Investigating People’s Anxieties and Concerns About COVID-19 (original) (raw)
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Research Paper: Investigating People’s Anxieties and Concerns About COVID-19
2020
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted with a qualitative methodology employing the conventional content analysis method. Data of anxieties and concerns of the general population were collected through social workers working at university/ medical schools throughout the country, affiliated healthcare centers, hotline 190, and social networks. The data collection process was saturated with 2920 theoretical data from February 27, 2020, to April 3, 2020. Results: Anxieties and concerns of community members were categorized into 8 areas: 1-Confusion in communication with the surrounding environment, 2-Concerns about vulnerable groups being affected, 3-The necessity of informational support, 4-Economic turmoil, 5-Shortage of preventive and treatment facilities, 6-weakness of social capital, 7-Stressful and destructive atmosphere, 8-Approaches for crisis management situation. Conclusion: Based on the research findings, focusing and attention on people's concerns in a transparent manner, and designing novel psychosocial support systems based on people's real needs to control the disease spread result in the enhancement of social capital between community members to get through this crisis quickly.
2020
Background The first cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were reported in Iran on February 20, and then the virus spread rapidly in all parts of the country, so that over 95000 positive cases and approximately 6000 deaths have been confirmed in this region until May 1, 2020. Even if measures taken in this respect have had significant impacts on reducing the incidence rate of COVID-19, a large number of other problems have arisen. Following this situation, people have been also drawn against many concerns, especially Iranian population with their own previous socioeconomic and cultural problems. Therefore, this nation-wide project aimed to investigate common concerns regarding COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. Methods This qualitative study was conducted in Iran from February to March 2020 via an online open-ended questionnaire. The participants were also selected using convenience and snowball sampling methods. As well, the data collection process continued until data saturation w...
Psychosocial challenges and concerns of COVID-19: A qualitative study in Iran
Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine
As the world struggles to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that the psychosocial aspects related to health are attended to in addition to biological aspects. To this end, the present study aimed to explore the challenges and concerns facing people affected by COVID-19. This qualitative study was conducted using the content analysis method. A total of 25 people affected by COVID-19 were selected purposefully and administered semi-structured interviews. The sampling continued until data saturation. Coding and analysis of data were performed simultaneously using the Granheim method. After reviewing codes, checking the consistency and comparing categories, 5 categories, and 15 subcategories were explored. The most important psychosocial challenges of COVID-19 included the lack of accurate and timely dissemination of information, the intensification of economic problems, psychological instability, weakness in social prevention, and the suspension of social rituals. Identif...
Fear and Anxiety Caused by COVID-19 in the Iranian Society and the Influential Factors
Journal of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, 2021
Background: Due to the changing nature of the spread of emerging infectious diseases, such crises could cause significant fear, especially when the disease is associated with high mortality. Fear and anxiety adversely affect health. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the fear and anxiety caused by COVID-19 in the Iranian society and the influential factors in this regard. Methods: This correlational study was conducted on 458 participants who were recruited for an online survey. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire of COVID-19 fear and Beck's anxiety inventory. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 23 using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics, including t-test and multiple comparisons. Results: The prevalence of fear and anxiety was less than 20%. The correlations between the anxiety scores and fear of COVID-19 with demographic variables indicated that the COVID-19 fear scores had a weak correlation with an appeal to religion and efforts to prevent COVID-19 (P ≤ 0.05), while no correlation was observed with the other variables. In addition, the anxiety scores had weak, inverse correlations with the effort to prevent COVID-19 and satisfaction with the government's effort (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: According to the results, the fear of COVID-19 and the subsequent anxiety is mild in the Iranian society. Low anxiety and fear caused by the disease could lead to negligence and disregarding health standards, which will increase the number of these patients in the community.
Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, 2021
Summary Objectives This nation-wide project aimed to investigate the common perceptions and concerns regarding COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. Methods This qualitative study was conducted in Iran from February to March 2020 via an online open-ended questionnaire. The participants were also selected using convenience and snowball sampling methods. As well, the data collection process continued until data saturation was achieved. Thematic content analysis was utilized to analysis the transcribed texts. Results The statements retrieved also represented the most challenging psychological stress experienced by the participants. Four themes were accordingly recognized based on the content analysis including stressful conditions, health concerns, social and political concerns, and economic concerns. Throughout the study, a major proportion of the participants commented that psychological disorders such as fear, anxiety, stress, and ennui were their main challenges regarding this pandemic. Furth...
Journal of Education and Community Health, 2021
Statement in support of the scientists, public health ... [8] Mental health services for older adults in China ... [9] Online mental health services in China during ... [10] What are the risks of COVID-19 infection ... [11] Clinical management of lung cancer patients ... [12] Rules on isolation rooms for suspected ... [13] How to fight an ... [14] What to do next to control the 2019 nCoV ... [15] An interactive web-based dashboard to track ... [16] Infodemic and risk communication ... [17] Using thematic analysis in ... [18] Naturalistic ... [19] Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and pregnancy ... [20] Mapping the incidence of the COVID-19 hotspot ... [21] Corona virus (COVID-19) infodemic and emerging ... [22] A qualitative study on people's experiences ... [23] Postdigital research in the time of ... [24] 2019-nCoV epidemic: Address mental ... [25] Information needs of drug users on a local ... [26] Information seeking behaviors of parents whose ... [27] A study of health information needs and health ... [28] Toward a conceptual framework of health ... Aims The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread concern, rumors, and fears in different countries. This study aimed to identify the information needs of the Iranian people regarding the pandemic. Participants & Methods A qualitative study using a content analysis approach was conducted to collect experts' opinions on identifying the information needs of the Iranian people regarding the COVID-19 virus from March to May 2020.
Concerns and Support after One Year of COVID-19 in Austria: A Qualitative Study Using Content Analysis with 1505 Participants, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent governmental restrictions have had a major impact on the daily lives of Austrians and negatively affected their mental health. A representative sample of N = 1505 individuals was recruited via Qualtrics® to participate in an online survey between 23 December 2020 and 4 January 2021. A qualitative study design was used to determine the problem areas that emerged since the beginning of the pandemic (question 1), the factors that were the source of the greatest current concern (question 2), the biggest worries when thinking about the future (question 3), and what the most important source of support (question 4) during the pandemic was. The written responses were analyzed using conventional content analysis following a framework for qualitative research and reported in the form of descriptive statistics. Restrictions imposed by the government, sociopolitical developments, work- and health-related issues, and economic disruptions were identified as being the greatest concerns. Conversely, social contacts within and outside the family were the most important source of support, followed by recreational activities and distraction. Greater consideration should be given to psychosocial factors in future decisions to contain the pandemic. More detailed qualitative research, in particular, to collect the personal experience of more vulnerable groups such as young people, women, and the unemployed, is needed.
Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to COVID-19 in Iran: Questionnaire Study
JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
Background The COVID-19 pandemic is a rapidly growing outbreak, the future course of which is strongly determined by people’s adherence to social distancing measures. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge level, attitudes, and practices of the Iranian population in the context of COVID-19. Methods A nationwide study was conducted from March 24 to April 3, 2020, whereby data were collected via an online self-administered questionnaire. Results Responses from 12,332 participants were analyzed. Participants’ mean knowledge score was 23.2 (SD 4.3) out of 30. Most participants recognized the cause of COVID-19, its routes of transmission, its symptoms and signs, predisposing factors, and prevention measures. Social media was the leading source of information. Participants recognized the dangers of the situation and felt responsible for following social distancing protocols, as well as isolating themselves upon symptom presentation. Participants’ mean practic...
The COVID-19 Pandemic: Public Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices in a central of Iran
Journal of Education and Community Health, 2021
Aims There is a rapid increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19 throughout the world. The present study aimed to determine people’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 in an Iranian sample. Instruments & Methods This was a population-based cross-sectional study conducted on people over 18 years of age in Saveh city, of Iran, in 2020. A multiple-stage sampling method was used. Participants (N=471) completed an anonymous and self-report questionnaire assessing socio-demographic variables and KAP. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and independent t-tests by SPSS 21. The significance level was considered to be ≤0.05. Findings Of participants, 74.5% did not have accurate knowledge of how the coronavirus is spread. In terms of attitudes, more than 63.2% considered COVID-19 to be a dangerous disease. About 59.6% of participants reported regular use of a mask in the past week. As compared to men, women reported attitudes and practices more aligned with re...