Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic produced threats not only to physical and psychological health but also to the very fabric of family, work and social life. Individuals differ markedly in their ability to cope with such threats. Drawing on Identity Process Theory, our study examines identity processes that shape emotional and attitudinal responses to COVID-19. Survey data were collected from 251 adults in the UK during July 2020. Identity resilience, trust in science and scientists, fear of COVID-19 and perceived own risk of infection were measured. Respondents then watched a video clip designed to focus their thinking further upon the disease. Immediately after, levels of feeling afraid, uncertainty about self-protection, mistrust of anyone offering COVID-19 advice, and perceptions of identity change were indexed. A structural equation model of the relationship between these variables was tested and proved a good fit for the data. Identity resilience is negatively related to fear of COVID-19, which in turn is positively related to perceived own risk of COVID-19. Higher identity resilience is associated with greater uncertainty and feeling more afraid. Greater identity change is associated with higher mistrust, uncertainty and feeling more afraid. Trust in science and scientists correlates positively with perceived own risk of COVID-19 and negatively with mistrust of those offering advice on preventive behaviour. This study shows the usefulness of the identity resilience concept in modelling responses to health hazards. It also illustrates that focusing, even for a short time, on the characteristics of such a hazard can elicit perceived identity changes. Arousing fear is unlikely to initiate self-protection in those who are already fearful or who have less identity resilience. Fostering greater general trust in science and scientists, though difficult, will be valuable, particularly in encouraging public acceptance of mass vaccination against the virus when misinformation and conspiracy theories about it abound.

摘要

COVID-19大流行不仅威胁身心健康，而且威胁到家庭，工作和社交生活的整体结构。个人应对此类威胁的能力明显不同。利用身份过程理论，我们的研究检查了塑造对COVID-19的情感和态度反应的身份过程。到2020年7月，从英国的251位成年人中收集了调查数据。测量了身份弹性，对科学和科学家的信任，对COVID-19的恐惧以及感知到的自身感染风险。然后，受访者观看了一段视频片段，该片段旨在使他们的思维进一步集中于这种疾病。此后，立即记录了感到恐惧的程度，对自我保护的不确定性，对提供COVID-19建议的任何人的不信任以及对身份变化的看法。测试了这些变量之间的关系的结构方程模型，并证明了它们非常适合数据。身份弹性与对COVID-19的恐惧负相关，而与对COVID-19的感知自身风险正相关。较高的身份适应力与更大的不确定性和更大的恐惧感相关。更大的身份变化会带来更高的不信任感，不确定性和更多的恐惧感。对科学和科学家的信任与感知到的自己对COVID-19的风险呈正相关，与对提供预防行为建议的人们的不信任呈负相关。这项研究表明了身份弹性概念在对健康危害的响应建模中的有用性。它还表明，即使是很短的时间，将注意力集中在这种危害的特征上，也可能引起感知的身份变化。在已经恐惧或身份弹性较弱的人中，引起恐惧不太可能启动自我保护。在科学和科学家之间建立起更大的普遍信任，尽管很困难，但将是有价值的，特别是当有关该病毒的错误信息和阴谋论比比皆是时，特别是在鼓励公众接受针对该病毒的大规模疫苗接种方面。