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Fear of the coronavirus (COVID-19): Predictors in an online study conducted in March 2020
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Abstract
Fear is an adaptive response in the presence of danger. However, when threat is uncertain and continuous, as in the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, fear can become chronic and burdensome. To identify predictors of fear of the coronavirus, we conducted an online survey (N = 439) three days after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic (i.e., between March 14 and 17, 2020). Fear of the coronavirus was assessed with the newly developed Fear of the Coronavirus Questionnaire (FCQ) consisting of eight questions pertaining to different dimensions of fear (e.g., subjective worry, safety behaviors, preferential attention), and an open-ended question. The predictors included psychological vulnerability factors (i.e., intolerance of uncertainty, worry, and health anxiety), media exposure, and personal relevance (i.e., personal health, risk for loved ones, and risk control). We found four predictors for the FCQ in a simultaneous regression analysis: health anxiety, regular media use, social media use, and risks for loved ones (R2 = .37). Furthermore, 16 different topics of concern were identified based participants’ open-ended responses, including the health of loved ones, health care systems overload, and economic consequences. We discuss the relevance of our findings for managing people’s fear of the coronavirus.
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“In addition, individual differences exist in the level of COVID-19 related concerns and therefore in the vulnerability to the psychosocial effects of the pandemic (Mertens, Gerritsen, et al., 2020; Taylor et al., 2021; Vos et al., 2021).”
From The association between facets of mindfulness and COVID-19 related distress: A cross-sectional study (2023) · cites this paper as Mertens, Gerritsen, et al., 2020
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“Children with chronic illnesses appear especially vulnerable to IU’s adverse effects (Mertens et al., 2020).”
From Intolerance of Uncertainty and Health-Related Anxiety in Youth amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Understanding and Weathering the Continuing Storm (2022) · cites this paper as Mertens et al., 2020
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“A potential risk factor for the mental health consequences of COVID-19 could be enhanced fear related to the virus (Mertens, Gerritsen, et al., 2020; Taylor et al., 2020b).”
From The association between facets of mindfulness and COVID-19 related distress: A cross-sectional study (2023) · cites this paper as Mertens, Gerritsen, et al., 2020
In the citing paper
“Most of these studies also detected a link between fear of COVID-19 and anxiety (Mertens et al., 2020) and, to a lesser extent, depression, using both the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS; Ahorsu et al., 2020; Alyami et al., 2020) and the Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21).”
From Fear of COVID-19, Stress, and Anxiety in University Undergraduate Students: A Predictive Model for Depression (2020) · cites this paper as Mertens et al., 2020
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Fear of COVID-19 predicts vaccination willingness 14 months later
Mertens, G., Lodder, P., Smeets, T., & Duijndam, S. (2022) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102574 · Cited by 66
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“Teachers’ preparedness in using online teaching: This scale consisted of eight items, and it was developed based on the findings from Deng et al. (2020) and Mertens et al. (2020).”
MethodStamatis, C. A., Broos, H. C., Hudiburgh, S. E., Dale, S. K., & Timpano, K. R. (2021) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjc.12351 · Cited by 75
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“IU was regarded as an important factor to influence public mental health [17,18].”
BackgroundCoco, G. L., Gentile, A., Bosnar, K., Milovanović, I., Bianco, A., Drid, P., & Pišot, S. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18052586 · Cited by 58
“People with an excessive fear of the infectious outbreak are more likely to report greater psychosocial distress, whereas people showing little anxiety are more likely to disregard the physical distancing [20,24].”
BackgroundReizer, A., Geffen, L., & Koslowsky, M. (2021) · Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy · doi:10.1037/tra0001012 · Cited by 59
Akbari, M., Spada, M. M., Nikčević, A. V., & Zamani, E. (2021) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2628 · Cited by 63
“Furthermore, FC-19 is correlated with anxiety factors such as pathological worry and health anxiety (Alizadehfard & Alipour, 2020; Lee et al., 2020; Mertens et al., 2020) however, little is known about possible mediators linking FC-19 to health anxiety.”
BackgroundSanilevici, M., Reuveni, O., Lev-Ari, S., Golland, Y., & Levit-Binnun, N. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.720965 · Cited by 54
Collantoni, E., Saieva, A. M., Meregalli, V., Girotto, C., Carretta, G., Boemo, D. G., Bordignon, G., Capizzi, A., Contessa, C., Nesoti, M. V., et al. (2021) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm10071465 · Cited by 63
Pandemic panic? Results of a 14-month longitudinal study on fear of COVID-19
Mertens, G., Lodder, P., Smeets, T., & Duijndam, S. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.11.008 · Cited by 59
“However, because the PSWQ questionnaire was not an important predictor in a previous study (Mertens et al., 2020), we did not include it in our analyses.”
Self-citationCaycho‐Rodríguez, T., Valencia, P. D., Vilca, L. W., Cervigni, M., Gallegos, M., Martino, P., Barés, I., Calandra, M., Anacona, C. A. R., López-Calle, C., et al. (2021) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481187.2021.1879318 · Cited by 57
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Social Media, Social Support, and Mental Health of Young Adults During COVID-19
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“In support, Mertens’ [32] study reveals that the terrifying characteristics of the pandemic triggered the element of anxiety and fear in the health workers [32].”
BackgroundIntolerance of uncertainty and reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic
Bavoľár, J., Kačmár, P., Hricová, M., Schrötter, J., Holevová, B. K., Köverová, M., & Ráczová, B. (2021) · The Journal of General Psychology · doi:10.1080/00221309.2021.1922346 · Cited by 62
“The pattern of associations between IU and the explored reactions was found to be consistent with past studies, particularly regarding emotional responses (Mertens et al., 2020; Rettie & Daniels, 2020; Taha et al., 2014).”
BackgroundResultReal versus illusory personal growth in response to COVID-19 pandemic stressors
Asmundson, G. J. G., Paluszek, M. M., & Taylor, S. J. (2021) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102418 · Cited by 58
Assessment of Fear of COVID-19 in Older Adults: Validation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale
Caycho‐Rodríguez, T., Tomás, J. M., Barboza-Palomino, M., Ventura‐León, J., Gallegos, M., Reyes-Bossio, M. A., & Vilca, L. W. (2021) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-020-00438-2 · Cited by 53
“Although fear can be considered an adaptive emotion that allows facing potential threats, when it is excessive, it can become maladaptive (Mertens et al. 2020).”
BackgroundHollenstein, T., Colasante, T., & Lougheed, J. P. (2021) · Journal of Research on Adolescence · doi:10.1111/jora.12663 · Cited by 62
Kukreti, S., Ahorsu, D. K., Strong, C., Chen, I.-H., Lin, C.-Y., Ko, N.-Y., Griffiths, M., Chen, Y.-P., Kuo, Y.-J., & Pakpour, A. (2021) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare9101288 · Cited by 45
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“Fear Participants’ fear due to the COVID-19 pandemic was measured with the Fear of the Coronavirus Questionnaire (FCQ; Mertens et al., 2020), a custom-built measure that includes eight items measured on a 5- point Likert scale (α = 0.75).”
MethodInfluentialJacob, L., Smith, L., Koyanagi, A., Oh, H. Y., Tanislav, C., Shin, J. I., Konrad, M., & Kostev, K. (2020) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.11.029 · Cited by 53
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Impact of COVID-19 First Wave on Psychological and Psychosocial Dimensions: A Systematic Review
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“Fear of the Coronavirus Questionnaire (FCQ) [367] 0.”
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“As expected, our study found that COVID-19 IU was positively associated with negative emotions, which is consistent with previous findings [4,57,58].”
ResultRosa, V. L. L., Gori, A., Faraci, P., Vicario, C. M., & Craparo, G. (2021) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-021-00569-0 · Cited by 50
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Worry during the initial height of the COVID-19 crisis in an Italian sample
Sebri, V., Cincidda, C., Savioni, L., Ongaro, G., & Pravettoni, G. (2021) · The Journal of General Psychology · doi:10.1080/00221309.2021.1878485 · Cited by 54
“…ERQ to examine the effects of different emotion regulation strategies in psychological and physical health in New Zealand, and Mertens, Gerritsen, Duijndam, Salemink, and Engelhard, (2020) applied the PSWQ to explore the fear of COVID-19 in The Netherlands (Low et al., 2020; Mertens et al., 2020).”
BackgroundEnea, V., Eisenbeck, N., Petrescu, T. C., & Carreno, D. F. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.643977 · Cited by 48
“Mertens et al. (2020) found that variables like personal relevance (risk for loved ones, risk control, and personal health), psychological vulnerability factors (worry, health anxiety, and intolerance of uncertainty), and media exposure were significant predictors of increased fear of COVID-19.”
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“COVID-19-related health fears have been acknowledged across multiple human experiences including mental health [33], dentistry [34], and oncology [35], suggesting that this fear and psychological stress could be considered a rational response to an extraordinary occurrence such as a pandemic.”
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Caycho‐Rodríguez, T., Tomás, J. M., Vilca, L. W., Carbajal‐León, C., Cervigni, M., Gallegos, M., Martino, P., Barés, I., Calandra, M., Anacona, C. A. R., et al. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.695989 · Cited by 60
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“During the COVID-19 pandemic, additional stressors have been reported, such as the increased workload due to increased hygiene regulations and requirements to perform COVID-19 tests – or the psychological stressors related to the fear that family members will be infected [10, 11].”
BackgroundTrauma exposure and the PTSD symptoms of college teachers during the peak of the COVID‐19 outbreak
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“The various experiences and encounters during the pandemic, such as the pain of illness, the sadness of bereavement, the anxiety of isolation, the shock of unemployment and the uncertainty and fear of the future, have brought great distress to people (Duan & Zhu, 2020; Huang & Zhao, 2020; Jungmann & Witthöft, 2020; S.…”
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“However, when this fear is associated with functional impairment and distress, it is termed health anxiety [3].”
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Should I buy or not? Revisiting the concept and measurement of panic buying
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“For example, individuals’ anxiety may be exacerbated by the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, uncertainty regarding one’s likelihood of contracting the virus, severity of symptoms if the virus is contracted, and how long social distancing precautions will be in place (Mertens et al. 2020; Pfefferbaum and North 202…”
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“…amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, including anxiety, depression, traumatic stress, coronary phobia, and xenophobia (e.g., Magson et al., 2021; Mertens et al., 2020; Qi et al., 2020; Tang et al., 2021; Taylor et al., 2020; van der Velden et al., 2020; Xiong et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020).”
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“When such safety measures are in place for too long or are too strict, they can have negative consequences, among them economic disruption and unemployment as well as psychological costs (Mertens et al., 2020).”
Butnaru, G. I., Haller, A. P., Dragolea, L.-L., Anichiti, A., & Hârșan, G.-D. T. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18189665 · Cited by 56
COVID-19, Mental Health, and Chronic Illnesses: A Syndemic Perspective
Saqib, K., Qureshi, A. S., & Butt, Z. A. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20043262 · Cited by 46
“While the virus might be potentially deadly, it is a threat to livelihood and social connections that is creating a generational mental health crisis [11,12].”
BackgroundDoğanülkü, H. A., Korkmaz, O., Griffiths, M. D., & Pakpour, A. H. (2021) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-021-00681-9 · Cited by 48
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“Specific risk factors identified for the development of these mental health disturbances include female gender, having previous psychiatric or physical disorders, loneliness, time spent on the Internet, and unemployment [54,55].”
BackgroundTo fear the unknown: Covid-19 confinement, fear, and food choice
Gómez‐Corona, C., Rakotosamimanana, V. R., Sáenz‐Navajas, M., Rodrigues, H., Franco‐Luesma, E., Saldaña, E., & Valentin, D. (2021) · Food Quality and Preference · doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104251 · Cited by 44
“In another online study on fear dimensions associated to COVID, Mertens et al. (2020) found that respondents reported a wide range of concerns relating to COVID, but after performing a multiple regression analysis, the main fear dimensions were four: intolerance of uncertainty, health anxiety, more media exposure, and…”
BackgroundIddi, S., Obiri‐Yeboah, D., Aboh, I. K., Quansah, R., Owusu, S. A., Enyan, N. I. E., Kodom, R. V., Nsabimana, E., Jansen, S., Ekumah, B., et al. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0253800 · Cited by 40
“Thus, such factors among individuals or as related to their family members or significant others have been found to impact coping negatively as it breeds fear [2].”
BackgroundHas the COVID-19 outbreak altered the prevalence of low back pain among physiotherapy students?
Abbas, J., Hamoud, K., Jubran, R., & Daher, A. (2021) · Journal of American College Health · doi:10.1080/07448481.2021.1953505 · Cited by 40
“In addition, the fact that the questionnaire was conducted during an unusual lifetime (COVID-19 pandemic) which is characterized by psychological disorders 20 and coronaphobia 41 might in some way increase the prevalence of LBP in the recent 12-month period compared to lifetime period.”
BackgroundSvensson, S. J., & Elntib, S. (2021) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/jasp.12800 · Cited by 36
Adolescent Psychosocial Adjustment during COVID-19: An Intensive Longitudinal Study
Wang, M., Henry, D. A., Scanlon, C. L., Toro, J. D., & Voltin, S. E. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology · doi:10.1080/15374416.2021.2007487 · Cited by 45
Gullo, S., Gelo, O. C. G., Bassi, G., Lo Coco, G., Lagetto, G., Esposito, G., Pazzagli, C., Salcuni, S., Freda, M. F., Mazzeschi, C., et al. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03071-5 · Cited by 38
Ferreira, L. C., Amorim, R. S., Campos, F. M. M., & Cipolotti, R. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0251525 · Cited by 39
Primary Health Care Nurses’ Perceptions of Risk During COVID‐19: A Qualitative Study
Ashley, C., James, S., Stephen, C. M., Mursa, R., McInnes, S., Williams, A., Calma, K. R. B., & Halcomb, E. (2021) · Journal of Nursing Scholarship · doi:10.1111/jnu.12698 · Cited by 42
“Concurrently, media outlets have an ethical responsibility to ensure that reporting is unambiguous, and limits sensationalism with a focus on delivering timely information while minimizing fear in the community (Mertens et al., 2020).”
BackgroundZyberaj, J., Seibel, S., Schowalter, A. F., Pötz, L., Richter-Killenberg, S., & Volmer, J. (2022) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su14053105 · Cited by 53
Managing Infodemics in the 21st Century
Purnat, T. D., Nguyen, T., & Briand, S. C. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-27789-4 · Cited by 54
Measuring COVID-19 Related Anxiety in Parents: Psychometric Comparison of Four Different Inventories
Kubb, C., & Foran, H. M. (2020) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/24507 · Cited by 43
Hou, J., Yu, Q., & Lan, X. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.577942 · Cited by 40
Bartoli, D., Trotta, F., Simeone, S., Pucciarelli, G., Orsi, G. B., Acampora, O., Muzio, M. D., Cappitella, C., & Rocco, M. (2021) · Heart & Lung · doi:10.1016/j.hrtlng.2021.08.002 · Cited by 39
“If this is really the causal connection between these constructs, then there are opportunities for policymakers and journalists to over-influence fear.(35) As for detachment, this theme is related to the lack of physical contact, which is expressed by the impossibility of seeing and touching their loved ones, and the…”
Zhang, X., Zhang, Y., & Zhai, J. (2021) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.740187 · Cited by 46
Mututwa, W., & Matsilele, T. (2020) · Journal of Science Communication · doi:10.22323/2.19050209 · Cited by 38
Tamarit, A., de la Barrera, U., Schoeps, K., Castro‐Calvo, J., & Montoya‐Castilla, I. (2022) · Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1002/jcop.22900 · Cited by 43
“Some authors have reported the association between COVID‐19 related worries and psychological distress, which is identified in the literature as “COVID stress syndrome” and refers to a variety of psychological symptoms derived from fears and worries related to the coronavirus pandemic (Mertens et al., 2020; Taylor et…”
BackgroundPrevalence of grief symptoms and disorders in the time of COVID‐19 pandemic: A meta‐analysis
Kustanti, C. Y., Jen, H., Chu, H., Liu, D., Chen, R., Lin, H., Chang, C., Pien, L., Chiang, K., & Chou, K. (2023) · International Journal of Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1111/inm.13136 · Cited by 42
The influence of a lockdown on consumption: An exploratory study on generation Z's consumers
Amatulli, C., Peluso, A. M., Sestino, A., Guido, G., & Belk, R. W. (2023) · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103358 · Cited by 49
Pallavicini, F., Orena, E., di Santo, S., Greci, L., Caragnano, C., Ranieri, P., Vuolato, C., Pepe, A., Veronese, G., Stefanini, S., et al. (2022) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-022-06337-2 · Cited by 37
Bodas, M., & Peleg, K. (2020) · Israel Journal of Health Policy Research · doi:10.1186/s13584-020-00418-w · Cited by 37
“Similar findings were reported for other populations [26, 28, 32, 35].”
ResultCan Personality Traits Predict Depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Nudelman, G., Kamble, S. V., & Otto, K. (2021) · Social Justice Research · doi:10.1007/s11211-021-00369-w · Cited by 40
Yalçın, İ., Boysan, M., Eşkısu, M., & Çam, Z. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-02987-2 · Cited by 46
“Mertens et al. (2020) identified significant relationships between getting information about coronavirus pandemic through media and social media, health anxiety, and COVID-19 anxiety among 439 community participants recruited from various countries.”
Sun, J., Sarfraz, M., Khawaja, K. F., Öztürk, İ., & Raza, M. A. (2022) · Psychology Research and Behavior Management · doi:10.2147/prbm.s365972 · Cited by 43
“Fear is a natural human emotion that aggravates a defensive response against a potential threat.(24) The terrifying characteristics of the pandemic (ie, COVID-19 fears) have tempered the whole economy, leading to diverse clinical symptoms (ie, stress, anxiety, depression).”
BackgroundKhait, A. F. A., MRAYYAN, M. T., Al-Rjoub, S. F., Rababa, M., & Al-Rawashdeh, S. Y. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03815-3 · Cited by 44
“Through health promotion and disease prevention programs in Jordan, mental health professionals, namely psychiatric nurses, may focus on the student population during online (Abas et al., 2021; Ahorsu et al., 2020; Li et al., 2020; Manning et al., 2021; Mertens et al., 2020; Wang & Zhao, 2020; Zeng et al., 2019).”
BackgroundCarnahan, N. D., Carter, M. M., & Sbrocco, T. (2021) · International Journal of Cognitive Therapy · doi:10.1007/s41811-021-00123-9 · Cited by 39
Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health during Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Glowacz, F., Schmits, É., & Dziewa, A. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19052535 · Cited by 47
“Pandemic crises sow uncertainty which can last for a long time; intolerance of uncertainty is a risk factor for the mental health of the population [3,4].”
BackgroundSommovigo, V., Bernuzzi, C., Finstad, G. L., Setti, I., Gabanelli, P., Giorgi, G., & Fiabane, E. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20021266 · Cited by 45
“Investigating whether fear of COVID-19 may be an explanatory mechanism for this relationship seems to be particularly relevant because the literature from past [40] and current outbreaks showed that the spread of a pandemic results in a sharp increase in fear and worries related to the virus, which (when excessive) ma…”
BackgroundRapelli, G., Lopez, G., Donato, S., Pagani, A. F., Parise, M., Bertoni, A., & Iafrate, R. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.567522 · Cited by 35
Kowalczuk, I., & Gębski, J. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18041631 · Cited by 39
“With the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, national polls in many countries indicate sharp increases in fear and worries relating to the virus [1,2].”
BackgroundMevorach, T., Cohen, J., & Apter, A. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18062852 · Cited by 38
“Our finding highlights other aspects of the media’s role, suggesting that information about preventive regulations is not neutral information, and by definition such information is colored by an emotional tone of threat and danger, especially in such a major international crisis [43].”
BackgroundFear of COVID-19: What Causes Fear and How Individuals Cope with It
Li, R. (2021) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2021.1901423 · Cited by 36
Oducado, R. M., Parreño-Lachica, G. M., & Rabacal, J. (2021) · IJERI International Journal of Educational Research and Innovation · doi:10.46661/ijeri.5484 · Cited by 55
Hoffart, A., Johnson, S. U., & Ebrahimi, O. V. (2021) · Anxiety Stress & Coping · doi:10.1080/10615806.2021.1958790 · Cited by 35
Peltier, J. W., Chennamaneni, P. R., & Barber, K. N. (2021) · Journal of Marketing Education · doi:10.1177/02734753211036500 · Cited by 36
The impact of pandemic-related worry on cognitive functioning and risk-taking
Castanheira, K. D. S., Sharp, M. E., & Otto, A. R. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0260061 · Cited by 34
Dengue and COVID-19 infections in the ASEAN region: a concurrent outbreak of viral diseases
Wiyono, L., Rocha, I. C. N., Cedeño, T. D. D., Miranda, A. V., & Lucero‐Prisno, D. E. (2021) · Epidemiology and Health · doi:10.4178/epih.e2021070 · Cited by 35
“This phenomenon has led to a 30% to 40% decrease in hospital visits in the region, thus delaying critical medical assistance needed to diagnosis and manage many diseases [9-11].”
BackgroundThe Assessment of Fear of COVID-19 among the Elderly Population: A Cross-Sectional Study
Agrawal, S., Dróżdż, M., Makuch, S., Pietraszek, A., Sobieszczańska, M. I., & Mazur, G. J. (2021) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm10235537 · Cited by 38
Chen, I.-H., Chen, C.-Y., Zhao, K.-Y., Gamble, J. H., Lin, C.-Y., Griffiths, M. D., & Pakpour, A. H. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02471-3 · Cited by 37
Theurel, A., & Witt, A. (2022) · Creative Education · doi:10.4236/ce.2022.132025 · Cited by 35
An investigation of potential coronaphobia-related factors in adults and sleep quality relations
Karaaslan, Y., Mete, O., Karadağ, M., Kaya, D. Ö., & Celenay, S. T. (2021) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2021.06.016 · Cited by 34
COVID-19 Fear Level of Surgical Nurses Working in Pandemic and Surgical Units
Ünver, S., & Yeniğün, S. C. (2021) · Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.jopan.2021.04.014 · Cited by 34
Internet memes related to the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential coping mechanism for anxiety
Akram, U., Irvine, K., Allen, S. F., Stevenson, J. C., Ellis, J. G., & Drabble, J. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-00857-8 · Cited by 48
Metadata
- Authors
- Mertens, G., Gerritsen, L., Duijndam, S., Salemink, E., & Engelhard, I. M.
- Affiliations
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Tilburg University (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Mertens, Gaëtan
- Venue
- Journal of Anxiety Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-08
- Volume
- 74
- Pages
- 102258
- ISSN
- 0887-6185 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7286280
- OpenAlex
- W3020284447
- Cited by
- 1,264
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 120 · 2023: 209 · 2022: 350 · 2021: 410 · 2020: 100
- FWCI
- 106.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Anxiety Disorders (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research portal (Tilburg University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Communication › Communication and COVID-19 Impact
- Keywords
- fear of COVID-19, COVID-19 pandemic, predictors of fear, health anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, worry, media exposure, social media use, personal relevance, safety behavior, economic impact
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Anxiety, Fear, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pneumonia, Viral, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress, Psychological, Coronavirus Infections, Internet, Uncertainty, Young Adult, Pandemics, Social Media
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