IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i11p6148-d565421.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Gender Differences on Psychosocial Factors Affecting COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors

Author

Listed:
  • Nicolás Bronfman

    (Engineering Sciences Department, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 7500973, Chile
    Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management ANID/FONDAP/15110017, Santiago 7820436, Chile)

  • Paula Repetto

    (Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management ANID/FONDAP/15110017, Santiago 7820436, Chile
    Department of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile)

  • Paola Cordón

    (Department of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile)

  • Javiera Castañeda

    (Department of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile)

  • Pamela Cisternas

    (Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management ANID/FONDAP/15110017, Santiago 7820436, Chile
    Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile)

Abstract

Previous studies have reported differences between men and women in the adoption of preventive behaviors against infectious diseases. This study aims to examine gender differences on a set of psychosocial factors shown to influence preventive behaviors against infectious diseases such as COVID-19. We conducted a web survey ( N = 1.004) a few weeks after the end of the peak of the first wave of infections in Chile. The survey assessed participants’ perception of risk and worry about the COVID-19 pandemic, confidence in the government’s competence and integrity in dealing with the crisis, attribution of responsibility to various stakeholders, and adoption of preventive behaviors such as hygiene, distancing, and information-seeking. Our results confirm significant gender-based differences for both the psychosocial factors and the adoption of preventive behaviors. We conclude that women show a higher level of worry and fear of the pandemic and are keener to adopt preventive hygiene and social distancing behaviors. Similarly, participants report a low level of trust in government authorities, with women reporting the lowest trust level. The implications of these findings for the design of future risk communication strategies are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicolás Bronfman & Paula Repetto & Paola Cordón & Javiera Castañeda & Pamela Cisternas, 2021. "Gender Differences on Psychosocial Factors Affecting COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-12, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:6148-:d:565421
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6148/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6148/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hannah Peckham & Nina M. Gruijter & Charles Raine & Anna Radziszewska & Coziana Ciurtin & Lucy R. Wedderburn & Elizabeth C. Rosser & Kate Webb & Claire T. Deakin, 2020. "Male sex identified by global COVID-19 meta-analysis as a risk factor for death and ITU admission," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Onuma, Hiroki & Shin, Kong Joo & Managi, Shunsuke, 2016. "Household preparedness for natural disasters:Impact of disaster experience and implications for future disaster risks in Japan," MPRA Paper 77634, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Nicolás C. Bronfman & Pamela C. Cisternas & Esperanza López-Vázquez & Luis A. Cifuentes, 2016. "Trust and risk perception of natural hazards: implications for risk preparedness in Chile," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 81(1), pages 307-327, March.
    4. Laura N. Rickard & Z. Janet Yang & Jonathon P. Schuldt & Gina M. Eosco & Clifford W. Scherer & Ricardo A. Daziano, 2017. "Sizing Up a Superstorm: Exploring the Role of Recalled Experience and Attribution of Responsibility in Judgments of Future Hurricane Risk," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(12), pages 2334-2349, December.
    5. Nicolás Bronfman & Pamela Cisternas & Esperanza López-Vázquez & Luis Cifuentes, 2016. "Trust and risk perception of natural hazards: implications for risk preparedness in Chile," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 81(1), pages 307-327, March.
    6. Ho Fai Chan & Martin Brumpton & Alison Macintyre & Jefferson Arapoc & David A Savage & Ahmed Skali & David Stadelmann & Benno Torgler, 2020. "How confidence in health care systems affects mobility and compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(10), pages 1-18, October.
    7. Michael K. Lindell & Sudha Arlikatti & Carla S. Prater, 2009. "Why People Do What They Do to Protect Against Earthquake Risk: Perceptions of Hazard Adjustment Attributes," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(8), pages 1072-1088, August.
    8. Bronfman, Nicolás C. & Jiménez, Raquel B. & Arévalo, Pilar C. & Cifuentes, Luis A., 2012. "Understanding social acceptance of electricity generation sources," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 246-252.
    9. Javiera V. Castañeda & Nicolás C. Bronfman & Pamela C. Cisternas & Paula B. Repetto, 2020. "Understanding the culture of natural disaster preparedness: exploring the effect of experience and sociodemographic predictors," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 103(2), pages 1881-1904, September.
    10. Vincenzo Galasso & Vincent Pons & Paola Profeta & Michael Becher & Sylvain Brouard & Martial Foucault, 2020. "Gender Differences in COVID-19 Related Attitudes and Behavior: Evidence from a Panel Survey in Eight OECD Countries," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03594437, HAL.
    11. Sarah J Barber & Hyunji Kim & Derek Isaacowitz, 2021. "COVID-19 Worries and Behavior Changes in Older and Younger Men and Women," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(2), pages 17-23.
    12. Yi‐Wen Kung & Sue‐Huei Chen, 2012. "Perception of Earthquake Risk in Taiwan: Effects of Gender and Past Earthquake Experience," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(9), pages 1535-1546, September.
    13. Nivette, Amy & Ribeaud, Denis & Murray, Aja & Steinhoff, Annekatrin & Bechtiger, Laura & Hepp, Urs & Shanahan, Lilly & Eisner, Manuel, 2021. "Non-compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures among young adults in Switzerland: Insights from a longitudinal cohort study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    14. Teun Terpstra, 2011. "Emotions, Trust, and Perceived Risk: Affective and Cognitive Routes to Flood Preparedness Behavior," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(10), pages 1658-1675, October.
    15. Nicolás C Bronfman & Pamela C Cisternas & Paula B Repetto & Javiera V Castañeda, 2019. "Natural disaster preparedness in a multi-hazard environment: Characterizing the sociodemographic profile of those better (worse) prepared," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, April.
    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. Mohammad Khatib & Ivonne Mansbach-Kleinfeld & Doaa Zaid & Anneke Ifrah & Malik Yousef & Ahmad Sheikh Muhammad, 2023. "Compliance with COVID-19 Regulations among Palestinian Citizens of Israel in the Context of Social Norms and Gender Roles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-21, July.
    2. Sepahvand, Mohammad H. & Verwimp, Philip, 2023. "Fighting Covid-19 amidst civil conflict: Micro-level evidence from Burkina Faso," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    3. Shu-Mei Liu & Shu-Fang Shih & Bo Meng & Rui Zhen & Xiao-Ben Pan & Eric Ng & Chia-Hsuan Hsu & Wei-Ta Fang, 2021. "Gendered Factors Associated with Preventive Behaviors and Mental Health among Chinese Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic Home Quarantine," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-19, September.
    4. Mónica Ferrín, 2022. "Reassessing Gender Differences in COVID‐19 Risk Perception and Behavior," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(1), pages 31-41, January.
    5. Bansal, Prateek & Kessels, Roselinde & Krueger, Rico & Graham, Daniel J., 2022. "Preferences for using the London Underground during the COVID-19 pandemic," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 45-60.
    6. Aarthi Raghavan & Mehmet Akif Demircioglu & Serik Orazgaliyev, 2021. "COVID-19 and the New Normal of Organizations and Employees: An Overview," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-19, October.
    7. Marietta Koźlarek & Natalia Błaszczyk & Magdalena Grajek & Sylwia Jaskulska, 2022. "Preventive Health Behaviours among Adolescents and Their Parents during the COVID-19 Outbreak in the Light of the Health Beliefs Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-12, December.
    8. Sutham Nanthamongkolchai & Pimsurang Taechaboonsermsak & Kanasap Tawatting & Wanich Suksatan, 2022. "Health-Risk Behaviors, COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors, and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working-Age Population of Bangkok, Thailand," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-10, October.
    9. Mariusz Duplaga, 2022. "The Roles of Health and e-Health Literacy, Conspiracy Beliefs and Political Sympathy in the Adherence to Preventive Measures Recommended during the Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-13, July.
    10. Chunphen Upake & Sutham Nanthamongkolchai & Pimsurang Taechaboonsermsak & Korravarn Yodmai & Wanich Suksatan, 2022. "Factors Predicting the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Preventive Behaviors of Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bangkok, Thailand," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-10, August.

    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. Nicolás C. Bronfman & Pamela C. Cisternas & Paula B. Repetto & Javiera V. Castañeda & Eliana Guic, 2020. "Understanding the Relationship Between Direct Experience and Risk Perception of Natural Hazards," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(10), pages 2057-2070, October.
    2. Andrea Cerase & Lorenzo Cugliari, 2023. "Something Still Remains: Factors Affecting Tsunami Risk Perception on the Coasts Hit by the Reggio Calabria-Messina 1908 Event (Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-26, February.
    3. Xuemei Fang & Liang Cao & Luyi Zhang & Binbin Peng, 2023. "Risk perception and resistance behavior intention of residents living near chemical industry parks: an empirical analysis in China," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 115(2), pages 1655-1675, January.
    4. Sunbin YOO & KUMAGAI Junya & KAWABATA Yuta & MANAGI Shunsuke, 2022. "Achieving Inclusive Transportation: Fully Automated Vehicles with Social Support," Discussion papers 22017, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    5. Kaijing Xue & Shili Guo & Yi Liu & Shaoquan Liu & Dingde Xu, 2021. "Social Networks, Trust, and Disaster-Risk Perceptions of Rural Residents in a Multi-Disaster Environment: Evidence from Sichuan, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-25, February.
    6. Benyong Wei & Guiwu Su & Fenggui Liu & Qing Tian, 2021. "Public cognition and response to earthquake disaster: from the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan to the 2013 Mw6.6 Lushan earthquakes in Sichuan Province, China," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 106(3), pages 2751-2774, April.
    7. Wang, Fei & Yuan, Yu & Lu, Liangdong, 2021. "Dynamical prediction model of consumers’ purchase intentions regarding anti-smog products during smog risk: Taking the information flow perspective," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 563(C).
    8. Zhixing Ma & Shili Guo & Xin Deng & Dingde Xu, 2021. "Community resilience and resident's disaster preparedness: evidence from China's earthquake-stricken areas," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 108(1), pages 567-591, August.
    9. Borau, Sylvie & Couprie, Hélène & Hopfensitz, Astrid, 2022. "The prosociality of married people: Evidence from a large multinational sample," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    10. Kevin Fox Gotham & Richard Campanella & Katie Lauve‐Moon & Bradford Powers, 2018. "Hazard Experience, Geophysical Vulnerability, and Flood Risk Perceptions in a Postdisaster City, the Case of New Orleans," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(2), pages 345-356, February.
    11. Sefa Mızrak & Ahmet Özdemir & Ramazan Aslan, 2021. "Adaptation of hurricane risk perception scale to earthquake risk perception and determining the factors affecting women's earthquake risk perception," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 109(3), pages 2241-2259, December.
    12. Deolfa Josè Moisès & Nnenesi Kgabi & Olivia Kunguma, 2023. "Integrating “Top-Down” and “Community-Centric” Approaches for Community-Based Flood Early Warning Systems in Namibia," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, October.
    13. Antonia Ilabaca & Germán Paredes-Belmar & Pamela P. Alvarez, 2022. "Optimization of Humanitarian Aid Distribution in Case of an Earthquake and Tsunami in the City of Iquique, Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-16, January.
    14. Vladimir M. Cvetković & Giulia Roder & Adem Öcal & Paolo Tarolli & Slavoljub Dragićević, 2018. "The Role of Gender in Preparedness and Response Behaviors towards Flood Risk in Serbia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-21, December.
    15. Adityawan Sigit & Maki Koyama & Morihiro Harada, 2023. "Flood Risk Assessment Focusing on Exposed Social Characteristics in Central Java, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-18, December.
    16. Bello, Piera & Rocco, Lorenzo, 2022. "Education and COVID-19 excess mortality," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    17. Javiera V. Castañeda & Nicolás C. Bronfman & Pamela C. Cisternas & Paula B. Repetto, 2020. "Understanding the culture of natural disaster preparedness: exploring the effect of experience and sociodemographic predictors," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 103(2), pages 1881-1904, September.
    18. Hayrol Azril Mohamed Shaffril & Asnarulkhadi Abu Samah & Syafila Kamarudin, 2021. "Speaking of the devil: a systematic literature review on community preparedness for earthquakes," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 108(3), pages 2393-2419, September.
    19. Delin Liu & Mengjie Li & Yue Li & Hao Chen, 2022. "Assessment of Public Flood Risk Perception and Influencing Factors: An Example of Jiaozuo City, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-15, August.
    20. Juan Camilo Gomez-Zapata & Cristhian Parrado & Theresa Frimberger & Fernando Barragán-Ochoa & Fabio Brill & Kerstin Büche & Michael Krautblatter & Michael Langbein & Massimiliano Pittore & Hugo Rosero, 2021. "Community Perception and Communication of Volcanic Risk from the Cotopaxi Volcano in Latacunga, Ecuador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-26, February.

    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:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:6148-:d:565421. 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.