Table_1_Influence of Resilience and Optimism on Distress and Intention to Self-Isolate: Contrasting Lower and Higher COVID-19 Illness Risk Samples From an Extended Health Belief Model.pdf

The study investigated the influence of resilience and dispositional optimism on, first, emotional distress and, second, the intention to self-isolate, experienced by people with a lower and higher illness risk, during the lockdown imposed in Spain during the first COVID-19 wave. These effects were investigated against the background of the Health Belief Model (HBM). A convenience sample of N = 325 participants completed an online survey including an ad-hoc questionnaire measuring the HBM core factors: Perceived health threat (susceptibility and severity of getting infected), and perceived quarantine benefits and costs. Self-efficacy and perceived social pressure were also measured. Based on reviews regarding pandemic outbreaks, quarantine benefits were conceptualized as the perceived effectiveness and solidary contribution of self-isolating in line with the quarantine protocols. Quarantine “psychosocial” costs were conceptualized as a composite of perceived boredom, loneliness, and economic concerns. Findings revealed an asymmetrical pattern of results so that (i) people at higher risk were more distressed by the perceived severity of getting infected whereas people at lower risk were more distressed by the psychosocial costs. Moreover, (ii) resilience and optimism were more “protective” against distress within the lower and higher risk groups, respectively. In addition, (iii) quarantine benefits and self-efficacy promoted the intention to self-isolate within both groups. However, (iv) optimism hindered such intention. This finding is discussed in the light of links between dispositional optimism and optimistic bias; the underestimation of experiencing negative events, which can relax the perceived health risk. Based on these findings, communication campaigns should prioritize information about the effectiveness of the implemented preventive behaviors rather than the costs of not implementing them, and be cautionary in encouraging excessive optimism.

本研究以健康信念模型（Health Belief Model, HBM）为理论框架，探讨新冠疫情第一波暴发期间西班牙实施封控措施时，心理弹性（resilience）与特质性乐观主义（dispositional optimism）分别对不同感染风险层级（高/低感染风险）人群的情绪困扰以及自我隔离意愿的影响。研究采用便利抽样法，共招募325名参与者完成线上问卷调查，问卷包含定制的健康信念模型核心维度测量量表：感知健康威胁（即感染的易感性与严重性）、感知隔离收益与隔离成本；同时还测量了自我效能感与感知社会压力。其中，隔离收益被界定为个体对自我隔离符合防疫规范所带来的防控有效性与集体团结贡献的感知；隔离“社会心理”成本则被整合为感知无聊感、孤独感与经济担忧的复合维度。研究结果呈现出不对称的效应模式：其一，高感染风险人群的情绪困扰更多源于对感染严重性的感知，而低感染风险人群的情绪困扰则更多来自隔离的社会心理成本；其二，心理弹性与特质性乐观主义分别对低、高感染风险人群的情绪困扰发挥更显著的保护作用；其三，隔离收益与自我效能感均可提升两类人群的自我隔离意愿；然而其四，特质性乐观主义反而会抑制该自我隔离意愿。本研究结合特质性乐观主义与乐观偏差（即低估负面事件发生概率，进而降低个体感知到的健康风险）之间的关联，对上述研究发现展开了讨论。基于本研究结果，防疫宣传活动应优先推广已实施的预防行为的有效性相关信息，而非不采取预防行为的代价，同时需谨慎对待过度乐观的引导。