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. 2022 May;44(3):227-233.
doi: 10.1177/02537176221091675. Epub 2022 May 8.

COVID-19 Pandemic, Risk, and Blame Attributions: A Scoping Review

Manoj Kumar Sharma  1 , Senthil Amudhan  2 , Meghna Achar  3 , Akash Vishwakarma  3
Affiliations

COVID-19 Pandemic, Risk, and Blame Attributions: A Scoping Review

Manoj Kumar Sharma et al. Indian J Psychol Med. 2022 May.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated psychological distress led people to engage in attributing several health-related behaviors and consequences at the community and international levels. A scoping review was conducted to explore the existing literature on the use of attribution theory in understanding the psychological phenomena underlying health-related behavior and consequences during the pandemic.

Methods: We conducted the literature review using Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework for scoping review. Studies were identified through a comprehensive search of the following six databases: MEDLINE through PubMed, ProQuest, JSTOR, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. All databases were searched for entries in English from September 2019 to September 2021 to correspond to the advent of the pandemic.

Results: Several elements influence attributions and the influences of the attributions on people's responses to information and the consequences of attributions in influencing people's responses to information and behavior changes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of attribution errors leading to stigmatization and responsibility framing, both crucial for implementing pandemic control measures and enhancing psychological well-being, were also highlighted.

Conclusion: More research is needed in this field to inform people-centered policies and pandemic preparedness plans to mitigate the potentially devastating psychosocial consequence of the pandemic or other public health emergencies.

Keywords: COVID-19; attribution; blame; well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to declare with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. PRISMA flow diagram of the study selection for the review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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