**1. Introduction**

*1.1. Golobal Scenario of COVID-19 and Coping Strategies for Infective Respiratory Disease Pandemics*

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). It causes physical symptoms including severe pneumonia, pulmonary edema and multiple organ failure [1]. It emerged at the end of 2019 and soon became a major public health burden worldwide [2]. On 11 March 2020, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic due to the rapid virus spread and high death toll over the world [3]. As of 29 January 2021, there were up to one hundred million confirmed cases and over two million deaths in over 200 countries [4].

People may change their daily routines due to the adoption of protective behaviors against COVID-19 and search for additional information on the disease. Understanding how the public cope with a pandemic can help health professionals better understand the impact it has on their daily lives, the adequacy of policy for infection control, and the future

**Citation:** Li, D.-J.; Ko, N.-Y.; Chang, Y.-P.; Yen, C.-F.; Chen, Y.-L. Mediating Effects of Risk Perception on Association between Social Support and Coping with COVID-19: An Online Survey. *Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health* **2021**, *18*, 1550. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph18041550

Academic Editors: Paolo Roma, Merylin Monaro and Cristina Mazza Received: 18 January 2021 Accepted: 2 February 2021 Published: 6 February 2021

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outcomes of the pandemic. For instance, handwashing is the behavior most recommended by the World Health Organization to protect individuals from contracting COVID-19 [5]. Several coping strategies during infectious disease pandemic were frequently used, such as active coping (seeking social support), problem-focused coping (seeking alternatives, problem-solving), and emotion-focused coping (avoidance) [6]. A longitudinal study recruiting publics during COVID-19 also indicated that several coping strategies, specifically seeking social support, engaging in distractions, and seeking professional help, were used more frequently by those with more pandemic/lockdown distress [7].

In contrast with negative/passive coping, active coping is a stress-management strategy in which a person directly works to control a stressor through targeted behavior [8]. It is generally considered adaptive, having been associated with fewer mood disturbances, and enhanced self-efficacy [8]. Different types of coping strategies are associated with diversities of psychological impacts. During the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic, active coping was positively related to perceived general health and life satisfaction [9]. It was also reported to be associated with positively subjective wellbeing in COVID-19 pandemic [10]. On the other hand, a web-based survey of people in China reported that those with negative/passive coping strategies, such as do nothing or substance abuse, had a higher level of psychological distress during the COVID-19 epidemic [11]. Moreover, individuals who have negative coping strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic have a higher risk of being infected. For example, people with cognitive impairment and mental illness are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection as they have little awareness of the risk and maladaptive coping strategies regarding personal protection [12]. Therefore, investigations into factors that predict how the public actively cope with the COVID-19 pandemic are crucial to estimate the multi-dimensional impacts of COVID-19.
