A Serial Cross-Sectional Study Investigating Unrealistic Optimism, Risk Perception and Protective Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Protective behavior is crucial during crisis conditions, especially amid the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to examine whether (1) unrealistic optimism significantly correlates with risk perception; (2) risk perception significantly affects protective behavior; (3) risk perception mediates the relationship between unrealistic optimism and protective behavior; and (4) whether these factors (unrealistic optimism, risk perception, protective behavior) shift from the early phase to the middle phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in an Indonesian context. The study employed a cross-sectional quantitative method, involving 549 respondents (with a mean age of 26.02) obtained through nonprobability (accidental) sampling. The study was divided into two time windows: Study 1 during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic and Study 2 when the pandemic had been ongoing for over a year. The results confirmed a relationship between unrealistic optimism and protective behavior, as well as between risk perception and protective behavior. However, risk perception did not mediate the relationship between unrealistic optimism and protective behavior. There was a shift in the levels of unrealistic optimism, risk perception, and protective behavior over time, particularly between Study 1 and Study 2. Respondents exhibited higher levels of unrealistic optimism in Study 1 compared to Study 2. Risk perception among respondents increased with the prolonged duration of the pandemic, while the level of protective behavior decreased as the pandemic persisted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]