Predictors of Anxiety in the COVID-19 Pandemic from a Global Perspective: Data from 23 Countries

Burkova V. N., Butovskaya M. L., Randall A. K., Fedenok J. N., Ahmadi K., Alghraibeh A. M., ...More

SUSTAINABILITY, vol.13, no.7, 2021 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 13 Issue: 7
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.3390/su13074017
  • Journal Name: SUSTAINABILITY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Aerospace Database, CAB Abstracts, Communication Abstracts, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, Geobase, INSPEC, Metadex, Veterinary Science Database, Directory of Open Access Journals, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 infection, anxiety, stress, cross-cultural, individualism, collectivism, power distance, looseness, tightness, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, CULTURAL TIGHTNESS, CHRONIC STRESS, HEALTH, TRANSLATION, DISEASE, COLLECTIVISM, ADAPTATION, VALIDATION, EPIDEMIC
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Prior and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have resulted in substantial changes to everyday life. The pandemic and measures of its control affect mental health negatively. Self-reported data from 15,375 participants from 23 countries were collected from May to August 2020 during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two questionnaires measuring anxiety level were used in this study-the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI). The associations between a set of social indicators on anxiety during COVID-19 (e.g., sex, age, country, live alone) were tested as well. Self-reported anxiety during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic varied across countries, with the maximum levels reported for Brazil, Canada, Italy, Iraq and the USA. Sex differences of anxiety levels during COVID-19 were also examined, and results showed women reported higher levels of anxiety compared to men. Overall, our results demonstrated that the self-reported symptoms of anxiety were higher compared to those reported in general before pandemic. We conclude that such cultural dimensions as individualism/collectivism, power distance and looseness/tightness may function as protective adaptive mechanisms against the development of anxiety disorders in a pandemic situation.