Version 1
: Received: 6 December 2023 / Approved: 7 December 2023 / Online: 11 December 2023 (07:14:52 CET)
How to cite:
Siao, L.; Chen, T.H.; Ma, W. The Exploration of Prolonged Mask Use on Appearance Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Taiwan. Preprints2023, 2023120646. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0646.v1
Siao, L.; Chen, T.H.; Ma, W. The Exploration of Prolonged Mask Use on Appearance Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Taiwan. Preprints 2023, 2023120646. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0646.v1
Siao, L.; Chen, T.H.; Ma, W. The Exploration of Prolonged Mask Use on Appearance Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Taiwan. Preprints2023, 2023120646. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0646.v1
APA Style
Siao, L., Chen, T.H., & Ma, W. (2023). The Exploration of Prolonged Mask Use on Appearance Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Taiwan. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0646.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Siao, L., Tzu Han Chen and Wei-Fen Ma. 2023 "The Exploration of Prolonged Mask Use on Appearance Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Taiwan" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0646.v1
Abstract
(1) Background: This study aimed to explore how prolonged mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic affected appearance anxiety; (2) Methods: It implemented a quantitative–qualitative mixed-research approach based on a convenience sample of young people in Taiwan; (3) Results: A total of 1,118 participants completed the online questionnaire. A total of 49 participants reached the 55-point threshold of Appearance Anxiety Scale. Higher score of appearance anxiety was correlated to higher state anxiety statistically (r = 0.4, p < 0.001). Ten participants were interviewed and qualitative content analysis revealed 5 main themes and 16 subthemes. Three of the main themes were related to the positive effects of wearing masks for pandemic prevention and reducing appearance anxiety: “Wearing masks indicates compliance with the epidemic prevention requirement,” “Wearing masks functions as protection against lack of confidence in appearance,” and “Wearing masks helps mitigate the fear of being judged by others.” The remaining two “Wearing masks shifts attention from appearance to figure” and “Prolonged mask wearing exacerbates the anxiety about taking it off” were related to the impacts of long-term mask use; (4) Conclusions: results enhance understanding of negative emotional experiences and anxiety related to physical appearance.
Keywords
COVID-19; mask; physical appearance; anxiety; body image; social interaction
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
