Coronaphobia among healthcare professionals and its associations with sleep quality, physical activity, and fatigue in Turkey

Abstract

Background: Healthcare professionals are at high risk of developing physical and mental health outcomes due to the coronavirus. Purpose: The study aimed to investigate coronaphobia levels in healthcare professionals and explore the relationship between other related factors in Turkey. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 422 participants. Sociodemographic characteristics such as age and gender;and features about working details of the participants including the history of Covid-19 were recorded. The Covid-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S), The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Jenkins Sleep Scale (JSS), and International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form (IPAQ-SF) were used to measure outcomes. Results: It was found that the total mean score obtained from the C19P-S of the doctors, physiotherapists, nurse-midwives, and other health professionals in the study were 46.31 ± 14.64, 50.55 ± 15.69, 54.82 ± 19.82, and 54.38 ± 17.81, respectively. A comparison of the C19P-S results showed that there is a significant difference between health professionals (p < 0.05). Doctors' physical activity levels were statistically related to their coronaphobia levels. Similarly, the coronaphobia levels of physiotherapists, nurses, and midwives were found to have a statistically significant relationship with their fatigue levels. Conclusion: It was found that healthcare professionals in Turkey have moderate coronaphobia levels and it affected some quality of life parameters such as sleep quality, fatigue severity, and physical activity status. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.