Factors associated with COVID-19 fear among healthcare professionals in Bangladesh

Mohammad Ali

doi:10.1016/j.dialog.2022.100037

Factors associated with COVID-19 fear among healthcare professionals in Bangladesh

Dialogues Health. 2022 Dec:1:100037. doi: 10.1016/j.dialog.2022.100037. Epub 2022 Aug 23.

Author

Mohammad Ali^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Uttara Adhunik Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh.
² Hasna Hena Pain, Physiotherapy and Public Health Research Center (HPRC), Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh.
³ Department Physiotherapy, International Institute of Health Sciences, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh.

Abstract

To determine the factors associated with the COVID-19 fear, we conducted an online survey among healthcare professionals in Bangladesh. The "fear of COVID-19 scale" was used to measure the fear. The predicting factors were identified by deploying a multiple linear regression model. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the relationship between mental health symptoms and COVID-19 fear. The overall fear score was 19.39 ± 5.26 (M ± SD) out of 28. Multiple linear regression identified financial constraints, self-employment, and general duties as the independent predictors of COVID-19 fear. However, structural equation modelling found a strong positive relationship between anxiety, insomnia, and fear. Results might be helpful for the policymakers and mental healthcare professionals to identify and manage maladaptive levels of fear and worry because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Keywords: Anxiety, depression, and insomnia; Bangladesh; Fear of COVID-19; Healthcare professionals; Pandemic.