Illness Perception, Personality Traits and Obsessions in Healthcare Employees After Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between illness perception, avoidance behavior, perception of obsession and personality traits in healthcare workers after the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: An online survey was conducted with 652 healthcare professionals in May 2020 to assess their perceptions of obsession and related factors. Sociodemographic data form, COVID-19 Disease Perception Scale, COVID-19 Avoidance Attitudes Scale, Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Questionnaire and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire were used in the study. Results: Significant predictors of COVID-19-related contagiousness perception were young age (β=-0.235, p<0.001), low psychoticism (β=-0.091, p=0.018), and high cleansing obsessions (β=0.127, p=0.004). It has been found that individuals with high extroverted personality traits (β=0.123, p=0.002) and more intense ruminative thoughts (β=0.117, p=0.003) have more cognitive avoidance from COVID-19, and those in the young age group (β=-0.184, p<0.001) with high education level (β=0.128, p=0.001) and intensive cleaning obsessions (β=0.090, p=0.030) have a behavioral avoidance attitude from COVID-19. Conclusion: In the course of the COVID 19 pandemic, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms may be a response to protecting yourself and others from the virus. Our data support the suggestion that public health advice during pandemics should include mental health campaigns aimed at reducing the psychological effects of pandemics.