Towards a Globally Collaborative Behavioral Science: An Organizational Approach from Pandemic Psychology

Abstract

The PsyCorona collaboration is a research project to examine processes involved in the COVID-19 pandemic, such as behavior that curbs virus transmission, which may
implicate social norms, cooperation, and self-regulation. The study also examines psychosocial consequences of physical distancing strategies and societal lockdown, such
as frustration of psychological and social needs, economic stressors, relationship strains, prejudice, psychological stress, and deteriorating mental health (e.g., Brooks et
al., 2020). Related consequences were observed in past epidemics such as the 1918 flu pandemic (Dolan, 2020; Honigsbaum, 2019; Jeronimus, 2020). A global collaboration
allows us to study the role of culture, and to make generalizable predictions on societal responses to virus infections.

Full text

Contents
ISSBD SPECIAL SECTION
Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Human Development
Supplement to International Journal of Behavioral Development Volume 44 Issue 6 November, 2020
Number 2 Serial No. 78
Page
Main Editor
Karina Weichold
ISSBD Bulletin
Department of Youth Research, Institute of Psychology
University of Jena
Am Steiger 3 / Haus I
D-07743 Jena, Germany
Email: karina.weichold@uni-jena.de
Co-Editor
Deepali Sharma
ISSBD Bulletin
Mental Health Services Oldham
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
United Kingdom
Email: deepali.sharma3@nhs.net
ISSBDBulletin
B
S
I
S
D
ISSBD Bulletin (Print) ISSN 2040-5235
ISSBD Bulletin (Online) ISSN 2040-5243
SPECIAL SECTION
1 Introduction to the special issue: Consequences of
the COVID-19 Pandemic for Human Development
Karina Weichold and Deepali Sharma
FEATURE ARTICLES
2 Towards a Globally Collaborative Behavioral Science:
An Organizational Approach from Pandemic
Psychology N. Pontus Leander, Edward P. Lemay, Jr.,
Bertus F. Jeronimus, Anita C. Keller, on behalf of the
PsyCorona Collaboration
6 Schooling during COVID-19: Experiences of Indian
Children Suman Verma
10 The Psychological Impact of the COVID-19
Pandemic in Spain and the Challenges for the Mental
Healthcare System Paula Collazo-Castiñeira,
Rocío Rodríguez-Re, Helena Garrido-Hernansaiz,
and Silvia Collado
14 Mental Health Challenges in India in the Time of
COVID-19 Pandemic: An Overview Prerna Sharma
18 Young People in the COVID-19 Pandemic:
Findings from Germany Sabine Walper
COMMENTARY
21 Multisystem Resilience for Children in Disaster:
Reflections in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ann S. Masten
SOCIETY
25 Notes from the President Toni Antonucci
26 Minutes of the ISSBD Executive Committee Meeting
June, 1st 2020 via Zoom, 3 to 5 p.m. (Rhodes,
Greece time) Karina Weichold
JBD_44_6S_Cover.qxp_420 x 280mm 30/11/20 7:07 am Page 1

Towards a Globally Collaborative
Behavioral Science:
An Organizational Approach
from Pandemic Psychology
N. Pontus Leander, Edward P. Lemay Jr., Bertus F. Jeronimus,
Anita C. Keller and on behalf of the PsyCorona Collaboration*
*Collaboration: Managers: Maximilian Agostini, Jocelyn J.
Be
´langer (co-PI), Elissa El Khawli, Ben Gu
¨tzkow, Jannis
Kreienkamp, Maja Kutlaca, Anne Margit Reitsema,
Jolien Anne van Breen, Caspar J. Van Lissa, Michelle R.
vanDellen, Wolfgang Stroebe, Researchers: Georgios
Abakoumkin, Jamilah H. B. Abdul Khaiyom, Vjollca
Ahmedi, Handan Akkas, Carlos A. Almenara, Anton
Kurapov, Mohsin Atta, Sabahat Cigdem Bagci, Sima
Basel, Edona Berisha Kida, Anna Bertolini, Nicholas R.
Buttrick, Phatthanakit Chobthamkit, Hoon-Seok Choi,
Mioara Cristea, Sa
´ra Csaba, Kaja Damnjanovic, Ivan
Danyliuk, Arobindu Dash, Daniela Di Santo, Karen M.
Douglas, , Violeta Enea, Daiane Gracieli Faller, Gavan
Fitzsimons, Michele Gelfand, Alexandra Gheorghiu,
A
´ngel Go
´mez, Qing Han, Mai Helmy, Joevarian
Hudijana, Ding-Yu Jiang, Veljko Jovanovic, Z
ˇeljka
Kamenov, Anna Kende, Shian-Ling Keng, Tra Thi
Thanh Kieu, Yasin Koc, Catalina Kopetz, Kamila
Kovyazina, Inna Kozytska, Joshua Krause, Arie W.
Kruglanski, No
´ra Anna Lantos, Cokorda Bagus Jaya
Lesmana, Winnifred R. Louis, Adrian Lueders, Najma
Iqbal Malik, Anton Martinez, Kira McCabe, Mirra Noor
Milla, Idris Mohammed, Erica Molinario, Manuel
Moyano, Hayat Muhammad, Silvana Mula, Hamdi
Muluk, Solomiia Myroniuk, Reza Najafi, Claudia F.
Nisa, Bogla
´rka Nyu
´l, Paul A. O’Keefe, Jose Javier Olivas
Osuna, Evgeny N. Osin, Joonha Park, Gennaro Pica,
Antonio Pierro, Jonas Rees, Elena Resta, Marika Rullo,
Michelle K. Ryan, Adil Samekin, Pekka Santtila, Edyta
Sasin, Birga Mareen Schumpe, Heyla A Selim, Michael
Vicente Stanton, Samiah Sultana, Robbie M. Sutton,
Eleftheria Tseliou, Akira Utsugi, Kees Van Veen,
Alexandra Va
´zquez, Robin Wollast, Victoria Wai-lan
Yeung, Somayeh Zand, Iris Lav Z
ˇez
ˇelj, Bang Zheng,
Andreas Zick, Claudia Zu
´n
˜iga
N. Pontus Leander, Associate Professor of Psychology,
2/1 Grote Kruisstraat, University of Groningen.
n.p.leander@rug.nl
The COVID-19 pandemic is among the greatest global
disruptions to civil life in modern history. To mitigate the
virus spread, many countries instituted various forms of
lockdown, and urged citizens to take physical distancing
measures to prevent transmission, some of which may
be required for years to come (Anderson, Heesterbeek,
Klinkenberg, & Hollingsworth, 2020; Kissler, Tedijanto,
Goldstein, Grad, & Lipsitch, 2020; Parker, Knight, & Keller,
2020). Each new pandemic is uncharted territory, and there
is a paucity of research examining whether and how people
can initiate or maintain such behavioral changes. Further-
more, global challenges may require globally-oriented col-
laborations, which in turn require organizational models
that fit the situation.
The PsyCorona collaboration is a research project to
examine processes involved in the COVID-19 pandemic,
such as behavior that curbs virus transmission, which may
implicate social norms, cooperation, and self-regulation.
The study also examines psychosocial consequences of
physical distancing strategies and societal lockdown, such
as frustration of psychological and social needs, economic
stressors, relationship strains, prejudice, psychological
stress, and deteriorating mental health (e.g., Brooks et
al., 2020). Related consequences were observed in past epi-
demics such as the 1918 flu pandemic (Dolan, 2020; Hon-
igsbaum, 2019; Jeronimus, 2020). A global collaboration
allows us to study the role of culture, and to make general-
izable predictions on societal responses to virus infections.
Culture may influence our living arrangements and how
easily we adjust and cooperate at the societal level to miti-
gate virus transmission. Moreover, because the evolving
coronavirus pandemic has implications for ongoing psy-
chological and social development, we continue to track
people over time.
The study was launched in March 2020, mere days
after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared
COVID-19 a pandemic. We took a holistic approach to this
global challenge. The study assesses virus-related and
lockdown-related behavior, cognition, emotion, and moti-
vation in tens of thousands of participants in dozens of
countries around the world (for details, see Kreienkamp
et al., 2020). The project provides the opportunity for
examining individual-level processes across diverse con-
texts as well as collective-level processes over time.
Respondents who volunteered for the longitudinal study
completed weekly follow-up assessments through mid-
June, and then monthly assessments thereafter.
The initial cross-sectional survey examines basic
associations and cultural differences. The longitudinal
follow-ups examine changes over time. We also linked
respondents’ survey data with interdisciplinary data-
bases containing information specific to their region,
such as infection rates and mortality, societal characteris-
tics, and lockdown policies. Such data can provide insight
into the situational conditions that correspond with specific
psychological and behavioral responses.
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International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development

Cross-cultural and longitudinal analyses allow us to
examine the psychological factors that guide responses to
the pandemic at the individual and societal level. Disaster
literature suggests vulnerability can differ by people’s
socioeconomic status, risk of exposure, gender and age, and
whether they experience additional stressors or otherwise
have scarce and/or deteriorating psychosocial resources
(Rodrı
´guez, Donner, & Trainor, 2018). Such factors may
moderate psychological and behavioral change in response
to the pandemic.
One hypothesis guiding the design of the PsyCorona
project pertains to the phenomenon of ‘‘covid fatigue’’ (i.e.
frustration with the restricted freedoms associated with
virus containment), which is rooted in research and theory
on the psychology of frustration and psychosocial need
deprivation. People can experience frustration of their
material needs (e.g., financial or health insecurity), but also
their psychosocial needs (e.g., loneliness, freedom, bore-
dom, see Jeronimus & Laceulle, 2017). Even when material
needs are met, psychological frustrations can motivate
risky behaviors or hostility to vulnerable groups (Kopetz
& Orehek, 2015; Leander et al., 2020). Over time, these pro-
cesses may undermine vigilance and cooperation. Societal
attempts to control the pandemic may exacerbate this psy-
chosocial frustration by undermining autonomy and indu-
cing a sense of social isolation. Thus, the very psychological
consequences of trying to control the pandemic can deprive
people’s psychological needs and drive unfavorable devel-
opmental trajectories. Our research group prepared manu-
scripts guided by this perspective.
Organization and operations
PsyCorona is a spontaneous and informal collaboration of
academics of all career stages from 37 countries. The project
was centrally organized, but the scientific operations were
spread across the network of collaborators. We took a roll-
ing start to first initiate data collection and then develop the
organization in real-time. A core team coordinated survey
design, data collection, collaboration and communications
(via virtual meetings, shared drive, Slack, GitHub, and
email). Using a hub-and-spoke organizational design, the
core team coordinated with an international network of
researchers to provide survey translations, data collection,
documentation, and feedback. Each national team imple-
mented their own plan to disseminate the survey link in
their region of responsibility.
The rest of the organization was developed while data
were being collected. A data management team was formed
to aggregate, protect, and prepare the data for analysis, as
well as to identify unique issues that arise in data collection
across cultures, including response sets and equivalence of
measurement (Gelfand, Raver, & Ehrhart , 2002; Henrich,
Heine, & Norenzayan, 2010). A data science team gathered
COVID-relevant databases and integrated them with the
survey data,and an internal board was formed to manage sci-
entific output. In addition to the above, multiple project man-
agers and senior scientific strategists provided flexible
support. By the time the vast majority of the data were col-
lected, the data management team and data science team and
internal board were ready to invite collaborators to self-orga-
nize into manuscript teams to submit analysis proposals.
The first twelve weeks of the collaboration were inten-
sive to adequately assess early public reactions to the pan-
demic. While bilingual collaborators translated the survey
and distributed the survey link, other collaborators man-
aged quality control, prepared documentation, and applied
for funding to boost data collection in several countries to
ensure age-gender representativeness because, at the time
of the study, age and (male) gender were identified as
vulnerability factors (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2020; Wenham et al., 2020). These rapid efforts
resulted in responses from approximately 60,000 partici-
pants globally. After completing the cross-sectional survey,
participants were invited to sign up for the longitudinal
component of the study. Each follow-up assessment
typically received 4,000þresponses. While these research
efforts were ongoing, the internal board started reviewing
data analysis proposals for rigor and conceptual unique-
ness. To address the urgency of the times, the data manage-
ment team created an online data visualization tool to
provide public access to portions of the data (aggregated
at the country-level; see psycorona.org/data).
What can we learn from this large-scale,
collaborative, and rapid research endeavor?
In addition to the substantive research findings emerging
from this project, PsyCorona is instructive with regard to
research processes and organizational management. Con-
ducting rapid research with distributed work teams is
inherently risky. Members of the research team had some
operational experience from conducting rapid response
surveys in the wakes of violent events, but nothing on this
scale. It requires researchers to do the work using only
existing infrastructure – and do so over and above their var-
ious other obligations (at work and at home). We treated
time as a resource, but time pressure and intensity also
increased risk of costly errors, delays, or disruptions. All
these risks had to be attenuated through, for instance, open
and transparent procedures and documentation, a climate
of inclusiveness and error detection, and situational
responsiveness. For example, two independent institu-
tions maintained redundant survey infrastructure to
ensure the continuation of the project in the event that one
institution was disabled (Univ. Groningen & New York
University – Abu Dhabi). Rapid research inherently raises
concerns for a speed-accuracy tradeoff and thus small
teams were tasked to manage quality control. Beyond
these operational issues, a project of this size and scope
required an organizational model designed to maximize
cooperation and academic creativity and minimize inter-
nal competition and conflict. We thus instituted an inclu-
sive, collective co-authorship agreement, as well as the
formation of an internal board to help delineate data analy-
sis plans in a manner that could ensure the quality of outputs
while maintaining the individual freedom researchers need
to conduct their best work.
There are inevitable limitations to this research approach.
It was hard to forecast the feasibility of the project because
the pandemic context created unpredictable research condi-
tions and resources. For example, the need to move quickly
may have put some pressure on the collaborators to design
the study more quickly than is typical. The collaborators
2020 BULLETIN Number 2 Serial No. 78
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also needed to rely on existing professional networks and
institutional resources, which can lead to underrepresenta-
tion in both the collaboration and the samples. In addition,
our ad hoc organizational model may have been effective in
the short-term, but it may not be a sustainable model over
the long-term.
While longitudinal data collection is ongoing, internal
and external collaborators have proceeded with certain
planned analyses, which presently span three general
themes:
Psychological vulnerability and resilience. One
research theme focuses on the impact of the pandemic on
behavioral and psychological functioning. Some investiga-
tions have considered group-based disparities in these
outcomes. For example, one investigation examines interge-
nerational differences in psychological responses to the
pandemic and its effects on people’s plans, daily routines,
and mental states. Preliminary results indicate that older
respondents, despite potentially facing a more serious
health threat from the virus, were less likely to perceive the
pandemic as interfering with their life plans (Jin et al.,
under review). Younger respondents showed stronger emo-
tional reactivity. Such disparities in vulnerability may pro-
duce cohort differences in behavior and health outcomes.
Social psychological processes. The pandemic may
require people to choose between protecting their health
and maintaining other important contributors to quality
of life, such as financial security, high-quality interpersonal
relationships, and personal autonomy. Several research
questions focus on how people resolve this dilemma. One
research team is examining the role of personal values in
guiding the decisions people make. Preliminary results
indicate that those who tend to value agency (i.e., values
related to competition in social hierarchies, such as ambi-
tion and competence) place a greater value on their per-
sonal autonomy, whereas those who value communion
(i.e., values related to maintaining harmonious relation-
ships and care for others’ welfare) are more likely to engage
in virus mitigation behaviors that protect other people. In
addition, they are more likely to help others suffering from
the pandemic (Lemay et al., under review). Other investiga-
tions examining social psychological processes examine the
role of threat perceptions, trust in the government and
affective states in guiding this prosocial behavior.
Virus mitigation behavior. Another objective of this
research was to identify the most important predictors of
virus mitigation behavior. We designed the survey to cast
a wide net, including variables that are intrapersonal (e.g.,
affect), interpersonal (e.g., relationships, norms), societal
(e.g., employment conditions, government efficacy, living
situation), and cultural (e.g., national lockdown policy or
virus severity in one’s country). Given the numerous poten-
tially relevant predictors, we used both deductive and
inductive approaches to analyze the data. That is, in parallel
to planned deductive analyses in which we tested various
theoretically-driven hypotheses, an independent team con-
ducted data-driven analyses. Such inductive analyses can
help advance our understanding of virus mitigation phe-
nomena in ways that may not have been anticipated by
extant theories. Moreover, this research has the potential
to identify the most important predictors of virus mitiga-
tion at multiple levels of analysis, and may identify targets
for intervention at each of those levels.
In sum, PsyCorona may serve as an exemplar of a large-
scale, collaborative, and rapid approach to behavioral sci-
ence research that emerges bottom-up and is equipped to
study global challenges as they occur. If psychological sci-
ence is to understand human behavior within context, then
we must be able to collect data while that context is unfold-
ing. It is our hope that PsyCorona provides theoretical and
practical insights regarding the impact of disease and disas-
ters on social and behavioral development, while also ser-
ving as a test case for how independent scientists can
rally to conduct research into pressing social problems.
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