Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in various psycho-social effects, including adverse effects on mental health in the general population. Many studies across different countries showed a significant increase in symptoms of fear, depression, anxiety and stress compared to the situation before the COVID-19 outbreak. Thus, it has gained more importance to examine the relationship between fear of the disease and mental health problems. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty in the relationship between fear of COVID-19, depression, anxiety, and stress. In this study, the sample consisted of 679 individuals. Among 679 respondents, 467 respondents were women (68.8%) and 212 respondents were men (31.2%). Data were collected through an online survey using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were used for data analysis. A significant positive relationship was observed between fear of COVID-19 and intolerance of uncertainty, depression, anxiety, and stress. All variables were found as differing significantly concerning gender, and the levels of fear were significantly higher in women than in men. Intolerance of uncertainty was found to fully mediate the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and depression, anxiety and stress. The findings obtained from this study were discussed in the light of literature findings and various suggestions were presented to researchers, mental health practitioners and policy makers.
Highlights
The world is coping with a mass pandemic once again approximately after a hundred years
Before testing the structural model with structural equation modeling (SEM), the measurement model was tested as follows: DAS was included as one latent variable with three observed variables, fear of COVID-19 with seven observed variables, and intolerance of uncertainty with two observed variables
This study investigated the potential effects of the novel coronavirus outbreak on mental health by examining the indirect effects of COVID-19-related fear through intolerance of uncertainty, on depression, anxiety, and stress
Summary
The world is coping with a mass pandemic once again approximately after a hundred years. About two million people have lost their lives, schools have been closed, millions of people have become unemployed and social life in many countries has come to a standstill All these problems, as expected, made the pandemic a global mental health issue. According to some researchers (Sher, 2020), the psychological impact of the pandemic is expected to persist for years and long-lasting effects on mental health are very likely to be reported (Fitzpatrick, Harris, & Drawve, 2020). Taking all these issues into consideration, it is crucial to establish mental health policies to attach more attention to public mental health and help people through this challenging time (Xiong et al, 2020). As a result of these efforts, various studies have investigated the possible negative impact of COVID-19 on mental health
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