Abstract

COVID-19 has had unprecedented effects on populations around the world. Given the political context of the pandemic and the nation’s response to it, this study sought to assess the extent of Americans’ personal fear about the virus as well as their fear for others (altruistic fear), identify potential predictors of these fears, and examine the mental health impact of heightened COVID-19 fears. Overall, a majority of respondents worried about various aspects of the virus, from being exposed to dying, and reported often worrying about others, including family, the elderly, and healthcare professionals. Building on the fear of crime literature, we find that certain individuals, including those who believe they are at a high risk of dying from the virus, non-Whites, and those who closely follow news coverage of the pandemic, are likely to experience elevated fear and, possibly, its consequences.

摘要

COVID-19 对世界各地的人口产生了前所未有的影响。鉴于大流行的政治背景和国家对此的反应，本研究试图评估美国人对病毒的个人恐惧程度以及他们对他人的恐惧（利他恐惧），确定这些恐惧的潜在预测因素，并检查COVID-19 恐惧加剧对心理健康的影响。总体而言，大多数受访者担心病毒的各个方面，从接触到死亡，并报告经常担心其他人，包括家人、老人和医疗保健专业人员。基于对犯罪文学的恐惧，我们发现某些人，包括那些认为自己死于该病毒的风险很高的人、非白人以及密切关注大流行新闻报道的人，