Impact of Easing COVID-19 Restrictions on Fear of COVID-19 and Social Support Among Chinese Students: A Longitudinal Analysis

Yang Zhao; Ruizhe Wang; Hebin Li; Chong Chen; Bowen Zhou; Xinying Weng; Yidi Hua; Yaqi Jia; Yajun Wu; Ying Li

doi:10.2147/PRBM.S434765

Impact of Easing COVID-19 Restrictions on Fear of COVID-19 and Social Support Among Chinese Students: A Longitudinal Analysis

Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2023 Nov 20:16:4685-4696. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S434765. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yang Zhao¹, Ruizhe Wang², Hebin Li³, Chong Chen⁴, Bowen Zhou⁵, Xinying Weng³, Yidi Hua⁶, Yaqi Jia⁷, Yajun Wu⁸, Ying Li⁹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Law, Qingdao University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China.
² HeXie Management Research Center, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
⁴ CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
⁵ Department of Social Work, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
⁶ School of Humanities and Social Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
⁷ Entrepreneurs College, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, People's Republic of China.
⁸ Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
⁹ School of Urban Governance and Public Affairs, Suzhou City University, Suzhou, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Introduction: This longitudinal study aims to investigate the relationship between fear of COVID-19, support-seeking behaviors, and perceived social support among Chinese college students during two distinct periods of the COVID-19 pandemic: the period of strict control (time 1) and the period following a relaxation of restrictions (time 2).

Methods: A total of 408 Chinese college students participated in this study. Data collection included demographic information, measures of fear of COVID-19, support-seeking behaviors, and perceived social support.

Results: Fear of COVID-19 at time 1 showed a significant positive association with fear of COVID-19 at time 2. The relationship between support-seeking behavior at time 1 and fear of COVID-19 at time 2 was significantly mediated through a chain mediation effect of support-seeking behavior at time 1 and perceived social support at time 2.

Discussion: This study contributes to the growing body of evidence on the psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and underscores the significance of social support in mitigating fear of COVID-19. It calls for a re-evaluation of public health policies considering their potential psychological effects and introduces new opportunities for developing psychosocial interventions.

Keywords: COVID-19 policy; Chinese students; fear of COVID-19; longitudinal study; social support.