Assessment of fear among the general public of Kerala, India, following a surge of COVID‑19 cases

Baby,Beena Thazhackavayal; Vilson,Asha Anichuvattil; Aranjani,Jesil Mathew; Eespintakath,Safeeda; Sudheer,Arsha Peruvanthara; Mathew,Sam Thomarayil; Nair,Vipin; Joseph,Sindhu Puthenpurakkal

doi:10.3892/mi.2022.34

Assessment of fear among the general public of Kerala, India, following a surge of COVID‑19 cases

Authors:
- Beena Thazhackavayal Baby
- Asha Anichuvattil Vilson
- Jesil Mathew Aranjani
- Safeeda Eespintakath
- Arsha Peruvanthara Sudheer
- Sam Thomarayil Mathew
- Vipin Nair
- Sindhu Puthenpurakkal Joseph
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Affiliations: Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Science, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Udupi, Karnataka 576104, India, St. Theresa's College of Nursing, St. Theresa's Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka 560010, India, Centre for Professional and Advanced Studies, Mahathma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala 686008, India, Independent Medical Communications Expert, Bangalore, Karnataka 560076, India, Department of Data Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Udupi, Karnataka 576104, India, Department of Statistics, Mount Seena College of Arts and Science, Palakkad, Kerala 679302, India
Published online on: March 15, 2022 https://doi.org/10.3892/mi.2022.34
Article Number: 9
Copyright: © Baby et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

During the initial stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic, the community spread of the virus had efficiently been prevented in Kerala, India. The present study aimed to assess fear and its predictors among the general public following the unforeseen surge of COVID‑19 cases in July, 2020 using a reliable and validated tool, the ‘Fear of COVID‑19 Scale’, administered through social media. Of 1,100 responses, 1,046 responses were included in the analysis. The majority of the respondents expressed mild fear 44.6%; moderate fear was found in 39.4% of the respondents, severe fear in 13.6% and very severe fear in 2.4% of the respondents. The mean fear score was found to be 15.93±5.81. Statistically significant (P≤0.05) associations were found between fear and sociodemographic variables, such as age, sex, education and occupation, along with predictors, such as the district of residence, healthcare stakeholders in the family, and the presence of an infected individual in the family. Women and students were found to be the most affected. On the whole, the present study provides sufficient insight into the fear associated with COVID‑19. The findings presented herein may enable authorities to take adequate measures to prevent the aftermath.

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