Psychological Reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 is a new infectious disease and as such we are faced with uncertainties in its course and treatment. Modern methods of containing pandemics are more behavioral and educational – psychological factors play a role in their success. Previous pandemics such as the Spanish flu, the swine flu and SARS have had effects on mental stress and disorders. Personality characteristics give a clearer look at vulnerability to stressors – people with high scores of negative emotionality (neuroticism) will face serious difficulties during pandemics. The different personality traits are relevant to our understanding of pandemic-related anxieties and sufferings, and the psychological effect of pandemics may be more pronounced, more widespread, and more lasting than the pure somatic effect of the infection.