The relationship between risk perceptions and negative emotions in the COVID-19: a meta-analysis

Abstract

BackgroundCOVID-19, as a significant public health issue, has had a major impact on the mental health of people worldwide. Research shows a significant positive correlation between individuals’ risk perception levels and negative emotions during the outbreak of COVID-19. However, some studies also suggest that the relationship between the two is not significant. Therefore, we will conduct a meta-analysis to explore the relationship between risk perception and negative emotions from cultural, temporal, and individual psychological perspectives.MethodsSearches were conducted in the Web of Science, Pub Med, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, Scopus, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases, focusing on publications from January 2020 onwards, specifically targeting studies examining the relationship between risk perception and negative emotion during COVID-19.ResultsA total of 58 papers with 85 effect sizes were meta-analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 3.0 software, with a combined sample of 83,948 individuals. Risk perception of COVID-19 showed a moderate positive correlation with negative emotions (r = 0.211, 95%CI [0.18, 0.24]). There was no moderating effect of tight-loose cultures on the relationship between risk perception of COVID-19 and negative emotions. However, the epidemic period, gender ratio, and measurement methods did have moderating effects on the relationship between risk perception of COVID-19 and negative emotions.ConclusionIn future research, we can further develop theories related to the risk perception of COVID-19 and negative emotions, and based on these, formulate interventions to promote people’s mental health.