Communicable disease protection behaviors among female dormitory-resident university students: The mediating role of self-protection awareness between scabies fear and protection behaviors

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Abstract
This study examined the relationships among scabies fear, self-protection awareness and protection behaviors, and identified predictors of communicable disease awareness and protection behaviors among university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 680 female students residing in a dormitory. Data were collected between December 2024 and February 2025 using a Personal Information Form, the Scabies Fear Scale, and the Communicable Disease Risk Awareness and Protection Scale. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 31 and PROCESS macro (Model 4). Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that age was a significant negative predictor, whereas higher economic status and maternal education were positive predictors of communicable disease awareness and protection behaviors. The inclusion of the subscale dimensions of the Scabies Fear Scale in Model 2 significantly increased the explained variance (ΔR²=0.05, p<0.001), and the addition of scabies knowledge further improved the model (ΔR²=0.01, p<0.01), with the final model explaining 12.2% of the variance. Mediation analysis indicated a significant indirect effect of scabies fear on protection behaviors through self-protection awareness. While the total effect of scabies fear on protection behaviors was significant (B=0.146, p=0.004), the direct effect became non-significant after including the mediator (B=0.022, p=0.517). The indirect effect was significant (B=0.124, 95%CI [0.041, 0.207]). These findings highlight the potential role of self-protection awareness in the association between emotional responses and protection behaviors and suggest that awareness-based interventions may represent a useful approach for promoting communicable disease prevention.
Funding Information
  • This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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