INVESTIGATION OF CORONAPHOBIA IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

Objective The COVID-19 has affected all individuals in different age groups physically and psychosocially. University students have an important place among these individuals, and it is important to evaluate their psychosocial influences, such as coronaphobia. The aim of this study was to investigate coronaphobia in university students. Material and Method This study was designed as a cross-sectional study. Students attending university between November 2020 and March 2021 were included in the study. A form was created using Google Forms and then the demographic and descriptive characteristics of the participants, including age, gender, department of study, year, whether the participant has had COVID-19, and COVID-19 phobia, were obtained. The Coronavirus-19 Phobia Scale (CP19-S) was sent using Google Forms. Results Female students had higher points than males (p = 0.012). A statistically significant difference was determined in the psychological subdimension according to the year of study at the university (p = 0.004). A statistically significant difference was determined in the CP19-S total points (p = 0.022) and the somatic (p = 0.027) and economic (0.020) subdimensions for those students living together with a high-risk group for COVID-19. Conclusion In this study, it was determined that university students experienced coronaphobia at varying levels and for different reasons. Female gender, living together with individuals in a high-risk group, and studying at a higher year level were found to be factors that increase coronaphobia. Future studies should evaluate the effects of the pandemic. Moreover, university students should be provided with psychosocial support.