Abstract
We asked 463 participants from 21 countries whether they had feigned and/or concealed having a coronavirus infection during the pandemic period. 384 respondents (83%) reported having experienced a coronavirus infection. They were, on average, younger and reported more chronic health issues than participants who said they had never been infected. 65 (14%) admitted to having feigned the infection. Prevalence doubled (28%) when asked if they knew anyone who had feigned a coronavirus infection. Main motives for feigning were to stay at home and to obtain sick leave. As to having concealed a coronavirus infection, 56 (12%) responded affirmatively, but when asked about others, the prevalence reached 51% (n = 210). The most common reasons for concealment were to avoid letting others know and to not miss an event. Thus, both feigning and concealing infections can occur on a nontrivial scale, directly affecting prevalence rates in studies that rely on self-reported data collected from social platforms.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 595-607 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of Health Psychology |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 6 |
Early online date | 28 Jan 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - May 2024 |
Keywords
- concealment
- coronavirus
- Covid-19
- feigning
- response bias
- SARS-CoV2
- BASE RATES
- PERFORMANCE