Emerging infectious outbreak inhibits pain empathy mediated prosocial behaviour

Cao, Siqi; Qi, Yong; Hu, Qi; Wang, Yuanchen; Han, Xinchen; Liu, Xun; Wu, Haiyan

doi:10.31234/osf.io/5p8kd

Cited by 4 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Regarding the fear related to pandemic, our analyses revealed no differences between helpers and non‐helpers. This result is contrary to the findings of previous studies which showed that fear and anxiety were usually related to less prosocial behavior (Cao et al ., 2020 ; Ye et al ., 2020 ) and it is more in line with meta‐analytic findings that showed that negative affect and anxiety are not the determimants of prosocial behavior (Thielmann et al ., 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a state, it is shown to be related to the nature and severity of the adverse situation, as well as to closeness or similarity with the endangered person (Beeney Franklin, Levy & Adams, 2011;Tarrant, Dazeley & Cottom, 2009). Cao, Qi, Y Huang et al (2020) have shown that both trait and state empathy were related to prosocial willingness in the time of COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, they found that the closer to the epicenter of the pandemic (the City of Wuhan) the participants were, the less they were willing to help due to increased anxiety.…”

Section: Empathy and Fear As Context-related Factors Of Prosocialitymentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Cao, Qi, Y Huang et al . ( 2020 ) have shown that both trait and state empathy were related to prosocial willingness in the time of COVID‐19 pandemic. Interestingly, they found that the closer to the epicenter of the pandemic (the City of Wuhan) the participants were, the less they were willing to help due to increased anxiety.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Personality and context‐related factors of helping and helping‐related affect during early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic

Bodroža

Dinić

2022

Scandinavian J Psychology

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COVID‐19 pandemic led to introduction of lockdown measures in many countries, while in Serbia the Government also introduced the curfew by which vulnerable groups of citizens were prohibited from leaving their homes at any time. In such a situation many citizens organized to voluntarily offer their help to those in isolation, which offered a unique opportunity to examine prosocial behavior in the natural setting of global crisis. This study examined the differences between non‐helpers and helpers, as well as groups of helpers who provided their help to close or unknown others, in personality (prosocial tendencies, selfishness and communal narcissism) and context‐related factors (situation specific empathy and fear) of prosocial behaviors. Additionally, the study also analyzed the helping‐related affect among helpers, depending on the recipient of help and personality characteristics. Results revealed that groups of helpers with different recipients of help (close persons, unknown persons or both) were not different among each other, but they were different from non‐helpers. Non‐helpers were more selfish and had self‐focused prosocial tendencies, and they showed less empathy towards people in isolation, compared to helper groups. However, the helping‐related affect depended on the recipient of help and helper's personality traits. This study confirmed some previous findings and offered novel insights into factors related to helping in crises.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Empathy and Fear As Context-related Factors Of Prosocialitymentioning

confidence: 94%

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Personality and context‐related factors of helping and helping‐related affect during early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic

Bodroža

Dinić

2022

Scandinavian J Psychology

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“…Other research conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak indicates, however, that empathy levels might fluctuate according to anxiety linked to risk exposure/perception and modulate prosocial willingness [26][27][28] . Perceived risk may be relative to the individual (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Empathy predicts self-isolation behaviour acceptance during coronavirus risk exposure

Petrocchi¹,

Bernardi²,

Malacrida³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Health risk exposure during the global COVID-19 pandemic has required people to adopt self-isolation. Public authorities have therefore had the difficult task of sustaining such protective but stressful behaviour. Evidence shows that besides egoistic drives, the motivation for self-isolation behaviour could be altruistic. However, the type and role of prosocial motivation in the current pandemic is underestimated and its interaction with risk exposure and psychological distress is largely unknown. Here we show that empathic concern for the most vulnerable predicts acceptance of lockdown measures. In two retrospective studies, one with a general population and one with COVID-19 positive patients, we found that 1) along with health risk exposure, empathic concern is a predictor of acceptance of lockdown measures 2) social covariates and psychological distress have no significant impact. Our results support the need to focus on altruistic behaviours while informing the public instead of on fear-inducing messages.

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“…Other research conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak indicates, however, that empathy levels might fluctuate according to anxiety linked to the risk of death, and this could modulate prosocial willingness (22)(23)(24)(25). Perceived risk of infection have been found to be higher in individuals leaving in locations with higher H1N1 incidence and likely to influence the adherence to disease control measures (26).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Empathy Disposition and Risk Perception on the Psychological Impact of Lockdown During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic Outbreak

Grignoli

Petrocchi

Bernardi³

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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During the current COVID-19 pandemic, and especially in the absence of availability of an effective treatment or a vaccine, the main health measure is neither chemical nor biological, but behavioral. To reduce the exponential growth of infections due to the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the resulting overburdening of the healthcare system, many European Countries, parts of the US and Switzerland gradually implemented measures of quarantine and isolation defined as lockdown. This consideration leads to the need to understand how individuals are motivated to protect themselves and others. Recent research suggested that prosocial mental dispositions, such as empathy, might promote adherence to social norms of distancing. Other research conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak indicates, however, that empathy levels might fluctuate according to anxiety linked to the risk of death, and this negatively predicted prosocial willingness. The present protocol proposes a study on whether people's empathic dispositions, interacting with the levels of risk, influence the psychological impact of lockdown. The rationale is that emphatic dispositions, encouraging the acceptance of the lockdown, determine a better psychological adaptation and less distress. One retrospective study will be developed in Switzerland and, if the pandemic conditions force a new wave of lockdown on the population, one prospective study as well. A total of 120 participants will be involved, distinguished by their level of objective risk: (1) high objective risk (COVID-19 positive patients, hospitalized in isolation in post-acute phase); (2) moderate objective risk (COVID-19 positive patients, isolated at home); (3) minimum objective risk (non-positive adults, in lockdown). Measures of perceived risk of being contagious for third parties, empathic dispositions and acceptance of lockdown will be collected. The expected results provide important answers related to the immediate impact of empathic dispositions, effective risk and risk perception on the psychological impact of lockdown during a pandemic outbreak. Data gathered from this study could inform policy makers and public health managers about the best communication strategies that will take into account the various stages of health risk and, in particular, to modulate messages to the population aimed at inducing self-isolation behaviors.

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Emerging infectious outbreak inhibits pain empathy mediated prosocial behaviour

Cited by 4 publications

References 18 publications

Personality and context‐related factors of helping and helping‐related affect during early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic

Personality and context‐related factors of helping and helping‐related affect during early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic

Empathy predicts self-isolation behaviour acceptance during coronavirus risk exposure

Influence of Empathy Disposition and Risk Perception on the Psychological Impact of Lockdown During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic Outbreak

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