COVID-19 Anxiety and Washing Obsessive-compulsive Symptoms: Stress Coping Styles as a Mediator

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on people's psychological functioning, including how the cope with anxiety. This study aimed to assess the role of coping styles on the relationship of COVID-19 anxiety and Washing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (W-OCD) symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 420 people living in Kashan city (Iran) from March to April 2020. Participants were selected by the convenience sampling method due to the difficulties brought about by COVID-19 and completed the contamination subscale of Padua Inventory, Covid-19 anxiety inventory, and coping strategies scale. Data was analyzed by structural equation modeling (SEM) using AMOS- 22. Results: The results revealed that emotion focused, somatization and social support coping strategies were significantly associated with W-OCD symptoms. Also, there was a significant correlation between the Covid-19 anxiety with the W-OCD symptoms. SEM result revealed that emotion focused and somatization coping strategies positively mediated the relationship between COVID-19 and W-OCD symptoms. Conclusion: Emotion focused and somatization coping strategies increase W-OCD symptoms following COVID-19 anxiety. Psycho education interventions addressing COVID-19's physical and psychological impacts on health, discriminating the rational and adaptive behavior and obsessive and compulsive behaviors, restricting the information gathering from numerous sources which may lead to increased negative emotions might be helpful.