Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Special Education Department, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Over the last year, the world has witnessed an infectious disease (COVID‑19)
outbreak that has shown a high rate of spread. Therefore, several prevention and mitigation measures
have been imposed to control the spread of the virus worldwide. The aim of the current study is to
identify the commitment level to social distancing and its relationship to psychological stress among
members of Saudi society during COVID‑19 pandemic.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The descriptive correlational design was employed in the current
study, and the sample of the study consisted of 536 Saudis selected using convenient sampling
method. The study was conducted in four cities in Saudi Arabia (Altayef, Mecca, and Najran, in 2020
during COVID‑19 pandemic using quantitative survey method. Several analysis methods using SPSS
software were used to analyze the data such as mean and standard deviation, three‑way ANOVA,
Scheffe’s test, and Pearson correlation.
RESULTS: The study revealed that the psychological stress and commitment level to social
distancing by the study sample during COVID‑19 pandemic was moderate, and differences were
observed among the study variables. Furthermore, the study revealed a statistically significant
negative correlation between the commitment level to social distancing and the exposure to
psychological pressures.
CONCLUSION: The study contributed to literature by developing a model to enhance the importance
of social distancing of people during COVID‑19 pandemic. The study recommends the necessity to
provide advice and counseling services that enhance community members’ awareness about the
application of social distancing during COVID‑19 pandemic.,
Keywords
COVID‑19 outbreak: Temporary suspension of the umrah
pilgrimage. J Travel Med 2020;395:e48.
2. ChenY, LiuQ, GuoD. Emerging coronaviruses: Genome structure,
replication, and pathogenesis. J Med Virol 2020;92:418‑23.
3. Barry M, Al Amri M, Memish ZA. COVID‑19 in the Shadows of
MERS‑CoV in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. J Epidemiol Glob
Health 2020;10:1‑3.
4. National Center for Mental Health Promotion. Social Distancing
and Social Isolation; 2020. Available from: http://ncmh.org.sa/
index.php/pages/corona_view/3. [Last accessed on 2020 Aug
09].
5. Lazarus A. Multimodal Behavior Therapy. NewYork: Springer; 1988.
Available from: http://www.psycnet.apa.org/record/2009‑02305
‑046. [Last accessed on 2020 Jun 17].
6. Lazarus R, Folkman S. Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York,
NY, USA: Springer Publishing Company; 1984. Available from:
https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978‑1‑4419‑1005‑9_215. [Last
accessed on 2020 Jul 07].
7. Polizzi C, Jay‑Lynn S, Perry A. Stress and coping in the time
of COVID‑19: Pathways to resilience and recovery. Clin
Neuropsychiatry 2020;17:59‑62.
8. Sekaran U. Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building
Approach. New York John Willey & Sons, Ltd; 2003 Available fr
om: http://www. https://www.scirp.org/(S (vtj3fa45qm
1ean45vvffcz55)/reference/ReferencesPapers.aspx?Refer
enceID=1906678. [Last accessed on 2020 Aug 15].
9. Jdaitawi M. Does flipped learning promote positive emotions in
science education? A comparison between traditional and flipped
classroom approaches. Electron J Elearn 2021;18:516‑24.
10. Moeed Y, Yue L, Ling L. Research progress of new
coronavirus (covid‑19): Theoretical study. J Med Pharm Sci
2020;4:140‑59.
11. Jafari A, Mohammadpour M, Ghanbarzadegan A, Rossi‑Fedele G,
Bastani P. Oral health knowledge, attitude, and awareness about
coronavirus: A systematic review and meta‑analysis. J Educ
Health Promot 2021;10:1‑8.
12. Nejhaddadgar N, Azadi H, Mehedi N, Toghrol R, Faraji A.
Teaching adult how to prevent COVID‑19 infectious by health
workers: The application of intervention mapping approach.
J Educ Health Promot 2021;10:1‑8.
13. Tandon T, Dubey A, Arora E, Hasan M. Effects of COVID‑19
pandemic lockdown on medical advice seeking and medication
practices of home‑bound non‑COVID patients. J Educ Health
Promot 2021;10:1‑8.
)