Social perception of Covid-19 from emotional distress and socio-emotional competencies in Mexicans

Abstract

This research aimed to establish the relationship between the social perception about Covid-19 and emotional distress, worry and catastrophic cognition, unnecessary purchases, healing beliefs and socio-emotional skills of Mexicans over 18 years old, from four geographic regions in Mexico. A quantitative methodology was used, with 2324 Mexican people participating in a survey during the phase 2 of Covid-19 pandemic. The results show high concern and catastrophic thinking (M = 34.58), understood as a negative cognitive-emotional response that inflates the value of the threat (Álvarez-Aztorga et al., 2019). High emotional distress (M = 18.95) was found as an unpleasant and multifactorial emotional experience (Bernales et al., 2019). In the general linear regression model, worry and catastrophic cognition (B = 0.642) are related to emotional distress. Socio-emotional competencies (B = -0.152) are a protective factor used as tools that regulate emotional states (Torres, 2018) but with less intensity.