Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevalence, Effects and Predisposing Factors

Year 2024, Volume: 16 Issue: 1, 111 - 125, 31.03.2024

Şebnem Akan

https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1263730

Abstract

Although infectious diseases have emerged in various periods of history, the outbreaks seen worldwide due to globalization have started to increase in recent years. Epidemics had significant effects on the psychological health of individuals. The most important effect of COVID-19 pandemic on individuals was anxiety. In the days when other pandemic diseases are at the door, the understanding of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals is a very important issue. In the COVID-19 outbreak, the general sample, university students, those diagnosed with COVID-19, and healthcare workers were the groups most affected by anxiety. In different countries, moderate anxiety symptoms in different waves of the epidemic ranged from 6.3% to 66.8% in the general sample, between 18.6% and 87.7% in university students, between 13.0-60.3% in people diagnosed with COVID-19, and between 13.0-51.6% in healthcare workers. In the follow-up studies, it was noted that the anxiety symptoms did not regress to the pre-pandemic level for a long time in these samples. According to the findings, anxiety associated with COVID-19 is associated with psychological health. As COVID-19-related anxiety increased, negative emotions, dysfunctional behaviors, sleep problems and depressive symptoms increased.The fact that anxiety is common, persistent and associated with other psychological symptoms during the epidemic made it necessary to understand the underlying factors of anxiety. Findings indicate that anxiety sensitivity, disgust susceptibility/sensitivity, intolerance to uncertainty, and health anxiety play a role in explaining anxiety symptoms associated with COVID-19. These susceptibility factors may contribute to the development of cognitive-behavioral oriented therapeutic and preventive intervention programs both during/after epidemic and future epidemics especially in the general sample, university students, those diagnosed with COVID-19, and healthcare workers.

Keywords

Anxiety, COVID-19, prevalence, psychological health, predisposing factors

Project Number

bulunmamaktadır

COVID-19 Salgını Döneminde Anksiyete: Yaygınlığı, Etkileri ve Yatkınlık Faktörleri

Abstract

Bulaşıcı hastalıklar tarihin çeşitli dönemlerinde ortaya çıkmış olsa da son yıllarda küreselleşme nedeniyle dünya çapında görülen salgınlar artmaya başlamıştır. Salgın hastalıkların kişilerin psikolojik sağlıkları üzerinde önemli etkileri olmaktadır. COVID-19 salgınının ise bireyler üzerindeki en önemli etkisi anksiyete olmuştur. Diğer salgın hastalıkların kapıda olduğu günlerde COVID-19 salgınında bireylerde görülen anksiyetenin anlaşılması oldukça önemli bir konu olarak karşımıza çıkmaktadır. COVID-19 salgınında genel örneklem, üniversite öğrencileri, COVID-19 tanısı alanlar ve sağlık çalışanları anksiyeteden en fazla etkilenen gruplar olmuştur. Farklı ülkelerde, salgının farklı dalgalarında orta derecede anksiyete belirtileri genel örneklemde %6.3-%66.8 arasında, üniversite öğrencilerinde %18.6-%87.7 arasında, COVID-19 tanısı alan kişilerde %13.0-%60.3 arasında, sağlık çalışanlarında %13.0-%51.6 arasında değişmiştir. İzlem çalışmalarında, anksiyete belirtilerinin bu örneklemlerde uzun süre salgın öncesi düzeye gerilemediği dikkat çekmiştir. Bulgulara göre COVID-19 ile ilişkili anksiyete psikolojik sağlık ile ilişkilidir. COVID-19 ile ilişkili anksiyete arttıkça olumsuz duygular, işlevsel olmayan davranışlar, uyku problemleri ve depresif belirtiler artmıştır. COVID-19 salgınında anksiyetenin yaygın, kalıcı ve diğer psikolojik belirtilerle ilişkili olması anksiyetenin altında yatan faktörlerin anlaşılmasını gerekli kılmıştır. Bulgular anksiyete duyarlılığı, tiksinti yatkınlığı/ duyarlılığı, belirsizliğe tahammülsüzlük ve sağlık anksiyetesinin COVID-19 ile ilişkili anksiyete belirtilerini açıklamada rol oynadığına işaret etmektedir. Bu yatkınlık faktörleri özellikle genel örneklemde, üniversite öğrencilerinde, COVID-19 tanısı alanlarda, sağlık çalışanlarında salgın sırasında/sonrasında anksiyeteye yönelik bilişsel-davranışçı yönelimli tedavi edici ve gelecek salgınlar için önleyici müdahale programlarının geliştirilmesine katkı sağlayabilir.

Keywords

Anksiyete, yaygınlık, psikolojik sağlık, yatkınlık faktörleri., COVID-19

Supporting Institution

Bulunmamaktadır.

Project Number

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Thanks

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