Psychological and behavioral responses to COVID-19

Background: There is epidemic fatigue due to the prolonged COVID-19-related restrictions. Some individuals seem to exercise fewer precautions recently in comparison to the onset of the pandemic. Aim: To assess psychological and behavioral responses to COVID-19 and media influences at fourth versus first wave. Design: Online cross-sectional survey. Methods: A total of 1005 participants were recruited using snowball sampling from nine Arab countries Egypt, Iraq, Algeria, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Kuwait, Syria and Libya    through fourth wave of COVID-19. Five questionnaires were employed: General Information Questionnaire, Psychological and Behavioral Responses, Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS), Health Belief Model (HBM) Construct and Media Exposure Questionnaire. Results: Most of participants reported low level of; psychological responses (86%), Corona disease anxiety (78.3%) and media exposure (84.6%). Although majority of participants (70%) indicated low barriers to adhere the preventive behavior, (37%) reported a lower compliance than the first wave and (35.6%) had low perceived susceptibility. There was statistically significant positive correlation between media exposure and health beliefs, psychological and behavioral responses to COVID-19, and Corona disease anxiety. Conclusion: The proper use of social media for information purposes is beneficial in shaping psychological and behavioral responses during the COVID-19 pandemic.