TY - JOUR
T1 - Illness Perceptions of COVID-19 in Europe
T2 - Predictors, Impacts and Temporal Evolution
AU - Dias Neto, David
AU - Nunes da Silva, Ana
AU - Roberto, Magda Sofia
AU - Lubenko, Jelena
AU - Constantinou, Marios
AU - Nicolaou, Christiana
AU - Lamnisos, Demetris
AU - Papacostas, Savvas
AU - Höfer, Stefan
AU - Presti, Giovambattista
AU - Squatrito, Valeria
AU - Vasiliou, Vasilis S.
AU - McHugh, Louise
AU - Monestès, Jean Louis
AU - Baban, Adriana
AU - Alvarez-Galvez, Javier
AU - Paez-Blarrina, Marisa
AU - Montesinos, Francisco
AU - Valdivia-Salas, Sonsoles
AU - Ori, Dorottya
AU - Lappalainen, Raimo
AU - Kleszcz, Bartosz
AU - Gloster, Andrew
AU - Karekla, Maria
AU - Kassianos, Angelos P.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding. This paper was supported by publication funding from APPsyCI?Applied Psychology Research Center Capabilities and Inclusion.
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Dias Neto, Nunes da Silva, Roberto, Lubenko, Constantinou, Nicolaou, Lamnisos, Papacostas, Höfer, Presti, Squatrito, Vasiliou, McHugh, Monestès, Baban, Alvarez-Galvez, Paez-Blarrina, Montesinos, Valdivia-Salas, Ori, Lappalainen, Kleszcz, Gloster, Karekla and Kassianos.
PY - 2021/4/14
Y1 - 2021/4/14
N2 - Objective: Illness perceptions (IP) are important predictors of emotional and behavioral responses in many diseases. The current study aims to investigate the COVID-19-related IP throughout Europe. The specific goals are to understand the temporal development, identify predictors (within demographics and contact with COVID-19) and examine the impacts of IP on perceived stress and preventive behaviors. Methods: This was a time-series-cross-section study of 7,032 participants from 16 European countries using multilevel modeling from April to June 2020. IP were measured with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Temporal patterns were observed considering the date of participation and the date recoded to account the epidemiological evolution of each country. The outcomes considered were perceived stress and COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Results: There were significant trends, over time, for several IP, suggesting a small decrease in negativity in the perception of COVID-19 in the community. Age, gender, and education level related to some, but not all, IP. Considering the self-regulation model, perceptions consistently predicted general stress and were less consistently related to preventive behaviors. Country showed no effect in the predictive model, suggesting that national differences may have little relevance for IP, in this context. Conclusion: The present study provides a comprehensive picture of COVID-19 IP in Europe in an early stage of the pandemic. The results shed light on the process of IP formation with implications for health-related outcomes and their evolution.
AB - Objective: Illness perceptions (IP) are important predictors of emotional and behavioral responses in many diseases. The current study aims to investigate the COVID-19-related IP throughout Europe. The specific goals are to understand the temporal development, identify predictors (within demographics and contact with COVID-19) and examine the impacts of IP on perceived stress and preventive behaviors. Methods: This was a time-series-cross-section study of 7,032 participants from 16 European countries using multilevel modeling from April to June 2020. IP were measured with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Temporal patterns were observed considering the date of participation and the date recoded to account the epidemiological evolution of each country. The outcomes considered were perceived stress and COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Results: There were significant trends, over time, for several IP, suggesting a small decrease in negativity in the perception of COVID-19 in the community. Age, gender, and education level related to some, but not all, IP. Considering the self-regulation model, perceptions consistently predicted general stress and were less consistently related to preventive behaviors. Country showed no effect in the predictive model, suggesting that national differences may have little relevance for IP, in this context. Conclusion: The present study provides a comprehensive picture of COVID-19 IP in Europe in an early stage of the pandemic. The results shed light on the process of IP formation with implications for health-related outcomes and their evolution.
KW - common sense model
KW - COVID-19
KW - illness perceptions
KW - illness representations
KW - stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105005195&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640955
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640955
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85105005195
VL - 12
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
M1 - 640955
ER -