Investigating the Extent of Coronaphobia and the Related Psycho-Social Variables in Iran

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Extended Abstract
Background
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the latest virus known from the coronaviruses family. COVID-19 is a global epidemic that has spread over the world. The disease has affected the world population physically and psychologically. Most virologists and health professionals hope that in the near future, control and treatment of this disease will be achieved through health and treatment measures such as vaccination and COVID-specific medications. This study aimed to investigate the level of fear and anxiety of COVID-19 patients in the course of a year and study some psychosocial variables related to this disease. The level of fear, apprehension and concern of people about this disease has been called "coronaphobia".
Methods
This study used a survey method to examin the extent of coronaphobia among the citizens of East Azerbaijan province. The statistical population included all residents of the province aged 20 years and older. The statistical sample was calculated to include 348 participants on the basis of Lin sampling table. The samples were selected using multi-stage clustering. In this approach, we first identified the geographic scope of each city, then randomly sampled several districts within each region, multiple blocks within each district, and finally multiple neighborhoods, alleyways, and homes inside each block. Individuals older than 20 who resided in the selected areas were asked to complete the questionnaires. A researcher-made questionnaire was used for data collection. This questionnaire was based on two parts, one of which measured the dependent variable, the degree of coronaphobia among citizens, and consisted of 22 items that evaluated different aspects and dimensions of people's fear of COVID-19 based on the Likert scale. Formal validity was used to determine the content validity of the items of the instrument. For this purpose, the questionnaire was evaluated and refined by four experts in psychology, sociology, social work, and social medicine. Cronbach's alpha was used to calculate the reliability of the coronaphobia test as well as tests related to three independent variables, including the level of adherence to health guidelines, housing, and the level of public trust in medical staff. After confirming the test’s validity and reliability, questionnaires were distributed and completed.
Results
The dependent variable, the degree of coronaphobia, was measured using 22 ordinal-level Likert scale items. The average score obtained for this variable was 97.75 in April and 83.25 in March. Thus, it can be said that the level of coronaphobia among respondents was more significant in the early months of 2020 compared to the end of the same year. The Pearson correlation coefficient test was used to find the relationship between coronaphobia severity and psychosocial variables. Using multivariate regression and the stepwise approach, we were able to determine which psychosocial variables best explain and predict the severity of coronaphobia. Certainly, regression assumptions were reviewed first to ensure that there was no deviation from the assumptions of normality, linearity, residual variance homgeneity, and independent variable non-alignment. This test showed that the lockdown lifestyle has the most significant share in explaining and predicting the coronaphobia severity. This variable with a beta coefficient of 0.704, was able to predict about 50% of the variance of coronaphobia. The variables of the level of trust in the medical staff and the history of psychiatric disorders were the next important variables. All studied variables were able to explain and predict about 70% of coronaphobia changes.
Conclusion
According to the results obtained in late 2021, the level of coronaphobia has been declining compared to the past, but it is still worthy of attention. In this study, the role of four psychological variables were studied, including the level of self-confidence in the face of COVID-19 disease, the level of anxiety and stress against this disease, the rate of remedy of prayer and worship, and the history of coronaphobia-related mental disorders. All of these variables were shown to have a statistically significant relationship with coronaphobia. Fear and anxiety regarding COVID-19 lessen as one’s level of self-confidence increases. As anxiety and stress increase, so does the fear of the disease. The psychosocial variables included in the regression equation were able to explain and predict about 70% of the variance of the dependent variable, the degree of coronaphobia.
Practical Implications of Research
One of the practical suggestions of this research is that during epidemics, various social institutions invite people to calm down, boost their self-confidence and reduce their stress and psychological pressures. Another point is now that the lifestyles of most social groups have changed, appropriate programs should be prepared for their proper and healthy use in these conditions. For example, with the closure of sports facilities such as swimming pools and clubs, in-door physical activities can be replaced by other activities such as walking, cycling, and the like to maintain the physical and mental health of society. Given the importance of the lockdown lifstyle and people's trust in healthcare personnel, it is recommended that the country's health professionals continue to emphasize the lockdowns and encourage adherence to health protocols. In addition to imposing limits, the government should employ the views of trustworthy medical professionals to produce suitable vaccinations to combat the pandemic. This is particularly important during travel seasons such as Nowruz and the summer vacations. Additional researchers should investigate other factors concerning aspects of this condition since this study only looked at a few psychosocial characteristics of coronaphobia. Because this illness is likely to be prevalent in the coming months, researchers should undertake comparable investigations in other provinces and areas to make the findings more generalizable. Other variables, such as psychological, social, economic, political, and educational implications of COVID-19, should be examined at multiple levels in addition to the factors connected with this condition.
Ethical Considerations
We adhered to the Helsinki Declaration ethical guidelines in this study. Participants voluntarily participated in the study, without their names or other identifying information being disclosed while completing the surveys, and their responses were kept confidential by the researcher. The permission number for this paper is 4251/7/P, which was issued by the Payame Noor University Research Ethics Committee.
Conflict of Interest
This article is the result of an independent study and has no conflict of interest with other organizations and individuals.
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank the undergraduate students of psychology and sociology at Payame Noor University of Maragheh for their hard work in collecting data and completing the questionnaires.