Psychological distress as a driver of early COVID-19 pandemic fatigue: a longitudinal analysis of the time-varying relationship between distress and physical distancing adherence among families with children and older adults.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions is especially critical to controlling disease spread. Understanding the factors that influence the initial demotivation to comply with public health guidance can enable the design of more effective interventions for future epidemics.

Methods

We collected participant-reported data on psychological distress and the number of weekly contacts with non-household members across six surveys administered between April and September 2020 among two cohorts: (1) families with children and (2) adults aged 50 years and older. We then used marginal structural models to examine the time-varying effect of distress on future interactions with non-household members as a measure of pandemic fatigue.

Res

SUBMITTER: Morris KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11816714 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature