Investigation of Anxiety and Peritraumatic Distress Levels in Context of Various Variables through Covid-19 Outbreak: Turkey, the UK and the USA Comparison
Abstract
The study aimed to gather socio-demographic information, compliance with personal/governmental precautionary measures from Turkish nationals (age 18 or older) reside in Turkey, the UK and the USA to investigate and compare the effects on peritraumatic distress and anxiety levels within these coun-tries. Peritraumatic Stress and Anxiety Levels are measured by Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). 70 participants from Turkey, 63 from the UK and 67 from the USA have participated in this causal-comparative study. According to the statistical analy-sis, even though there was no difference between three sample groups according to the STAI-State and PDI scores; the analysis showed that the STAI-Trait points of Turkey sample were higher than the other countries (p<.01). This study identified variables such as being a woman, living alone, trusting official statements, and positive test results from relatives or acquaintances as factors that affect anxiety level. However, these factors differ when evaluated within the scope of country-based responses. This suggests that the level of anxiety is affected more by political decisions, preventive measures and social environment rather than by common cultural characteristics.
Keywords
Covid-19, pandemic, anxiety, peritraumatic stress, psychological impact
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