The Effects of Coronavirus Phobia and Anxiety States on Parents’ Attitudes Towards Their Preschool Children


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UZŞEN H., ZENGİN D., ARDAHAN SEVGİLİ S., YILMAZ H. B., BAŞBAKKAL D. Z.

Ege Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Fakültesi Dergisi, vol.39, no.1, pp.35-41, 2023 (Peer-Reviewed Journal) identifier

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of coronavirus phobia and anxiety states of the parents with preschool children on their attitudes towards their children Methods: It was carried out descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample of the study was composed of 275 parents of preschool children in Turkey in winter 2021. During the data collection period, a ‘Descriptive Information Form, COVID-19 Phobia Scale, Beck Anxiety Scale, and Parental Attitude Scale’ were generated on Google forms, and the link was sent to the parents through social media. Results: Mean score of the parents from Beck Anxiety Scale was 33.40±9.97 and their mean score from COVID-19 Phobia Scale was 53.22±15.28. According to Parental Attitude Scale, mean democratic attitude score of the parents was 73.73±6.09 and mean protective attitude score was determined as 30.55±5.98. A positive correlation was found between Beck Anxiety Scale and COVID-19 Phobia Scale (r= .461; p= .000). Conclusion: Severe anxiety and a moderate level of COVID-19 phobia were detected among the parents in the study. Moreover, anxiety and COVID-19 phobia were found to be positively correlated with authoritarian and protective parental attitudes. To support and follow children and parents by the nurses in physiological and psychological aspects through innovative approaches is very important.