Anxiety and death anxiety in individuals who were admitted to the emergency department with suspicion of COVID-19 in decreased pandemic period

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 led to pandemic-related anxiety and death anxiety among Turkish people, and these might continue during the decreased period of the pandemic. There is a lack of studies that are focused on the fear and anxiety of death in individuals during the period when the effects of the pandemic have decreased. This study aimed to investigate COVID-19 anxiety and death anxiety in individuals who were admitted to the emergency department (ED) with suspicion of infection.
METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 350 individuals between 25 January and 25 April 2022. The research data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), and the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (DAS).
RESULTS: The CAS score was 0.90±2.23, and the DAS score was 7.72±3.22. The CAS of participants was low, whereas the DAS was moderate. Participants who were women, who had psychiatric problems, and who witnessed death from COVID-19 had higher CAS scores (p<0.05). Similarly, women, who had psychiatric problems, who had COVID-19 infection before, and who heard of a death diagnosed with COVID-19 had higher DAS scores (p<0.05). There was a positive correlation between the CAS scores and their DAS scores (r=0.190; p≤0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study showed that there was still low COVID-19 anxiety and moderate death anxiety among individuals who were admitted to the ED with suspicion of infection. Knowledge about coronavirus anxiety and death anxiety may assist in providing support to high-risk individuals, especially women, and individuals with psychiatric problems in the emergency units.