-19 outbreak period (baseline assessment). Data from 126 of the 139 participants were obtained again through a telephone interview during a severe COVID-19 outbreak period (follow-up assessment). A significant increase in the fear of COVID-19 (d = 0.39, p < 0.001) and a decrease in preventive behaviors (d = 0.63, p < 0.001) were found in the follow-up assessment. The association between fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors was not significant at baseline (r = −0.07, p > 0.05) but became significant at the follow-up assessment (r = 0.32, p < 0.001). The severity of a COVID-19 outbreak may alter older people's psychological status and related behaviors.

【 授权许可】

Unknown