Predicting COVID-19-related anxiety: The role of obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions, anxiety sensitivity, and body vigilance

Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), first detected in December of 2019 and declared a global pandemic in March of 2020, continues to pose a serious threat to public health and safety worldwide. Many individuals report anxiety in response to this threat, and at high levels, such anxiety can result in adverse mental health outcomes and maladaptive behavioral responses that have consequences for the health of communities more broadly. Predictors of excessive anxiety in response to COVID-19 are understudied. Accordingly, the present study examined psychological factors that predict more intense COVID-19-related anxiety. 438 community members completed measures assessing COVID-19-related anxiety as well as psychological variables hypothesized to predict anxious responding to the threat of COVID-19. As expected, obsessive-compulsive symptoms related to contamination, the fear of arousal-related body sensations (i.e., anxiety sensitivity), and body vigilance each predicted more severe anxiety related to the pandemic. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms related to responsibility for causing harm also emerged as a predictor. Study limitations and implications are discussed.

Perceived impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on body dysmorphic disorder and anxiety among population seeking cosmetic procedures

“…Quarantine‐related lifestyle changes led to different unfavorable conditions such as psychosocial distress, depression, and stress. 2 , 7 COVID‐19 pandemic‐related studies reported higher levels of anxiety similar to the previous investigations in earlier pandemics, such as the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome‐related to coronavirus in 2003. In an analysis of the Chinese population, 53.8% of individuals reported moderate‐to‐severe psychosocial impact associated with the COVID‐19 pandemic.…”

Gender and COVID-19 related fear and anxiety: A meta-analysis

“… Turkey Europe General population N.A. Collectivism Ojalehto et al, 2021 438 N.A. USA North America General population 30.29 Individualism Eşkut et al, 2021 247 N.A.…”

“…Finally, continent was added in the meta-analysis as a potential moderator to assess the moderating effect of different countries. In most studies conducted in North America, females had higher levels of COVID-19 related fear and anxiety than males (Camacho et al, 2020; Grande and Doyle-Baker, 2021 ; García-Reyna et al, 2021 ; Gélinas et al, 2021 ; Landa-Blanco et al, 2021 ; Lee et al, 2020 ; Pérez-Fuentes et al, 2020 ; Ojalehto et al, 2021 ). In addition, studies conducted in Europe, female's COVID-19 related fear and anxiety levels were higher ( Bakioğlu et al, 2020 ; Kaçoğlu et al, 2021 ; Morales-Rodríguez, 2021 ; Orrù et al, 2021 ; Tsipropoulou et al, 2020 ; Ypsilanti et al, 2021 ).…”

“…To clarify this, it would be useful to add continent as a categorical moderator. Overall, the average age of sample, culture, continent, timing, and target population were considered potential moderators as these variables were treated as moderators in the studies included in this meta-analysis (e.g., Alothman et al, 2021 ; Chorwe-Sungani, 2021 ; Gélinas et al, 2021 ; Ojalehto et al, 2021 ; Saravanan et al, 2020 ; Wakashima et al, 2020 ; Yalçın et al, 2021 ; Ypsilanti et al, 2021 ).…”

Effectiveness of Paradox Therapy on COVID-19 Anxiety in Adult Population in Jahrom

“…Excess COVID-19 anxiety may be a unique type of health anxiety, one of the unique symptoms of which is the fear of infection by COVID-19. According to previous studies on the COVID-19, anxiety, disgust, intolerance of hesitation, anxiety sensitivity, and fear of physical arousal are the predictors of excess anxiety triggered by COVID-19 (22,23).…”