Multiple forms of mass anxiety in coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Heightened public anxiety was observed at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study enriches scholarly understanding of this mass response by investigating both generic and pandemic-specific anxiety that explain preventive health behavior.

Methods

In our two-phase, mixed-methods study, pandemic-specific anxiety items elicited during the qualitative phase from March 2-8, 2020 were then tested in the quantitative phase from March 16-22, 2020. Eligible participants were U.S. or U.K. residents aged 18-65.

Results

Of the 1,400 participants, 52% met the criteria for moderate to severe anxiety. In addition to anxiety over possible personal COVID-19 infection, participants were also anxious about others' health, others' reactions (e.g., panic-buying, disc

SUBMITTER: Cheng C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8460399 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature