Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 5;18(13):7210. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18137210.
COVID-19 stress and fear of COVID-19 is an increasingly researched construct in the general population. However, its prevalence and association with sociodemographic factors and psychological process variables has not been explored in frontline workers under surveillance in a Bornean population. This study was a cross-sectional study using a sociodemographic questionnaire incorporating two specific epidemiological risk variables, namely specific questions about COVID-19 surveillance status (persons under investigation (PUI), persons under surveillance (PUS), and positive cases) and the nature of frontline worker status. Furthermore, five other instruments were used, with three measuring psychopathology (namely depression, anxiety and stress, fear of COVID-19, and stress due to COVID-19) and two psychological process variables (namely psychological flexibility and mindfulness). Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were performed to assess if there were significant differences in psychopathology and psychological process variables between sociodemographic and epidemiological risk variables. Hierarchical multiple regression was further performed, with depression, anxiety, and stress as dependent variables. There were significant differences in the fear of COVID-19 between positive cases, PUI, and PUS. The fear of COVID-19 scores were higher in positive cases compared to in PUS and PUI groups. Upon hierarchical multiple regression, mindfulness and psychological flexibility were significant predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress after controlling for sociodemographic and epidemiological risk factors. This study demonstrates that exposure to COVID-19 as persons under investigation or surveillance significantly increases the fear of COVID-19, and brief psychological interventions that can positively influence mindfulness and psychological flexibility should be prioritized for these at-risk groups to prevent undue psychological morbidity in the long run.
COVID-19 压力和对 COVID-19 的恐惧是目前在普通人群中研究越来越多的一个概念。然而，在监测下的婆罗洲人群中的一线工作者中，尚未探索其流行程度及其与社会人口因素和心理过程变量的关系。本研究采用横断面研究，使用社会人口学问卷，其中包含两个特定的流行病学风险变量，即关于 COVID-19 监测状态（调查对象 (PUI)、监测对象 (PUS) 和阳性病例）和一线工作者身份性质的具体问题。此外，还使用了另外五种工具，其中三种用于测量精神病理学（即抑郁、焦虑和压力、对 COVID-19 的恐惧和 COVID-19 引起的压力），另外两种用于测量心理过程变量（即心理灵活性和正念）。采用 Kruskal-Wallis 和 Mann-Whitney 检验评估社会人口学和流行病学风险变量之间的精神病理学和心理过程变量是否存在显著差异。进一步进行分层多重回归，将抑郁、焦虑和压力作为因变量。在 COVID-19 恐惧方面，阳性病例、PUI 和 PUS 之间存在显著差异。与 PUS 和 PUI 组相比，阳性病例的 COVID-19 恐惧评分更高。在分层多重回归中，正念和心理灵活性是控制社会人口学和流行病学风险因素后抑郁、焦虑和压力的显著预测因子。本研究表明，作为调查对象或监测对象接触 COVID-19 会显著增加对 COVID-19 的恐惧，因此应该优先为这些高风险群体提供能够积极影响正念和心理灵活性的简短心理干预，以防止长期出现不必要的心理疾病。
