Reactance against Anti-COVID Regulations – a Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals perceived a threat to their freedom due to government-imposed restrictions on specific behaviors, motivating them to take actions against these limitations. The Reactance Theory (Brehm, 1981) proved valuable in explaining the motivation of these individuals to resist anti-COVID regulations. Numerous studies have been published, demonstrating that experiencing reactance against anti-COVID policy leads to actions contradictory to these measures. This article aims to describe a systematic review of studies examining the relationship between regulations aimed at limiting the pandemic and reactance to these actions. Method: The review included works from the EBSCO, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, measuring reactance as a state or trait, along with variables directly related to combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The literature review identified 59 studies on the relationship between anti-COVID regulations and reactance to these actions. An analysis of the characteristics of the studied populations, research methodology, and obtained results was conducted. The study outlined persuasive measures encouraging actions in line with government recommendations that intensify or reduce reactance, as well as those that do not influence it. Furthermore, it described various relationships between reactance (trait and state against regulations) and the willingness to comply with anti-COVID regulations. Conclusion: The presented literature review identified determinants of experiencing a state of reactance against anti-COVID regulations and described relationships between reactance and the effectiveness of these regulations. The results of the review may aid in designing future regulations aimed at combating epidemics.