Examination and Structural Testing a Model of Antecedents of Health Considerations ‌Related to COVID-19

Following the prevalence of COVID-19 and quarantine, the requirement to observe safety and hygiene during this period has left various effects on the psychological and social aspects of society. Because people with different personality traits have shown different behaviors for safety attentions during the quarantine, the present study aimed to examine and test a model of personality and cognitive antecedents of health considerations COVID-19.

For this purpose, a sample of 220 people working in education and universities, were evaluated online and through social networks. Participants completed the safety considerations questionnaire (safety behavior and safety attitude), internal locus of control, NEO questionnaire. The proposed model was evaluated through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) AMOS-23 and SPSS V. 23. The bootstrap procedure by Preacher and Hayes (2008) was used for testing indirect relationships.

The results showed that the designed model had good fit indicators. Apart from the relationship between agreeableness and internal locus of control (negative relationship), other relationships between variables were reported to be positive and direct. The position of internal locus of control also played the role of a complete mediator.

The conscientiousness trait activates the internal locus of control construct, and consequently, the person tends to observe health behaviors. In other words, the whole conscientiousness effect leads to the observance of hygienic principles through the intervention and occupation of the cognitive structure of the locus of control (full mediator). The simple relationship between neuroticism and the locus of control, which was reported to be negative (-0.20), changed to (0.23) due to interaction with the conscientious variable. Explaining this change in signs and values indicates that a linear interpretation of the data cannot be provided. Therefore, it can be said that creating some concern in people about health messages and critical and searching following Coronavirus information along with conscientiousness, can provide profitable conditions for the tendency towards health behaviors.