Intuitive risk perception, anxiety and worry during the COVID-19 outbreak in Mexico

Abstract

Preventive behavior and decision-making processes depend greatly on risk perception. Incorporating the affective component in risk assessment provides valuable information for understanding COVID-19-related risk. The study aimed to adapt and validate the COVID-19 Risk Belief Scale and evaluating Intuitive Risk Perception and its association with anxiety and worry. A cross-sectional study was conducted analyzing data from 694 Mexican adults, which was collected through on-line platforms during 2020. The final CFA including 18 items showed adequate goodness-of-fit indices (RMSEA = 0.059, 90% CI [0.053, 0.065]; CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.94; SRMR = 0.044) supporting a five-factor structure. Moderate levels of intuitive risk perception were found, as well as moderate to low levels of worry and somatic anxiety. Significant correlations between both measures and risk perception were observed. This study confirms the importance of the affective component within risk assessment and findings become highly significant considering the current worldwide pandemic conditions.