A comparative cross-cultural study of fear of COVID-19 in Persian and Turkmen elderly populations

It is believed that COVID-19 has caused significant fear among older adults. The province of Golestan has a unique ethnic diversity, which requires examining the beliefs and concerns of older adults about health and disease. The aim of this study was to compare the fear of COVID-19 among Persian and Turkmen older adults.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 500 older adults of Persian and Turkmen ethnicities covered by health centers in Bandar Turkmen (Golestan-Iran) from 2021 to 2022. Sampling was done by availability, and the samples were extracted from the list of older adults in the NAB system. Demographic data and the COVID-19 fear questionnaire were used to collect information. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 18 and Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square, and ANOVA tests at a significance level of 0.05.

The mean and standard deviation age of the participants in the Persian and Turkmen ethnicities were 70.99±6.91 and 73.66±7.66, respectively. The mean score of fear of COVID-19 in Persian older adults was 20.59±2.24, and in Turkmen older adults was 22.02±1.34, which showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.001). Fear of COVID-19 had a significant statistical relationship with occupation, education level, history of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization history, and having a COVID-19 patient in the family (p<0.001).

The results of this study showed that fear of COVID-19 was higher among Persian older adults. Ethnic and clinical differences in COVID-19 can have an impact on preventive care in the healthcare system.