Predictive Model of Coronavirus Anxiety Based on Type D Personality, Obsessive Beliefs, Illness Perception, and Emotional Self-Regulation among Traffic Users (Male and Female Drivers) Entering Quarantined Cities

Abbas Nasimi

Authors

Abbas Nasimi Department of Psychology, To.C., Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0730-4130

Keywords:

Spiritually oriented existential therapy, illness perception, personal sense of security, women, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, definitive singlehood

Abstract

Purpose: The present study aimed to design a predictive model of coronavirus anxiety based on Type D personality, obsessive beliefs, illness perception, and emotional self-regulation among traffic users (male and female drivers) entering quarantined cities.

Methods and Materials: In terms of purpose, the study was applied research, and regarding methodology, it was a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population consisted of traffic users (male and female drivers) entering quarantined cities in Mazandaran Province during the spring and summer of 2021. Using a convenience sampling method, 800 questionnaires were distributed. Data collection instruments included the Type D Personality Scale developed by Denollet (2000), the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (2003), the Illness Perception Questionnaire developed by Howard Broadbent and colleagues (2006), the Emotional Self-Regulation Questionnaire developed by Leslie Hoffman and Todd Kashdan (2010), and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (2019). Structural equation modeling was employed, and the data were analyzed using path analysis through SPSS and Smart PLS software.

Findings: Type D personality (path coefficient = 0.206, t = 6.405), obsessive beliefs (0.194, t = 5.896), and illness perception (-0.198, t = 5.891) predicted coronavirus anxiety. Type D personality (-0.225, t = 6.824), obsessive beliefs (-0.246, t = 6.751), and illness perception (0.189, t = 5.638) predicted emotional self-regulation, while emotional self-regulation (-0.241, t = 7.759) predicted coronavirus anxiety. Emotional self-regulation also played a mediating role in the relationship between Type D personality (0.054, t = 5.071), obsessive beliefs (0.059, t = 5.131), illness perception (-0.046, t = 4.568), and coronavirus anxiety.

Conclusion: Considering the predictive power of the independent and mediating variables in explaining coronavirus anxiety, implementing strategies aimed at improving illness perception and reducing obsessive beliefs appears necessary for decreasing anxiety.

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