. Syed Najmul Ain; . Syed Nasir Ahmad Gilani
Volume 11, Issue 4 , May 2021, , Pages 1-6
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Existential anxiety (EA) revolves around the question of ultimate concern relatedto life and death. It gets more prominent when there is an exposure to stressful experiences ...
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BACKGROUND: Existential anxiety (EA) revolves around the question of ultimate concern relatedto life and death. It gets more prominent when there is an exposure to stressful experiences wherethe stress is profound and resources seem insufficient. The objective was to measure the prevalenceand magnitude of EA in the study population from the Kashmir valley during the COVID‑19 pandemic.MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross‑sectional study, data were collected through social media.All the participants belonging to the Kashmir valley were included. EA questionnaire developed byWeems et al. was used.RESULTS: A total of 132 subjects were included. The prevalence of EA concerns was death 55%,fate 62%, emptiness 73%, meaninglessness 32%, guilt 55%, and condemnation 64%. The mean EAscore was 5.0. EA was higher in those who had been diagnosed with mental illness ever in their lifeby a psychiatrist than those who had no such history. EA score was much higher in those who hadever felt a need to visit a psychiatrist than those who had not. There was no statistically significantdifference in the mean scores of EA for those who never felt this need and those who felt this needsince the start of the COVID‑19 pandemic.CONCLUSION: There was a high prevalence of EA in the study population from the Kashmir valley.Relative concerns were more prevalent than absolute concerns. EA score was higher among thosewho had mental health issues compared to others.
