Effectiveness of a social cognitive theory-based distance educational intervention on anxiety in families of patients with COVID 19

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of a social cognitive theory-based distance educational intervention on anxiety in families of patients with COVID 19. Methods: This interventional study was conducted on families of patients with COVID-19 in Shahrekord, Iran in 2021. Based on the list received from the health center, 100 adult members from families with Covid-19 patients randomly were selected and assigned to the intervention and the control groups (50 per each group). The intervention group received a distance education framed as the structure of social cognitive theory while the control group received some educational material not related to the study by sending pamphlets, educational materials through the What Sapp group. The data used in the study were collected at three stages, including before the intervention, immediately after, and three months after the intervention. Using SPSS software version 25, the data were analyzed Results: Before the intervention, there were no significant differences between the study groups in terms of the mean scores of the constructs of social cognitive theory and anxiety. However, after the intervention and three months after trainings the mean scores of the constructs of social cognitive theory increased significantly in experimental group. The mean scores of anxiety in the experimental group also decreased significantly three months after trainings. Conclusion: Distance training based on the social cognitive theory was effective in decreasing anxiety in families of patients with Covid-19. © 2022, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research. All rights reserved.