Changes in moral decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic
Introduction Stress can influence moral decisions. Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the stress experienced by people during the COVID-19 pandemic can change moral decision making. Methods 311 respondents took part in the Internet survey 30.03.20-31.05.20, including SCL-9...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-04-01
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| Series: | European Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821017533/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797616788311113728 |
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| author | S. Enikolopov T. Medvedeva O. Boyko O. Vorontsova O. Kazmina |
| author_facet | S. Enikolopov T. Medvedeva O. Boyko O. Vorontsova O. Kazmina |
| author_sort | S. Enikolopov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Introduction
Stress can influence moral decisions.
Objectives
The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the stress experienced by people during the COVID-19 pandemic can change moral decision making.
Methods
311 respondents took part in the Internet survey 30.03.20-31.05.20, including SCL-90-R, and a subset of moral dilemmas proposed by Greene J.D (30 dilemmas in Russian), with «footbridge dilemma» among them as a personal dilemma and «trolley dilemma» as impersonal. The relationship of utilitarian personal dilemmas choices with psychopathological characteristics was analyzed. Personal moral dilemma choices were considered separately, in subgroups with a high level of somatization (N=107) and a high level of psychopathological symptoms (N=76).
Results
The results showed an increase in personal dilemmas choices: 2.84 mean utilitarian choice in March - April and 3.17 in May (Univariate Analysis of Variance, age, gender as Covariates, p<0.01). At the beginning of the study the groups did not differ in the number of utilitarian personal choices, and at the end of the study the number of personal choices increased in the subgroup with a high level of psychopathology (4.7 utilitarian choices in May) and became statistically higher than in other groups (ANOVA with Bonferonni correction). In the subgroup with a high level of somatization, personal choices slightly decreased by the end of the survey (2.68 choices).
Conclusions
The level of stress during the COVID-19 ambiguously affects moral decisions: a higher level of psychopathological symptoms leads to an increase in utilitarian choices and a high level of somatization leads to a decrease in utilitarian choices.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:46:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-754c70afce274e4f830f409ffe0ad86b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0924-9338 1778-3585 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:46:20Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-754c70afce274e4f830f409ffe0ad86b2023-11-17T05:07:32ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Psychiatry0924-93381778-35852021-04-0164S660S66010.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.1753Changes in moral decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemicS. Enikolopov0T. Medvedeva1O. Boyko2O. Vorontsova3O. Kazmina4Clinical Psychology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Moscow, Russian FederationClinical Psychology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Moscow, Russian FederationClinical Psychology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Moscow, Russian FederationClinical Psychology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Moscow, Russian FederationClinical Psychology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Moscow, Russian Federation Introduction Stress can influence moral decisions. Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the stress experienced by people during the COVID-19 pandemic can change moral decision making. Methods 311 respondents took part in the Internet survey 30.03.20-31.05.20, including SCL-90-R, and a subset of moral dilemmas proposed by Greene J.D (30 dilemmas in Russian), with «footbridge dilemma» among them as a personal dilemma and «trolley dilemma» as impersonal. The relationship of utilitarian personal dilemmas choices with psychopathological characteristics was analyzed. Personal moral dilemma choices were considered separately, in subgroups with a high level of somatization (N=107) and a high level of psychopathological symptoms (N=76). Results The results showed an increase in personal dilemmas choices: 2.84 mean utilitarian choice in March - April and 3.17 in May (Univariate Analysis of Variance, age, gender as Covariates, p<0.01). At the beginning of the study the groups did not differ in the number of utilitarian personal choices, and at the end of the study the number of personal choices increased in the subgroup with a high level of psychopathology (4.7 utilitarian choices in May) and became statistically higher than in other groups (ANOVA with Bonferonni correction). In the subgroup with a high level of somatization, personal choices slightly decreased by the end of the survey (2.68 choices). Conclusions The level of stress during the COVID-19 ambiguously affects moral decisions: a higher level of psychopathological symptoms leads to an increase in utilitarian choices and a high level of somatization leads to a decrease in utilitarian choices. Disclosure No significant relationships. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821017533/type/journal_articleMoral decision-makingCOVID-19Moral dilemmaspsychopathology |
| spellingShingle | S. Enikolopov T. Medvedeva O. Boyko O. Vorontsova O. Kazmina Changes in moral decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic European Psychiatry Moral decision-making COVID-19 Moral dilemmas psychopathology |
| title | Changes in moral decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Changes in moral decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Changes in moral decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changes in moral decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Changes in moral decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | changes in moral decision making during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | Moral decision-making COVID-19 Moral dilemmas psychopathology |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821017533/type/journal_article |
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