Assessing levels of knowledge, compliance with preventive measures and behavioral adjustments to the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19: Empirical evidence from Ghana
Countries have managed COVID-19 infection and mortality differently. Ghana, a resource-constrained country, with a poorer healthcare system, had fewer infections and more recoveries than high-income countries. Although an acculturation framework is commonly discussed in relation to individuals adapt...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666622723000813 |
| _version_ | 1797391700330545152 |
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| author | Elias Kodjo Kekesi Collins Badu Agyemang David Lackland Sam |
| author_facet | Elias Kodjo Kekesi Collins Badu Agyemang David Lackland Sam |
| author_sort | Elias Kodjo Kekesi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Countries have managed COVID-19 infection and mortality differently. Ghana, a resource-constrained country, with a poorer healthcare system, had fewer infections and more recoveries than high-income countries. Although an acculturation framework is commonly discussed in relation to individuals adapting to a new society, we used it to understand how people adapt to rapid changes orchestrated by the COVID-19 pandemic. From pre-pandemic to post-pandemic era, we see a change from the ‘old normal’ to the ‘new normal’. Thus, we sought to understand how people were living their lives under the ‘new normal’. Data was gathered from 416 adults on their attitudes towards obedience to authority, compliance with COVID-19-related activities, and changes in the extent of carrying out these activities three and nine months into the pandemic. COVID-19 acculturation strategies were also assessed. Descriptive and inferential analyses showed that most Ghanaians obeyed authorities and followed the preventive measures. However, after five months of the peak period, compliance dropped, and behavioral fatigue increased significantly. Regarding the acculturation strategies integration, which involves keeping old health care practices and adopting new ones, improved behavioral adjustment the most followed by separation (i.e., rejecting the new health care practices and holding on strongly to the old ones) and assimilation (i.e., rejecting old health care practices and adopting new ones). Marginalization which encompasses rejecting both old and new health care practices was the least. These results suggest that integration strategy had a significant positive impact on behavioral adjustment compared to assimilation and separation strategies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T23:37:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-29b9e3744400496fb6a928c863df9f55 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-6227 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T23:37:29Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-29b9e3744400496fb6a928c863df9f552023-12-14T05:24:03ZengElsevierCurrent Research in Ecological and Social Psychology2666-62272023-01-015100168Assessing levels of knowledge, compliance with preventive measures and behavioral adjustments to the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19: Empirical evidence from GhanaElias Kodjo Kekesi0Collins Badu Agyemang1David Lackland Sam2Department of Psychology, University of Ghana, Ghana; Ghana Communication Technology University, Ghana; Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, University of Ghana, P.O Box LG 84, Legon-Accra, Ghana/Department of Management Studies, Ghana Communication Technology University, Tesano, Accra, GhanaDepartment of Psychology, University of Ghana, GhanaDepartment of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, NorwayCountries have managed COVID-19 infection and mortality differently. Ghana, a resource-constrained country, with a poorer healthcare system, had fewer infections and more recoveries than high-income countries. Although an acculturation framework is commonly discussed in relation to individuals adapting to a new society, we used it to understand how people adapt to rapid changes orchestrated by the COVID-19 pandemic. From pre-pandemic to post-pandemic era, we see a change from the ‘old normal’ to the ‘new normal’. Thus, we sought to understand how people were living their lives under the ‘new normal’. Data was gathered from 416 adults on their attitudes towards obedience to authority, compliance with COVID-19-related activities, and changes in the extent of carrying out these activities three and nine months into the pandemic. COVID-19 acculturation strategies were also assessed. Descriptive and inferential analyses showed that most Ghanaians obeyed authorities and followed the preventive measures. However, after five months of the peak period, compliance dropped, and behavioral fatigue increased significantly. Regarding the acculturation strategies integration, which involves keeping old health care practices and adopting new ones, improved behavioral adjustment the most followed by separation (i.e., rejecting the new health care practices and holding on strongly to the old ones) and assimilation (i.e., rejecting old health care practices and adopting new ones). Marginalization which encompasses rejecting both old and new health care practices was the least. These results suggest that integration strategy had a significant positive impact on behavioral adjustment compared to assimilation and separation strategies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666622723000813KnowledgeBehavioral adjustment‘New normal’COVID-19, Behavioral fatigueAcculturation strategiesGhana |
| spellingShingle | Elias Kodjo Kekesi Collins Badu Agyemang David Lackland Sam Assessing levels of knowledge, compliance with preventive measures and behavioral adjustments to the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19: Empirical evidence from Ghana Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology Knowledge Behavioral adjustment ‘New normal’ COVID-19, Behavioral fatigue Acculturation strategies Ghana |
| title | Assessing levels of knowledge, compliance with preventive measures and behavioral adjustments to the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19: Empirical evidence from Ghana |
| title_full | Assessing levels of knowledge, compliance with preventive measures and behavioral adjustments to the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19: Empirical evidence from Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Assessing levels of knowledge, compliance with preventive measures and behavioral adjustments to the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19: Empirical evidence from Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing levels of knowledge, compliance with preventive measures and behavioral adjustments to the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19: Empirical evidence from Ghana |
| title_short | Assessing levels of knowledge, compliance with preventive measures and behavioral adjustments to the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19: Empirical evidence from Ghana |
| title_sort | assessing levels of knowledge compliance with preventive measures and behavioral adjustments to the new normal of covid 19 empirical evidence from ghana |
| topic | Knowledge Behavioral adjustment ‘New normal’ COVID-19, Behavioral fatigue Acculturation strategies Ghana |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666622723000813 |
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