Uncertainty and risk during the COVID-19 pandemic: A latent profile analysis |
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Authors: | Angela E. Johnson Jacqueline Hua Bianca Hinojosa William B. Meese Avia Gray Jennifer L. Howell |
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Affiliation: | Psychological Sciences, University of California, Merced, California, USA |
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Abstract: | In the present study, we examine how subgroups of people are characterized by different profiles of uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, susceptibility, and recovery. Participants (N = 199) were U.S. residents recruited online for a longitudinal study during the summer of 2020. We first, identified groups using latent profile analysis (LPA) and then examined whether these profiles predicted differences in COVID-related risky and preventative behaviors. LPA identified five distinct profiles of people representing a combination of low and high uncertainty and low, moderate, and high risk perceptions. Results revealed that latent-profile group membership predicted intention to interact with others outside of the household, intention to engage in non-essential shopping, intention to attend an in-person religious gathering, intention to wear a mask in public, and self-reported physical distancing in the past week. Profile membership did not predict intentions to: dine out, go to the nail/hair salon, go to the gym, nor physically distance from others in the future, nor did it predict handwashing in the past week. |
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Keywords: | COVID-19 latent profile analysis preventative behavior risk perception uncertainty |
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