Change in Covid-19-related worries and fears, risk perceptions, and prevention behaviors over the course of the pandemic: Longitudinal prediction of prevention-related outcomes in a vulnerable sample of formerly unemployed individuals

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The project proposed here consists of a questionnaire study with two waves of data collection among unemployed and re-employed people. The focus will be on (1) changes in emotional reactions to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic such as COVID-19-related worries and fears, (2) attitudes such as perceived risk of infection, and (3) prevention-related behaviors such as social contact behaviors. Job loss often leads to a marginal position in the labor market and an unstable employment pattern. Due to their often low education, formerly unemployed people often have occupational activities that cannot easily be shifted to their homes and thus involve direct contact with others. Consequently, their risk of infection should be higher than in the general population, and therefore their prevention-related behavior should be particularly relevant for the course of the pandemic. Overall, this population group should be particularly affected by the pandemic with regard to their economic and health situation.The sample used will be drawn from an existing panel established for a soon-to-be-completed longitudinal study. It was funded by the DFG in two projects and focused on short-term and long-term psychological consequences of unemployment and re-employment. A few COVID-19-related aspects (e.g., on worries about losing relatives, on social contact behavior) have already been and are being collected in the last three of the twelve waves of this study. In addition, data on mental health and data on the degree of fulfillment of important psychological needs are available since 2013 (collected in intervals of three to five months). These variables will also be collected in the two waves of the project requested here and will act as predictors of e.g., pandemic-related worries and fears, attitudes, and prevention-related behaviors. Further questions on pandemic-related variables (such as willingness to adhere to measures, willingness to receive a vaccine) will be included in the new study.Specifically, we will analyze how pandemic-related worries and fears, changes in mental health, and changes in need fulfillment influence prevention-related attitudes and behaviors. The specific design enables us to also determine the effect of infection prevention measures such as curfews, fear appeals, and public life restrictions on the aforementioned variables. Overall, the proposed project will lead to valuable conclusions on how to design infection-prevention interventions and communication strategies in pandemics, further improving their effectiveness.