Sabir Hussain, Nahid Yasmin, Arvind Kumar Sharma
Department of Physiology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Department of Anatomy, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Maedica (Bucur). 2022 Mar;17(1):37-43. doi: 10.26574/maedica.2022.17.1.37.
Public health outbreak due to communicable diseases may cause apprehension and fear in the population. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is one of the worst pandemics the world has seen in recent years, which might have caused apprehension and mental stress. It is prudent to explore the psychological implications associated with this highly infectious disease. However, there is a dearth in the literature regarding the nature and magnitude of psychological impact in the Indian population. Hence, the present study was conducted to assess the apprehension, fear and perceived stress related to the COVID-19 in the adult population. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional semi-structured questionnaire-based study. A total of 295 adults from different parts of India completed the online questionnaire. Psychological impact was assessed using two reliable and validated scales: the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The psychological impact was compared between respondents with positive and negative history of COVID-19 infection. The mean score for fear of COVID-19 was 20.28 (SD=5.536) in participants with a positive history of SARS-CoV-2 infection and 18.33 (SD=5.302) in COVID negative individuals, with a p value of 0.006. However, the mean value for the perceived stress score was 19.17 (SD=6.264) and 18.26 (SD=5.826) for COVID positive and negative participants, respectively. Female subjects had significantly higher fear than their male counterparts. Participants who were relatively younger and those with a positive history of SARS-CoV-2 infection in their family were found to have a significantly higher perceived stress. The present study highlighted complex relationships between fear, stress and COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with fear and stress among women and relatively younger adults who participated in the study. So, along with older population, psychological support should also be provided to younger adults during the times of pandemic. This should be taken into account in programs aimed at preventing and alleviating the psychological impact.
传染病引发的公共卫生事件可能会引起民众的忧虑和恐惧。冠状病毒病（COVID-19）是近年来全球遭遇的最严重的大流行病之一，可能已导致忧虑和精神压力。探索与这种高传染性疾病相关的心理影响是明智之举。然而，关于印度人群心理影响的性质和程度，文献中存在不足。因此，本研究旨在评估成年人群中与COVID-19相关的忧虑、恐惧和感知压力。我们进行了一项基于描述性横断面半结构化问卷的研究。来自印度不同地区的295名成年人完成了在线问卷。使用两个可靠且经过验证的量表评估心理影响：COVID-19恐惧量表（FCV-19）和感知压力量表（PSS-10）。比较了有COVID-19感染阳性和阴性病史的受访者之间的心理影响。SARS-CoV-已感染阳性病史的参与者中，对COVID-19的恐惧平均得分为20.28（标准差=5.536），COVID阴性个体中为18.33（标准差=5.302），p值为0.006。然而，COVID阳性和阴性参与者的感知压力得分平均值分别为19.17（标准差=6.264）和18.26（标准差=（5.826）。女性受试者的恐惧明显高于男性。发现相对年轻的参与者以及家庭中有SARS-CoV-2感染阳性病史的参与者感知压力明显更高。本研究突出了恐惧、压力与COVID-19之间的复杂关系。COVID-19大流行与参与研究的女性和相对年轻的成年人中的恐惧和压力有关。因此，在大流行期间，除了老年人群体，也应向年轻成年人提供心理支持。在旨在预防和减轻心理影响的项目中应考虑到这一点。
