Assessment of COVID-19–Associated Stress and Knowledge Among Iranian Population: A Web-Based Cross-sectional Survey

The first COVID-19 case was reported in December 2019 in China. The number of infected cases increased rapidly, and COVID-19 became a public health issue worldwide. The high transmission rate and global spreading of COVID-19 caused public anxiety and may lead to unfavorable effects on psychological health.

This study evaluated the COVID-19 impact on the public anxiety, knowledge, and behavior of Iranians.

We used a web-based cross-sectional survey and collected data from 1627 volunteers. Demographic information, anxiety self-reporting, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7), and COVID-19–related knowledge were evaluated.

Among the participants, the dominant GAD-7 score was mild, and the self-reporting level of anxiety was 5.28/10. Women and younger people reported higher anxiety than men and older groups. Further, 69.76% of participants had good knowledge, and among them, the level of education had a positive effect on knowledge, while sex and age did not have any effect. Social media and applications were the most common source of information.

Our study showed that Iranians’ anxiety was at the medium level, and their high knowledge level about COVID-19 could affect this reduction; however, we should not ignore that less anxiety makes the matter less essential.