Are Attitudes towards COVID-19 Pandemic Related to Subjective Physical and Mental Health?

Kristine Khachatryan (), Manfred E. Beutel, Yve Stöbel-Richter, Markus Zenger, Hendrik Berth, Elmar Brähler and Peter Schmidt
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Kristine Khachatryan: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Untere Zahlbacher Str. 8, 55131 Mainz, Germany
Manfred E. Beutel: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Untere Zahlbacher Str. 8, 55131 Mainz, Germany
Yve Stöbel-Richter: Faculty of Managerial and Cultural Studies, University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz, Furstr. 3, 02826 Görlitz, Germany
Markus Zenger: Department of Applied Human Studies, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, Osterburger Str. 25, 39576 Stendal, Germany
Hendrik Berth: Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neurosciences, Research Group Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany
Elmar Brähler: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Untere Zahlbacher Str. 8, 55131 Mainz, Germany
Peter Schmidt: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Untere Zahlbacher Str. 8, 55131 Mainz, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-16

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the relationship between a person’s psychological distress, subjective physical health and their attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation was performed on the basis of data from two waves of the Saxon Longitudinal Study, carried out in 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2021. The number of study participants in both waves was 291. We tested in autoregressive cross-lagged models the stability of the respondents’ health status before and during the pandemic and reviewed their influence on attitudes towards COVID-19. Our results show that COVID-19-related concerns are controlled by subjective physical health, while pandemic denial is linked to psychological distress. In an unknown and critical situation, with limited control over the situation, the strategy of avoidance or suppression may be used by individuals for protection by psychologically downplaying the stressor and danger.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; COVID-19 anxiety; pandemic denial; longitudinal data; Germany (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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