Research Article | Open Access

Optimism Bias, Fear, and Compliance with COVID-19 Related Protective Behaviors Among Healthy and Diabetic Young Adults

    Mahwish Ali Khan

    Beaconhouse National University

    Ruhi Khalid

    Beaconhouse National University


Received
12 Oct, 2021
Accepted
07 Apr, 2023
Published
30 Sep, 2023

On March 11th, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic; and caused more than 4 million deaths worldwide. In Pakistan, government efforts to minimize the spread of disease emphasized protective behaviors including social distancing, hand washing, self-isolation, and seeking medical attention if experiencing symptoms. However, the local populace remained largely disengaged, seemed unaware, and failed to adhere to official preventive guidelines from the government. This study investigated the relationship among optimism bias, fear of COVID-19, and compliance with COVID-19-related protective behaviors among a sample of healthy and high-risk young adults diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Fifty healthy and 50 diabetic young adults aged 18-23 years were administered the Optimism Bias Measurement (Druică et al., 2020), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (Ahorsu et al., 2020), and the Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behavior Scale (Chang et al., 2020). The results revealed that optimism bias had a significant negative, and fear of COVID-19 had a significant positive correlation with compliance with COVID-19-related protective behaviors. Moreover, healthy young adults had significantly higher optimism bias, but lower fear and compliance as compared to diabetic young adults. Overall, the findings will facilitate public health policymakers and social scientists to better understand the factors that can influence compliance with preventive protocols enforced against the pandemic in Pakistan.

How to Cite this paper?


APA-7 Style
Khan, M.A., Khalid, R. (2023). Optimism Bias, Fear, and Compliance with COVID-19 Related Protective Behaviors Among Healthy and Diabetic Young Adults. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 38(3), 539-559. https://doi.org/10.33824/PJPR.2023.38.3.31

ACS Style
Khan, M.A.; Khalid, R. Optimism Bias, Fear, and Compliance with COVID-19 Related Protective Behaviors Among Healthy and Diabetic Young Adults. Pak. J. Psychol. Res 2023, 38, 539-559. https://doi.org/10.33824/PJPR.2023.38.3.31

AMA Style
Khan MA, Khalid R. Optimism Bias, Fear, and Compliance with COVID-19 Related Protective Behaviors Among Healthy and Diabetic Young Adults. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research. 2023; 38(3): 539-559. https://doi.org/10.33824/PJPR.2023.38.3.31

Chicago/Turabian Style
Khan, Mahwish, Ali, and Ruhi Khalid. 2023. "Optimism Bias, Fear, and Compliance with COVID-19 Related Protective Behaviors Among Healthy and Diabetic Young Adults" Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research 38, no. 3: 539-559. https://doi.org/10.33824/PJPR.2023.38.3.31