"False"
Skip to content
printicon
Main menu hidden.

Experiences, reactions and actions in the early phase of the covid-19 pandemic

Elin Andersson, PhD student in health psychology and associate professor Margareta Norberg, Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, both at Umeå University together with Professor Peter Schulz, professor of communication theory and health communication at Lugano University, Switzerland, collaborate in a research study examining how people reacted and acted during the initial phase of the pandemic.

With so-called smartphone ecological momentary assessment methodology, study participants replied to questions on a daily basis using their mobile phone, which meant that experiences were captured in close proximity to the events of everyday life during a time period where sickness and death rates increased rapidly. 

Why is this study conducted?

During a pandemic, we need more than knowledge about the infectiousness of the virus, it´s incubation period, routes of infection and care needs. We also need knowledge regarding how people experience and react to the spread of coronavirus. How individuals and societies assess and relate to health risks and disease are affected by many factors. In our study, we are guided by the theoretical assumptions of protection motivation theory, which focuses on various aspects of our ability to evaluate and handle threatening situations.

Why do you think the study is important?

At a very early stage of the pandemic, when the prospect of vaccines was still distant, we realized that many people in the world would die and that behavioral change were highly central. Regardless of whether countries select a strategy for reducing the spread of the virus that is based on recommendations, voluntary measures and personal responsibility or monitoring measures, laws and penalties, the goal is to make people change their behaviour. We can see that people quite reluctantly give up their daily routines or refrain from social activities. Therefore, research is needed regarding how the pandemic affects us mentally, for example feeling worried, but also regarding what factors may be relevant for trusting and supporting protective measures. In addition, it is also important to assess the situation from a social perspective; we see examples of people protecting their own interests in a crisis, but also that willingness to help others can increase.

This is not the last virus outbreak we will see, and researchers also believe that vector-borne diseases may increase with a warmer climate. The research being done now can hopefully contribute to future policy work and information strategies.

 

 

Latest update: 2023-02-16