Association of COVID-19 Knowledge, Adherence to Precautionary Measures, Human Behavior, and Positive Mental Health in the Saudi General Public: Considerations for Innovative Tailored Rehabilitation Approaches

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19) pandemic has wreaked havoc worldwide and affected the mental health of many people by prompting fears of falling sick, dying, helplessness, and stigma. Therefore, timely recognition of mental health issues is needed. This study aimed to assess the relationships of knowledge, adherence to precautionary measures, human behavior, and positive mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic on the general Saudi population. Methods: An online survey using snowballing sampling was conducted to collect data on respondents’ socio-demographics, COVID-19 knowledge, adherence to precautions, human behavior, and positive state of mental health during the pandemic. Path analysis was used to measure effects among these factors. Results: Survey responses revealed that fatigue significantly affected performance, with 47% of participants strongly agreeing that fatigue impacted their cognitive and motor functions. Significant positive correlations were found between the EXP GPD Score and Control GPD Score (0.8031), and between EXP GPD Errors and Control GPD Errors (0.8595). The regression analysis indicated that for every unit increase in the Fatigue Borg Scale, the EXP GPD Score (time) increased by approximately 0.8036 units. Paired samples t-tests confirmed significant differences in performance and perceived fatigue between control and post-fatigue groups. Conclusion: In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in Saudi Arabia, knowledge about the disease, and human behavior affected positive mental ‎health. The findings found that positive mental health could be enhanced with clear communication and dissemination of knowledge, and having appropriate human behavior in the early stages of an outbreak. Further research is warranted to explore the effect of adhering to precautionary measures on having positive mental health in future pandemics.