Qualitative Analysis of Effective Psychological Factors on Stress and Fear of Covid-19 Virus During Corona Outbreak Using Grounded Theory Method (GTM)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to qualitative analysis of effective psychological factors on stress and fear of covid-19 virus during corona outbreak using grounded theory method (GTM). The emergence of a new form of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China created a confusing situation that was rapidly evolving and spread dramatically to other provinces and regions of China and then to the rest of the world. The aim of this study was to qualitatively analyze the psychological factors affecting stress and fear of Covid-19 virus during corona outbreak using grounded theory (GTM) method among students of Islamic Azad University, Electronic Branch. This research has been a qualitative research in terms of basic purpose, in terms of descriptive-survey method and in terms of data type. The study population was the students of Islamic Azad University, electronic unit and the selected sample was 30 students studying in the second semester of 2019-20 of this university unit who were selected by available sampling method. The tool used in the research was a semi-structured interview that was conducted online. Findings showed that 6 psychological factors affecting stress and fear of Covid-19 virus were identified as worry about virus infection, socio-economic consequences, fear of strangers, traumatic stress symptoms, emergency response and fear.According to the identified factors, it is predicted that when we go through this epidemic, significant mental health needs will appear in people who need measurements to provide a useful solution to improve the mental health of people.