The DOI matches its Crossref record; 48 of the 51 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Fear of the coronavirus (COVID-19): Predictors in an online study conducted in March 2020
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
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.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“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
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“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
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“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
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
A Coefficient of Agreement for Nominal Scales
Cohen, J. (1960) · Educational and Psychological Measurement · doi:10.1177/001316446002000104 · Cited by 42,398 · cited 1×
“Cohen’s Kappa was calculated to determine the degree of interrater agreement (Cohen, 1960).”
The application of electronic computers to factor analysis
Kaiser, H. F. (1960) · Educational and Psychological Measurement · doi:10.1177/001316446002000116 · Cited by 12,459 · cited 2×
“Kaiser’s criterium of 1 and a scree plot was used to select the number of components (Kaiser, 1960).”
InfluentialA Rationale and Test for the Number of Factors in Factor Analysis
Horn, J. L. (1965) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02289447 · Cited by 8,965 · cited 1×
“It was based on random data generation, which is parallel to the actual dataset (Horn, 1965).”
Holmes, E. A., O'Connor, R. C., Perry, V. H., Tracey, I., Wessely, S., Arseneault, L., Ballard, C., Christensen, H., Cohen Silver, R., Everall, I., et al. (2020) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30168-1 · Cited by 5,715
Development and validation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire
Meyer, T. J., Miller, M. L., Metzger, R. L., & Borkovec, T. D. (1990) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(90)90135-6 · Cited by 5,099 · cited 2×
“Furthermore, two other vulnerability factors implicated in anxiety-related disorders are of interest here: worry and health-related anxiety (Abramowitz et al., 2007; Meyer et al., 1990).”
Fear-avoidance and its consequences in chronic musculoskeletal pain: a state of the art.
Vlaeyen, J. W. S., & Linton, S. J. (2000) · Pain · doi:10.1016/s0304-3959(99)00242-0 · Cited by 4,931
The Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Development and Initial Validation
Ahorsu, D. K., Lin, C.-Y., Imani, V., Saffari, M., Griffiths, M. D., & Pakpour, A. H. (2022) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-020-00270-8 · Cited by 4,332
O’connor, B. P. (2000) · Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers · doi:10.3758/bf03200807 · Cited by 4,116 · cited 2×
“Following univariate analyses, a simultaneous linear regression was conducted including all significant predictors from the univariate analyses to investigate the unique contribution of each of the predictors in explaining variance in the FCQ. Analyses were conducted in IBM SPSS v26 and an alpha cut-off of .05 was use…”
Fearing the unknown: A short version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale
Carleton, R. N., Norton, M. A. P. J., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (2007) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2006.03.014 · Cited by 2,288
Coping Resources, Coping Processes, and Mental Health
Taylor, S. E., & Stanton, A. L. (2007) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091520 · Cited by 1,600
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 701–800 of 1,000
Mental Health Nurses: Untapped Potentials during COVID-19 for Mental Health Services
Vijayarani, M., & Balamurugan, G. (2022) · Indian Journal of Psychiatric Nursing · doi:10.4103/iopn.iopn_95_22 · Cited by 4
Moura, E. F., Cabral, D. A. R., Rêgo, M. L. D. M., Browne, R. A. V., Macêdo, G. A. D., Cabral, L. L. P., Vivas, A., Oliveira, G. T. A., Lucena, B., Elsangedy, H. M., et al. (2021) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2021.1942436 · Cited by 4
Development and Validation of a New COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (NCAS)
Rehman, U., Shahnawaz, M., Gupta, K., Khan, N. H., Kharshiing, K. D., Kashyap, D., Uniyal, R., & Khursheed, M. (2022) · Journal of Health Management · doi:10.1177/09720634221114672 · Cited by 4
“…used in response to the COVID-19 crisis including isolation, quarantine, travel restrictions and limiting social gatherings may also evoke many common features of mental health suffering like fear, isolation, stress, anxiety (Ahorsu et al., 2020; Bao et al., 2020) and worry (Mertens et al., 2020).”
A Study of the Predictors of Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy in Mothers During the Covid-19 PandemicPreprint
Beheshti, M. A. Z., Alimoradi, Z., & Bahrami, N. (2021) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-246918/v1 · Cited by 4
“However, when the threat is uncertain and persistent, such as the coronavirus disease epidemic, fear can become chronic and severe (59).”
BackgroundDistaso, W., Nikčević, A. V., & Spada, M. M. (2022) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2022.01.30.22270127 · Cited by 4
“Mental distress in COVID-19 is mostly related to distress regarding others (Mertens et al., 2020; Newby et al., 2020), and as such perseveration on COVID-related content and threat could be inversely related to the severity of health anxiety, where cognitive resources are mostly taken by worrying…”
BackgroundWallace-Boyd, K., Boggiss, A. L., Ellett, S., Booth, R., Slykerman, R., & Serlachius, A. S. (2023) · Cogent Psychology · doi:10.1080/23311908.2023.2208916 · Cited by 3
Chiesi, F., Marunic, G., Tagliaferro, C., & Lau, C. (2022) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-022-01023-z · Cited by 5
Ishikawa, A., Tachikawa, H., Midorikawa, H., & Tabuchi, T. (2024) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-087595 · Cited by 4
Emotional contagion, anxiety, and depression during COVID-19: a survey from Egypt
Amer, S. A., Khan, M., Ali, L. I., Moghib, K., Abdul‐Hafez, H. A., Amer, M. A., Salomon, I., & Al-Shroby, W. A. (2025) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-025-24863-x · Cited by 3
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a global increase in the prevalence of stress, anxiety [6], and other symptoms like insomnia, depression, irritability, sadness, and future fear [7].”
Anxiety And Fear of COVID-19 Among Shantytown Dwellers In The Megacity Of Lima
Sotomayor-Beltran, C., Perez-Siguas, R. E., Matta-Solis, H. H., Jimenez, A. P., & Matta-Perez, H. (2022) · The Open Public Health Journal · doi:10.2174/18749445-v15-e221026-2022-69 · Cited by 3
Validation of the Chinese version of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale among Chinese college students
Zhao, B., Xu, J., Kong, F., & Nam, E. W. (2023) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13468 · Cited by 4
“Some general population studies also showed that females had higher levels of fear [76,77], however, the differences between genders in this study were significant in both the total score and the subscales, which was inconsistent with most previous studies [66,78,79].”
Korman, M. B., DeSouza, J., & Ellis, J. (2023) · Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness · doi:10.1017/dmp.2022.258 · Cited by 5
ÖZTÜRK, Ş. B., & AKBAYIR, S. B. (2023) · Journal of Family Counseling and Education · doi:10.32568/jfce.1270737 · Cited by 3
Heriyanto, R. S., Yanto, T. A., Octavius, G. S., Nisa, H., Ienawi, C., & Pasai, H. E. (2023) · Journal of Community Empowerment for Health · doi:10.22146/jcoemph.78698 · Cited by 3
HACIKELEŞOĞLU, H., Vural, M. E., & GEÇER, H. (2024) · Öneri Dergisi · doi:10.14783/maruoneri.1352438 · Cited by 5
Resilience, loneliness, and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.
Mahapatra, N., Yoon, S., Ojha, M. U., & Okine, L. (2024) · Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment · doi:10.1080/10911359.2023.2293972 · Cited by 4
“…include danger and contamination, economic consequences, COVID-19 induced xenophobia, traumatic stress, reassurance checking, health anxiety, uncertainty, and inaction (Mertens et al., 2020) and women are more likely to take these threats into account to their and their dependents well-being.”
Booij-Tromp, F. M., van Groningen, N. J., Vervuurt, S., Haagsma, J. A., de Groot, B., Lameijer, H., Gaakeer, M. I., Alsma, J., Rood, P. P. M., Verdonschot, R. J. C. G., et al. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0303859 · Cited by 3
“The impact of lockdown on daily life was immense and was accompanied by great uncertainty, insecurity and fear in the general population [5,6].”
BackgroundPrakash, A., Baghel, J., Raipure, A., Gondode, P. G., Asai, O. G., Balasubramanian, B., & Yadav, A. (2024) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.65466 · Cited by 3
“It is a subjective conscious experience involving idiosyncratic concerns and fluctuations over time [7].”
BackgroundInfluentialShetty, A., Atalla, A., Diggs, C., Watnick, T. J., & Seliger, S. L. (2024) · BMC Nephrology · doi:10.1186/s12882-024-03685-w · Cited by 3
“In fact, Mertens et al. explored the topic of “fear” of the corona-virus, and found four main predictors of increased fear of, or concern about, contracting the virus, one of which was general health anxiety [22].”
BackgroundA Coronavirus Corpus-driven Study on the Uses of If- Conditionals in the Pandemic Period
Montkhongtham, N. (2021) · rEFLections · doi:10.61508/refl.v28i1.250463 · Cited by 3
Flora, K., Georgiadou, T., Megari, K., Grigoropoulos, I., & Chasiotis, V. (2021) · Journal of Ideas in Health · doi:10.47108/jidhealth.vol4.issspecial3.157 · Cited by 3
“widespread use of technology and social media predict high levels of fear [18].”
BackgroundOĞUZ, İ., & Özdemir, S. (2021) · Gevher Nesibe Journal IESDR · doi:10.46648/gnj.295 · Cited by 3
“However, excessively perceived risk is also reported to be related to many psychological health problems such as fear, anxiety, anxiety, stress, death, decreased life satisfaction, sleep disturbances, suicidality, and ineffective coping(51).”
Doan, Q.-H., Tran, N.-N., Than, M.-H., Nguyen, H.-T., Bui, V.-S., Nguyen, D.-H., Vo, H.-L., Do, T. H. L., Pham, N. T., Nguyen, T.-K., et al. (2021) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare9121713 · Cited by 3
Baltacı, Ö., Aktaş, E., & Akbulut, Ö. F. (2022) · Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi · doi:10.37217/tebd.945037 · Cited by 5
Kehr, H. M., Bakaç, C., Jais, M., Brunner, D., Voigt, J., & Holzemer, L. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.881603 · Cited by 3
Fear of Coronavirus on Continuance Intention to Use Food Delivery Apps
Raman, P. (2022) · Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations · doi:10.4018/jeco.300302 · Cited by 3
“Some of the studies suggest that health anxiety can be a significant predictor of FOC (Mertens et al., 2020).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialPasay-an, E. A., Alshammari, F., Mostoles, R., Gattud, V., Cajigal, J. V., & Buta, J. B. (2022) · Enfermería Clínica (English Edition) · doi:10.1016/j.enfcle.2021.05.002 · Cited by 3
Zaki, K. (2022) · Tourism and hospitality management · doi:10.20867/thm.28.1.8 · Cited by 3
Aliverdi, F., Jozani, Z. B., Ghavidel, N., Qorbani, M., Khonsari, N. M., Mohamadi, F., Mohraz, M., & Mahmoodi, Z. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0275455 · Cited by 3
“Fear is an adaptive feeling needed to cope with potential threats, but excessive fear has negative impacts on the personal (mental health issues and anxiety disorders) and social levels (seclusion, isolation, xenophobia) [3].”
Crișan, R.-M., Bacila, C. I., Toboltoc, P. C., & Morar, S. (2022) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare10122377 · Cited by 4
Intolerance to uncertainty and adult separation anxiety in relatives of COVID-19 inpatients
Romeo, A., NOVELLO, F., & Castelli, L. (2022) · Minerva Psychiatry · doi:10.23736/s2724-6612.22.02364-8 · Cited by 3
Ho, A. S., Mitchell, E. S., Lee, J., Steptoe, A., Behr, H., May, C. N., & Michaelides, A. P. (2022) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-022-14481-2 · Cited by 3
Yavuz, K., Koçak, O., & PARLAK, N. K. (2023) · Work · doi:10.3233/wor-211360 · Cited by 3
Zeitoun, T., Plante, A., Sabiston, C. M., Dieudé, M., & Doré, I. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20032099 · Cited by 3
“An individual who is already vulnerable due to their health status may face more stress in anticipation of an increased risk of illness or infection, not only during the pandemic [71,72], but in other time periods of restraint as well.”
Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic
Lin, C., & Yeh, C. (2023) · Journal of Medical Sciences · doi:10.4103/jmedsci.jmedsci_269_21 · Cited by 3
Sangat, J. A. (2023) · Technium Business and Management · doi:10.47577/business.v3i.8562 · Cited by 3
Ludwig-Dehm, S. M., Dones, I., & Ciobanu, R. O. (2023) · Comparative Migration Studies · doi:10.1186/s40878-023-00331-6 · Cited by 3
Fear itself. Is fear a determinant of the efficacy of lockdowns?
Alfano, V., & Ercolano, S. (2023) · Socio-Economic Planning Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.seps.2023.101644 · Cited by 3
Han, A., hee-jung, S., Lee, Y.-J., Kim, J., Choi, H., Kim, Y.-S., & Park, S.-H. (2023) · American Journal of Health Behavior · doi:10.5993/ajhb.47.3.13 · Cited by 3
Adamczyk, K., & Łyś, A. E. (2023) · International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100403 · Cited by 4
Akgül, Ö., Uzgan, B. Ö., Tetik, M., & Aykaç, C. (2023) · Turkish Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.5080/u27017 · Cited by 5
Psychological impact of COVID-19 and determinants among Spanish university students
Cebrino, J., & de la Cruz, S. P. (2023) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1252849 · Cited by 3
Concerns About Covid-19 in the Eyes of Respondents: Example from Poland
Kalinowski, S., & Szczygieł, O. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-39611-3_15 · Cited by 3
Karyani, A. K., Soltani, S., Rezaei, S., Irandoust, K., & Dizaj, J. Y. (2023) · Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · doi:10.15280/jlm.2023.13.2.101 · Cited by 3
A Preference-Based Value Assessment of the Fear of COVID-19 Contagion
Poudel, N., & Ngorsuraches, S. (2023) · Patient Preference and Adherence · doi:10.2147/ppa.s431148 · Cited by 3
Dymond, S., Cameron, G., Zuj, D. V., & Quigley, M. (2024) · Learning & Behavior · doi:10.3758/s13420-024-00625-4 · Cited by 3
“Participants completed the 16-item Fear of Coronavirus Questionnaire (FCQ; Mertens et al., 2020, 2021; α = .86), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ; Meyer et al., 1990; α = .93), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ – 9; Kroenke et al., 2001; α = .90), Generalised Anxiety Disorder assessment…”
MethodDeterminants of university students' safety behavior during a pandemic
Seva, R. R., Tangsoc, J., & Madria, W. (2024) · International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction · doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104441 · Cited by 3
Akbari, M., Seydavi, M., Zamani, E., Jamshidi, S., & Freeston, M. H. (2024) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.3046 · Cited by 4
Jokar, M., Rahmanian, V., Sharifi, N., Rahmanian, N., & Khoubfekr, H. (2021) · American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences · doi:10.3844/ajavsp.2021.162.165 · Cited by 3
“The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the importance of the Coronavirus and its diseases to humans around the world (Mertens et al., 2020).”
BackgroundMiedo al COVID-19 en residentes de un Asentamiento Humano en Puente Piedra, Lima
Castillo-Zelaya, B. K., & Gonzales-Nolasco, M. (2021) · Ágora Revista Científica · doi:10.21679/arc.v8i1.209 · Cited by 6
Bae, J.-S., Suh, K.-B., & Byun, H. (2021) · Korean Journal of Leisure, Recreation & Park · doi:10.26446/kjlrp.2021.9.45.3.129 · Cited by 3
Naik, B. N., Pandey, S., Singh, C., Nirala, S. K., Kumar, P., & Verma, M. (2021) · PubMed Central · doi:10.22122/ahj.v13i3.1262 · Cited by 3
Sagayaraj, M. F., Rajathi, G. I., Vedhapriyavadhana, R., & Priya, L. R. (2022) · SN Computer Science · doi:10.1007/s42979-022-01038-8 · Cited by 4
“This constant cannonade may have high consequence in intensified anxiety with instant effects on cognitive health [8].”
BackgroundAlmendingen, K., Skotheim, T., Ervik, B., & Magnus, E. M. (2022) · Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare · doi:10.2147/jmdh.s362365 · Cited by 3
“There is, however, no universal definition or understanding of fear, or more specifically, of fear of COVID-19, which makes such cross-cultural, cross-gender, and cross-country research difficult.(5,9) Infection control guidelines may decrease the spread of infectious disease, but it may also increase fear.”
BackgroundMethodResultFactors Influencing Panic Buying Behavior among Consumers in Lebanon during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Homssi, M. A., & Ali, A. A. (2022) · المجلة العملیة التجارة والتمویل · doi:10.21608/caf.2022.251768 · Cited by 3
“According to Ngunjiri (2020), panic is perception of sudden and uncontrolled fear that dramatically impacts individual behavior.”
BackgroundCOVID-19 e as repercussões na saúde mental de gestantes: revisão integrativa
de Lima, J. N., Neto, J. C., Nicolau, A. I. O., de Oliveira, C. J., Damasceno, S. S., Cruz, R. D. S. B. L. C., Quirino, G. D. S., & Calou, C. G. P. (2022) · Acta Paulista de Enfermagem · doi:10.37689/acta-ape/2022ar014066 · Cited by 3
COVID-19-related anxiety: the role of intolerance to uncertainty and resilience
Vousoura, E., Makrygiorgos, N., Tsarpalis-Fragkoulidis, A., & Nega, C. (2022) · Psychology the Journal of the Hellenic Psychological Society · doi:10.12681/psy_hps.28862 · Cited by 5
COVID-19 Lockdown as an Atypical Stressful Situation and Ways of Coping with It
Lelek‐Kratiuk, M., & Szczygieł, M. (2021) · Polish Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.24425/ppb.2021.137256 · Cited by 3
Virtanen, L., Kaihlanen, A., Isola, A.-M., Laukka, E., & Heponiemi, T. (2021) · Sosiaalilääketieteellinen Aikakauslehti · doi:10.23990/sa.107405 · Cited by 24
Alhajaji, R., Almasodi, K., Alhajaji, A., Alturkstani, A., & Samkari, M. (2021) · World Family Medicine Journal/Middle East Journal of Family Medicine · doi:10.5742/mewfm.2021.94154 · Cited by 3
How an Online Health Support Community Responded to the COVID-19 Crisis
Knittel, M. L., & Wash, R. (2022) · Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) · doi:10.24251/hicss.2022.458 · Cited by 3
Global pandemic fear and international students: Negative thoughts, mental and physical well-being
Jamshaid, S., Olorundare, A., Wang, L., Lo-Ngoen, N., Afzal, M. I., & Bibi, M. (2022) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.1201/9781003265061-15 · Cited by 3
Ali, I., & Davis‐Floyd, R. (2022) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781003187462 · Cited by 3
COVİD-19 Korkusunun Annenin Doğumu Algılaması ve Doğum Sonu Anksiyeteye Etkisi
Özşahin, Z., ERDEM, N., AKSAKAL, Z. G., & Ersü, N. F. (2022) · Turkish Journal of Family Medicine & Primary Care · doi:10.21763/tjfmpc.995666 · Cited by 3
Relationship Between Covid-19 Fear and Ageism
Çalık, S. G., Yılmaz, E., Balcı, H., Türktemiz, H., & Başer, G. (2022) · Selçuk Tıp Dergisi · doi:10.30733/std.2022.01542 · Cited by 3
Glowacz, F., Schmits, É., & Dziewa, A. (2021) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-418428/v1 · Cited by 3
Vos, J. (2020) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/mupk2 · Cited by 4
Zingora, T., Graf, S., Hřebı́čková, M., Točík, J., Lacko, D., Birtel, M. D., Voca, S., & Rupar, M. (2021) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/ry7se · Cited by 3
Anxiety Levels in Caregivers of Transitional ICU Patients: A Cross-sectional SurveyPreprint
Ouyang, Y., Yu, P., Luo, L., zhan, Y., Li, S., & Liu, M. (2024) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3952753/v1 · Cited by 3
Rostami, P., Salek Ebrahimi, L., Mohammadpour Asl, A., & Allahverdipour, H. (2024) · Medical Journal of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences · doi:10.34172/mj.2024.005 · Cited by 2
The association between facets of mindfulness and COVID-19 related distress: A cross-sectional study
Boekhorst, M. G. B. M., & Duijndam, S. (2023) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103826 · Cited by 2
Self-citationA network perspective on real‐life threat, anxiety, and avoidance
Glück, V. M., Engelke, P., Hilger, K., Wong, A. H. K., Boschet, J. M., & Pittig, A. (2023) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.23575 · Cited by 2
Prince, M., & Kim, Y. (2023) · Journal of Applied Social Science · doi:10.1177/19367244231208893 · Cited by 3
“The reason is that, in part, fear is generated by uncertainty (Mertens et al. 2020).”
BackgroundPašák, M., & Palcut, M. (2024) · Education Sciences · doi:10.3390/educsci14030241 · Cited by 2
Asif, M., Asad, S., Ahmed, Z., & Emmanuel, S. (2024) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/s10943-024-02015-6 · Cited by 2
“IU was revealed to be a significant predictor of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in several recent studies (Mertens et al., 2020; Rettie & Daniels, 2021).”
COVID-19 risk-perception in long-distance travel
Geržinič, N., van Dalen, M., & Cats, O. (2024) · European transport studies. · doi:10.1016/j.ets.2024.100003 · Cited by 2
“Numerous studies measured reported perceived risk directly (asking respondents about their risk perception) to understand its relation to other factors (Dryhurst et al., 2020; Kroesen et al., 2022; Mertens et al., 2020).”
BackgroundStudents' independent work in genetics in a multilingual education setting
Junussova, R., Doktorkhan, A., Maimatayeva, A., Amanbayeva, M. B., & Zhazira, Z. (2024) · Journal of Turkish Science Education · doi:10.36681/tused.2024.031 · Cited by 2
Liu, Y., Zhang, X., Yao, S., Zhang, W., Wang, Y., Chen, J., & Mu, Y. (2025) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/01461672251335364 · Cited by 2
“Facing pandemic threats, individuals often perceive increased vulnerability and reduced control (Boyraz et al., 2020; Mertens et al., 2020; Smith & Judd, 2020; Šrol et al., 2021), which is associated with a weaker BJW (Fink & Wilkins, 1976; Lipkus, 1991; Rubin & Peplau, 1973; Zuckerman & Gerbasi,…”
Chen, A., & Lu, Y. (2026) · Journal of Management Information Systems · doi:10.1080/07421222.2025.2602395 · Cited by 2
“This study verifies that it shapes patients’ preventive behaviors [59].”
Systemic resilience of megacities against respiratory epidemics: A multi-scale coupled framework
Li, W., Cai, M., & Wang, W. (2026) · Reliability Engineering & System Safety · doi:10.1016/j.ress.2026.112941 · Cited by 2
Ünver, O., Dinç, H., ÇETİN, E., & Argan, M. (2021) · International Journal of Sport Exercise & Training Sciences · doi:10.18826/useeabd.830125 · Cited by 2
Gebelerde Koronavirüs Anksiyetesi ve Belirsizliğe Tahammülsüzlük Düzeyi İlişkisi
SELİMOĞLU, D. E., & Beydağ, K. D. (2022) · Bandırma Onyedi Eylül Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri ve Araştırmaları Dergisi · doi:10.46413/boneyusbad.1081578 · Cited by 2
Elif Beyza, A. Y. A. S., ÖZTÜRK, N., İnan, S., & Karakaş, G. S. (2022) · Afet ve Risk Dergisi · doi:10.35341/afet.1063478 · Cited by 2
Best selected forecasting models for COVID-19 pandemic
Fayomi, A., Nasir, J. A., Algarni, A., Rasool, M. S., Jamal, F., & Chesneau, C. (2022) · Open Physics · doi:10.1515/phys-2022-0218 · Cited by 2
Abdulla, B. M. O., Abdulah, D. M., & Liamputtong, P. (2023) · Health Security · doi:10.1089/hs.2022.0113 · Cited by 2
Saalwirth, C., & Leipold, B. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1129066 · Cited by 3
“, 2020), or the Fear of the Coronavirus Questionnaire (Mertens et al., 2020).”
BackgroundJudging Online Health Misinformation: Effects of Cyberchondria and Age
Xiang, H., Zhou, J., & Liu, M. (2023) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-34866-2_22 · Cited by 2
Are You Worried About Getting Covid-19 or About Losing Your Job?
Utz, S., Huff, M., & Said, N. (2023) · European Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.47368/ejhc.2023.305 · Cited by 2
“Searching for information on Covid-19 also can further increase health-related fears (Mertens et al., 2020).”
BackgroundAcil Servise Başvuran Hastalarda Covid-19 Korkusu ve Yaşam Doyumu İlişkisi
Türk, A., Şahan, H., & Engin, E. (2023) · Etkili Hemşirelik Dergisi · doi:10.46483/jnef.1375508 · Cited by 2
Searl, J. P., Genoa, K., Fritz, A. M., Kearney, A., Pandian, V., Brenner, M. J., & Doyle, P. C. (2023) · American Journal of Otolaryngology · doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2023.104126 · Cited by 2
Alexiou, E., Wijk, H., Åkerström, M., Jónsdóttir, I. H., Innocenti, A. D., & Åhlström, L. (2024) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080248 · Cited by 2
Türen, S., & Torun, O. (2024) · Yoğun Bakım Hemşireliği Dergisi · doi:10.62111/ybhd.1459122 · Cited by 2
Quality of life and psychopathology in different COVID-19 pandemic periods: A longitudinal study
Triantafillou, E., Tsellos, P., Christodoulou, N., Tzavara, C. K., & Christodoulou, G. N. (2024) · Psychiatriki · doi:10.22365/jpsych.2024.010 · Cited by 3
Verinita, V., Suryaningsih, I. B., Pratama, M. D., & Susanto, A. B. (2024) · Jurnal Ekonomi Bisnis dan Kewirausahaan · doi:10.26418/jebik.v12i3.67536 · Cited by 2
“The fear refers to an emotion as a response to prospective threats (Mertens, Gerritsen, Duijndam, Salemink, & Engelhard, 2020).”
BackgroundAmat, C. F., Alzugaray, F. J. Z., & Aranda, L. D. B. (2024) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-024-03340-7 · Cited by 7
“We therefore proceeded to follow the syntax model for parallel analysis as proposed by O ’ connor (2000) and replicated by researchers such as Mertens et al. (2020) or Krieglstein et al. (2023).”
Yu, H., & Alizadeh, F. (2024) · Psychology Research and Behavior Management · doi:10.2147/prbm.s462085 · Cited by 2
Atenas-Núñez, E., Muñoz-Yánez, M. J., Lizama-Lefno, A., Roco-Videla, Á., & Caviedes-Olmos, M. (2024) · Salud Ciencia y Tecnología · doi:10.56294/saludcyt20241179 · Cited by 2
Seeking Protection in the Heart of the Storm: Findings from a Grounded Theory Study
Shahmari, M., Nayeri, N. D., Palese, A., Dashti, S., & Manookian, A. (2024) · Journal of Nursing Management · doi:10.1155/2024/6185455 · Cited by 2
“…the pandemic, prioritizing healthcare worker protection and safety was paramount to ensure efective patient care management [9]; in this context, learning from the experience lived by deepening nurses’ perceptions, behaviors, and interactions related to staf protection and safety is crucial [10].”
Satellite fans’ nostalgia buffers negative emotions and increases well-being and travel intention
Cho, H., Wang, F.-J., & Chiu, W. (2024) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-024-03776-x · Cited by 2
“Previous studies have found that the pandemic is signi fi cantly related to various negative emotions (Mertens et al., 2020; Zheng et al., 2021).”
Baş, N. S., & Ayhan, H. (2024) · Nursing Open · doi:10.1002/nop2.70035 · Cited by 1
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
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
