IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i16p8539-d613393.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Women Suffered More Emotional and Life Distress than Men during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Pathogen Disgust Sensitivity

Author

Listed:
  • Yi Ding

    (School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 201097, China)

  • Jie Yang

    (School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 201097, China)

  • Tingting Ji

    (School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 201097, China)

  • Yongyu Guo

    (School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 201097, China)

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 has brought upon unprecedented challenges to nearly all people around the globe. Yet, people may differ in their risks of social, economic, and health well-being. In this research, we take a gender-difference approach to examine whether and why women suffered greater emotional and life distress than men at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Using a large nationwide Chinese sample, we found that compared to men, women reported higher levels of anxiety and fear, as well as greater life disturbance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, that women suffered more was partly explained by their higher level of pathogen disgust sensitivity. Our findings highlight the important consequences of gender differences in response to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and suggest that policymakers pay more attention to gender inequalities regarding COVID-19 responses.

Suggested Citation

  • Yi Ding & Jie Yang & Tingting Ji & Yongyu Guo, 2021. "Women Suffered More Emotional and Life Distress than Men during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Pathogen Disgust Sensitivity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-9, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:16:p:8539-:d:613393
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/16/8539/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/16/8539/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sophie Harman, 2016. "Ebola, gender and conspicuously invisible women in global health governance," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(3), pages 524-541, March.
    2. Stephanie Rodriguez-Besteiro & José Francisco Tornero-Aguilera & Jesús Fernández-Lucas & Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez, 2021. "Gender Differences in the COVID-19 Pandemic Risk Perception, Psychology, and Behaviors of Spanish University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-9, April.
    3. Selçuk Özdin & Şükriye Bayrak Özdin, 2020. "Levels and predictors of anxiety, depression and health anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic in Turkish society: The importance of gender," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 66(5), pages 504-511, August.
    4. Vasilii Erokhin & Tianming Gao, 2020. "Impacts of COVID-19 on Trade and Economic Aspects of Food Security: Evidence from 45 Developing Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-28, August.
    5. Cristina Mazza & Eleonora Ricci & Silvia Biondi & Marco Colasanti & Stefano Ferracuti & Christian Napoli & Paolo Roma, 2020. "A Nationwide Survey of Psychological Distress among Italian People during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-14, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Line I. Berge & Marie H. Gedde & Bettina S. Husebo & Ane Erdal & Camilla Kjellstadli & Ipsit V. Vahia, 2021. "Age and Emotional Distress during COVID-19: Findings from Two Waves of the Norwegian Citizen Panel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-14, September.
    2. Yi Ding & Tingting Ji & Yongyu Guo, 2021. "Helping While Social Distancing: Pathogen Avoidance Motives Influence People’s Helping Intentions during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-10, November.
    3. Rio Sasaki & Atsuhiko Ota & Hiroshi Yatsuya & Takahiro Tabuchi, 2022. "Gender Difference in Fear and Anxiety about and Perceived Susceptibility to COVID-19 in the Third Wave of Pandemic among the Japanese General Population: A Nationwide Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-13, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anna Maria Cybulska & Katarzyna Głębicka & Marzanna Stanisławska & Aneta Cymbaluk-Płoska & Elżbieta Grochans & Kamila Rachubińska, 2023. "The Relationship between Social Support and Mental Health Problems of Peri- and Postmenopausal Women during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, January.
    2. Manuel Maciel-Saldierna & Emmanuel Elizondo-Hernández & Gabino Cervantes-Guevara & Enrique Cervantes-Pérez & Guillermo Alonso Cervantes-Cardona & Bertha Georgina Guzmán-Ramírez & Irma Valeria Brancacc, 2022. "Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Junior High School Students in Guadalajara, Mexico: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-10, November.
    3. Natalia Martinelli & Sandrine Gil & Johann Chevalère & Clément Belletier & Guillaume Dezecache & Pascal Huguet & Sylvie Droit-Volet, 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vulnerable People Suffering from Depression: Two Studies on Adults in France," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-12, March.
    4. Samantha Garcia & Suellen Hopfer & Elouise Botes & Samuel Greiff, 2022. "Associations between Coronavirus Crisis Perception, Perceived Economic Risk of Coronavirus, General Self-Efficacy, and Coronavirus Anxiety at the Start of the Pandemic: Differences by Gender and Race," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-15, March.
    5. Nur Iwana Abdul Taib & Nik Ruzyanei Nik Jaafar & Nazirah Azman & Mohammad Farris Iman Leong Bin Abdullah & Nurul Ain Mohamad Kamal & Azlin Baharudin & Muhammad Najib Bin Abdullah & Suresh Kumar Chidam, 2023. "Stigma, Sociodemographic Factors, and Clinical Factors Associated with Psychological Distress among COVID-19 Survivors during the Convalescence Period: A Multi-Centre Study in Malaysia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-13, February.
    6. Anna Idzik(199) & Anna Leńczuk-Gruba & Ewa Kobos & Mariola Pietrzak & Beata Dziedzic, 2021. "Loneliness and Depression among Women in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-16, October.
    7. Kuan-Ying Hsieh & Dian-Jeng Li & Frank Huang-Chih Chou & Su-Ting Hsu & Hui-Ching Wu & Li-Shiu Chou & Pei-Jhen Wu & Guei-Ging Lin & Wei-Jen Chen & Chin-Lien Liu & Joh-Jong Huang, 2022. "Relationship of Societal Adaptation with Vaccine Worries among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Effects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-12, August.
    8. Deepika Pandita & Vartika Agarwal & Seema Singh, 2023. "The Drivers of Stress in Women Employees Caused by the Pandemic COVID-2019," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 48(2), pages 280-296, May.
    9. Paula Rodríguez-Fernández & Josefa González-Santos & Mirian Santamaría-Peláez & Raúl Soto-Cámara & Esteban Sánchez-González & Jerónimo J. González-Bernal, 2021. "Psychological Effects of Home Confinement and Social Distancing Derived from COVID-19 in the General Population—A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-18, June.
    10. Alejandro Salazar & Jenifer Palomo-Osuna & Helena de Sola & Jose A. Moral-Munoz & María Dueñas & Inmaculada Failde, 2021. "Psychological Impact of the Lockdown Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in University Workers: Factors Related to Stress, Anxiety, and Depression," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-16, April.
    11. Stephanie Rodriguez-Besteiro & Ana Isabel Beltran-Velasco & José Francisco Tornero-Aguilera & Marina Begoña Martínez-González & Eduardo Navarro-Jiménez & Rodrigo Yáñez-Sepúlveda & Vicente Javier Cleme, 2023. "Social Media, Anxiety and COVID-19 Lockdown Measurement Compliance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-13, March.
    12. Agnieszka Markiewicz-Gospodarek & Aleksandra Górska & Renata Markiewicz & Zuzanna Chilimoniuk & Marcin Czeczelewski & Jacek Baj & Ryszard Maciejewski & Jolanta Masiak, 2022. "The Relationship between Mental Disorders and the COVID-19 Pandemic—Course, Risk Factors, and Potential Consequences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-18, August.
    13. Medard Kofi Adu & Lauren J. Wallace & Kwabena F. Lartey & Joshua Arthur & Kenneth Fosu Oteng & Samuel Dwomoh & Ruth Owusu-Antwi & Rita Larsen-Reindorf & Vincent I. O. Agyapong, 2021. "Prevalence and Correlates of Likely Major Depressive Disorder among the Adult Population in Ghana during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-19, July.
    14. Yolanda Marcén-Román & Angel Gasch-Gallen & Irene Isabel Vela Martín de la Mota & Estela Calatayud & Isabel Gómez-Soria & Beatriz Rodríguez-Roca, 2021. "Stress Perceived by University Health Sciences Students, 1 Year after COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-10, May.
    15. Michael Owusu Budu & Emily J. Rugel & Rochelle Nocos & Koon Teo & Sumathy Rangarajan & Scott A. Lear, 2021. "Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on People with Pre-Existing Chronic Disease," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-9, June.
    16. María Elena Gutiérrez-Hernández & Luisa Fernanda Fanjul & Alicia Díaz-Megolla & Pablo Reyes-Hurtado & Jonay Francisco Herrera-Rodríguez & María del Pilar Enjuto-Castellanos & Wenceslao Peñate, 2021. "COVID-19 Lockdown and Mental Health in a Sample Population in Spain: The Role of Self-Compassion," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-14, February.
    17. J. Pierre Zila-Velasque & Pamela Grados-Espinoza & Naomi Coba-Villan & Jocelyn Quispe-Chamorro & Yesenia F. Taipe-Guillén & Estefany Pacheco & Laura Ccasa-Valero & Virgilio E. Failoc-Rojas & Cristian , 2022. "Mental Disorders and Level of Resilience in Eight High-Altitude Cities of Peru during the Second Pandemic Wave: A Multicenter Population-Based Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, December.
    18. Fumiya Tanji & Yuki Kodama, 2021. "Prevalence of Psychological Distress and Associated Factors in Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-10, October.
    19. Ana Ramírez-Adrados & Valentín E. Fernández-Elías & Silvia Fernández-Martínez & Beatriz Martínez-Pascual & Cristina Gonzalez-de-Ramos & Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez, 2022. "The Effect of Studying a Double Degree in the Psychophysiological Stress Response in the Bachelor’s Thesis Defense," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-11, January.
    20. Tiberiu Constantin Ionescu & Bogdana Ioana Fetecau & Stefan Zaharia & Elma-Maria Mînecan & Catalina Tudose, 2023. "Sleepless Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Insomnia Symptoms among Professionally Active Romanians during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-16, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:16:p:8539-:d:613393. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.