Explaining Resistance to the COVID-19 Preventive Measures: A Psychological Reactance Perspective

Abstract

This paper examines the impact that psychological reactance has on the COVID-19 adherence-related behavior and vaccine motivations of the residents of Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional, online survey was administered, and 604 usable responses were analyzed to discover the level of psychological reactance, and its impact on adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and vaccine intentions. Results of the Kruskal–Wallis H test demonstrated statistically significant evidence (p < 0.05) of differences between the mean ranks for four out of seven key COVID-19 preventive measures studied, and four out of five items related to vaccine motivations, as a result of psychological reactance. These results suggest that while the majority of the population is adhering to COVID-19 preventive measures, for the subset of the population that are not fully compliant, psychological reactance is a significant factor in influencing behavior. Governments are, therefore, recommended to ensure that their public health messages are autonomy supporting, and take into consideration psychological and personality-based differences in individuals.