Doomsday Prepping During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Public Health

Background:

• Doomsday prepping, preparing for societal collapse, saw increased global attention during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Excessive stockpiling led to supply shortages, prompting investigation into associated psychological and demographic factors.
• Traditional views linked prepping to extremists, but pandemic trends broadened its scope.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate psychological and demographic factors associated with doomsday prepping behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To examine the relationship between prepping, COVID-19 proximity, coping strategies, psychopathology, intolerance of uncertainty (IU), and personality traits.
• To understand the mediators influencing gender differences in stockpiling behavior.

Main Methods:

• An online study surveyed 384 participants (249 female) using validated scales for prepping beliefs and behaviors, psychopathology, IU, and personality.
• Data were analyzed using ANOVAs, correlational analyses, and mediation analyses.
• Specific scales included the Post-Apocalyptic and Doomsday Prepping Beliefs Scale and a COVID-19 specific prepping measure.

Main Results:

• Prepping beliefs and behaviors were more prevalent in males and positively correlated with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, IU, and traditional masculinity.
• Older age, male gender, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and traditional masculinity independently predicted prepping.
• Social learning (witnessing panic buying) and perceived COVID-19 threat mediated the gender-stockpiling relationship, not proximity or personal vulnerability.

Conclusions:

• Doomsday prepping and panic buying during the pandemic were primarily driven by psychological factors, social learning, and catastrophic thinking, rather than direct exposure to the virus.
• Interventions should address personality traits, anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and social influences to mitigate future stockpiling behaviors.
• Understanding these drivers is crucial for managing public responses to future crises and pandemics.