Fear of COVID-19 mediates the relation between mental distress and at-risk health behaviours in Italian adults.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global crisis, necessitating an investigation of its effects from a mental health and wellbeing perspective. In Italy within a few weeks of detecting the first case of coronavirus (February 20, 2020), the country imposed a nationwide quarantine to reduc...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Messina
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cab.unime.it/journals/index.php/MJCP/article/view/3145 |
| _version_ | 1798002313428729856 |
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| author | Guido Veronese Federica Cavazzoni Francesca Fiore Pancake Rachel |
| author_facet | Guido Veronese Federica Cavazzoni Francesca Fiore Pancake Rachel |
| author_sort | Guido Veronese |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global crisis, necessitating an investigation of its effects from a mental health and wellbeing perspective. In Italy within a few weeks of detecting the first case of coronavirus (February 20, 2020), the country imposed a nationwide quarantine to reduce transmission of the virus disrupting people's daily lives, and creating a significant impact on their physical and mental health.
Methods: We sought to test the mediating role of the fear of COVID-19 in the association between mental distress and risky health behaviours in a population of 592 Italian adults, including 467 females and 124 males (M= 39.7; SD= 16.4; range 18-79). First, we hypothesized a direct positive effect of mental distress, measured through the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) on risky health behaviours, recorded throughout an adaptation of the Ebola risk behaviour scale, second, a direct and negative association between mental distress and fear of COVID-19 and the mediation role of Fear of COVID (FCV) between mental distress and risky health behaviours.
Results: Mental distress and risky behaviours showed to be tied thanks to the mediation of fear of the COVID-19. This relationship is an essential indicator of the role of decreased mental health in alleviating fear and exposing people to risky behaviours.
Conclusions: Good mental health could protect from risk-taking behaviours when fear is not intervening as a mediator, while psychologically distressed people could perceive less fear of getting infected and be exposed to harmful and dangerous behaviours that could increase the risk of contracting the COVID-19. Our findings might help in promoting healthy behaviours during the pandemic outbreak. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:50:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a1a4c268fa954c92bd24aade7124f500 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2282-1619 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:50:02Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Messina |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-a1a4c268fa954c92bd24aade7124f5002022-12-22T04:25:24ZengUniversity of MessinaMediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology2282-16192021-12-019310.13129/2282-1619/mjcp-31452637Fear of COVID-19 mediates the relation between mental distress and at-risk health behaviours in Italian adults.Guido Veronese0Federica Cavazzoni1Francesca Fiore2Pancake Rachel3"Riccardo Massa" Department of Human Sciences for Education, University Milano-Bicocca, Milano"Riccardo Massa" Department of Human Sciences for Education, University Milano-Bicocca, Milano"Riccardo Massa" Department of Human Sciences for Education, University Milano-Bicocca, Milano"Riccardo Massa" Department of Human Sciences for Education, University Milano-Bicocca, MilanoBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global crisis, necessitating an investigation of its effects from a mental health and wellbeing perspective. In Italy within a few weeks of detecting the first case of coronavirus (February 20, 2020), the country imposed a nationwide quarantine to reduce transmission of the virus disrupting people's daily lives, and creating a significant impact on their physical and mental health. Methods: We sought to test the mediating role of the fear of COVID-19 in the association between mental distress and risky health behaviours in a population of 592 Italian adults, including 467 females and 124 males (M= 39.7; SD= 16.4; range 18-79). First, we hypothesized a direct positive effect of mental distress, measured through the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) on risky health behaviours, recorded throughout an adaptation of the Ebola risk behaviour scale, second, a direct and negative association between mental distress and fear of COVID-19 and the mediation role of Fear of COVID (FCV) between mental distress and risky health behaviours. Results: Mental distress and risky behaviours showed to be tied thanks to the mediation of fear of the COVID-19. This relationship is an essential indicator of the role of decreased mental health in alleviating fear and exposing people to risky behaviours. Conclusions: Good mental health could protect from risk-taking behaviours when fear is not intervening as a mediator, while psychologically distressed people could perceive less fear of getting infected and be exposed to harmful and dangerous behaviours that could increase the risk of contracting the COVID-19. Our findings might help in promoting healthy behaviours during the pandemic outbreak.https://cab.unime.it/journals/index.php/MJCP/article/view/3145fear of covid-19mental healthhealth risk behavioursadult populationhealth psychology. |
| spellingShingle | Guido Veronese Federica Cavazzoni Francesca Fiore Pancake Rachel Fear of COVID-19 mediates the relation between mental distress and at-risk health behaviours in Italian adults. Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology fear of covid-19 mental health health risk behaviours adult population health psychology. |
| title | Fear of COVID-19 mediates the relation between mental distress and at-risk health behaviours in Italian adults. |
| title_full | Fear of COVID-19 mediates the relation between mental distress and at-risk health behaviours in Italian adults. |
| title_fullStr | Fear of COVID-19 mediates the relation between mental distress and at-risk health behaviours in Italian adults. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fear of COVID-19 mediates the relation between mental distress and at-risk health behaviours in Italian adults. |
| title_short | Fear of COVID-19 mediates the relation between mental distress and at-risk health behaviours in Italian adults. |
| title_sort | fear of covid 19 mediates the relation between mental distress and at risk health behaviours in italian adults |
| topic | fear of covid-19 mental health health risk behaviours adult population health psychology. |
| url | https://cab.unime.it/journals/index.php/MJCP/article/view/3145 |
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