The prevalence of Corona anxiety and its related demographic factors in Mashhad city

The prevalence of Corona disease (COVID-19) is on the rise around the world, and the unknown nature of this disease exacerbates people's anxiety about it. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of corona anxiety and its related demographic factors in the general population of Mashhad city in the spring of 2020. The method of this research is descriptive and of survey type. The population of this study included all citizens of Mashhad in the spring of 2020. 517 people were selected for the study through convenience sampling via social networks. The participants answered the online questionnaires of demographic characteristics and Corona disease anxiety scale (CDAS). The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests such as frequency, frequency percentage, Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis based on cut-off point of CDAS by SPSS software, Ver. 25. The results showed that the prevalence of corona anxiety among the citizens of Mashhad is 28.82%. Corona anxiety rate in men and women was 31.17% and 24.87%, respectively. Women significantly had more corona anxiety than men (p = 0.001). The prevalence of corona anxiety was not significantly related to marital status (p = 0.13). Corona anxiety was more common in people with high school diploma or lower education (p = 0.001) and there was no significant difference among different ages in terms of corona anxiety prevalence (p = 0.25). The results of the present study show that about one third of the citizens of Mashhad have corona anxiety and this rate is higher in women and people with lower education. The results of this study indicate the need for effective strategies to deal with the increasing prevalence of corona anxiety and its consequences