Determinants of Staying Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic–Model Inventory

Abstract

The Determinants of Staying Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic–Model (Matsunaga et al., 2023) was developed to explore the social cognitive determinants influencing individuals’ adherence to staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and how local political culture might modulate these influences. The model is structured around the theory of planned behavior, incorporating attitudes, injunctive norms, perceived behavioral control, and the intention to stay at home, alongside moral norms and risk perception. Risk perception is further delineated by cognitive evaluation of infection risk, frequency of COVID-19 information received through various media (news, social media, face-to-face communication), and fear of infection. The instrument comprises eighteen newly developed questions, adapted from existing literature on risk perception (Dryhurst et al., 2020), feelings of moral obligation (Chan & Bishop, 2013; Schwartz, 1977; Tonglet, Phillips, & Read, 2004), and the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991). These items are rated on 5-point Likert-type scales. Additionally, a single 7-point Likert scale question assesses the number of days participants stayed at home weekly. Demographic information, including gender, age, education, working conditions, and COVID-19 status (quarantine or prior infection), was also collected. To ensure cross-cultural quality, all questions were initially developed in English, then translated into Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese by native speakers. A subsequent back-translation was performed by other native speakers, followed by a final quality verification by a separate team, adhering to the International Test Commission (2017) guidelines. The measure was administered to participants in four countries: the US, Japan, Brazil, and Taiwan. The study reported on factor structure, reliability, and measurement invariance.

Keywords

Attitude; Behavior; Cognitive Risk Evaluation; Fear; Frequency of COVID-19 Information; Health Communication; Injunctive Norm; Intention; Moral Norm; Perceived Behavioral Control; Risk Perception; Theory of Planned Behavior; Social Cognitive Determinants; Health Attitudes; Morality; Social Cognition; Risk Assessment; Reasoned Action; Behavioral Intention; Health Behavior Measures; Health Information; COVID-19; Preventive Health Behavior

Authors

Matsunaga, Lucas Heiki; Aoki, Toshiaki; Faiad, Cristiane; Aldrich, Daniel P.; Tseng, Po-Hsing; Aida, Jun

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Purpose

The purpose of this measurement model is to assess the determinants of staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Validity

No data is Available

Reliability

Internal consistency: Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the various constructs ranged from .69 to .87, indicating acceptable to good internal consistency.

Factor Analysis

Structural equation modeling was employed to assess the overall model fit. The results indicated an adequate fit with the following indices: χ² = 77.195 (p < .00), CFI = .981, NFI = .977, TLI = .948, and RMSEA = .064 with a 95% Confidence Interval [CI] of [.051, .078].

Measurement invariance was examined through a multigroup analysis, considering the four participating cities as distinct populations. After conducting invariance checks for each of the model’s estimates by comparing a constrained and an unconstrained model, it was determined that a partially constrained model could be achieved due to the non-invariance of regression weights. This partially constrained model demonstrated a superior fit compared to a totally constrained model and exhibited no significant differences when compared to an unconstrained model (CMIN difference = 16.546, df = 12, p < .167). Furthermore, the changes in fit indices were minimal, with ΔCFI differing by .001, ΔTLI by .012, and ΔRMSEA by .004.

Instrument

Test Type

Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format

Items are rated with Likert-type response options.

Language Available

Chinese, Mandarin; English; Japanese; Portuguese

Population Group

Human; Male; Female

Age Group

Adulthood (18 yrs & older); Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs); Thirties (30-39 yrs)

Population Details

Respondents were adults located in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and Brazil.

Test Methodology

The methodologies employed included Test Reliability assessment, Internal Consistency analysis, Measurement Invariance testing, Measurement Model construction, and Structural Equation Modeling.

Keywords

COVID-19 Pandemic; Health Behavior

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier

No data is Available

Affiliation Email addresses

Matsunaga, Lucas Heiki: Tohoku University Department of International Environment and Resources Policies, [email protected]

Aoki, Toshiaki: Tohoku University Department of International Environment and Resources Policies

Faiad, Cristiane: University of Brasilia Department of Clinical Psychology

Aldrich, Daniel P.: Northeastern University Security and Resilience Studies

Tseng, Po-Hsing: National Taiwan Ocean University Department of Shipping and Transportation Management

Aida, Jun: Tokyo Medical and Dental University Medical and Dental Sciences

Correspondence Address

Matsunaga, Lucas Heiki: Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The test was developed in 2023. Permission to use the instrument can be obtained by contacting the publisher. There is no fee associated with its use.

References

Matsunaga, L. H., Aoki, T., Faiad, C., Aldrich, D. P., Tseng, P.-H., & Aida, J. (2023). Why people stayed home during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for health communication across four countries. Journal of Health Communication, 28(4), 218–230. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2023.2193149

Dryhurst, S., van der Bles, A. M., Spiegelhalter, D., & van der Linden, S. (2020). Risk perceptions and science engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Risk Research, 23(7-8), 987–999.

Chan, D. K., & Bishop, G. D. (2013). Moral obligation, self-efficacy, and the intention to perform health behaviors. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43(11), 2207–2219.

Schwartz, S. H. (1977). Normative influences on altruism. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 10, pp. 221–279). Academic Press.

Tonglet, M., Phillips, P. S., & Read, A. D. (2004). Using the theory of planned behaviour to explain recycling behaviour: A case study from Nottingham. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 41(3), 191–214.

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.

International Test Commission. (2017). ITC Guidelines for Translating and Adapting Tests.

Items of the Determinants of Staying Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic–Model

This measure includes 19 items. The constructs measured are: Theory of Planned Behavior (Attitude; Injunctive norm; Perceived behavioral control; Intention), Moral Norm, Risk Perception (Cognitive Risk Evaluation; Frequency of COVID-19 Information; Fear), and Behavior. The items are rated using Likert-type response options. One question uses a 7-point scale to verify the number of days participants stayed at home weekly. Specific details of the individual items are available in the source reference: 2023-60480-001, Table 1, Page 221.

The theory of Planned Behavior

Attitude
Staying at home is good for me
Staying at home is desirable

Injunctive Norm
People tell me to stay at home
It is expected of me to stay at home

Perceived Behavioral Control
I am confident that I can stay at home
It is easy for me to stay at home

Intention
I intended to stay at home
I made an effort to stay at home

Moral Norm
I would feel guilty if I didn’t stay at home
I believe that I have a moral obligation to stay at home
Not staying at home goes against my moral principles
I made an effort to stay at home

Risk Perception

Cognitive Risk Evaluation
About being affected by catching the coronavirus in the near future. I think I will be directly affected by it
About being affected by catching the coronavirus in the near future. I think I will be seriously affected by it

Frequency of COVID-19 Information
Frequency of COVID-19 information on the T.V., radio, and newspapers
Frequency of COVID-19 information on social media
Frequency of COVID-19 information in face-to-face communication

Fear
Getting sick with the coronavirus can be worry

Behavior
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, how often do you stay at home, weekly, due to this Pandemic, except to buy daily necessities

Note. Items are rated using Likert type scales of 5 points. In addition, one question with a 7-point scale verifies the number of days that participants stay at home weekly.