University of Bristol

Academic Institute

Yasmin Iles-CavenProfessor Jean GoldingDr. Kate Northstone

B3835

ALSPAC has collected information from both the parent and offspring participants during the Covid-19 pandemic on four occasions, asking about changes in behaviour, lifestyle, anxiety, depression, well-being, perceived risk and stress, life events, the ability to cope, financial and food security worries. ALSPAC has already shown that anxiety levels were much higher in the offspring than the parents. Locus of control as conceptualised by Julian Rotter (1966) within his social learning theory is a “generalized problem-solving expectancy” learned in childhood via interactions with parents and through interactions with peers and other adults. Internals (ILOC) and externals (ELOC) have different approaches to solving problems because of their differing learned expectancies about their role in solving them. Internal problem solvers tend to be governed by a learned expectancy that their efforts can affect success or failure in contrast to external problem solvers who depend, for their success, more on luck, fate, chance or powerful others, rather than on their own efforts. We would like to examine the relationship between locus of control (LOC) and if, in particular, a more internal LOC results in increased resilience to anxiety, depression and ability to cope.

Could have public health impacts: (i) LOC internality being protective - how is internality increased (it can be learned); (ii) Externals learn differently to Internals - this may impact in the way public health messages are delivered to the public (not just in relation to the pandemic).

19/07/2021