UK researchers study predictive factors of individual adherence to COVID-19 guidelines to generate recommendations for handling the pandemic. In many countries, compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, including social distancing, adhering to travel restrictions, and wearing masks, is heavily dependent on an individual’s voluntary commitment. Researchers found an association between adherence to COVID-19 guidelines and trust in the national government to handle the pandemic. As individuals with more confidence in the government were more likely to follow travel restrictions and social distancing guidelines, according to this study, it is unsurprising that this group was also found to have an increased prevalence of depressive symptoms. Interestingly, researchers found factors such as mental health issues and feelings of loneliness and social isolation were not strongly associated with compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. The main recommendation of this study is that governments should prioritize building and maintaining citizen confidence in order to ensure adherence to COVID-19 guidelines.
