The Fear of Coronavirus Disease-19 in Adults with Chronic Disease

Abstract

Objective: Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) epidemic is known to have caused many setbacks worldwide. This study determined the COVID-19 fears in the epidemic process of individuals with chronic disease and the factors that could cause these fear. Furthermore, this study aims to be a guide to the process of the COVID-19 epidemic and the development of the right health strategies for potential new outbreaks. Materials and Methods: The universe of our work is composed of 92350 people over 18 who applied to Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University Faculty of Medicine between 01.07.2020 and 30.09.2020. When the sample was calculated with a 5% margin of error, a 95% confidence interval and a 10% chance of data loss, 421 people were identified. The data were obtained through the application of surveys generated by the literature screening using face-to-face discussions with the volunteers. In addition to various questions about sociodemographic features and the epidemic process, COVID-19 fear scale has been applied to the survey. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 21.0 package program. Results: In our study, the most healthy group (52.5%) was made up of men, while the most patient group (56.9%) was women. The healthy group has the most common 53.1 to 18%-34% age group, and the patient group has the most common 33.0 to 50%-64% age group. The frequency of 65 years and older was 0.6% in the healthy group and 13.8% in the patient group. Although, the difference between the age groups was statistically significant (p<0.001) when compared to groups with chronic and non-chronic, the average COVID-19 fear scale has increased in people with chronic disease (p<0.001). Conclusion: A new adaptation of psychological support programs and health resources is required during and after the outbreak to avoid disturbing the routine maintenance of persons with chronic diseases.