Health risk perceptions in the era of the new coronavirus: are the Italian people ready for a novel virus? A cross-sectional study on perceived personal and comparative susceptibility for infectious diseases

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the impact of psychological and sociodemographic variables on perceived personal and comparative susceptibility to diseases caused by a novel, unknown virus. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: A total of 438 adults (200 male and 238 female) were interviewed in the waiting rooms of three primary care medicine outpatient clinics. The participants completed three validated questionnaires: the Italian Adjustment of Risk Perception of Infectious Diseases questionnaire, the General Self-Efficacy (GSE) scale, and the Italian Version of Personality Inventory (ITAPI). RESULTS: Only 5% of the respondents believed it likely that they would contract a disease caused by a novel virus in the following months, even though 5.9% considered this probability higher than that of other people of the same age and gender. Gender (P < .04), age (P = .002), and marital status (P = .002) significantly affected the perceived risk of getting a disease caused by a novel virus. Self-efficacy (P < .001), imagination (P < .001), and empathy (P < .001) were significant predictors of perceived personal susceptibility. Self-efficacy (P = .04) and imagination (P = .04) were predictive of perceived comparative susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS: Adequate psycho-educational interventions are necessary to empower the population in adopting the necessary prevention and containment measures aimed at limiting the spread of novel diseases such as COVID-19 and avoiding disastrous consequences both at the health and economic level.