Evolving policies, enduring impacts: Cross‐sectional surveys of mental health, risk‐related perceptions, and coping behaviors throughout China's U‐turn in its stringent zero‐COVID policy

China's early encounter with COVID-19 and protracted prevention policies, presents an ideal case to study psychological changes during a prolonged and evolving crisis. This study aims to examine the shifts in mental health symptoms, risk-related perceptions, and associated coping behaviors within two large-scale samples of Chinese respondents, spanning from the pandemic's onset to the relaxation of the zero-COVID policy. Moreover, the study strives to identify protective factors that could potentially mitigate the pandemic's impact.