Relationship between Anxiety Resulting from COVID-19 and Mental Health in the Population Over 18 Years Old in Qaemshahr, Iran, 2021

COVID-19, the third pandemic of the 21stcentury, is highly contagious and can cause anxiety due to the development of serious physical problems and the reduction of quality of life. Anxiety is a psychological state experienced by nearly all humans during their lives. However, it is considered a mental disorder if it exceeds its moderate level.

Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the anxiety level, mental health, and their related factor in the population above 18 years old in Qaemshahr, Iran.

This descriptive, correlational study was conducted on 400 individuals in Qaemshahr County who were selected by convenience sampling in 2021. Given the population of this county, convenience sampling was employed to select 40% of the participants from the rural population and 60% from the urban population. The datawere collected using a demographic questionnaire (7 items), the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale, including somatic (physical) anxiety and psychic (mental) anxiety sections, and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statisticaltests were used for data analysis.

The mean score of mental health was 22.93 ± 8.9, which accounted for 63.69% of the total score of the questionnaire. The total mean score of anxiety was also measured at 9.46 ± 6.89, which contributed to 31.53% to the total score of the questionnaire. According to the results, physical anxiety per se predicted 31% of the dependent variable (mental health).

It can be concluded that critical conditions affect individuals’ anxiety and mental health levels. Therefore, it is essential to pay more attention to the people who lack sufficient socioeconomic support systems.