1443 - COMPARISON OF FEAR FOR NOVEL CORONAVIRUSES DURING THE FIFTH WAVE OF INFECTION SPREAD AND THE SUBSEQUENT STABLE PERIOD IN JAPAN

Session: P_D08S005 - Poster Session 5 - Division 8
AUTHORS:
Sato Toshihiko (Edogawa University ~ Nagareyama ~ Japan) , Ambo Hideo (Tohoku University ~ Sendai ~ Japan)
Abstract text:

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected mental health worldwide. In Japan, fear related to the virus appeared to fluctuate with the infection status, such as the number of new cases and severely ill patients. During the fifth wave (July-September 2021), dominated by the Delta variant, Japan recorded over 900,000 new cases and nearly 3,000 deaths. In contrast, the following stable period (October-December 2021) saw a sharp decline, with around 27,000 new cases and fewer than 800 deaths.

This study investigates changes in fear levels between these two periods using the Japanese version of the Fear of Coronavirus Scale (FCV-19S-J).

Two surveys were conducted: one in August 2021 with 160 participants and another from December 2021 to January 2022 with 240 participants. To ensure balanced representation across region, gender, and age groups, adults aged 25-64 were recruited. Both surveys included demographic questions and the FCV-19S-J. The chi-square test was also used to compare the two surveys with respect to the ratio of participants with FCV-19S-J total scores above and below the cut-off value.

A four-factor ANOVA (region × age × gender × period) on total and physical fear scores revealed significantly higher fear during the fifth wave. Psychological fear scores also showed higher values in the first survey, with women reporting greater fear than men. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the ratio of the group with FCV-19S-J total score above the cutoff value to the group with FCV-19-J total score below the cut-off value.

These findings suggest that the degree of fear is influenced by circumstances related to the infection, affecting physical and psychological fear. However, there may not have been a significant difference in timing for the cut-off group whose daily lives were disrupted.