Journal of Research & Health (Jan 2025)
The Relationship Between Fear of Contracting COVID-19 and Academic Motivation, Social Interaction and Psychological Well-being
Abstract
Background: In the present study, the relationship between the fear of contracting COVID-19 and academic motivation, social interaction, and psychological well-being was investigated. Methods: The present research was correlational and its population consisted of all the female students in the second year of high school across the four educational districts of Ahvaz. One district was selected, and ten schools were chosen from among the high schools in that district, with 30 students selected through non-probability sampling from each school. Given that ten schools and 30 students from each school were selected, a total of 300 participants took part in this research. To collect data, the following questionnaires were used: The fear of contracting the coronavirus questionnaire, the academic motivation scale (AMS), the social interaction questionnaire, and the psychological well-being questionnaire (PWBQ). The present research was conducted in the second semester of the 2022 academic year. Data analysis was done using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and canonical correlation by SPSS software, version 22. Results: The results showed that there was a significant negative relationship between the fear of contracting COVID-19 and academic motivation, social interaction, and psychological well-being. Also, the results showed that academic motivation with a structural coefficient of 0.85 had the highest correlation, and social interaction with a structural coefficient of 0.78 had the lowest correlation with the variable of fear of contracting COVID-19. Conclusion: Considering that the spread of COVID-19 left many destructive effects, especially in educational contexts, it is suggested that training courses be developed to address this type of disease. Additionally, to compensate for the educational delays caused by virtual learning, capacity should be utilized to improve academic motivation, social interactions, and the psychological well-being of students.
