Anxiety, protective behaviors and related factors during the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-sectional study

• Main Authors: Tacettin Kuru, Pelin Uymaz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University 2020-07-01
• Series: Acta Medica Alanya
• Subjects: covi̇d-19; pandemi,; anksiete,; covid-19,; pandemia,; anxiete,
• Online Access: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/medalanya/issue/56070/718083?publisher=alku

Aim: This study aims to determine the anxiety, personal protective behaviors, and related factors in Turkish society during the COVID-19 pandemic.Patients and Methods: The sample consisted of 617 volunteer participants aged 18 to 75, living in the community and literate. Research approval, purpose, and questions were delivered to individuals in an online environment using a link and forms were collected by asking the participants to send back the completed questionnaires to the online environment. A COVID-19 data form and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-State) were used to collect the data.Results: The study evaluated data from the 617 participants: 59.48% (n = 367) of the study participants were female and 40.52% (n = 250) were male. We found increased anxiety levels in the participants, with high levels of anxiety in 30.79% (n = 190). The main personal protective behavior was “washing hands frequently” (84.76%). Personal distance and mask usage rates were low (8.6% and 5.02%, respectively). We found higher anxiety levels in men (p = 0.008), people with chronic diseases (p = 0.003), the elderly (p<0.001) and those with lower education levels (p<0.001). We found higher levels of anxiety in those showing avoidance behaviors.Conclusions: The results of our study show that psychological consequences should be considered in addition to the physical outcomes of the COVID-19 outbreak and that some subgroups have a higher risk of anxiety. People who require professional support should be identified and psychological support should be planned.