ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 outbreak affects both the physical and mental health of individuals and society. This study investigates the factors related to health anxiety in COVID-19 patients and explores their sociodemographic-, disease-, and treatment-related factors, trait anxiety, and characteristics of secure or insecure attachment. Methods: The sample consisted of 420 individuals aged 18-65 years and diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 15 and May 15, 2020. The participants completed a sociodemographic data form and the Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI), Adult Attachment Scale (AAS), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that female gender, presence of chronic physical diseases, presence of mental health problems, and high AAS insecure attachment scores significantly predicted high HAI scores. Moreover, results indicated that the model explained approximately 21% of variance in HAI scores. Conclusions: Factors such as gender, presence of chronic physical diseases, presence of mental health problems, and attachment style influence health anxiety. Determining the appropriate factors that cause health anxiety can contribute to the implementation of protective measures for mental health and to the application of effective interventions for individuals who develop mental problems.
ABSTRACT
Aim: Daily internet use, particularly the use of social media, is preferred as a method for coping with stress and anxiety caused by the current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or for reducing depressive mood. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of changes in social media use among children aged 12 to 18 years who were at risk for excessive use of social media during the pandemic period with anxiety and a sense of loneliness. Material and Methods: The study population consisted of children aged 12 to 18 years and living in Turkey. Participants completed the COVID-19 information form, the Social Media Disorder Scale, the Loneliness Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: This study evaluated the data of 1,142 patients. The mean age of the participants was 15.6 years, and 63.2% were females. Among the participants, 63.8% stated that they knew someone diagnosed with COVID-19 in their family or close environment, and 7.1% stated that they were diagnosed with CO-VID-19. Furthermore, 46.4% stated that what they learned from the media increased their anxiety, and 60.4% stated that their academic success decreased during the pandemic period. In the model, STAI (B: 0.166 p: 0.001), age (B: 0.397, p: 0.001), and UCLA loneliness (B: 0.150, p: 0.001) were observed to predict social media addiction. Discussion: The present study has revealed factors predicting an increase in social media addiction in this period, during which the use of social media by adolescents in the high-risk group for social media addiction has increased. Taking the necessary measures to reduce the risks and increase the protective factors is the most important way to protect adolescents’ mental health in times of difficult life conditions.