Distress and Prevention Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among College Students: the Moderating Role of Resilience

Abstract

Background Pandemics can generate considerable distress, which can affect prevention behaviors. Resilience may buffer the negative effects of distress on engagement in relevant prevention behaviors, which may also hold true for COVID-19 prevention behaviors. The objective of the current study was to evaluate whether resilience moderated the relationship between distress and COVID-19 prevention behaviors early in the pandemic. Methods Data were collected via surveys in which all students at a large midwestern university were emailed invitations beginning March 18, 2020. Surveys were completed by 5,530 individuals. In addition to demographic questions and items about COVID-19 prevention behaviors, distress was assessed using the K6 Distress Scale and resilience using the Brief Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using moderator regression analysis. Results Resilience moderates the effects from distress to prevention behaviors, such that the relationship was stronger for individuals with higher resilience than for individuals with lower resilience. When resilience was one standard deviation below the mean, at the mean value of resilience, and when resilience was one standard deviation above the mean, there was a significant positive relationship between distress and COVID-19 prevention behaviors. However, the relationship was strongest for those with high resilience, and lowest for those with low resilience. Conclusions In the current sample, resilience appeared to influence the strength of the relationship between distress and COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Having higher resilience may promote positive adaptation to distress, leading individuals to engage in a greater number of disease-related prevention behaviors. Future research should examine this relationship longitudinally and in relation to differing constructs of resilience.

Association between health anxiety dimensions and preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic among Japanese healthcare workers

“…In this study, participants were asked to rate their levels of frequency of the four preventive behaviors on a four-point scale, with responses ranging from 1 (never) to 4 (always). The total score, a sum of each item score, ranged from 4 to 16, and was used to index the levels of general adherence to the recommendations, as reported previously [ [15] , [16] , [17] ], with higher scores indicating higher levels of adherence. Internal consistency was acceptable in this sample (α = 0.62).…”

Evaluation of Expressive Arts Therapy on the Resilience of University Students in COVID-19: A Network Analysis Approach

“…Special attention on the constructs of resilience in the COVID-19 pandemic situation has already been raised. A cross-sectional study of 5530 university students, which found the moderating power of resilience from distress to COVID-19 prevention behaviors, encouraged further research to examine the differing constructs of resilience [5]. Based on the protective model of resilience theory, promotive factors in resilience were found to work together to facilitate positive adaption [39].…”

“…A wide range of scholars have increasingly observed the protective role of resilience in the psychological state of university students in the epidemic. As repeated measures 2 of 19 of collective quarantine altered previous patterns of social interactions between people, university students are particularly more vulnerable than the general population, given their lack of life experience, limited psychological tolerance, lack of stability, undeveloped cognitive capacities, defense mechanisms, and frequent inability to deal with unexpected events [5]. The continuous disconnection from social life [6], insufficient social support [7], combined with the poor economic environment [8], exposed the college student population to psychological problems, such as anxiety [9], depression [10], sleep problems [11], and PTSD symptoms [12].…”