TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychological Distress and Protective Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Different Populations
T2 - Hong Kong General Population, Taiwan Healthcare Workers, and Taiwan Outpatients
AU - Chung, Gary Ka Ki
AU - Strong, Carol
AU - Chan, Yat Hang
AU - Chung, Roger Yat Nork
AU - Chen, Jung Sheng
AU - Lin, Yi Hsuan
AU - Huang, Ru Yi
AU - Lin, Chung Ying
AU - Ko, Nai Ying
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank all the participants. GC also acknowledges the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong for its support over his Postdoctoral Fellowship (Ref. No.: PDFS2122-4H02).
Funding Information:
This study was supported in part by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (Grant No. MOST109-2327-B-006-005), in part by the Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital Cross-Institutions Fund (Grant No. 110-swf-01), and in part by the Higher Education Sprout Project, Ministry of Education to the Headquarters of University Advancement at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU). Data collection in Hong Kong was also supported by a research project grant from the Chinese University of Hong Kong Institute of Health Equity, which
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Chung, Strong, Chan, Chung, Chen, Lin, Huang, Lin and Ko.
PY - 2022/2/15
Y1 - 2022/2/15
N2 - Purpose: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused psychological distress and changed human living styles. However, rare studies have examined the psychological distress and protective behaviors across different populations. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess psychological distress, protective behaviors, and potential predictors of psychological distress and protective behaviors across the Hong Kong general population, Taiwan healthcare workers, and Taiwan outpatients. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to recruit participants from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Telephone interviews were carried out for Hong Kong participants (n = 1,067; 30.2% male participants); online surveys were used for Taiwan healthcare workers (n = 500; 8.0% male participants) and Taiwan outpatients (n = 192; 32.8% male participants). All the participants completed questions on psychological distress and protective behaviors. Multiple linear regressions and multivariable logistic regressions were employed to explore the potential predictors of psychological distress and protective behaviors, respectively. Results: Hong Kong participants had significantly lower levels of psychological distress than Taiwan participants [mean (SD) = 0.16 (0.39) vs. 0.47 (0.59) in healthcare workers and 0.46 (0.65) in outpatients; p < 0.001]. Hong Kong participants (51.7%) and Taiwan outpatients had more people showing fear of COVID-19 (52.0%) than Taiwan healthcare providers (40.8%; p < 0.001). Moreover, Hong Kong participants engaged the most in protective behaviors, followed by Taiwan healthcare providers and Taiwan outpatients (p < 0.001). Moreover, being a female, fear of COVID-19 and worry about personal savings were associated with protective behaviors in general. Conclusions: Despite the greater COVID-19 severity and fear of COVID-19 in Hong Kong, the general population in Hong Kong experienced less psychosocial distress with higher compliance to protective behaviors than the other groups in Taiwan.
AB - Purpose: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused psychological distress and changed human living styles. However, rare studies have examined the psychological distress and protective behaviors across different populations. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess psychological distress, protective behaviors, and potential predictors of psychological distress and protective behaviors across the Hong Kong general population, Taiwan healthcare workers, and Taiwan outpatients. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to recruit participants from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Telephone interviews were carried out for Hong Kong participants (n = 1,067; 30.2% male participants); online surveys were used for Taiwan healthcare workers (n = 500; 8.0% male participants) and Taiwan outpatients (n = 192; 32.8% male participants). All the participants completed questions on psychological distress and protective behaviors. Multiple linear regressions and multivariable logistic regressions were employed to explore the potential predictors of psychological distress and protective behaviors, respectively. Results: Hong Kong participants had significantly lower levels of psychological distress than Taiwan participants [mean (SD) = 0.16 (0.39) vs. 0.47 (0.59) in healthcare workers and 0.46 (0.65) in outpatients; p < 0.001]. Hong Kong participants (51.7%) and Taiwan outpatients had more people showing fear of COVID-19 (52.0%) than Taiwan healthcare providers (40.8%; p < 0.001). Moreover, Hong Kong participants engaged the most in protective behaviors, followed by Taiwan healthcare providers and Taiwan outpatients (p < 0.001). Moreover, being a female, fear of COVID-19 and worry about personal savings were associated with protective behaviors in general. Conclusions: Despite the greater COVID-19 severity and fear of COVID-19 in Hong Kong, the general population in Hong Kong experienced less psychosocial distress with higher compliance to protective behaviors than the other groups in Taiwan.
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U2 - 10.3389/fmed.2022.800962
DO - 10.3389/fmed.2022.800962
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85125636678
SN - 2296-858X
VL - 9
JO - Frontiers in Medicine
JF - Frontiers in Medicine
M1 - 800962
ER -