Abstract

Objective. This study examines how people socially represent the COVID-19 pandemic in the early stage of the health crisis in Europe. Specifically, this research analyses the days before and immediately after the declaration of the state of emergency in Spain, which resulted in the entire population being placed in lockdown. Design. For this purpose, we used the Grid Elaboration Method for free association elicited by the word “coronavirus”. This exercise was completed by 1037 people from Spain. Main Outcome Measures. Responses were analysed using Iramuteq software for lexical analysis. Results. Before the state of emergency and lockdown, there was a repeat of many of the emotional and cognitive patterns seen in previous pandemics such us upward and downward blaming or feelings of anger and emotional fatigue. However, outward blaming patterns towards peers also emerged. Moreover, in the period following lockdown, we noted the emergence of new representations and emotions such as paralyzing distrust or resilience. Similarity analysis revealed that the “fear of pandemic” hides a wide variety of emotions. Conclusion. Understanding the blaming and fear processes that are linked to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain offers us practical implications for coping with the challenge of this new crisis.

摘要

客观的。这项研究探讨了人们在欧洲健康危机初期如何在社会上代表 COVID-19 大流行。具体来说，这项研究分析了西班牙宣布紧急状态之前和之后的几天，这导致整个人口被封锁。设计。为此，我们使用了由“冠状病毒”一词引发的自由关联的网格细化方法。这项练习由来自西班牙的 1037 人完成。主要成果措施。使用 Iramuteq 软件分析响应进行词法分析。结果。在进入紧急状态和封锁之前，在以前的大流行中看到的许多情绪和认知模式重复出现，例如我们向上和向下的责备或愤怒和情绪疲劳的感觉。然而，对同龄人的外向指责模式也出现了。此外，在封锁之后的时期，我们注意到出现了新的表现形式和情绪，例如麻痹不信任或恢复力。相似性分析表明，“对流行病的恐惧”隐藏着各种各样的情绪。结论。了解与西班牙出现 COVID-19 大流行相关的指责和恐惧过程为我们应对这场新危机的挑战提供了实际意义。