COVID-19 and Actor Well-being: A Serial Mediated Moderation of Mask Usage and Personal Health Engagement
Published: 2021-09-14
Page: 96-105
Issue: 2021 - Volume 4 [Issue 1]
Addo Prince Clement
*
Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Ghana.
Gumah Bernard
School of Management and Economic, Chengdu, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, P.R. China.
Ato Kwamena Sagoe
Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Ghana.
Ohemeng Asare Andy
Centre for Business, George Brown College, Canada.
Kulbo Nora Bakabbey
School of Management and Economic, Chengdu, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, P.R. China.
Takyi Nyankom Lydia
Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Ghana.
Kulbo Bassamar Dora
School of Business, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Zambia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Wearing of face mask has become the new norm and a requirement for accessing public spaces. The current study explored the drives of self-regulation towards the purchase and use of face masks for actor wellbeing and public safety. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey approach. Data from 1859 participants sampled specifically from lockdown areas are the backbone of this study. We drew inspiration from the self-regulation theory and the trending slogan "any mask is better than no mask" to propose a model based on the fear of COVID-19 and actor wellbeing. We adopted Hayes' PROCESS macro in analyzing the proposed model. The findings confirmed that the fear of COVID-19 (β=.78, p<.001) invokes actors' self-regulation and alters attitudes (β=.521 p<.001) to drives mask purchase intentions and use significantly. We also re-echoed the role of self-efficacy in the behavioral change decision-making under threatening conditions. The models explained a total variance of 80% in explaining how the fear of COVID-1D invokes an individual's behavioral change towards public safety and actor wellbeing. Policymakers, wellbeing psychologists, and healthcare practitioners can leverage the finding in this work to understand the antecedents that promote people's behavioral change towards psychological and physical wellbeing, such as that which come with COVID-19 and mask use. In particular, face mask advocates can leverage this paper's fear and wellbeing understanding in their promotional and educational exercises. We recommend reconsidering mask use protocols to support the slogan "Any Mask is Better Than No Mask."
Keywords: COVID-19, fear of COVID-19, face mask, self-regulation, actor wellbeing