Make No Apologies: Fear of Negative Evaluation, Depressive Symptoms, and the Mediating Role of Accounting for COVID-Safe Behavior Amongst People at High-Risk for Severe Illness

Figures & data

Table 1. Reports of medical conditions from participants.

Condition	Frequency	Percentage of the Sample
Cancer	36	13.3%
Chronic kidney diseases	30	11.1%
Chronic liver diseases	35	12.9%
Chronic lung diseases	41	15.1%
Cystic fibrosis	14	5.2%
Dementia or other neurological conditions	15	5.5%
Diabetes (types 1 and 2)	72	26.6%
Disabilities	36	13.3%
Heart conditions	45	16.6%
HIV infection	14	5.2%
Immunocompromised condition or weakened immune system	36	13.3%
Mental health conditions	58	21.4%
Overweight and obesity	99	36.5%
Physical inactivity	53	19.6%
Pregnancy	16	5.9%
Sickle cell disease or thalassemia	14	5.2%
Smoking, current or former	71	26.2%
Solid organ or blood stem transplant	7	2.6%
Stroke or cerebrovascular disease	12	4.4%
Substance use disorders	20	7.4%
Tuberculosis	13	4.8%
Other (specify if so)	16	5.9%

The percentages total to over 100% because participants were allowed to select as many as applied to their medical condition. People who selected “Other” typed in conditions such as Asthma and Crohn’s Disease. For more information, please contact the authors.

Table 2. Correlations among study variables.

	1	2	3	4	5
1. Fear of Negative Evaluation
2. Justification	.07
3. Excuses	.20**	.76**
4. Apology	.23**	.66**	.81**
5. Depressive Symptoms	.52**	.36**	.56**	.57**
6. Need for Medical Privacy	−.08	−.05	−.09	−.16*

*p < .05; **p < .01.

Figure 1. The hypothesized model.

Note. H3 tested the indirect paths from fear of negative evaluations to depressive symptoms through each mediating variable. The model also controlled for desire for medical privacy.