Abstract
This study explores the level and frequency of anxiety about COVID-19 infection in some Middle Eastern countries, and differences in this anxiety by country, gender, workplace, and social status. Another aim was to identify the predictive power of anxiety about COVID-19 infection, daily smartphone use hours, and age in smartphone addiction. The participants were 651 males and females from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. The participants’ ages ranged between 18 and 73 years (M 33.36, SD = 10.69). A questionnaire developed by the authors was used to examine anxiety about COVID-19 infection. Furthermore, the Italian Smartphone Addiction Inventory was used after being translated, adapted, and validated for the purposes of the present study. The results revealed that the percentages of participants with high, average, and low anxiety about COVID-19 infection were 10.3%, 37.3%, and 52.4%, respectively. The mean scores of anxiety about COVID-19 infection in the four countries were average: Egypt (M = 2.655), Saudi Arabia (M = 2.458), the United Arab Emirates (M = 2.413), and Jordan (M = 2.336). Significant differences in anxiety about COVID-19 infection were found between Egypt and Jordan, in favor of Egypt. Significant gender differences were found in favor of females in the Jordanian and Egyptian samples, and in favor of males in the Emirati sample. No significant differences were found regarding workplace and social status. The results also revealed a significant positive relationship between anxiety about COVID-19 infection, daily smartphone use hours, and age on the one hand, and smartphone addiction on the other. The strongest predictor of smartphone addiction was anxiety about COVID-19 infection, followed by daily use hours. Age did not significantly contribute to the prediction of smartphone addiction. The study findings shed light on the psychological health and cognitive aspects of anxiety about COVID-19 infection and its relation to smartphone addiction.
Highlights
Epidemics are considered to be a prominent source of psychological and social disorders, e.g., fear, anxiety, and reluctance to communicate with others [1]
The present study aimed to identify the level and frequency of anxiety about COVID-19 infection in some Middle Eastern countries, and differences in this anxiety by country, gender, workplace, and social status
After surveying the literature on smartphone addiction and the instruments used in relevant studies, we used the Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI) that was used in the studies of Pavia, Cavani, Blasi, and Giordano [53] and Lin et al [54]
Summary
Epidemics are considered to be a prominent source of psychological and social disorders, e.g., fear, anxiety, and reluctance to communicate with others [1]. Several studies have reported on the negative effects of epidemics and pandemics on the psychology of infected people and their caregivers [8,9]. The increase in cases of COVID-19 infection around the world in general and in Middle Eastern countries in particular can lead to increased levels of anxiety with negative behavioral effects, such as smartphone addiction. The present study aimed to identify the level and frequency of anxiety about COVID-19 infection in some Middle Eastern countries, and differences in this anxiety by country, gender, workplace, and social status. The study aimed to identify the predictive power of anxiety about COVID-19 infection variables, daily smartphone use hours, and age in smartphone addiction
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