This study investigates travel behavior and psychosocial factors that influence it during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a cross-sectional study, using an online survey, we examined changes in travel behavior and preferences after lifting travel restrictions, and how these changes were influenced by exposure to COVID-19, COVID-19 travel-related risk and severity, personality, fear of travel, coping, and self-efficacy appraisals in the Romanian population. Our results showed that participants traveled less in the pandemic year than the year before—especially group and foreign travel—yet more participants reported individual traveling in their home county during the pandemic period. Distinct types of exposure to COVID-19 risk, as well as cognitive and affective factors, were related to travel behavior and preferences. However, fun-seeking personality was the only major predictor of travel intention, while fear of travel was the only predictor of travel avoidance. Instead, people traveled more cautiously when they perceived more risk of infection at the destination, and had higher levels of fear of travel, but also a high sense of efficacy in controlling the infection and problem-solving capacity. The results suggest that specific information about COVID-19, coping mechanisms, fear of travel, and neuropsychological personality traits may affect travel behavior in the pandemic period.

The persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus imposed vaccination passports for traveling in most countries. We investigated psychological factors that predict the intention to vaccinate for travel. In a cross-sectional study, we examined how demographic variables, vaccination status, perceived risk of infection and severity of disease contracted at travel destination, safety and effectiveness of vaccines against contracting COVID-19 during travel, and conspiracy beliefs are related to intention to vaccinate for travel. Further analyses involved differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in a Romanian sample regarding conspiracy beliefs, attitudes about vaccines, and self-efficacy of controlling COVID-19 infection. Results showed that the intention to vaccinate for travel reasons is best predicted by vaccination status and perceptions of safety and efficacy of vaccines against COVID-19. Thus, vaccinated individuals believing that vaccines are safe and effective most probably will take another vaccine booster if it will allow them to travel. Positive relationships of the intention to vaccinate for travel reasons were found with age, vaccination status, conspiracy beliefs, perceptions of safety and effectiveness of vaccines, intention to travel, and a more cautious approach to travel. No significant relationships were found between perceptions of risk for self or for transmitting the disease to others, severity of disease, and the intention to vaccinate for travel. We also found significant differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated participants, as unvaccinated participants showed higher levels of conspiracy beliefs and less trust in the safety and efficacy of vaccines. We conclude that campaigns focused on promoting information on the safety and efficacy of vaccines is the most important direction for promoting vaccination in young travelers.

Feelings-As-Embodied Information: Studying the Role of Feelings As Images in Emotional Disorders

Primary irrational beliefs, such as demanding about attaining personal goals, are a common trans-diagnostic factor involved in many emotional disorders. Although Bipolar Disorder (BPD) is a severe emotional disorder, little is known about the role of primary irrational beliefs in the risk of BPD. Given that the risk for mania is related to responses to positive rather than adverse events, we developed a measure of irrational beliefs in response to cues of positive events. This is the first study that examines the relationship between positive primary irrational beliefs and the risk of BPD. 119 participants completed an online survey including measures for the risk of BPD, irrational beliefs, positive irrational beliefs, mania-related cognitions, and mood measures (depressive and manic mood). Results revealed significant associations between the risk of BPD and positive primary irrational beliefs, irrational beliefs, positive generalization, and mood. Regression analyses revealed that positive primary irrational beliefs, such as demanding to attain significant goals in response to cues for positive events, uniquely predict the risk for BPD independently of mood, mania-related cognitions and irrational beliefs. These findings encourage the treatment approaches focused on restructuring primary irrational beliefs in response to positive situations to reduce the risk of BPD.

According to the ABC model of positive feelings, responding to positive activating events with irrational beliefs will result in dysfunctional positive feelings. Evidencing the role of irrational beliefs in dysfunctional positive feelings may have important clinical implications. However, no study has tested this model. Here, we tested the ABC model of positive feelings based on the REBT model of emotion. 115 participants had to imagine eight anticipatory positive situations. Then they reported how vividly they imagined the situations, and what they would believe and feel if they were in each situation. After that, they completed a hypomania scale, a general measure of positive irrational beliefs, and a general measure of irrational beliefs about adverse events. Results showed that situational positive primary irrational beliefs mediate the effect of vividness of imagining positive situations on dysfunctional positive feelings (b = 2.436, 95% CI: LL = 1.314 to UL = 3.832) while situational preferences mediated the effect of positive events on functional positive feelings (b = 0.642, 95% CI: LL = 0.165 to UL = 1.209). Moreover, the effect of positive primary irrational beliefs on dysfunctional positive feelings was mediated by secondary positive irrational beliefs such as positive intolerance (b = 3.826, 95% CI: LL = 0. 370; to UL = 7.740), and extreme self-valuing (b = 1. 330, 95% CI: LL = 0.287 to UL = 2.471) but not by wonderfulizing (b = 0.061, 95% CI: LL = −3.337 to UL = 3.298). Finding support for the ABC model of positive feelings and showing the role of irrational beliefs in dysfunctional and functional positive feelings may advance existing treatments for promoting mental health and reducing the disturbances of positive emotions.