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Anxiety symptoms and preventive measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan

BackgroundIt is hypothesized that anxiety and behavioral responses are intense at the beginning of an epidemic. The objective of this study was to investigate anxiety symptoms and use of preventive measures against COVID-19. The study also compared the association between preventive measures and anx...

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Main Authors: Wong, Li Ping, Hung, Chia-Chun, Alias, Haridah, Lee, Tony Szu-Hsien
Format: Article
Published: BMC 2020
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BF Psychology
Online Access:http://eprints.um.edu.my/36541/
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spelling my.um.eprints.365412023-11-27T01:34:28Z http://eprints.um.edu.my/36541/ Anxiety symptoms and preventive measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan Wong, Li Ping Hung, Chia-Chun Alias, Haridah Lee, Tony Szu-Hsien BF Psychology BackgroundIt is hypothesized that anxiety and behavioral responses are intense at the beginning of an epidemic. The objective of this study was to investigate anxiety symptoms and use of preventive measures against COVID-19. The study also compared the association between preventive measures and anxiety symptoms during the week immediately preceding the study and those symptoms and measures at the beginning of the outbreak.MethodsA cross-sectional population survey using an online questionnaire commenced on 14 February 2020. The study participants were residents of Taiwan ages 20 to 70years. The 6-item state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6) was used to assess anxiety symptoms. The questions about preventive measures asked participants about their personal protection, cough etiquette, contact precautions, voluntary quarantine, and prompt reporting. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the factors influencing an increase in the preventive measures scores.ResultsOf a total of 3555 completed responses, a total of 52.1% (95% confidence interval CI] 50.4-53.7) of the respondents reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety symptoms in the past week, whereas 48.8% (95%CI 47.2-50.5) reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms at the beginning of the outbreak. With a higher score indicating greater anxiety, the median scores for anxiety symptoms in the past week and at the beginning of the outbreak were 46.7 (IQR interquartile range] 36.7-53.3) and 43.3 (IQR 36.7-53.3), respectively. The median scores for the preventive measures taken in the past week and at the beginning of the outbreak were 26.0 (IQR 21.0-30.0) and 24.0 (IQR 19.0-28.0), respectively, out of a maximum score of 36. In the multivariable analysis, an increased anxiety symptom score from the beginning of the outbreak to the past week (adjusted OR=7.38, 95%CI 6.28-8.66) was a strongly significant determinant of an increased preventive measures score in the past week compared with the score at the beginning of the outbreak.ConclusionsAnxiety and preventive measures scores were high and increased with the epidemic rate. Higher anxiety was associated with an increased use of preventive measures against COVID-19. BMC 2020-07 Article PeerReviewed Wong, Li Ping and Hung, Chia-Chun and Alias, Haridah and Lee, Tony Szu-Hsien (2020) Anxiety symptoms and preventive measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan. BMC Psychiatry, 20 (1). ISSN 1471-244X, DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02786-8 <https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02786-8>. 10.1186/s12888-020-02786-8
institution Universiti Malaya
building UM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaya
content_source UM Research Repository
url_provider http://eprints.um.edu.my/
topic BF Psychology
spellingShingle BF Psychology
Wong, Li Ping
Hung, Chia-Chun
Alias, Haridah
Lee, Tony Szu-Hsien
Anxiety symptoms and preventive measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan
description BackgroundIt is hypothesized that anxiety and behavioral responses are intense at the beginning of an epidemic. The objective of this study was to investigate anxiety symptoms and use of preventive measures against COVID-19. The study also compared the association between preventive measures and anxiety symptoms during the week immediately preceding the study and those symptoms and measures at the beginning of the outbreak.MethodsA cross-sectional population survey using an online questionnaire commenced on 14 February 2020. The study participants were residents of Taiwan ages 20 to 70years. The 6-item state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6) was used to assess anxiety symptoms. The questions about preventive measures asked participants about their personal protection, cough etiquette, contact precautions, voluntary quarantine, and prompt reporting. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the factors influencing an increase in the preventive measures scores.ResultsOf a total of 3555 completed responses, a total of 52.1% (95% confidence interval CI] 50.4-53.7) of the respondents reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety symptoms in the past week, whereas 48.8% (95%CI 47.2-50.5) reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms at the beginning of the outbreak. With a higher score indicating greater anxiety, the median scores for anxiety symptoms in the past week and at the beginning of the outbreak were 46.7 (IQR interquartile range] 36.7-53.3) and 43.3 (IQR 36.7-53.3), respectively. The median scores for the preventive measures taken in the past week and at the beginning of the outbreak were 26.0 (IQR 21.0-30.0) and 24.0 (IQR 19.0-28.0), respectively, out of a maximum score of 36. In the multivariable analysis, an increased anxiety symptom score from the beginning of the outbreak to the past week (adjusted OR=7.38, 95%CI 6.28-8.66) was a strongly significant determinant of an increased preventive measures score in the past week compared with the score at the beginning of the outbreak.ConclusionsAnxiety and preventive measures scores were high and increased with the epidemic rate. Higher anxiety was associated with an increased use of preventive measures against COVID-19.
format Article
author Wong, Li Ping
Hung, Chia-Chun
Alias, Haridah
Lee, Tony Szu-Hsien
author_facet Wong, Li Ping
Hung, Chia-Chun
Alias, Haridah
Lee, Tony Szu-Hsien
author_sort Wong, Li Ping
title Anxiety symptoms and preventive measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan
title_short Anxiety symptoms and preventive measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan
title_full Anxiety symptoms and preventive measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan
title_fullStr Anxiety symptoms and preventive measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan
title_full_unstemmed Anxiety symptoms and preventive measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan
title_sort anxiety symptoms and preventive measures during the covid-19 outbreak in taiwan
publisher BMC
publishDate 2020
url http://eprints.um.edu.my/36541/
_version_ 1783876656985800704
score 13.211869

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