Cross-Cultural Perspectives on the Role of Empathy during COVID-19’s First Wave

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread throughout the world, and concerns about psychological, social, and economic consequences are growing rapidly. Individuals’ empathy-based reactions towards others may be an important resilience factor in the face of COVID-19. Self-report data from 15,375 participants across 23 countries were collected from May to August 2020 during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, this study examined different facets of empathy—Perspective-Taking, Empathic Concern, and Personal Distress, and their association with cross-cultural ratings on Individualism, Power Distance, The Human Development Index, Social Support Ranking, and the Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index, as well as the currently confirmed number of cases of COVID-19 at the time of data collection. The highest ratings on Perspective-Taking were obtained for USA, Brazil, Italy, Croatia, and Armenia (from maximum to minimum); on Empathetic Concern, for the USA, Brazil, Hungary, Italy, and Indonesia; and on Personal Distress, from Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Armenia, Indonesia. Results also present associations between demographic factors and empathy across countries. Limitations and future directions are presented.

Factors Associated With Highest Symptoms of Anxiety During COVID-19: Cross-Cultural Study of 23 Countries

“…), as well as our previous data ( Burkova et al, 2021 ), we conclude, that feelings of anxiety as well as being stressed is a normal reaction of the human psyche in the face of global threat. Age, sex, education, living conditions, having family, economic status, access to internet and mobile communications are among the universal factors potentially affecting personal anxiety during pandemic ( Burkova et al, 2021 ; Butovskaya et al, 2021 ; Semenova et al, 2021 ). Individuals reacted differently to a health-threatening condition such as COVID-19, based on their own illness behavior - this concept to describe the different ways in which individuals may perceive, evaluate, and react to certain physical symptoms ( Mechanic, 1995 ; Cosci and Guidi, 2021 ).…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has been a global challenge and has come to change the population’s daily life. Data using a sample of adults from different countries from 2020 to 2021 showed that social isolation, loneliness, and limitations are associated with worse mental and physical health ( Berta et al, 2020 ; Brooks et al, 2020 ; Cao C. et al, 2020 ; Chen et al, 2020 ; Kowal et al, 2020 ; Mækelæ et al, 2020 ; van Bavel et al, 2020 ; Burkova et al, 2021 ; Butovskaya et al, 2021 ; Rodríguez et al, 2021 ; etc.). The negative psychological impact of the epidemic was demonstrated on the general population, as well as on children and the elderly ( Cao C. et al, 2020 ; Chen et al, 2020 ; Fedenok and Burkova, 2020 ; Li et al, 2020 ; Yang et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Studies observing the impact of epidemics have shown that a significant part of the population is subject to anxiety due to health threats and people’s desire to protect themselves and their loved ones ( Jones and Salathe, 2009 ; Main et al, 2011 ; Jalloh et al, 2018 ; Bults et al, 2020 ; Burkova et al, 2021 ; Butovskaya et al, 2021 ; Semenova et al, 2021 ; Uehara et al, 2021 ). Past epidemics have shown that during their long pandemic (including quarantine) we are dealing with prolonged stress that can lead to immune system dysregulation and increased susceptibility to viral infections ( Cohen et al, 2012 ), psychological distress and diagnostic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder ( Reynolds et al, 2008 ; Taylor et al, 2008 ; Berta et al, 2020 ), depression and greater levels of stress ( DiGiovanni et al, 2004 ; Hawryluck et al, 2004 ; Mak et al, 2009 ; Burkova et al, 2021 ; Rodríguez et al, 2021 ), insomnia, irritability, and low mood ( Lee et al, 2005 ), and emotions of nervousness, fear, sadness, and guilt ( Reynolds et al, 2008 ).…”

“…During 2020--2021, a number of cross-cultural studies were released that make a significant contribution to the understanding of major stress factors in different cultures 1 ( Berta et al, 2020 ; Kowal et al, 2020 ; Limcaoco et al, 2020 ; Mækelæ et al, 2020 ; Burkova et al, 2021 ; Butovskaya et al, 2021 ). The study of Limcaoco et al (2020) , which gathered data across 41 countries during the first wave of COVID-19 showed increasing levels of anxiety.…”

Society and the State in Russia and the World during the Coronavirus Epidemic

“…The data of a cross-cultural study in 23 countries of the world [ 5 ] also showed a significantly higher self-image on all three scales of empathy in women compared to men. The maximum ratings on the decentration scale were obtained for the United States, Brazil, Italy, and Croatia; on the empathic concern scale during the lockdown of the first wave of the pandemic, for the United States, Brazil, Hungary, Italy, and Indonesia; and on the empathic distress scale, for Brazil, Turkey, Italy, and Indonesia.…”