Batoul Bakkar, Esraa Abbas, Fatema Mohsen, Marah Marrawi and Youssef Latifeh
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the psychological stability of people around the world and sparked various mental distresses, one of which is fear. Syrians are experiencing brutal war, economic devastation, and a pandemic crisis. This research identifies the factors associated with high fear of COVID-19 scores among the Syrian population.
Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was distributed between May 5 and May 20 of 2020. A total of 3989 met the inclusion criteria. The questionnaire contained socio-demographic questions, the fear of COVID-19 questionnaire, the patient health 9-item questionnaire, and the generalized anxiety disorder 7-item questionnaire. One way analysis of variance tests was used to compare the distribution of fear of COVID-19 scores between the studied variables. Multiple linear regression models identified factors associated with high mean fear of COVID-19 scores.
Results: Most participants were female 2935 (73.5%), single 3096 (77.6%), student 2397 (60.1%), and residing in Damascus 1412 (35.4%). Multiple linear regression analysis correlated higher mean fear of COVID-19 scores with female gender (B=0.825, p<0.001); being in a relationship or other marital status (B=1.633, p<0.001); poor and moderate economic status (B=0.805, p<0.001); education of secondary school or lower (B=0.879, p=0.003); and living with over 5 household members (B=0.408, p=0.037).
Conclusion: Individuals prone to fear of COVID-19 should be targeted through targeted awareness campaigns and support groups. Mental health providers, researchers, and policymakers must plan a strategic approach to limit the exacerbation of mental health problems such as COVID-19 fear.
