Trends and Factors Associated With Risk Perception, Anxiety, and Behavior From the Early Outbreak Period to the Controlled Period of COVID-19 Epidemic: Four Cross-Sectional Online Surveys in China in 2020
Authors: Liu Bei , Liu Hanyu , Han Bingfeng , Zhao Tianshuo , Sun Tao , Tan Xiaodong , Cui Fuqiang 
Published: January 2022

Background: The first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in China was brought under with 3 months—from mid-January 2020 to the end of March 2020. Less studies examined dynamic psychological effect and behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine perceived risk, anxiety, and behavioral response of the general public related to the outbreak of COVID-19 in four cross-sectional surveys conducted throughout China.

Methods: In 2020, four cross-sectional, population-based online survey were conducted from January 28 to February 3, from February 10 to 12, from February 20 to 22, and from March 1 to 10, respectively. Convenience sampling was used for easy recruiting survey participants under the long-term impact of the COVID-19 epidemic. The four independent online questionnaires were sent from the same approach (WeChat and MicroBlog), and anyone who receives the questionnaire on the Internet or mobile phone and meets the inclusion criteria could fill in it. The same questionnaires repeatedly used in the four surveys. Socio-demographic information and individual protective practice were collected and the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) was used for measuring anxiety. Propensity score matching was used to adjust for differences in baseline characteristics among the four surveys. Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to compare people's perceived risk, anxiety and protective behaviors changes in four stages. General linear model was used to identify associations between some demographic factors and perceived risk, anxiety scores, and protective behaviors.

Results: The proportion of high perceived risk has dropped from 24.7 to 4.7%. The proportion of severe anxiety has declined from 12.2 to 1.2%. The proportion of people wore masks when they went out has increased from 97.0 to 98.3%. Women were more likely to develop anxiety (OR = 1.5, 95%CI: 1.4–1.6) and more positively adopted recommended behaviors (OR = 2.1, 95%CI: 1.3–3.4) than men. People at age 30–39 years, with high-degree education, with married status, and accompanied with poor self-rated health status were prone to have higher risk perception and anxiety. Perceived risk was significantly associated with anxiety over the entire periods. Anxiety levels had stronger associations with adoption of protective behaviors (wearing mask and avoiding crowed place) in the early epidemic periods than in the late epidemic periods.

Conclusions: The levels of perceived risk and anxiety showed a trend of rising first and then falling. Gradually upward trend on initiative preventive behaviors including wearing mask and avoiding visiting crowded places also was observed through scanning data at four stages. People at age 30–39 years, with high-degree education, and accompanied with poor self-rated health status were prone to have higher risk perception and anxiety. Our findings showed that people simultaneously presented both high-level risk perception and anxiety across the four wave surveys, leading to their positive self-prevention and protective behavior.