SARS and Its Effects: Coping with the Threat

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SARS and Its Effects Coping with the Threat

• Esther Greenglass,Anita DeLongis Dayna
  Lee-Baggley
• Paper presented at ICP, Bejing, August 8- 13,
  2004
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Grateful acknowledgement to

• George D. Bishop, National University of
  Singapore
• the SARS Psychosocial
• Research Consortium
•  

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(No Transcript)
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Coping with SARS

• In dealing with stress, some strategies include
  preventive coping, taking precautions,
  relationship focused coping, seeking social
  support and avoidance
• The relationship between anxiety and these
  strategies is examined here

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Method

• Data were collected using an Internet-based
  survey based on 229 respondents from Europe,
  Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA
  and was conducted from May 2003 to January 2004
• This study focused primarily on the stressful
  aspects of the perception of SARS and coping
  strategies employed

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Demographics

• Gender 159 Female 65 Male 5 missing
• Age
• Age Frequency
• Under 20 69
• 20-39 100
• 40-59 49
• 60 5
• Missing 6

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Demographics (cont.d)

• Education
• Years Frequency
• lt6 years 10
• 7-12 28
• 13-16 94
• 16 94
• Missing 3

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Perceived SARS Threat

• A 5-item measure
• Extent to which SARS is seen as a direct threat
  to ones health
• Sample item SARS is threatening my health
• Response 1 not at all to 4 a great deal
• Alpha .71

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Preventive Coping

• A 3-item measure that assesses behaviors designed
  to lessen the risk of getting SARS in the future
• Sample item I do what I can so that I will not
  get SARS
• Response 1 not at all true 4 completely true
• Alpha .77

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To avoid getting SARS, I have personally (tick
those that apply)

• Avoidance Behavior
• Travel to SARS affected area
• Eating in restaurants
• Shaking hands
• Travel in taxis
• Travel in subways or commuter trains
• Eating in food courts
• Large gatherings of people
• Particular types of people
• Travel by plane
• Work/school

• Taking Precautions
• Worn a mask
• Washed my hands more often
• Taken more care about cleanliness
• Used disinfectants
• Eaten a balanced diet
• Exercised regularly
• Taken an herbal supplement
• Made sure I got sufficient sleep

Score sum of behaviors checked
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Seeking Social Support

• A 2-item measure that assesses seeking
  information and emotional support to deal with
  concerns about SARS
• Sample Item Talked to someone to find out more
  about SARS
• Response 1 not at all 5 a great deal
• Alpha .83

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Relationship Focused Coping

• A 4- item measure that assesses extent to which
  the individual helps others deal with SARS
• Sample item Tried to understand the other
  persons concerns about SARS
• Response 1 not at all 4 a great deal
• Alpha .91

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Avoidance of People

• A 10-item measure
• Sum of behaviors to avoid certain people
  including those who appear unwell,a health care
  worker, and a person who might be from an area
  infected with SARS, for example
• Sample item How likely are you to avoid a
  person who is coughing?
• Response 1 very unlikely to 5 very likely
• Alpha .91

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State Anxiety

• Anxiety related to SARS
• A 17-item measure
• Adapted from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
  (STAI) A-State Anxiety measure (Spielberger et
  al., 1970)
• Sample item I am worried about possible
  misfortune regarding SARS
• Response 1 not at all 4 very much so
• Alpha .94

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Depression

• A 10-item measure designed to measure
• Sample item I feel sad
• Response 1 rarely or none of the time
• 4 most or all of the time
• Alpha.88
• Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression
  Scale

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Relative Risk of Getting SARS vs Catching a Cold

• A 2-item measure
• The relative risk of me or someone my age and sex
  getting SARS compared to the risk of catching a
  cold
• Sample item Compared to my risk of catching a
  cold, the risk of my getting SARS is
• Response 1 very low to 5 very high
• Alpha .82
• adapted from Renner Schwarzer, 2003

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Relative Risk of Getting SARS vs Getting West
Nile Virus

• A 2-item measure
• The relative risk of me or someone my age and sex
  getting SARS compared to the risk of getting West
  Nile Virus
• Sample item Compared to my risk of getting West
  Nile virus, the risk of my getting SARS is
• Response 1 very low to 5 very high
• Alpha .92
• adapted from Renner Schwarzer, 2003

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Relative Risk of Getting SARS vs Getting AIDS

• A 2-item measure
• The relative risk of me or someone my age and sex
  getting SARS compared to the risk of getting AIDS
• Sample item Compared to my risk of getting
  AIDS, the risk of my getting SARS is
• Response 1 very low to 5 very high
• Alpha .82
• adapted from Renner Schwarzer, 2003

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Correlations Between SARS Threat, Anxiety, Risk
of Getting SARS Compared to the Risk of Catching
a Cold, Getting AIDS and Getting West Nile Virus

• State Anxiety
• Cold Risk
• AIDS Risk
• West Nile Virus Risk

59
51
31
29
p lt .01 p lt .001
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Correlations between Anxiety, Avoidance of
People, Avoidance Behavior, Taking Precautions,
Risk of Getting SARS vs. Risk of Catching a Cold,
Getting AIDS Getting West Nile Virus

• Avoidance of People
• Cold Risk
• AIDS Risk
• West Nile Virus
• Avoidance Behavior
• Taking Precautions

52
52
39
33
32
30
p lt .01 p lt .001
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Theoretical Model Relating SARS Threat,
Preventive Coping, Avoidance of People, Anxiety
and Depression
Prevent Coping
State Anxiety
Depression
SARS Threat
Avoid of People
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Structural Model Relating SARS Threat,
Preventive Coping, Avoidance of People, Anxiety
and Depression
Prevent Coping
-.25
.12
.49
State Anxiety
Depression
.47
.39
SARS Threat
.18
.52
Avoid of People
.27
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Goodness of Fit Indices for Models
a Identical to the initial model except that a
path from preventive coping to depression was
added b Identical to the revised model 1a except
that a correlation between preventive coping
and avoiding people perceived to be at high risk
of SARS was added
a
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Conclusions

• Greater threat due to SARS leads to increases in
  preventive coping and avoidance of people
  associated with SARS
• Preventive coping includes avoidance of people
• Preventive coping and avoidance of people lead to
  greater anxiety
• Anxiety leads to depression
• Depression decreases with greater preventive
  coping