Research Article
Identity resilience, uncertainty, personal risk, fear, mistrust and ingroup power influences upon COVID-19 coping
Abstract
A model of the relationships between social psychological factors that were influential in determining individual coping responses to the COVID-19 pandemic is presented here. The factors include identity resilience (as defined in identity process theory), uncertainty, perceived personal risk, fear, mistrust and ingroup power. These factors are significantly associated with each other. Higher identity resilience is associated with greater uncertainty, personal risk and fear, but with lower mistrust and ingroup power. Social representation and group identification processes also have important effects on individual coping, and are moderated by identity resilience. Implications of the model for developing future pandemic preparedness include the desirability of fostering greater identity resilience in those at risk and the value of ongoing targeting of information and social support to promote the development of more effective coping responses to fear, risk, uncertainty and mistrust.
Keywords
COVID-19 copingidentity resilienceuncertaintyriskfearmistrustingroup powerCopyright statement
© The author(s) 2023. This is an open access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International LicenseCite this article
Breakwell (2023), ‘Identity resilience, uncertainty, personal risk, fear, mistrust and ingroup power influences upon COVID-19 coping’, Journal of the British Academy, 11(5): 007 https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/011s5.007crossref
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Two studies are reported here: a mapping review of literature on the effect of ethnicity on psychological influences upon COVID-19 responses, and a survey simultaneously undertaken in the United Kingdom and United States designed to examine ethnic differences in levels of, and in relationships between, identity resilience, social support, science trust, COVID-19 fear, COVID-19 risk and vaccination likelihood. The review found that very few studies during 2020–2021 examined the effect of ethnicity on the psychological influences on COVID-19 preventive behaviours. The survey study found that science trust, vaccine positivity, perceived risk, COVID-19 fear, identity resilience and social support account for roughly 50 per cent of the variability in COVID-19 vaccination likelihood. Ethnic categories report different levels of these influences but similarity in the way they interact. Taken together, the results indicate that a single model of psychological influences on vaccination decisions is applicable across ethnic categories.
Uncertainties about COVID-19 vaccines and variants have been linked to vaccination refusal on a significant scale. To optimise public health communication on vaccination and inform vaccination policy, it is necessary to understand the substantive nature of these uncertainties. Our study, using a corpus of texts from 324 UK citizens, examines these uncertainties. The results suggest that major public uncertainties regarding COVID-19 vaccines are expressed in terms of: (1) concerns about the safety of the vaccines; (2) concerns about the effectiveness of the vaccines; (3) perceived lack of trustworthiness and/or competence of actors in the vaccination process; (4) concerns about the logistics of the vaccination roll-out; and (5) uncertainty about the longer-term need for vaccines and social consequences. Public uncertainties regarding COVID-19 are complex and will continue to evolve. Policy responses must be informed by an understanding of the factors that instigate and maintain uncertainties in individuals and the wider society.
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