More Like this

1. Age Differences in COVID-19 Risk Perceptions and Mental Health: Evidence From a National U.S. Survey Conducted in March 2020

   https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa074  

   Bruine de Bruin, Wändi ( May 2020 , The Journals of Gerontology: Series B)

   Isaacowitz, Derek (Ed.)

   Abstract Objectives Theories of aging posit that older adult age is associated with less negative emotions, but few studies have examined age differences at times of novel challenges. As COVID-19 spread in the United States, this study therefore aimed to examine age differences in risk perceptions, anxiety, and depression. Method In March 2020, a nationally representative address-based sample of 6,666 U.S. adults assessed their perceived risk of getting COVID-19, dying if getting it, getting quarantined, losing their job (if currently working), and running out of money. They completed a mental health assessment for anxiety and depression. Demographic variables and precrisis depression diagnosis had previously been reported. Results In regression analyses controlling for demographic variables and survey date, older adult age was associated with perceiving larger risks of dying if getting COVID-19, but with perceiving less risk of getting COVID-19, getting quarantined, or running out of money, as well as less depression and anxiety. Findings held after additionally controlling for precrisis reports of depression diagnosis. Discussion With the exception of perceived infection-fatality risk, U.S. adults who were relatively older appeared to have a more optimistic outlook and better mental health during the early stages of the pandemic. Interventions may be needed to help people of all ages maintain realistic perceptions of the risks, while also managing depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 crisis. Implications for risk communication and mental health interventions are discussed. 

   more » « less
2. Work technology and Covid-19: Demands and resources

   Fichtel, M. ; Gujar, Y. ; Connelly, S. ( April 2022 , Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology Annual Conference)

   The COVID-19 pandemic has not only placed new demands on society in general but has also exacerbated the demands placed on employees in organizations. Adapting to the use of new technologies can be seen as a job demand under the JD-R framework of workplace motivation and stress. This longitudinal survey study examined the effects of multiple resources and demands on strain in employed individuals. Results indicate that the use of technology as well as the perceived threat of COVID-19 were significant predictors of reduced well-being. Implications for research and practice are discussed. 

   more » « less
3. Investigating Receptivity and Affect Using Machine Learning: Ecological Momentary Assessment and Wearable Sensing Study

   https://doi.org/10.2196/46347  

   King, Zachary D ; Yu, Han ; Vaessen, Thomas ; Myin-Germeys, Inez ; Sano, Akane ( January 2024 , JMIR mHealth and uHealth)

   As mobile health (mHealth) studies become increasingly productive owing to the advancements in wearable and mobile sensor technology, our ability to monitor and model human behavior will be constrained by participant receptivity. Many health constructs are dependent on subjective responses, and without such responses, researchers are left with little to no ground truth to accompany our ever-growing biobehavioral data. This issue can significantly impact the quality of a study, particularly for populations known to exhibit lower compliance rates. To address this challenge, researchers have proposed innovative approaches that use machine learning (ML) and sensor data to modify the timing and delivery of surveys. However, an overarching concern is the potential introduction of biases or unintended influences on participants’ responses when implementing new survey delivery methods.

   This study aims to demonstrate the potential impact of an ML-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) delivery system (using receptivity as the predictor variable) on the participants’ reported emotional state. We examine the factors that affect participants’ receptivity to EMAs in a 10-day wearable and EMA–based emotional state–sensing mHealth study. We study the physiological relationships indicative of receptivity and affect while also analyzing the interaction between the 2 constructs.

   We collected data from 45 healthy participants wearing 2 devices measuring electrodermal activity, accelerometer, electrocardiography, and skin temperature while answering 10 EMAs daily, containing questions about perceived mood. Owing to the nature of our constructs, we can only obtain ground truth measures for both affect and receptivity during responses. Therefore, we used unsupervised and supervised ML methods to infer affect when a participant did not respond. Our unsupervised method used k-means clustering to determine the relationship between physiology and receptivity and then inferred the emotional state during nonresponses. For the supervised learning method, we primarily used random forest and neural networks to predict the affect of unlabeled data points as well as receptivity.

   Our findings showed that using a receptivity model to trigger EMAs decreased the reported negative affect by >3 points or 0.29 SDs in our self-reported affect measure, scored between 13 and 91. The findings also showed a bimodal distribution of our predicted affect during nonresponses. This indicates that this system initiates EMAs more commonly during states of higher positive emotions.

   Our results showed a clear relationship between affect and receptivity. This relationship can affect the efficacy of an mHealth study, particularly those that use an ML algorithm to trigger EMAs. Therefore, we propose that future work should focus on a smart trigger that promotes EMA receptivity without influencing affect during sampled time points.

    

   more » « less
4. I will survive: Teachers reflect on motivations to remain in education amidst a global pandemic

   https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21831  

   Wright, Diane S. ; Weinberg, Andrea E. ; Sample McMeeking, Laura B. ; Lin Hunter, Danielle E. ; Balgopal, Meena M. ( November 2022 , Journal of Research in Science Teaching)

   As the pandemic began to disrupt school systems in March 2020, teachers were expected to quickly modify their instructional approaches. We recruited science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers who were recipients of National Science Foundation scholarships based on their high‐quality academic record and commitment to working in high‐needs school districts to participate in a longitudinal survey study. Participants (n = 153) graduated from universities or colleges in the Mountain West or western region of the Midwest. Through a series of three surveys administered throughout 2020 to all participants and follow‐up focus group interviews with a subset (n = 42) in early 2021, we examined participants' perceptions and beliefs about the educational system's response to COVID‐19. Participants perceived that the continuation of instructional delivery was the highest priority and that their professional needs were the lowest priority. Most participants believed the actions taken by school districts and schools to be negative or neutral. Participants were categorized by years of experience (preservice 0, novice 1–3, early career 4–5, and master 6+) to compare their perceptions of success and intentions to continue teaching. Participants perceived that their level of success increased with years of professional experience prior to the pandemic, but all participants reported feeling less successful during the pandemic. Despite participants' negative beliefs about the school response and perceived low levels of success, they intended to remain in the classroom short‐term but not necessarily long term. We recommend that teacher educators and administrators (1) help teachers develop their personal knowledge and skills for use in the classroom, especially considering the national shortage of science (and STEM, broadly) teachers in high‐needs districts and (2) develop proactive plans for responding to unexpected crises on large scales, as well as those limited to a particular region.

    

   more » « less
5. Social influences on mask‐wearing intentions during the COVID‐19 pandemic

   https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12817  

   Lipsey, Nikolette P. ; Losee, Joy E. ( June 2023 , Social and Personality Psychology Compass)

   Face mask‐wearing is important for reducing COVID‐19 spread. Masking is a publicly visible behavior and thus, social factors such as descriptive and personal norms, risk images, and impression management concerns are salient and likely influential. Study 1 (N = 381) surveyed participants during the early stages of the pandemic, assessing correlational relationships between social factors and masking intentions. Study 2 (N = 778) replicated Study 1 at a later stage in the pandemic and experimentally manipulated the group to which norms and risk images referred—familiar, unfamiliar, or general others. Study 1 findings revealed that perceived descriptive norms, personal norms, and risk images, together strongly related to face mask‐wearing independent of COVID‐19 threat perception. Study 2 results revealed that people's impressions of non‐mask wearers were less negative and their perceptions of mask‐wearing less normative among familiar versus unfamiliar others. People were also less likely to wear masks among familiar versus unfamiliar others. These results indicate that specific care should be taken to develop interventions that will increase masking in the presence of familiar others.

    

   more » « less