The Relationship Between Health-Related Beliefs, Coping Strategies, and Psychopathology in Individuals with and without a Diagnosis of COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study

In the project, the factors affecting preventive health behaviors (i), marital adjustment and parenting difficulties (ii), COVID-19 cognitions, health anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and coping methods in individuals with and without a diagnosis of COVID-19 were investigated. It is aimed to predict the stress level (iii) and to examine the changes in variables over time (iv). According to the findings of the project (i) the belief in the effectiveness of protective health behaviors (wearing a mask, paying attention to hand hygiene, maintaining social distance) from COVID-19 increased over time, regardless of the diagnosis status, and the current level of compliance was positively associated with having a chronic disease. It is found that it is higher in individuals who are married and over the age of 46 with the diagnosis of COVID-19, (ii) The difficulties experienced by individuals with and without the diagnosis of COVID-19 are similar and increase over time, and the number of difficulties experienced is negatively related to marital adjustment. , (iii) that different COVID-19-specific cognitions and coping strategies are predictive of depression, anxiety and stress in individuals with and without a diagnosis of COVID-19 (For example; difficulty in coping with the disease in the diagnosed group, frightening of the disease and accepting responsibility, in the undiagnosed group, inadequacy of medical services and superstitions) (iv) with the qualitative stage C There were differences in the themes and frequencies of the cause of the pandemic and the effects of the vaccine in individuals with and without OVID-19 diagnosis. This study, which was carried out with individuals who were diagnosed with COVID-19 at the beginning of the epidemic and who did not, together with quantitative and qualitative methods, points to the preparation of psychoeducation and psychological support services with different contents according to the diagnosis status. In addition, the development of individual and social support mechanisms and the implementation of parent-specific follow-up and intervention studies should be prioritized. In addition to the dissemination of public service announcements and the development of intervention programs to protect individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, in this study, an adaptation study was carried out with the 'COVID-19 Cognition Scale', which has a valid and reliable measurement tool, in different sample groups, specific to COVID-19. It is recommended that research should be conducted to determine cognitions and that these cognitions should be taken into account in the intervention program contents.