Anxiety, Self-Compassion, Gender Differences and COVID-19: Predicting Self-Care Behaviors and Fear of COVID-19 Based on Anxiety and Self-Compassion with an Emphasis on Gender Differences

摘要

Objective: The outbreak of COVID-19 has different effects on people's psychological and social aspects. This studyaimed to investigate the relationship between anxiety, self-compassion, and gender differences with self-care behaviorsand fear of COVID-19 in Kermanshah.Method: In the cross-sectional study, 403 people answered online questions on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item(GAD-7) Scale, Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), and a questionnaire focusing onCOVID-19-related behavior. Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used for data analysis.Results: There was a significant relationship between social distance and gender, and people who observed socialdistancing reported higher levels of fear of COVID-19 (p 0.001). No significant relationship was found betweenhandwashing behaviour and gender variables, marital status, and education (p 0.05). There was a significantdifference between those who answered yes to self-care behaviours related to washing and those who answered no interms of variables of fear of COVID-19, the overall score of compassion, and subscales of compassion, including selfkindness and isolation (p 0.05). In relation to fear of COVID-19, married status, anxiety, and common humanity had apositive relationship with fear of COVID-19. However, self-judgment was negatively related to fear of COVID-19 (p 0.05).Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, men and people who are less afraid of COVID-19 are morelikely not to observe self-care behaviors. Therefore, providing training about treatment protocols is necessary for thesepeople. To reduce the fear of this disease in people with high levels of fear, psychologists, psychiatrists, and othermedical staff can implement protocols to increase compassion.