. Gaurav Gaur; . Meenakshi Sharma; . Meenu Kundu; . Harmehr Sekhon; . Nidhi Chauhan
Volume 11, Issue 8 , September 2021, , Pages 1-7
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease is a highly infectious and fatal disease. It has caused distressin the form of fear, and anxiety among masses including youth. The psychosocial health ...
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BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease is a highly infectious and fatal disease. It has caused distressin the form of fear, and anxiety among masses including youth. The psychosocial health of youthis important to build resilient nations after the pandemic is over.This study aimed to capture thelevel of COVID‑19 fear among youth studying in a northern Indian university and to compare it withdemographic variables.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross‑sectional study (April–May 2020) conductedamong university students in North India. Fear of COVID‑19 Scale (FCV‑19S) was used for onlinesurvey using Google Forms. FCV‑19S is a reliable tool for assessing the fear of COVID‑19 amongthe general population. Descriptive statistics and principal component analysis (PCA) with varimaxrotation were used for statistical analysis.RESULTS: A total of 521 responses were recorded. The majority (78%) of the participants were inthe age group of 18–23 years and more than half (57%) were pursuing graduation. The respondentsbelonged to 16 states and union territories in the country. A total of 17% reported severe fear, while afew reported moderate (17%) or mild (11%) fear on the FCV‑19S. No respondent could be categorizedwith “no fear” based on the overall FCV‑19S score. Approximately, 42% of respondents were nervousafter watching news/social media posts about COVID‑19. Based on PCA, factor 1 labeled as anxietytoward COVID‑19, factor 2 media effect on shaping of fear, and factor 3 thanatophobia as contributingfactors for fear among youth.CONCLUSIONS: Reflection of fear among youth suggests that adequate knowledge about COVID‑19,preventive steps, treatment options, etc., may be planned to allay fears among youth.