Awareness, Risk Perception, and Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Communities of Tamil Nadu, India

Jinyi Kuang, Sania Ashraf, Upasak Das and Cristina Bicchieri
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Jinyi Kuang: Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Sania Ashraf: Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Upasak Das: Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PR, UK

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-11

Abstract: The health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to disproportionately impact residents of lower-middle income countries. Understanding the psychological impact of the pandemic is important to guide outreach interventions. In this study, we examined people’s awareness of COVID-19 symptoms, risk perception, and changes in behaviors and stress levels during the lockdown in peri-urban Tamil Nadu India. Field workers conducted phone call surveys (included n = 2044) in 26 communities from 20–25 May 2020. The majority perceived no (60%) or low (23%) level of risk of personally contracting coronavirus. Common fears were related to health and economic concerns, including loss of income (62%), inability to travel freely (46%), and becoming sick (46%). Residents were well aware of the common symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever (66%) and dry cough (57%), but not the asymptomatic transmission (24%). The majority experienced increased stress about finance (79%) and the lockdown (51%). Our findings emphasize the need to develop context-adequate education and communication programs to raise vigilance about asymptomatic transmission and to sustain preventative behaviors. The evidence on fear and changes in stress levels could inform designing coping strategies and programs focused on mental well-being.

Keywords: COVID-19; coronavirus outbreak; pandemic; risk perception; awareness; India; lower-middle-income country (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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