Effect of Sociodemographic Variables on Health Anxiety and Death Anxiety Levels in COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate health anxiety and death anxiety levels in adult cases during the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate the effect of sociodemographic variables. In this online study, 334 patients over the age of 18 were included. Health Anxiety Scale, Death Anxiety Scale and Sociodemographic Data Form were used in the research. The subscales of health anxiety showed a meaningful correlation between hypersensitivity to bodily findings and negative consequences of the disease and death anxiety. Death anxiety and health anxiety were found to be higher in women. It is statistically significant that health anxiety is more common in individuals aged 20-30 years and women with primary education degrees. Death anxiety was found to be associated with low socioeconomic status and health anxiety was associated with average socioeconomic status. Death anxiety was found to be associated with two of the health anxiety subscales. Sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, educational status and socioeconomic status are thought to be effective in both death anxiety and health anxiety.

Keywords

• covid-19
• health
• death
• anxiety