Anxiety and Fear of COVID-19 Among People Aged >18 Years in Kermanshah, Iran

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) not only threatened the physical health and caused death in some cases, but also caused psychological problems and unbearable pressures. This study aims to investigate the fear of COVID-19 and anxiety among people over 18 years of age in Kermanshah, Iran.

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2021 on 400 men and women aged >18 years in Kermanshah city. Data collection tools included a demographic form, a researcher-made fear of COVID-19 questionnaire, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS v.19 software. The significance level was set at 0.05.

It was reported that 5.5% had low fear, 75.3% had moderate fear, and 19.2% had high fear of COVID-19, 60. Moreover, 1% had mild anxiety, 38.1% had moderate anxiety and 1.8% had severe anxiety. Fear of COVID-19 was higher in married people, people with a large household size, and those with higher educational level (P<0.001). Among the demographic variables, only the educational level was significantly associated with anxiety (P<0.001), where those with higher educational level had more anxiety. The results of correlation test showed that the fear of COVID-19 had a positive and significant relationship with anxiety.

The fear of COVID-19 has a positive and significant relationship with anxiety. To maintain the mental health of the society during the pandemic, it seems necessary to identify people prone to mental disorders and provide appropriate psychological interventions to them.