The Effect of Perceived Threat Avoidability of COVID-19 on Coping Strategies and Psychic Anxiety Among Chinese College Students in the Early Stage of COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

BackgroundThe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has seriously threatened the mental health of college students. This study intended to invest whether perceived threat avoidability of COVID-19 relates to psychic anxiety among college students during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the mediating roles of COVID-19-specific wishful thinking and COVID-19-specific protective behaviors in this relationship.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in China, using a random sampling method (February 6–25, 2020). Self-reported questionnaires were conducted online included the Perceived Threat Avoidability of COVID-19 Scale, COVID-19-specific Wishful Thinking Scale, COVID-19-specific Protective Behaviors Scale, and the Hamilton Psychogenic Anxiety Scale. The data were analyzed using Structural equation modeling and Bootstrapping procedure.ResultsA total of 2922 samples were collected in this study. Perceived threat avoidability of COVID-19 is negatively related to psychic anxiety (β = −0.158, p< 0.001), and both COVID-19-specific wishful thinking (β = −0.006, p = 0.029, 95% CI: [−0.012, −0.001]) and protective behaviors (β = −0.029, p< 0.001, 95% CI: [−0.043, −0.018]) mediate this relationship. Also, COVID-19-specific wishful thinking is found to correlate with COVID-19-specific protective behaviors negatively (β = −0.112, p < 0.001).ConclusionPerceived threat avoidability of COVID-19 contributes to psychic anxiety among college students. COVID-19-specific wishful thinking strategy plays a negative mediating role and increases the level of anxiety; COVID-19-specific protective behaviors strategy plays a positive mediating role and reduces the level of anxiety; meanwhile, wishful thinking also suppresses college students from adopting protective behaviors.