TY - JOUR
T1 - Health behavior adherence and emotional adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic in a US nationally representative sample
T2 - The roles of prosocial motivation and gratitude
AU - Nelson-Coffey, S. Katherine
AU - O'Brien, Mary M.
AU - Braunstein, Bailey M.
AU - Mickelson, Kristin D.
AU - Ha, Thao
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2021/9
Y1 - 2021/9
N2 - Rationale: Substantial health behavior change (e.g., social distancing, mask-wearing) is needed to slow COVID-19. Yet, adherence to these guidelines varies, and avoiding social contact may contribute to declines in emotional adjustment. Objective and Methods: Drawing on prior research linking social motives to health behavior and well-being, we investigated the associations among social motives (prosocial motivation, gratitude) and resilience to social distancing (health behavior adherence, emotional adjustment) in a US nationally representative sample (N = 1007) collected in April 2020. Results: Prosocial motivation, but not gratitude, correlated with health behavior adherence and social distancing practice. Conversely, gratitude, but not prosocial motivation, correlated with emotional adjustment (daily accomplishments, meaning in life, thriving, psychological distress, positive and negative affect). Analyses controlled for gratitude/prosocial motivation, self-focused motivation, COVID-19 worries, work arrangement, stay-at-home order, likelihood of COVID-19 diagnosis, and demographics. Conclusion: Public health campaigns focusing on the benefits of health behaviors for others, rather than just oneself, may promote adherence and emotional adjustment.
AB - Rationale: Substantial health behavior change (e.g., social distancing, mask-wearing) is needed to slow COVID-19. Yet, adherence to these guidelines varies, and avoiding social contact may contribute to declines in emotional adjustment. Objective and Methods: Drawing on prior research linking social motives to health behavior and well-being, we investigated the associations among social motives (prosocial motivation, gratitude) and resilience to social distancing (health behavior adherence, emotional adjustment) in a US nationally representative sample (N = 1007) collected in April 2020. Results: Prosocial motivation, but not gratitude, correlated with health behavior adherence and social distancing practice. Conversely, gratitude, but not prosocial motivation, correlated with emotional adjustment (daily accomplishments, meaning in life, thriving, psychological distress, positive and negative affect). Analyses controlled for gratitude/prosocial motivation, self-focused motivation, COVID-19 worries, work arrangement, stay-at-home order, likelihood of COVID-19 diagnosis, and demographics. Conclusion: Public health campaigns focusing on the benefits of health behaviors for others, rather than just oneself, may promote adherence and emotional adjustment.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Gratitude
KW - Health behavior
KW - Prosocial motivation
KW - Well-being
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111010961&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85111010961&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114243
DO - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114243
M3 - Article
C2 - 34315121
AN - SCOPUS:85111010961
SN - 0277-9536
VL - 284
JO - Social Science and Medicine
JF - Social Science and Medicine
M1 - 114243
ER -