Risk perception as a motivational resource during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of vaccination status and emerging variants
Abstract Background People’s perceived risk of being infected and having severe illness was conceived as a motivational source of adherence to behavioral measures during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods We used online self-reported data, spanning 20 months of the COVID-19 crisis in Belgium (n = 221,791;...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18020-z |
| _version_ | 1827321221551751168 |
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| author | Joachim Waterschoot Maarten Vansteenkiste Vincent Yzerbyt Sofie Morbée Olivier Klein Olivier Luminet Mathias Schmitz Pascaline Van Oost Eveline Van Raemdonck Marie Brisbois Omer Van den Bergh |
| author_facet | Joachim Waterschoot Maarten Vansteenkiste Vincent Yzerbyt Sofie Morbée Olivier Klein Olivier Luminet Mathias Schmitz Pascaline Van Oost Eveline Van Raemdonck Marie Brisbois Omer Van den Bergh |
| author_sort | Joachim Waterschoot |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background People’s perceived risk of being infected and having severe illness was conceived as a motivational source of adherence to behavioral measures during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods We used online self-reported data, spanning 20 months of the COVID-19 crisis in Belgium (n = 221,791; 34.4% vaccinated; July 2020 - March 2022) to study the association between risk perception and motivation. Results Both perceived infection probability and severity fluctuated across time as a function of the characteristics of emerging variants, with unvaccinated persons perceiving decreasingly less risk compared to vaccinated ones. Perceived severity (and not perceived probability) was the most critical predictor of autonomous motivation for adherence to health-protective measures, a pattern observed at both the between-day and between-person level among both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. An integrated process model further indicated that on days with higher hospitalization load, participants reported being more adherent because risk severity and autonomous motivation for adherence were more elevated on these days. Conclusions These findings suggest that risk severity served as a critical and dynamic resource for adherence to behavioral measures because it fostered greater autonomous regulation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:02:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-41ca805151f742ac8d25d494e65c9e99 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:02:34Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-41ca805151f742ac8d25d494e65c9e992024-03-10T12:23:36ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582024-03-0124111410.1186/s12889-024-18020-zRisk perception as a motivational resource during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of vaccination status and emerging variantsJoachim Waterschoot0Maarten Vansteenkiste1Vincent Yzerbyt2Sofie Morbée3Olivier Klein4Olivier Luminet5Mathias Schmitz6Pascaline Van Oost7Eveline Van Raemdonck8Marie Brisbois9Omer Van den Bergh10Faculty of Psychology, Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent UniversityFaculty of Psychology, Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent UniversityInstitute for Research in the Psychological Sciences, Université Catholique de LouvainFaculty of Psychology, Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent UniversityCenter for Social and Cultural Psychology (CeSCuP), Faculty of Psychological Sciences and Education, Université libre de BruxellesInstitute for Research in the Psychological Sciences, Université Catholique de LouvainInstitute for Research in the Psychological Sciences, Université Catholique de LouvainInstitute for Research in the Psychological Sciences, Université Catholique de LouvainFaculty of Psychology, Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent UniversityInstitute for Research in the Psychological Sciences, Université Catholique de LouvainHealth Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of LeuvenAbstract Background People’s perceived risk of being infected and having severe illness was conceived as a motivational source of adherence to behavioral measures during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods We used online self-reported data, spanning 20 months of the COVID-19 crisis in Belgium (n = 221,791; 34.4% vaccinated; July 2020 - March 2022) to study the association between risk perception and motivation. Results Both perceived infection probability and severity fluctuated across time as a function of the characteristics of emerging variants, with unvaccinated persons perceiving decreasingly less risk compared to vaccinated ones. Perceived severity (and not perceived probability) was the most critical predictor of autonomous motivation for adherence to health-protective measures, a pattern observed at both the between-day and between-person level among both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. An integrated process model further indicated that on days with higher hospitalization load, participants reported being more adherent because risk severity and autonomous motivation for adherence were more elevated on these days. Conclusions These findings suggest that risk severity served as a critical and dynamic resource for adherence to behavioral measures because it fostered greater autonomous regulation.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18020-zCOVID-19Risk perceptionVaccinationMotivationBehavior |
| spellingShingle | Joachim Waterschoot Maarten Vansteenkiste Vincent Yzerbyt Sofie Morbée Olivier Klein Olivier Luminet Mathias Schmitz Pascaline Van Oost Eveline Van Raemdonck Marie Brisbois Omer Van den Bergh Risk perception as a motivational resource during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of vaccination status and emerging variants BMC Public Health COVID-19 Risk perception Vaccination Motivation Behavior |
| title | Risk perception as a motivational resource during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of vaccination status and emerging variants |
| title_full | Risk perception as a motivational resource during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of vaccination status and emerging variants |
| title_fullStr | Risk perception as a motivational resource during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of vaccination status and emerging variants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Risk perception as a motivational resource during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of vaccination status and emerging variants |
| title_short | Risk perception as a motivational resource during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of vaccination status and emerging variants |
| title_sort | risk perception as a motivational resource during the covid 19 pandemic the role of vaccination status and emerging variants |
| topic | COVID-19 Risk perception Vaccination Motivation Behavior |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18020-z |
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