COVID-19 Obsessions and Its Predictors: A Community-Based Research in Turkey

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to investigate the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Turkish society and identify COVID-19-related obsessions and predictive factors.Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed with 859 volunteer participants. Data were collected using an online questionnaire between 01 and 08 June 2020. A sociodemographic information form, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OSC), were used as data collection tools. Data were analysed using SPSS 20 statistical software.Results: The mean age of the participants was 40.41 +/- 13.69 (18-70), 55.3% were women, and %63.7 were married. Cleaning habits increased during the pandemic in 76% of the participants. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were 36.9%, 42.3%, and 18.2%, respectively. Depression was severe or very severe in 6.3% of the participants, anxiety in 15.4%, and stress in 4.3%. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was determined in 11.3% of the participants, and COVID-19-related obsessions in 17.6%. Obsessions were greater in the variables of eating (r= 0.26, p<0.001), sleep (r= 0.20, p<0.20), cleaning (r= 0.17, p<0.001), television watching habits (r= 0.09, p< 0.05), and family relationships (r= 0.11, p< 0.01) during the pandemic. The most effective predictors among the COVID-19-related obsessions were depression (p<0.001) and anxiety (p<0.001), IES-R scores (p<0.001), and finally age (p< 0.05), gender (p<0.001), and education level (p<0.05).Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has had severe psychological effects on society, especially in terms of obsessions. Awareness of these must be established, and measures aimed at improving societal mental health must be adopted.