Anxiety and Aggression During COVID-19: On Example of Four Regions of Russia

Social isolation, quarantine, loneliness as a result of the imposed restrictions, economic problems, led to physical and psychological problems in different populations. Studies are being conducted across countries on the effects of stress from the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping to find factors that will help people adapt more easily to new environmental conditions and cope less anxiously with their trials. This article presents the results of a study of regional differences in the level of anxiety and aggression during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, depending on the measures taken in each region, using the example of Moscow, the Rostov region, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. Data was collected for the period from April 29 to June 21, 2020. In total, 1903 people were interviewed (232 people from Moscow, 362 people from Tatarstan, 1023 people from the Rostov region, 286 people from the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug). The results of the study show that the residents of Moscow and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug were the most anxious during the first wave of COVID-19, and that the residents of the Rostov region were the least stressed. An important factor influencing the level of aggressiveness during COVID-19 was the level of trust in official information. The most distrustful of official sources were residents of the Rostov region and Moscow. The most aggressive in relation to information coming from official sources were respondents from Moscow; the least aggressive were residents of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. In all regions, the level of anxiety and aggression was higher among those respondents who believed that the measures taken by the authorities against the spread of COVID-19 were insufficient. These data can be used as an additional source of information for taking effective measures to overcome the pandemic at the present time.