COVID-19 Phobia Among Diabetic Individuals Living in Provinces with High COVID-19 Case Rates in Turkey

Year 2025, Volume: 11 Issue: 3, 151 - 159, 30.09.2025

Sultan Yurtsever Çelik , Emine Kır Biçer , Selda Çelik , Nurdan Yıldırım , Yeliz Demirhan , Giray Erdoğan , Özgül Vatansever , Nermin Olgun

https://doi.org/10.30934/kusbed.1727316

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to assess the level of COVID-19 phobia, its influencing factors, and its effects on metabolic parameters among diabetic individuals living in provinces with the highest COVID-19 case rates in Türkiye.
Methods: This descriptive and correlational study included 496 diabetic individuals residing in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, and Kocaeli. Data were collected using the Individual Identification Form and the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S). The data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman correlation coefficient.
Results: It was determined that 60.5% of the participants experienced an increase in blood glucose levels, 72.6% had a decline in exercise habits, and 57.7% had an increased need for insulin. COVID-19 phobia levels were found to be higher among individuals with Type 1 diabetes, those with higher education levels, and those with higher income levels.
Conclusion: COVID-19 phobia has negatively affected blood glucose levels, daily insulin requirements, and healthy lifestyle habits among individuals with diabetes living in large cities. To mitigate these effects, telehealth services and psychosocial support mechanisms should be developed to reduce anxiety levels and strengthen disease management.

Keywords

COVID-19 Phobia , Diabetes , Glycemic Control , Pandemic

Ethical Statement

Prior to the study, ethical approval was obtained from the Clinical Ethics Committee (Approval No:2020/04, Approval Date:18.06.2020) and the Ministry of Health. Written permission was also obtained from the original developers of the C19P-S for its use in this study. Participants who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study were provided with a written explanation regarding the study’s purpose and the confidentiality of the collected data.

Supporting Institution

There is no financial disclosure to declare in this study.

Thanks

We want to thank all participants who participated in the study.

Türkiye’de COVID-19 Vakalarının Yoğun Olduğu İllerde Yaşayan Diyabetli Bireylerde COVID-19 Fobisi

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de COVID-19 vakalarının en yoğun olduğu illerde yaşayan diyabetli bireylerde COVID-19 fobi düzeyini, etkileyen faktörleri ve metabolik parametrelere olan etkisini değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı ve ilişki arayıcı tasarıma sahip bu çalışmaya, İstanbul, İzmir, Ankara ve Kocaeli'de yaşayan 496 diyabetli birey katılmıştır. Veriler, Birey Tanılama Formu ve COVID-19 Fobi Ölçeği (C19P-S) kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizi Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis ve Spearman korelasyon testleriyle yapılmıştır.
Bulgular: Katılımcıların %60,5’inde kan glukozu seviyelerinin yükseldiği, %72,6’sının egzersiz alışkanlığının azaldığı ve %57,7’sinin insülin ihtiyacının arttığı belirlenmiştir. Tip 1 diyabetlilerde, yüksek eğitim seviyesine sahip bireylerde ve gelir düzeyi yüksek olanlarda COVID-19 fobi düzeyi daha yüksek bulunmuştur.
Sonuç: COVID-19 pandemisi, diyabetli bireylerin glisemik kontrolünü ve yaşam alışkanlıklarını olumsuz etkilemiştir. Salgın dönemlerinde, tele-sağlık hizmetleri ve psikososyal destek mekanizmaları geliştirilerek diyabetli bireylerin kaygı düzeyleri azaltılmalı ve hastalık yönetimleri güçlendirilmelidir.

Keywords

Covid-19 Fobisi , Diyabet , Glisemik Kontrol , Pandemi

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