COVID-19 anxiety, psychological well-being and preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean: relationships and explanatory model

CAYCHO-RODRÍGUEZ, TOMÁS; TOMÁS, JOSÉ M.; VALENCIA, PABLO D.; VENTURA-LEÓN, JOSÉ; VILCA, LINDSEY W.; CARBAJAL-LEÓN, CARLOS; REYES-BOSSIO, MARIO; WHITE, MICHEL; ROJAS-JARA, CLAUDIO; POLANCO-CARRASCO, ROBERTO; GALLEGOS, MIGUEL; CERVIGNI, MAURICIO; MARTINO, PABLO; PALACIOS, DIEGO ALEJANDRO; MORETA-HERRERA, RODRIGO; SAMANIEGO-PINHO, ANTONIO; RIVERA, MARLON ELÍAS LOBOS; FIGARES, ANDRÉS BUSCHIAZZO; PUERTA-CORTÉS, DIANA XIMENA; CORRALES-REYES, IBRAÍN ENRIQUE; CALDERÓN, RAYMUNDO; TAPIA, BISMARCK PINTO; FERRARI, ILKA FRANCO; FLORES-MENDOZA, CARMEN; VIVANCO-VIDAL, ANDREA; SAROLI-ARANÍBAR, DANIELA

Current Psychology

Springer

Año: 2022

1046-1310

This study assesses the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and subjective well-being in terms of the mediating role of COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Additionally, the contribution of sociodemographic factors (sex and age) and risk perception on COVID-19 anxiety and its potential measurement invariance was tested in 5655 participants from 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. A mixture of both latent and observable variables were analyzed using a system of structural equations. The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behaviors Scale (PCIBS) and single-item measures were used to assess the perceived probability of death, perceived severity and concern about transmitting COVID-19. The results indicated that there is a significant and relevant direct effect of COVID-19 anxiety on participants´ well-being. Furthermore, COVID-19 anxiety significantly predicted both preventive behavior (β =.29, p